Top-Dollar IT Skills

The battle is on for hard-to-find technology talent, and companies are paying top dollar for the most in-demand IT professionals. This month's edition of the Dice Report notes that this year's most in-demand jobs include software developers, C#, security analysts and engineers, database administrators and technology professionals with active federal security clearances.

The average paycheck for those with C# know-how is $89,400, while database administrators earn an average of $91,000 annually. Other in-demand skills include Java/J2EE, information security, Oracle and SAP. Sharepoint expertise is also in demand, as job postings for that skill are up 66 percent from last year, Dice notes.

In addition, these in-demand skills pay on average $10,000 more year than the average national paycheck for IT professionals. These IT pros also are receiving double the pay raise in 2010, compared to technology professionals as a whole, Dice reports.