March 2020 was the month that changed everything in tech. While the world was stocking up on toilet paper, the Federal Reserve was about to kickstart the wildest hiring spree Silicon Valley had ever seen. So, what happened? Jerome Powell, facing an economy in freefall, made two massive moves: dropping interest rates to zero and turning on the money printer full blast. The stock market responded by smashing through record after record, unleashing a hiring frenzy unlike anything we’d ever seen. Companies weren’t just hiring; they were throwing money at talent left, right, and center. Everyone shifted to remote work. Zoom became the new office, and tech workers were living what felt like a dream: six-figure salaries? Sure. Stock options? Throw them in.
Then November 2021 hit, and Powell pulled the plug on the party by raising the interest rates. In the aftermath, well over 500,000 tech workers lost their jobs in the next three years. No wonder everyone is nervous about what 2025 might bring.
By the way, if you’re new here, hi, I’m Sue. After spending a decade in tech, I now help businesses scale and secure their AWS infrastructure. Speaking of AWS, you want to stick around for job number three because they’ve just released some brand-new data at their re:Invent conference that you don’t want to miss. So, here is the good news: it looks like the tide is finally turning. Interest rates are dropping, and the stock market is breaking records again. Tech companies are positioning themselves for a comeback that could rival the post-March 2020 boom.
The Million Dollar Question
Which roles are companies actually hiring for? Great question, but before we dive into that, go grab my beginner guide to the cloud and join over 10,000 engineers accelerating their cloud career for free. Link in the description.
The Five Most In-Demand Tech Jobs for 2025
1. AI and Machine Learning Engineers
The role that everyone has been talking about lately. Let’s break down what this role actually looks like because there’s a little bit of confusion out there. You’ve probably heard about Nvidia’s incredible run lately; their stock has been soaring through the roof because their GPUs are powering pretty much every major AI breakthrough that we are seeing. But here is an important distinction: AI Engineers aren’t the ones building those GPU chips. That’s the job of hardware and electrical engineers at Nvidia. So, what do AI Engineers do?
Think about when you are prompting with ChatGPT. Behind the scenes, there’s this massive AI system running on thousands of Nvidia’s GPUs. AI Engineers design these systems, write the code that trains them, and build the software that makes everything run smoothly. This field is taking off. We are seeing a 38.4% growth year-over-year, with the global AI market expected to hit 5 billion by 2025. Why? Because every industry, from healthcare to finance to retail, has realized they need AI expertise to stay competitive.
- Starting salaries at 0,000
- With experience, earn over 0,000 in the US
- Opportunities: AI Research Scientist, Computer Vision Engineer, AI Ethics Officer
2. Data Analytics Professionals
Remember the movie “Moneyball”? Brad Pitt’s character took a small market baseball team and transformed how they built their roster by focusing on the numbers. Data analytics professionals are doing something similar in the real world.
For instance, take Starbucks. Notice how there’s always a Starbucks exactly where you need one? That’s not luck; that’s data analysts at work. They consider foot traffic patterns, local demographics, competitive locations, and even weather data. This field is rapidly growing, from billion in 2023 to 3 billion by 2030. Because every company is realizing that without someone to make sense of their data, they’re basically flying blind.
- Starting salaries at ,000
- With experience, earn over 0,000
3. Cloud Engineers and Architects
AWS, the biggest cloud provider, just dropped some mind-blowing stats at their re:Invent conference. Cloud Engineers make it possible for Netflix to work on any device, anywhere, and for Instagram photos to appear instantly on your phone.
Every company used to have to build and maintain their own expensive data centers. Now, they rent what they need from AWS or Azure. The numbers from AWS re:Invent show that worldwide cloud spending is set to hit trillion in 2025. Companies aren’t slowing down, with 94% planning to invest more in cloud services next year.
- Starting salaries between ,000 and 0,000
- With experience, earn over 0,000
4. Security Engineers
In 2025 and beyond, security has become an absolute necessity. By 2025, we are facing a global shortage of 3.5 million cybersecurity positions, with 750,000 in the US alone. Everything needs securing, from AI systems to vast amounts of cloud data.
Cybercrime is projected to cost companies .5 trillion globally by 2025, and the average data breach will cost .8 million. A staggering 58% of cybersecurity professionals admit that their organizations are at risk due to skill shortages.
- Entry-level positions start around 0,000
- With experience, earn more than 0,000
5. DevOps Engineers
DevOps engineers have drastically changed software development. Formerly, developers would build software and hand it over to operational teams, who would then figure out how to run it. DevOps created an environment where both teams work together.
The DevOps market is exploding, projected to hit .5 billion by 2028. About 76% of DevOps teams are using public cloud deployments, and companies are investing heavily in automation.
- Mid-level DevOps positions exceed 0,000
- Senior roles reach beyond 0,000
If you’re interested in cloud, check out this video where I explain how I was able to quit my job and land a new role as a cloud engineer in just three months.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en0SLDyj_UI
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