Digital Workshop Center

Tech Careers Across the Country

Aug 4, 2023 | Career Advice, Certificate Programs, Tech Career Outlooks

Boulder, Chicago, and Salt Lake City all share the same thing in common: tech careers are in high demand throughout their city limits. Across the United States, major cities are seeing an increase in career opportunities that are looking for people who have the tech skills to thrive in the local tech industry and wider digital economy. Although recent headlines might lead people to believe that the tech industry has cut back on hiring in recent years, those headlines don’t account for the mid and smaller sized companies “who are taking advantage and hiring workers who have been let go,” according to articles published by TechTarget. While major companies might be cutting back their hiring of tech workers, tech workers are quickly realizing that those major companies aren’t as stable as they thought and no longer prioritizing a big paycheck or name recognition — they’d much rather work for a company that really cares about their employees, and isn’t going to lay off hundreds of people soon,” according to Kyle Elliot, a tech career coach recently interviewed by CNBC. Tech skills are crucial in almost every professional sector as we professionally and personally dive deeper into a digital age and economy.

Tech Careers & Skills-based Hiring

The demand of tech workers isn’t changing anytime soon, but the way hiring those tech workers is. It is no secret that the tech careers have been forever changed by the introduction of AI, automation, and other futuristic technologies. While some might argue that ‘robots’ are replacing human jobs, it is actually quite the opposite. Back in 2020, the World Economic Forum noted in their third annual report of The Future of Jobs that “by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labor between humans and machines…but even more jobs – 97 million – may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labor between humans, machines, and algorithms.” In order to fulfill this need, hiring managers across multiple sectors are turning to skills-based hiring. Skills-based hiring is where employees hire “based on specific skills and competencies instead of education or experience,” as noted in the March 2022 Skills-based Hiring and Older Workers report from Urban Institute. Those who have an interest in breaking into the tech sector by way of a tech career can do so a bit more easily now that skills-based hiring is on the rise. What this means is that instead of having to show you have the educational background and experience to perform well at a job, you can rely on a balance of soft and hard skills to show you have the qualifications to be the best candidate for the job. This is especially fitting in a digital economy where tech careers continue to be in high demand and need employees who have the skills to take on the future of the tech industry. You can read more about the skills-based hiring paradigm here: Finding Success in Skills-based Job Searches.
tech careers

Location Based Tech Careers

Across the United States, tech careers are booming. CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, created a tool ‘cyberstates’ to support employers and employees alike in finding data that correlates to the tech industry in specific states and metropolitan areas. From their extensive research and analysis, there were 4.1 million tech job postings by U.S employers in 2022, there are 9.4 net million projected tech employment in 2023, and the projected growth rate for tech jobs over the next decade is nearly twice the national jobs rate. You can interact with this tool here: State of the Tech Workforce. Below, we have compiled a list of data from CompTIA’s tool that correlates to the ten states we, as a vocational school, are currently operating in. While anyone living anywhere can become a student with Digital Workshop Center, these are states where we are an eligible training provider and work closely with Workforce Centers to ensure funding and scholarships can be available for students. You can learn more about our role as an eligible training provider here: Step by Step Guide through WIOA Grant Funding.
In Colorado, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 94,137. There are over 127,000 overall tech job postings in Colorado and there are close to 36,000 emerging tech job postings.

In Utah, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 41,266. There are over 41,000 overall tech job postings in Utah and there are roughly 11,500 emerging tech job postings.

In Oregon, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 25,486. There are over 52,000 overall tech job postings in Utah and close to 15,000 emerging tech job postings.

In Illinois, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 110,292. There are over 177,000 overall tech job postings in Illinois and close to 55,000 emerging tech job postings.

In Wyoming, the leading tech career is in software, with network engineers and IT Support Specialists following closely behind. The leading tech sector is both Telecommunications and Internet Services and IT Services and Custom Software Services. There are 3,300 overall tech job postings in Wyoming and there are roughly 1,000 emerging tech job postings.

In Nebraska, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 15,656. There are 26,000 overall tech job postings in Nebraska and over 6,500 emerging tech job postings.

In Iowa, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 14,025. There are over 33,500 overall tech job postings in Iowa with 8,000 emerging tech job postings.

In Missouri, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 54,747. There are over 73,000 overall tech job postings in Missouri and roughly 20,000 emerging tech job postings.

In Minnesota, the leading tech career is in software and the leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 46,535. There are 72,500 overall tech job postings in Minnesota and 21,000 emerging tech job postings.

In New Mexico, the leading tech career is in software, with IT Support Specialists and Network Engineers following closely behind. The leading tech sector is IT Services and Custom Software Services, with a year to year (YoY) growth of 8,479. There are close to 15,000 overall tech job postings in New Mexico and 3,800 emerging tech job postings.

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There seems to be a common theme of software development as the leading tech career and the leading tech sector is in IT Services and Custom Software Services. A quick google search shows that a career in software development can propel you in many different directions, with some of those including front end, back end, mobile, database, and more. Sumatosoft, a software development company, compiled a list of different software careers in their recent blog post, 18 Types of Software Developers Jobs Explained. Another quick google search shows that the tech sector of IT Services and Custom Software Services extends into many other industry sectors and a career in these services does not have to be limited to just a tech company; there are many businesses, big and small, looking for those with the tech skills to foster growth and success in an increasingly digital age.

Upskilling to a Tech Career

Tech careers aren’t disappearing anytime soon, no matter what the news headlines say. In fact, tech careers are the most in demand and projected to double over the next decade. With an increase of skills-based hiring, landing a tech career is more possible than ever before. For those who have been considering a career change or advancement into the tech sector, know that there are plenty of ways for you to upskill your soft and hard skills through educational means like certificate programs. As a vocational school, we offer nine different certificate programs that can propel you into your dream tech career. Don’t wait; start your journey to a new career today. Attend an info session to learn more about how Digital Workshop Center strives to support you in your career goals and plans: Info Sessions. 

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