After a strong finish to 2018 with 312,000 jobs added to the economy, conditions remain good for job seekers looking for new opportunities. That's why economists say now is the perfect time to take advantage of the new-year hiring spree before a potential slowdown occurs.
LinkedIn compiled a list of the most promising jobs in the U.S. for 2019. Using data from its platform, the site looked at job openings and yearly salaries to see which positions provide the best hiring growth and pay. LinkedIn also factored into its ranking which job titles yield a strong likelihood for promotion by looking at the percentage of employees working at the end of 2016 who then started a new position at the same company in 2017. Then, on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the highest, LinkedIn gave each role a career advancement score.
The lowest-paying job on this list is a customer success manager, which has a median base salary of $88,500 per year. All other positions on this list offer median salaries of $100,000 or more.
Take a look below to see the 15 most promising jobs for this year, along with the top skills needed to fulfill each role:
1. Data Scientist
Median base salary: $130,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 4,000+ (56 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Data Science, Data Mining, Data Analysis, Python, Machine Learning
2. Site Reliability Engineer
Median base salary: $200,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,400+ (72 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Linux, Software Development, Python, Cloud Computing, SQL
3. Enterprise Account Executive
Median base salary: $182,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,000+ (62 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Salesforce, Cloud Computing, Solution Selling, Software-as-a-Service, Sales Management
4. Product Designer
Median base salary: $121,500
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 2,000+ (86 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Product Design, User Experience (UX), User Interface Design, Graphic Design, Adobe Photoshop
5. Product Owner
Median base salary: $101,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,100+ (87 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Business Analytics, Agile Methodologies, Business Process Improvement, Scrum
6. Customer Success Manager
Median base salary: $88,500
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 2,000+ (80 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Customer Relationship Management, Salesforce, Software-as-a-Service, Customer Satisfaction, Cloud Computing
7. Engagement Manager
Median base salary: $130,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,000+ (43 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Program Management, Business Analysis, Business Process Improvement, Analytics, Customer Relationship Management
8. Solutions Architect
Median base salary: $139,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 5,800+ (47 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Solutions Architecture, Cloud Computing, Software Development, SQL, Software Development Lifecycle
9. Information Technology Lead
Median base salary: $121,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,400+ (141 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 9
Top skills needed: Information Technology, Technical Support, Business Process Improvement, Business Analysis, Troubleshooting
10. Scrum Master
Median base salary: $103,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 2,000+ (67 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 8
Top skills needed: Scrum, Agile Methodologies, Software Development, Business Analysis, Software Development Lifecycle
11. Cloud Architect
Median base salary: $155,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,700+ (88 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 8
Top skills needed: Cloud Computing, Software Development, Amazon Web Services, Solution Architecture, Linux
12. Product Marketing Manager
Median base salary: $134,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,891 (30 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 8
Top skills needed: Product Marketing, Product Management, Digital Marketing, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Product Development
13. Solutions Consultant
Median base salary: $110,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 1,126 (73 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 8
Top skills needed: Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Customer Relationship Management, Software-as-a-Service, Business Analysis
14. Product Manager
Median base salary: $121,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 10,268 (29 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 8
Top skills needed: Product Management, Product Development, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Engineering, Product Marketing
15. Machine Learning Engineer
Median base salary: $182,000
Job openings (year-over-year growth): 709 (96 percent)
Career advancement score (out of 10): 8
Top skills needed: Machine Learning, Python, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science
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