Want to earn over $150k a year? Here are the highest-paying, most in-demand roles and skills

Among other things, this latest iteration of the artificial intelligence tool has the ability to “see” through a camera and react to its surroundings, react with sarcasm or emote in other ways when prompted, and provide translation between two people as they converse in separate languages. 

Setting aside tired talk of robots taking over (although GPT-4o has certainly accelerated the conversation around AI’s ability to provide authentic companionship), it is the extraordinary abilities of developers that are making all this possible. 

AI-skilled workers are revolutionizing industry after industry, from retail to healthcare, finance and manufacturing. GPT-4o is another leap forward, so it should come as no surprise salaries for AI-specific roles are soaring. 

Research published earlier this year by job search platform Indeed revealed the tech skills that command the highest salaries; half were AI-specific, while several others were related to the hardware and software that makes this pioneering technology possible:

• Generative AI
• SoC (System-on-Chip)
• Deep Learning
• Torch (Machine learning library and programming language) 
• PyTorch (Machine learning framework)
• Computer Vision 
• SystemVerilog (Hardware testing)
• Mesos (CPU management)
• Rust (Programming language)
• Elixir (Programming language)

According to Indeed’s report, proficiency in any of the above can draw a salary of $165k - $175k. 

Soaring salaries and accelerating abilities are a telltale sign that the overall AI market is booming. 

According to Allied Market Research, the market was valued at $153 billion in 2023, and could be worth up to $3.6 trillion by 2033. However, despite this rude health, multiple studies suggest that there simply isn’t enough talent to go around. In fact, the need for competitive advantage is so high that across multiple industries, AI graduates can command enormous salaries right out of college. 

Whether this is you, or you’re further into your career and seeking a way to supercharge your earning potential, here are some of the key AI roles driving the highest salaries.

AI Research Scientist ($120k - $250k)

These highly specialized professionals boast advanced knowledge of machine learning and deep learning, with experience in high-level research and industry-leading publishing. This field is as much to do with lab work as with knowledge sharing, innovation and ideation. 

Natural Language Processing Engineer ($100k - $200k)

NLP engineers are the ones who develop algorithms and systems, which enable computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language. Tone, sentiment, inquisitiveness, punctuation and countless more elements make up what we take for granted, but machines must be able to recognize instantly. 

Computer Vision Engineer ($110k - $220k)

Another highly-important role within the next-next iteration of generative AI, computer vision engineers are tasked with enabling AI to interpret and act on camera-based stimuli from the “real world”. The GPT-4o birthday cake demo is a playful example, but when applied to healthcare, for example, the possibilities are thought-provoking to say the least.

Machine Learning Engineer ($90k - $180k)

AI and ML go hand in hand; experts in this space work closely on programming languages like Java and Python, with expertise in the aforementioned PyTorch. 

Data Scientist ($80k - $160k)

Data scientists specialize in statistical analysis of vast amounts of data, along with domain knowledge and visualization skills. All of the above roles involve managing and wielding unimaginably-huge volumes of data, and separate insights and learnings from this task can bring the work in new and unexpected directions. 

The sky is truly the limit with the possibilities of a career in AI; visit the nextpit Job Board to take the next step in your journey.

Join Adobe in San Jose as a Machine Learning Engineer / Data Scientist, and you’ll be helping with a variety of evaluations related to LLMs. As part of the organization’s Document Cloud’s AI & Innovation team, performing scientific evaluation through metrics, experiments and interfaces to build new experiences with documents is central to this role. This is an opportunity to work across Adobe’s entire suite of offerings.

Next-gen national security specialist Peraton, based in Springfield, VA, is in the market for a Senior Data Modeler. In this role, you will work with data architects and metadata managers to model enterprise data and transform it into physical models and database designs to further empower the company’s production systems. Extensive benefits are highlighted alongside the six-figure salary.

SAIC is looking for an AI ML Services Lead in McLean to spearhead the rapid integration of AI/ML technologies across all domains within the Department of Defence (DoD). Leading a team of engineers and data scientists, the successful candidate will facilitate agility in evolving strategic landscapes, and develop and maintain an integrated and federated AI/ML development and deployment capability. 

Looking for an AI job, or want to explore wider opportunities in tech? Start your job search on the nextpit Job Board. This article was written by Doug Whelan.