India is undoubtedly one of the upcoming tech giants in the world. Cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai have already set themselves on the world tech map. It was reported in January earlier this year that Bengaluru ranked as the world’s fastest growing mature tech ecosystem since 2016 beating London at the second position with Mumbai on 6th. Apart from this, India is also the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, with more than 21 unicorns (privately owned startups valued over $1B) valued at $73.2 billion. This means a rapid growth in demand for more professionals in the field of computer science. As there is an increasing demand for various careers in this field and since the work is intricate and extensive, the pay becomes equally high. And when we say high, we mean high. Given below are some of the highest paying Jobs in the field of computer science and mind you that some numbers may shock you.
Software Architect
Software architects are responsible for providing software solutions for tailored clients. They design and build applications, software systems according to the demand and likings of these clients. Software architects mainly work on delivering software solutions such as coding programs, desktop applications, web services, user interfaces and databases. These IT professionals also coordinate and supervise technical requirements of an organization such as frameworks, systems, tools and coding. Software architects are involved in every stage of software development, they constantly work with software engineers, product managers and marketing professionals. From planning to monitoring, scheduling software deliverables they are also responsible for evaluating software and system issues.
Education qualification required for this position is B.Tech in Software Engineering, computer science or Bachelor’s in Computer Science or related field. Most employers may prefer candidates with a master’s degree in the relevant field with a minimum work experience. The average salary of a software architect is INR 2,155,923 per annum according to payscale.
Skills Required
• Software development – extensive knowledge of the whole process and technicality
• Comprehensive knowledge of architectural design patterns and styles
• Programming languages – Javascript, C++, .NET, JQuery, HTML etc
• Knowledge of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) and SOA (Service Oriented Architecture)
• Database design experience, Data Modeling
Responsibilities of Software Architect
• Provide customized solutions to clients
• Interact with clients, project managers, software developers, engineers, marketing professionals to bring out the most
efficient solution
• Provide architectural blueprints to the development team
• Ensure quality of an application/design by reviewing codes
• Collaborate with stakeholders to meet the client/organization demands with software solutions
Principal Software Engineer
Principal Software Engineers play an extensive role in an organization, they are responsible for supervising all the technical aspects of an organization. They coordinate and supervise development teams to generate strategies, ensure product lines are working smoothly and and the technologies are linked. Their main role is put forward projects which leads to minimizing cost and maximizing performance. This also includes making sure that standards are being followed when it comes to design, application requirements and maintenance. Though their job role is vast but it can be summed up as providing technical guidance to development teams and managing technical aspects of all the projects along with development, documentation and test of a software. It is Principal Software Engineer’s duty to guarantee that the software solution meets the needs of the end user and achieves business goals at the same time.
A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (including B.Tech in software engineering and other relevant engineering degrees) and related fields help land you this position. Apart from this basic requirement a CSDP (Certified Software Development Professional) certificate and an experience in the field is generally required. According to payscale the average salary of a Principal Software Engineer is 2,355,187 per annum.
Skills Required
• High-level knowledge and experience in programming languages
• Web building experience (mainly complex web systems)
• Strong analytical, leadership and organizational skills
• High-level knowledge and experience in software development & its methodologies
• Communication skills and ability to multitask
Responsibilities of Principal Software Engineers
• Analyze, identify, prioritize, and implement efficiencies which brings highest possible value to the organization
• Manage, identify and fix bugs using various tools/softwares
• Designing and coding of new softwares
• Manage and provide training to developers and engineers
• Maintenance and upgrade existing software, ensure optimal performance of softwares by addressing related complaints
• Hold & attend team meetings, discuss ideas, projects, solutions and supervise overall technical aspects of an organization
Security Architect
A security architect is responsible for network and system security of an organisation. Their mind must work like a hacker and create basic designs and plan features and functionalities. They basically work as a project manager to design, plan and manage network and security systems of an organization. These professionals develop company policies regarding the use of security systems. Security architects select a scheme after research of authentication protocols and implement the same. They identify primary level security threats and also respond to tickets that arise regarding systems.
