No. 15: Systems programmer, $105,239
Job title: Systems programmer
Salary: $101,702
Bonus: $3,537
Total compensation: $105,239
Change from 2014: + 2.9%
Programmers can write software for apps used by people and/or they can write software that will be used by the machines themselves.
As a new phenom called the Internet of Things takes hold, there's a growing need for people to write code that will be used by machines.
No. 14: Software engineer, $108,522
Job title: Software engineer
Salary: $102,978
Bonus: $5,544
Total compensation: $108,522
Change from 2014: +4.2%
Jobs that involve writing software may not pay as well in the general business world as they do in the tech industry, but they still pay well.
Industries like automotive, retail, and finance and accounting are all particularly hot areas for IT pros and programmers in 2015, the Computerworld survey finds.
No. 13: Project leader, $109,121
Job title: Project leader
Salary: $102,978
Bonus: $6,143
Total compensation: $109,121
Change from 2014: +4.1%
There are two types of managers in the IT world, those who manage people and those who manage projects. Some IT projects can be huge multi-million dollar, multi-year affairs and the people who lead them are paid accordingly.
No. 12: Storage architect, $112,967
Job title: Storage architect/engineer
Salary: $106,128
Bonus: $6,839
Total compensation: $112,967
Change from 2014: +4.9%
Companies these days are collecting more and more data and using that data in all sorts of ways.
There's been an explosion of storage technologies that make that possible. The storage architect designs these big data systems. You might say this is a big job getting bigger all the time.
No. 11: Mobile specialist, $114,852
Job title: Mobile specialist/technologist
Salary: $108,066
Bonus: $6,786
Total compensation: $114,852
Change from 2014: +9.3%
Obviously, all things mobile are hot these days. IT people who can write mobile apps and/or manage fleets of mobile devices are in demand.
No. 10: Network architect, $119,084
Job title: Network architect
Salary: $111,598
Bonus: $7,486
Total compensation: $119,084
Change from 2014: +3.4%
Building, maintaining, and securing corporate networks is a complex job that's getting harder as companies add mobile devices, sensors, and cloud computing tech to the mix.
No: 9: Application development manager, $120,938
Job title: Application development manager
Salary: $112,580
Bonus: $8,358
Total compensation: $120,938
Change from 2014: +3.4%
With so much software development going on, companies need managers to run teams of programmers, and such middle management positions can expect competitive pay.
No. 8: Systems architect, $121,317
Job title: Systems architect
Salary: $111,626
Bonus: $9,691
Total compensation: $121,317
Change from 2014: +3.3%
As IT needs grow, companies need systems architects who can design big complex IT systems with lots of moving parts.
No. 7: Database architect, $124,650
Job title: Database architect
Salary: $121,067
Bonus: $3,583
Total compensation: $124,650
Change from 2014: +2.4%
A database architect designs the databases that are key part of a company's most important applications.
This is a hot job now because there's a resurgence in new database technology, which is all part of the 'big data' craze, where companies collect massive amounts of info and analyze it for insights.
No. 6: Data warehousing manager, $127,004
Job title: Data warehousing manager
Salary: $118,773
Bonus: $8,231
Total compensation: $127,004
Change from 2014: +2.8%
Before the term "big data" became popular, there was a tech called "data warehouse."
A data warehouse also stores massive volumes has historically been a more expensive version, using special software and storage and the people who run this tech are highly trained and paid well.
No. 5: Enterprise architect, $131,589
Job title: Enterprise architect
Salary: $121,513
Bonus: $10,076
Total compensation: $131,589
Change from 2014: +2.4%
An enterprise architect takes a company's business strategy and defines an IT systems architecture to support that mission.
No. 4: Internet technology architect, $144,990
Job title: Internet technology architect/strategist
Salary: $130,813
Bonus: $14,177
Total compensation: $144,990
Change from 2014: +2.5%
Every company today is using the internet to sell to customers, buy from suppliers, work with partners and otherwise run their business.
The person responsible for designing and running e-commerce systems is a key IT role and the compensation that reflects its.
No. 3: Chief technology officer, $137,623
Job title: Chief technology officer
Salary: $137,623
Bonus: $15,868
Total compensation: $153,491
Change from 2014: +2.9%
A chief technology officer is the person responsible for a team of IT people.
In some companies this is the top IT job. In others, there are many CTOs, each of them leaders of a particular IT unit. Either way, this a high-profile tech job that pays well.
No. 2: Chief security officer, $165,601
Job title: Chief security officer
Salary: $144,493
Bonus: $21,108
Total compensation: $165,601
Change from 2014: +6.7%
It takes a lot of know-how, tech and, often, a team of people to keep an enterprise safe from hackers.
CSO is a job that has grown in prestige and responsibility in the enterprise world over the past few years, as has the pay for the job.
No. 1: Chief information officer, $169,812
Job title: Chief information officer
Salary: $149,273
Bonus: $20,539
Total compensation: $169,812
Change from 2014: +4.6%
The chief information officer is the person that runs the whole IT department. If technology is important enough to the company, this person may also be a member of the company's senior leadership teams.
