7 High-Income Skills Worth Learning in 2022

Developing these seven skills could lead to more job opportunities and a bigger salary.

1. Data analysis

Analytical thinking and innovation is the top skill forecasted in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report. As businesses across industries increasingly rely on data to make informed decisions, they require more employees with the ability to collect, interpret, and share data that can solve their business problems.

People skilled in data analysis may use a range of tools including Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, SQL, Tableau, R, or Python.

Here are some careers that use data analysis, along with average total pay (base salary and bonus) in the United States as of August 2022, according to Glassdoor. 

2. Software development

Increasingly, industries are turning toward technology to advance their business capabilities, and they need people skilled in developing, maintaining, and improving their technological systems. People who work in DevOps or software engineering build, monitor, and control an organization’s technology.

People skilled in DevOps or software engineering may use tools like Git, Docker, Jenkins, or Kubernetes, and may know coding languages like Python, Java, or C++.

Here are some careers that use software development, along with average total pay (base salary and bonus) in the United States as of August 2022, according to Glassdoor. 

3. User experience

Hand in hand with technological development comes user experience (UX), which has to do with the way a consumer interacts with a product. People working in UX figure out the best way to present a product to consumers. They may conduct research, design, or help market a product.

Although they still involve some data, UX roles are grounded in design and tend to offer room for creativity, and they require a high level of social perceptiveness—three skills that come up in multiple skill reports [1, 2, 3].

Here are some careers utilizing user experience skills, along with average total pay (base salary and bonus) in the United States as of August 2022, according to Glassdoor. 

4. Web development

Web development brings together the fundamentals of software development and user experience, incorporating the technical aspects of the former with the design elements of the latter. People skilled in web development will also be familiar with technical search engine optimization (SEO) in order to design and program websites that meet business needs.

Here are some careers that require web development skills, along with average total pay (base salary and bonus) in the United States as of August 2022, according to Glassdoor. 

5. Project management

Many companies use an organizational structure in which different departments, teams, or team members all work on a singular product or project. A person who is skilled in coordinating efforts across each of those touchpoints is skilled in project management. These team members may be responsible for maintaining schedules, organizing budgets, and communicating with project stakeholders (or various parties interested or invested in the project outcomes).

You can consider “project management” to be a catch-all term for leadership, communication, planning, resilience, and organizational skills—all of which are frequently cited as valuable to employers [1, 2, 3, 5].

Project management shows up in many careers and becomes especially important as you move into managerial positions. However, you can also pursue a career as a project manager. Here are some careers along the project manager path and their average total pay (base salary and bonus) in the United States as of August 2022, according to Glassdoor. 

6. Account management

While project management typically has an internal focus, account management taps into a similar subset of skills to work with people outside of your organization. Often highly valued in sales positions, account management skills enable you to confidently position your company and its products to customers.

Account management skills incorporate both the organizational aspects required to close a business deal as well as the interpersonal skills required to productively negotiate and maintain relationships. They often work with a customer relationship management (CRM) tool like Salesforce.

Here are some careers that use account management and sales skills, along with average total pay (base salary and bonus) in the United States as of August 2022, according to Glassdoor. 

7. Content creation and management

Content creation and management skills involve storytelling and are often crucial for marketing careers. This skill set incorporates creativity, originality, social perceptiveness, and emotional intelligence. Taking these skills a step further can also mean adding data analysis to your toolbox, specifically honing in on marketing analytics so that you can assess how well an audience is connecting with your content.

Here are some careers that use content creation and management skills, along with average total pay (base salary and bonus) in the United States as of August 2022, according to Glassdoor