To become a security architect you will need a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited University in the field of Computer Science, Information Technology or any relevant field. Some organizations may even ask for previous work experience and certification in various cyber security courses. The average salary for a Security Architect is INR 2,191,228 per annum according to payscale.
Skills Required
• Extensive understanding of Systems protocols, authentication, cryptography, authorisation and security
• Basic knowledge of programming languages
• Extensive knowledge of Operating Systems
• Communication skills and problem solving skills
Responsibilities of Security Architect
• Plan, design, build and implement security solutions
• Focus on risk management – security, performance and reliability
• Implementation of multi-factor authentication, identity management, single sign-on etc
• Communication with other IT security professionals and engineers to discuss and enforce security measures
• Develop and implement security policies
Computer Scientist
A Computer Scientist in an organization is someone who uses technology to solve business problems. They do this by developing softwares, applications and tools. These professionals might often write codes to develop these applications but they mainly validate these models for interaction between human and computers. Computer scientists also develop algorithms to predict customer trends and design databases to track an organization’s inventory. The position really calls for a diverse list of tasks.
Generally Computer Scientists need to have a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology. Most organizations might consider candidates with a master’s degree who also possess various sets of technical skills along with work experience. The average salary for a computer scientist is INR 1,749,672 per annum.
Skills Required
• High-level knowledge of Computer Science, Maths, Linear Algebra, Calculus & Statistics
• Fluent in at least a few programming languages such as C++, Java, Python etc
• Communication skills, problem solving skills, analytical skills and creative thinking
Responsibilities of a Computer Scientist
• Apply theoretical principles to develop new software and hardware solutions
• Identify and solve complex business problems
• Write codes to develop new software/tools
• Work closely with computer engineers, software developers and software engineers
• Communicate with vendors, end users, managers and stakeholders to discuss computing requirements
Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
The position Site Reliability Engineer was first created at Google and the word was coined by Ben Treynor, Vice President of Engineering at Google in 2003. SREs are responsible for making sure that the projects they work on are highly reliable and scalable. These professionals make sure that the softwares they develop runs on a cheap cost with minimal failure for a long period. They prepare the system for any potential failure, if a failure occurs, SREs quantify them and check the availability of the system while tracking them against the SLA (System Level Agreement) of the system. The working of a SRE can also be viewed as an implementation of DevOps culture. They work closely with the developers and also share the ownership of the developed software. In addition to this, SREs also use the similar tools used by the developers.
To become a Site Reliability Engineer you must possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineer with a previous working experience as a software engineer or software developer for a minimum of 4-5 years. The average base salary for a Site Reliability Officer is INR 1,172,680 per annum according to Payscale.
Skills Required
• Knowledge of programming languages C++, Java, Python
• Analytical skills, problem solving
• Communication skills, leadership skills and team work skills
Responsibilities of Site Reliability Engineer
• Build softwares to help operations and support team
• Review lines of code and operational process
• Optimizing on-call rotation and process
• Relay information to other team members – engineers
• Documentation of Engineers’ work and conducting post-incident reviews
Data Engineer
Data Engineers are mainly responsible for building scalable pipelines to convert semi-structured and unstructured data into usable formats. They deal with a large amount of data and prepare infrastructure to be analyzed by data scientists. These professionals design, build, and integrate data from different sources. This means managing big data and preparing that raw data for analytical use. Data engineers are primarily responsible for performance optimization of an organization’s big data ecosystem, write complex queries on data and ensure the ease of access of data. Another important duty of a data engineer is to identify trends and patterns in vast amounts of data.
Data engineer aspirants need to have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, software engineering, computer engineering, mathematics, physics, statistics or related field. To get a position as a data engineer you are also required to have hands on experience be it through internships or previous work experience. Aspirants can also do various diploma courses on Data Science after the completion of their degree. The average salary of a Data Engineer is INR 835,135 per annum according to payscale.
