New Study Finds Technology Jobs On The Rise

Not sure what to do outside of high school? Not sure which college track to take? According to a new survey out this week from AeA (formerly known as the American Electronics Association), a technology degree is the safest bet you can make.

According to Business Week, the association's "Cybercities 2008" survey states that careers in technology-related fields are growing at a faster than average rate all over the country, with special swiftness in big cities. "51 cities added high-technology jobs in 2006, the most recent year for which data were available," says the survey, which tracks new jobs in a multitude of tech-related fields from manufacturing to engineering.

Just like with the Dot Com boom of the 1990s, the most (and the highest-paying) jobs still lie in the legendary Silicon Valley -- but that's not all. Other huge hot spots for technology growth, according to the survey, are as varied as Boulder, CO; Austin, TX (home of Dell computers); and even San Juan, Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, salaries in tech careers are rising all over by a 4% average per year, and the report states that "in Austin, San Diego, and Sacramento, Calif., tech salaries tend to be twice what they are for private-sector jobs generally."

Some skeptics are worried that the survey may be skewed, drawing data from before the country's recent economic downturn, but the researchers at AeA aren't worried. One researcher, Matthew Kazmierczak, told Business Week that the job market is still optimistic: "Nationally, there are some data that show the rate of growth has slowed since 2006, but it hasn't gone negative." No matter what, compared to some other sectors, jobs in technology are the jobs of the future, and that future is looking bright.