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_{BY TARYN ST.LOUIS, JULY 02, 2020}

Top paying tech positions are going unfilled due to lack of skilled tech workers. Now is a great time to:

• Learn to code,
• Get a job in tech,
• Learn to create apps,
• Own the Tech you create.

According to Glassdoor, you don’t need to be technical to land a job at one of the top tech companies, but for those who develop their technical skills, the rewards can be vast! As an added bonus, there are a wealth of free online courses available today.

Their latest report breaks down the highest paying tech jobs in the industry, based on an average salary. Here are the top 10:

10. Information Security Engineer: $131,300

9. DevOps Engineer: $137,400

8. Enterprise Architect: $144,400

7. Technical Program Manager: $145,000

6. Software Architect: $145,400

5. Applications Architect: $149,000

4. Infrastructure Architect: $153,000

3. Software Development Manager: $153,300

2. Data Warehouse Architect: $154,800

1. Software Engineering Manager: $163,500

How do I start?

Lean to code for free! There are free courses available for beginners and intermediates that can kick start your new career.

Some of these programs, like Scratch, allow the student to program their own interactive stories, games and animations and share their creations with the world. Scratch is designed specifically for ages 8-16, but it is generally used by people of all ages.

Get your children started with a great interactive learning experience on their journey to coding. Codecademy is an online interactive platform that offers free coding classes in 12 different programming languages including Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, Swift, and Sass, as well as markup languages HTML and CSS. All the courses on Codecademy are free. The free course catalog features hundreds of hours of content that help learners develop skills in their desired programming language. However, CodeCademy offers a “pro” option that allows tailored lessons and tutorials for the user as well as live tutoring.

Check out some other interactive learning platforms:

• EDX.org
• Coursera.org
• YearUp.org
• Khan Academy
• Udacity
• Novoed
• Disney’s Code Illusion

Is coding hard to learn?

According to Paul Larkin of Career Karma, the simple answer is “No.” “Coding is not hard to learn. Much like learning any other skill, it will require time and persistence. How hard it is to learn will depend on the programming language itself and what kind of software you’d like to make.“

If you love the idea of having a great income while doing something fun and interactive, a job in Tech may just be right for you! You may just have the next big idea sitting in the corners of your brain. Start the ball rolling by learning to code.

How long will it take to learn?

According to Joshua Weinstein of Career Karma, The following table sums up the duration, however, “Generally, it takes about 3 to 6 months to learn the basics of coding. You can learn coding faster or slower depending on your pace.“

If you have no interest in Tech, learning to code is still a great choice!

• It will make you more self sufficient: No need to wait around for technical assistance when you need it.
• It will teach you how to think. Heather Stenger, Senior Director of Communications at American Wood Council states: “Coding forced me to start out with a plan, identify potential trouble areas, and troubleshoot, troubleshoot, troubleshoot.”
• It will improve your collaboration and communication skills. Many tech courses require collaboration as Projects are rarely created in a vaccum.
• It can take your present career to new heights! Coding can open a whole new world of options for you, and your new skills will mostly like prove very valuable to your employer.
• If you’re thinking about starting a new company, having technical knowledge can make your startup more feasible, and can be the factor that gets you that launch!

What are you waiting for? It’s time to break barriers, and learning to code may just be one way for you to attain financial freedom.