Skills Required
• Knowledge of Algorithms, Database Structure, Database Systems SQLs, NoSQLs
• Data Warehousing – Hadoop, MapReduce, HIVE, Kafka, Spark etc
• Programming languages – Python, R, JavaScript etc
• High-level knowledge of Operating Systems
• Machine Learning, ETL (Extract, Transfer, Load) tools
Responsibilities of Data Engineer
• Data acquisition, develop data set process
• Use large data sets to generate business solutions
• Prepare data for predictive and prescriptive modeling
• Find hidden patterns and trends in large data sets
• Use programming languages and tools for data analysis and creating pipelines
• Determine ways to improve data reliability, efficiency and quality
• Communicate the analytics with stakeholders and discuss business solutions
Also Read : Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in India 2021
Cyber Security Engineer
Cyber Security Engineers are the professionals who are responsible for the quality control of the IT infrastructure of an organisation. They design, build, implement scalable and strong systems helping the organization understand and be secure from possible threats. These threats include cyber-attacks, hackers and data leakage various other online threats. Cyber security Engineers also ensure that the IT security and defense systems are up to date and running efficiently by constantly testing and monitoring the network systems. As they defend the whole IT infrastructure of an organization, they also supervise the functioning and maintenance of firewalls, routers, switches, VPNs and other security and network monitoring tools. It is one of the most important positions in large organizations which deal with vast datas in regards to growth of their business. From organization’s internal communications to technical, organizational data and assets, these professionals work towards the security of all.
To become a cyber security engineer the basic education qualification required is a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or related field along with a minimum of 2 years of experience of working as a cyber security professional. According to payscale, the average salary for a Cyber Security Engineer is INR 608,218 per annum.
Skills Required
• Knowledge and experience in functionality, operation and maintenance of firewalls and other endpoint security.
• Knowledge of programming languages C++, Java, Node, Python etc
• Various Cyber security certifications – CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional), CISA (Certified Information Security Auditor) etc
• Keeping up to date with latest hacker tactics and security trends
Responsibilities of Cyber Security Engineer
• Design, build, implement, maintain and update network security systems
• Troubleshooting network issues and security issues
• Test, scan and monitor any possible threats to the security
• Assess organization’s security requirements and approach with necessary solutions.
• Respond to all security breaches and threat
Also Read : Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in India 2021
Development Operations Engineer (DevOps Engineer)
Development Operations Engineers are highly skilled professionals who are responsible for establishing project objectives, configuring operational priorities and developing operations solutions by defining, studying, estimating and screening alternative solutions. They work closely with software teams, infrastructure teams and the product teams to bring collaborative solutions for smooth transition from test to production. These professionals have a comprehensive knowledge of operational issues and technology. DevOps engineers are mainly focused on studying and observing functioning systems along with keeping records of performance results.
The basic education requirement for Development Operations Engineer is a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science Engineering and Software Engineering. Having a master’s degree in the same field may be preferred by employers in some cases with a previous work experience. According to payscale, the average salary for a DevOps Engineer is INR 698,561 per annum.
Skills Required
• Knowledge of DevOps tools and technologies
• Knowledge of Linux fundamentals and Scripting
• Knowledge of CI/CD Continuous Integration And Continuous Delivery
• Knowledge of programming languages and infrastructure of codes
• Communication skills, problem solving skills and analytical skills
Responsibilities of Development Operations Engineer
• Work closely with software developers to supervise Code releases
• Merge and cross barriers between software development, testing and operations team
• Develop, configure and build IT Solutions
• Assist in all stages of testing, translate technical requirements, perform script maintenance and updates
• Build automated deployments with the use of configuration management technology
• Maintenance and troubleshooting
Also Read : Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in India 2021
Software Developer
Software Developers are the professionals who develop various computer softwares/applications. These applications allow users to perform various tasks on computers and other devices. A specific application is designed to perform a specific task but this concept has changed a lot over the years with a single application performing multiple tasks. In addition to developing applications, software developments also develop or modify existing systems that control network and run devices. They design applications by analyzing the user needs, finally developing and testing those applications. These professionals work closely with computer programmers, software engineers and system engineers. Besides this they also engage in direct work with computer-related vendors and users. One of their major roles is also to be able to communicate the technical information in a non-technical voice, so that a layman would understand the use and importance of the application.
