10 IT skills where expertise pays the most

The list of highest-paying IT skills is always shifting as technology evolves, but some skills have consistently maintained earning power for IT pros over the years. And while several factors impact one’s salary, such as tenure, experience, and location, expert-level competency comes at a higher premium for some skills versus others.  

Data from the Dice 2024 Tech Salary Report shows that, for certain IT skills, organizations are willing to pay more to hire experts than IT pros with strong competence. The report examined salary data based on level of expertise for a large range of IT skills, comparing salaries of IT pros who reported regularly using a specific skill to those who reported being experts in the skillset. What Dice found is that experts in certain domains could earn anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 more than those who use that skill on a regular basis but are not considered experts in the craft.

If you have experience in any of these 10 skills, it might be worth upskilling to expert proficiency to gain a competitive edge in the market.

1. Service-oriented architecture (SOA)

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an architectural framework used for software development that focuses on applications and systems as independent services. Each service is broken down and then categorized by its own specific set of functions into a standardized interface, enabling those services to interact with and access one another. This makes it easier to maintain, update, and monitor services without breaking other parts of the system and introducing any unnecessary downtime. Having emerged in the late 1990s, SOA is a precursor to microservices but remains a skill that can help ensure software systems remain flexible, scalable, and reusable across the organization.

• Average salary for expertise: $172,772
• Average salary for regular use: $137,626
• Difference: $35,146

2. NoSQL

NoSQL is a type of distributed database design that enables users to store and query data without relying on traditional structures often found in relational databases. Because of this, NoSQL databases allow for rapid scalability and are well-suited for large and unstructured data sets. Introduced in the late 1990s as the Big Data era emerged, NoSQL remains a key way for organizations to handle large swaths of data. Having IT pros with NoSQL skills means they can take advantage of unstructured and semi-structured data, building powerful but flexible tools to store, manage, and access that data.

• Average salary for expertise: $154,083
• Average salary for regular use: $130,822
• Difference: $23,261

3. Camtasia

Initially released in 2022, Camtasia is a software suite that enables users to create and record video tutorials, presentations, screencasts, and screen recordings. It’s a powerful tool that allows for both video creation and editing, as well as capturing live audio and webcam recordings. With the rise of remote work and digital services, organizations increasingly need more ways to record meetings, presentations, and even to create instructional videos on how to use internal or external platforms and services.

• Average salary for expertise: $124,190
• Average salary for regular use: $105,407
• Difference: $18,783

4. BASH

BASH is a command-line interface shell program used for scripting in Linux and MacOS. Short for “Bourne Again Shell,” BASH was originally released in 1989 as a free software alternative to the Bourne shell. A mainstay for Linux admins everywhere, BASH scripting enables its users to write fewer commands to achieve the same results, is especially useful for creating better software development workflows, and improves proficiency and efficiency for SQL developers in particular.

• Average salary for expertise: $141,156
• Average salary for regular use: $123,895
• Difference: $17,261

5. NetApp

Founded in 1992, NetApp offers several products using the company’s proprietary ONTAP data management operating system. The company’s offerings provide services and tools for organizations to enable data storage and hybrid multicloud solutions, including cloud management tools, data mobility solutions, hybrid cloud data protection solutions, and cloud services. For companies that have embarked on cloud adoption, hiring employees with NetApp skills ensures they can capitalize on the available tools for enabling reliable, flexible, and easy-to-use enterprise-grade data and cloud services.

• Average salary for expertise: $132,884
• Average salary for regular use: $116,058
• Difference: $16,826

6. XAML

XAML, which stands for extensible application markup language, is a declarative markup language used to build user interfaces for applications. Introduced in 2006, XAML enables UI designers to build user interfaces across several different applications, especially in environments using the Microsoft .NET framework. XAML also allows for collaboration between designers and developers, enabling them to work on the same application at the same time, without causing any issues.

• Average salary for expertise: $141,156
• Average salary for regular use: $125,132
• Difference: $16,024

7. C

C is a long-standing, general-purpose programming language that was developed in the 1970s but is still widely used today. As a programming language, C has a smaller memory footprint than most other languages, as well as a smaller runtime. It’s known for being a language that allows for better performance and interoperability, and because it’s deeply ingrained in the tech industry, its staying power as a tech skill remains strong. With so many devices, services, and platforms built on C over the past several decades, organizations still need programmers expert in this language.

• Average salary for expertise: $132,666
• Average salary for regular use: $116,897
• Difference: $15,769

8. Lucidchart

Lucidchart, initially released in 2008, is a cloud-based diagramming application that enables visual collaboration, allowing teams to tackle complex problems together in real-time using tools to draw, revise, and share charts and diagrams. It’s a browser-based application that allows for extensive product management, with the ultimate goal of increasing a teams’ efficiency and productivity, and keeping everyone on track working on a shared initiative. Users can create dynamic charts, timelines, Venn diagrams, mind maps, and flowcharts, and they can add sticky notes to flag questions to come back to or identify potential roadblocks or pain points. As companies tackle bigger and more complex tech projects, having strong skills around collaboration tools such as Lucidchart can go a long way to boost your career. 

• Average salary for expertise: $136,050
• Average salary for regular use: $120,291
• Difference: $15,759

9. IaaS

IaaS stands for infrastructure as a service, and it’s one of the four available types of cloud computing, allowing for access to on-demand and pay-as-you-go cloud computing, storage, and networking resources. It can cut down on the maintenance for on-premises data centers, ultimately helping organizations cut costs while boosting reliability. Using IaaS, organizations can scale IT resources with more flexibility, without the added complexity and cost of managing on-site physical servers and datacenter infrastructure.

• Average salary for expertise: $141,181
• Average salary for regular use: $126,019
• Difference: $15,162

10. Java/J2EE

The Java programming language, released in 1995, and the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform, first introduced in 1999, remain enterprise mainstays. Java is an object-oriented programming language built on the rules and syntax of the C and C++ languages, and is commonplace across all types of technological devices. The J2EE platform is designed to run and develop Java applications in the enterprise. J2EE provides APIs for developers that make it easier for them to make use of resources, create workflows, and build applications for the business.

• Average salary for expertise: $138,609
• Average salary for regular use: $124,124
• Difference: $14,486