Information technology positions have risen to the top when it comes to ranking the best jobs for the new year. Job search website CareerCast rated 200 jobs based on income, work environment, stress, physical demands and job outlook using career experts and data from the Labor Department and U.S. Census.
In 2011, technical positions involving computers are among the top-rated, in part because of the popularity of smartphone applications and cloud-based software, CareerCast found. Software engineering took the top spot thanks to its midlevel income of $87,140 as well as a positive work environment, lower stress levels and positive hiring outlook going into 2011. Other IT jobs, such as computer systems analyst, technical writer and computer programmer, also ranked within the top 30 positions, and Web developer took the number 44 spot.
Where does your public sector career fit in? Does the 2011 jobs outlook, combined with the lack of an across-the-board pay raise for federal workers over the next two years, change or influence your career plans?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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