Generally, the basic education qualification required for the position of Software Developer is a B.Tech in Software Engineering, Computer Science (Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Information Technology) or other related fields with a minimum work experience. According to payscale, the average salary of a software developer is INR 501,667 per annum.
Skills Required
• Knowledge of programming languages C++, Python, Java, PHP, XML, HTML/JavaScript/CSS etc
• Must be familiar with operating systems Linux, Solaris, HPUX, BSD, Mac OS X, and Windows.
• Knowledge of various databases such as Oracle (PL/SQL), MySQL
• Data Structures and algorithms
• SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) and IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
• Encryption and cryptography
• Networking basics, basics of testing
• Text editors, source control, microsoft office etc
Responsibilities of Software Developer
• Generate efficient code based on the requirements
• Testing software and deploying them, fixing problems
• Maintain and upgrade software timely
• Be a part of the technical design team
• Be up to date with new technologies changes (in software & hardware)
Software Development Director
Software Development Director is professional responsible for the development, design and implementation of an application being developed by an organization. These professionals go by various terminologies, applications development director and software engineering director are some of them. They are the head of design and development of applications along with supervision and training of new developers and software engineers. They are also responsible for evaluation of an application, review along with making recommended changes in an application. Software Development Directors also directly introduce their ideas to the company stakeholders and may even recommend various actions need to be taken by the company regarding a product/application.
To land yourself in this post you need a B.Tech in Software Engineering, Computer science and a minimum of five years experience working as a software engineer. You are required to have a sound knowledge of programming languages Javascript and C++ along with various soft skills such as problem solving, analytical skills, communication skills etc.
Software Development Director is among one of the highest paying jobs in the field of computer science with an average annual salary being around 4.5 Lakh Rupees. Because of high pay, this is also one of the most sought after jobs by the people in the IT industry.
Skills Required
• Software Development – Programming languages
• Problem Solving Skills, time management skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Knowledge of Hardware and Software technology being used by the organization
• Customer Relationship Management
• Knowledge of Cloud
• Business development skills
Responsibilities of Software Development Director
• Design, development and implementation of an application/software
• Software solutions for Business, demonstrate solutions to investors and potential customers
• Manage technical architecture
• Audit hardware schematics and mechanical design
• Map technical goals and plan business strategies
FAQs On Highest Paying Computer Science Jobs
The working hours in the IT industry are similar to those in other industries i.e. generally 8-9 hours a day. However, if you are passionate about coding, developing new software, you may find yourself working for longer hours or even 24 hours depending on your passion for what you do.
India is the world’s third largest startup ecosystem with 21 unicorn (privately owned startups valued over $1B) valued at $73.2 billion. This means the market for IT professionals is huge and the demand is ever growing, ultimately meaning the scope of growth is very scalable.
With a degree in Computer Science you can easily get a Job at Google but apart from just your degree, they may test your technical skills. Google being a tech giant, they would only want to hire the best of the best, so to be at the top of your game with a little bit of creativity and drive may land you at Google.
To land yourself in the field of computer science, you need to possess both technical and non-technical skills. Firstly you should be thoroughly familiar with the hardware and working of computers. Another major one is, knowledge of programming languages and the latest trends in technology. Knowledge of operating systems is also very crucial along with knowledge of various tools and softwares used in the particular subject you are interested in. You should also possess analytical skills and soft skills such as communication, problem solving, leadership skills.
Not necessarily, unless you are an aspiring developer or programmer. There are plenty of other job roles in this field which requires minimum to no coding. However, you should know to code for simple tasks or a basic loop and must be familiar with as many programming languages as you can
The salary range can differ on the basis of your institution and on the basis of the organisation offering the job. A fresh Computer Science graduate can however earn an average of INR 4-5 Lakh per annum.
