The pandemic has had an impact on employment in almost every industry during 2020. But with the availability of a vaccine, economic recovery may finally be on the horizon. Facing the prospect of new positions, many companies are making greater investments in learning and development resources to help employees fill jobs, according to the LinkedIn Talent Blog.
To help you search for your next potential job, we dug into the data to compile a list of in-demand jobs in Seattle. According to labor market analytics firm Lightcast, these are jobs that showed impressive growth from 2015 and 2020, even if growth slowed during 2020. Read about these roles and the UW certificates, courses and degree programs to help you land one of them.
1. Web Developers
Home to Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Zillow, Oracle and more, Seattle’s thriving tech hub is a hotbed for software and web developers. These professionals bring e-commerce platforms, business websites and applications to life by crafting them from the ground up.
In today’s digital world, web development jobs in the Seattle metro area rose more than 165% from 2015 to 2020, which is nearly six times the national average. Web developers are handsomely paid, too, netting a median annual salary of $148,461 in 2019.
If you want to explore a career as a web developer, you’ll need a strong mix of coding skills, with proficiency in HTML, CSS and JavaScript to start. Luckily, the UW offers a variety of programs to help add to your toolkit:
Looking for more? Explore all our programming and tech programs.
2. Cybersecurity Analysts
From compromised customer accounts to multinational ransomware attacks, data breaches are a fast-growing threat to information of all kinds. According to Tech Republic, more than five billion records were comprised in 2019, which cost organizations in the United States more than $1.2 trillion.
More than ever, businesses require another line of defense to protect their customers' data, causing a high demand for cybersecurity analysts. Jobs for cybersecurity analysts (also known as information security analysts) in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area are growing much faster than the national average, increasing by nearly 81% between 2015 and 2020.
Looking to start or further your career in cybersecurity? UW has numerous programs that can help.
Looking for more? Explore all our security & information programs.
If you’re not ready to dive into a full certificate or degree program, you can build a foundation in cybersecurity with our online Essentials of Cybersecurity, offered through edX.
3. Data Scientists
Studying social media posts. Sequencing genes. Big data keeps getting bigger. So does the demand for skilled data scientists who have the power to transform raw numbers into decision-making insights. Reports show demand for computer and information research scientists, which includes data scientists, grew by 79% between 2015 and 2020.
Data scientists are skilled at collecting data and finding the meaning in it. Learn how to acquire valuable insights from data sets and use statistical modeling, machine learning, software engineering and more to improve business decisions, with UW’s variety of programs in the field.
Looking for more? Explore all our data and analytics programs.
4. Marketing Managers
A critical revenue driver for many businesses, marketing is coming into its own. As a result, marketing managers, the linchpin of the marketing team, are in demand. Estimates show 25% growth in marketing manager jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area from 2015 to 2020.
Tasked with creating a marketing strategy, managing advertising and budgets, and collaborating with team members to execute on marketing campaigns, marketing managers orchestrate many facets of an organization’s marketing efforts.
If you dream of being a marketing manager, it’s important to be an excellent storyteller, have a solid grasp of how to engage people online and offline, and strategically leverage various technologies. Check out these UW programs that’ll help you become well-trained and ready to launch your career.
Looking for more? Explore all our marketing programs.
5. Technical Writers
Masters of simplicity, technical writers transform complex information into content that’s easily understood and applied, such as instructional manuals, product descriptions, tutorials and directions.
Given the upsurge in scientific and technical products and web-based product support offered today, demand for these expert wordsmiths is rising. The number of jobs for technical writers in the greater Seattle area grew by 16% from 2015 to 2020, which is a much faster rate when compared with the national average.
Take the next step toward being a professional technical writer by building out your portfolio of work samples with the UW Certificate in Professional Technical Writing, which can help pave the way to a career in the field.
6. Project Managers
Responsible for guiding complex projects involving cross-functional teams, project managers are key to bringing new ideas to life. And with companies in industries ranging from aerospace to education and health care to software continually innovating, project managers are one of Washington’s highly sought-after jobs.
Project management roles in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area increased by 45% between 2015 and 2020. What’s more, detailed-oriented project managers skilled in communications, operations management and problem-solving in the greater Seattle earn an average median salary of $79,432 in 2019, which is 8% higher than the rest of the nation.
If you want to start or advance your education in project management, UW offers several certificate programs and courses that can help.
Looking for more? Explore all our management programs.
Source: Lightcast – lightcast.io