Here are seven high-income skills you can highlight on your resume to catch the eye of potential employers. This list is based on reports from the World Economic Forum, Pearson, Future Learn, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Coursera, which predict the most in-demand skills through 2030.
These skills are versatile and applicable to various career paths. As you review this list, think about your career objectives, past experiences, and the requirements of your target jobs to see if any of these skills align with your goals.
- Data Analysis
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report identifies analytical thinking and innovation as the top skills for the future. With businesses across various sectors increasingly depending on data for decision-making, there’s a growing need for employees who can gather, interpret, and communicate data effectively to address business challenges.
Professionals in data analysis may utilize tools like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, SQL, Tableau, R, or Python.
Here are some career paths involving data analysis along with their average base pay in the United States as of December 2022, according to Glassdoor:
- Business analyst: $76,147
- Data analyst: $67,179
- Data engineer: $94,327
- Data scientist: $102,994
- Software Development
As industries increasingly leverage technology to enhance their business capabilities, there’s a growing demand for professionals skilled in developing, maintaining, and improving technological systems. Those working in DevOps or software engineering are responsible for building, monitoring, and managing an organization’s technology infrastructure.
Individuals in DevOps or software engineering often use tools such as Git, Docker, Jenkins, or Kubernetes, and may be proficient in programming languages like Python, Java, or C++.
Here are some careers in software development, along with their average base pay in the United States as of December 2022, according to Glassdoor:
- Applications engineer: $81,008
- Systems developer: $90,943
- Software engineer: $90,390
- DevOps engineer: $104,148
- User Experience
User experience (UX) is crucial alongside technological advancement, focusing on how consumers interact with a product. UX professionals determine the optimal way to present products to consumers through research, design, and marketing efforts.
While involving some data analysis, UX roles are primarily design-oriented and offer creative freedom. These roles also require high social perceptiveness—skills highlighted in several reports.
Here are some careers that utilize user experience skills, along with their average base pay in the United States as of December 2022, according to Glassdoor:
- UX writer: $98,553
- UX researcher: $100,490
- User interface (UI) designer: $102,987
- UX designer: $105,118
- Product designer: $107,400
- Web Development
Web development combines the core principles of software development with the design aspects of user experience. Professionals in this field not only handle the technical side of building websites but also incorporate design elements and are often knowledgeable in technical search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure the websites meet business needs.
Here are some careers that require web development skills, along with their average base pay in the United States as of December 2022, according to Glassdoor:
- Front-end developer: $104,394
- Full-stack developer: $110,497
- Webmaster: $110,686
- Back-end developer: $119,292
- Project Management
Many companies operate with an organizational structure where different departments, teams, or individuals collaborate on a single product or project. A person skilled in coordinating these efforts excels in project management. These professionals manage schedules, organize budgets, and communicate with project stakeholders.
“Project management” encompasses leadership, communication, planning, resilience, and organizational skills—all highly valued by employers.
Project management skills are essential across many careers and become increasingly important in managerial roles. However, one can also specifically pursue a career as a project manager. Here are some roles within project management and their average base pay in the United States as of December 2022, according to Glassdoor:
- Project coordinator: $89,374
- Program manager: $89,989
- Project manager: $93,043
- Portfolio manager: $119,373
- Account Management
While project management is typically focused internally, account management leverages similar skills to interact with clients and customers outside of the organization. Highly valued in sales roles, account management skills enable you to effectively present your company and its products to customers.
Account management involves organizational skills necessary for closing business deals and interpersonal skills for negotiating and maintaining relationships. Professionals in this field often use customer relationship management (CRM) tools like Salesforce.
Here are some careers that utilize account management and sales skills, along with their average base pay in the United States as of December 2022, according to Glassdoor:
- Account manager: $83,999
- Business development associate: $88,601
- Business development manager: $98,861
- Sales representative: $100,310
- Content Creation and Management
Skills in content creation and management, which are essential for marketing careers, revolve around storytelling. This skill set includes creativity, originality, social perceptiveness, and emotional intelligence. Enhancing these skills with data analysis, particularly marketing analytics, can help you gauge how effectively your audience is engaging with your content.
Here are some careers that utilize content creation and management skills, along with their average base pay in the United States as of December 2022, according to Glassdoor:
- Social media manager: $76,325
- Digital marketing manager: $96,206
- Content marketing manager: $107,777
- Brand marketing manager: $109,952
