Want to earn more this year? These are the jobs you should be aiming for.
You probably didn't get into a creative line of work to earn a fortune, unless you're angling to be a creative director at a top agency.
But if you're feeling the pinch and could do with a change of direction, here's some good news from staffing specialists Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group. They've been putting together their 2017 Salary Guides, and they've identified the creative jobs that are likely to see the biggest pay hikes over the coming year, and they've created a handy infographic to illustrate where the big pay packets are to be had.
If you're all about the Benjamins, these are the jobs you should be looking at
The biggest gains are to be had in web design and development; frontend web developers with one to three years' experience are expected to see starting salaries rise by about 7.2 per cent in 2017, while mobile designers will be looking at pay rises of around 6.8 per cent.
It's also a great time to be a user experience designer, with a 6.1 per cent rise on the cards, while content strategists are in line for an extra 5.4%.
The big money, of course, is to be earned on the technical side of things; a data scientist can expect to take home up to $163,500, while a big data engineer can bring in up to $196,000.
"Companies continue to seek out highly skilled professionals who can drive digital initiatives that will help them meet business goals and increase revenue," says John Reed, senior executive director at Robert Half. "Although employers are taking a measured approach to hiring, they're moving quickly and paying competitively when they identify tech and creative candidates who are a good fit for their organisation, given the tight labour market with low unemployment rates."
In short, if you're willing to put the time in and learn some heavyweight skills, you could be taking home quite a bit more every month. You can find out more here.
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Jim McCauley is a writer, performer and cat-wrangler who started writing professionally way back in 1995 on PC Format magazine, and has been covering technology-related subjects ever since, whether it's hardware, software or videogames. A chance call in 2005 led to Jim taking charge of Computer Arts' website and developing an interest in the world of graphic design, and eventually led to a move over to the freshly-launched Creative Bloq in 2012. Jim now works as a freelance writer for sites including Creative Bloq, T3 and PetsRadar, specialising in design, technology, wellness and cats, while doing the occasional pantomime and street performance in Bath and designing posters for a local drama group on the side.
