News

'Best Job in America' Is Mobile App Developer

• By David Ramel
• January 6, 2017

If you haven't heard, it's good to be a mobile app developer these days.

Those in the tech biz are accustomed to seeing mobile devs leading industry salary rankings in various studies. A persistent lack of skilled pros and growing mobility initiatives in both the enterprise and consumer spaces have combined to drive mobile developer salaries sky high.

But a new report from mainstream publication CNNMoney -- taking into account quality-of-life considerations in addition to salaries -- places mobile app developers at the top of all jobs.

That means mobile coders, earning median pay of $97,100, are ranked above anesthesiologists, with median salaries of $335,000.

That's because the new report also factors in considerations such as big growth opportunities, great pay and satisfying work. Mobile development earned "A" grades in three of the four quality-of-life metrics: personal satisfaction, telecommuting and low stress. In the fourth metric, benefit to society, it graded a "C."

And, in addition to high salaries (topping out at $133,000), mobile developers are expected to enjoy 10-year job growth of 19 percent.

"Whether you're Snapchatting with friends or catching Pokémon, you probably spend time every day using the creations of mobile app developers," CNNMoney said in its new "Best Jobs in America" report, published yesterday with help from PayScale.com. "They aren't necessarily saving the world, but mobile app developers get to create something that can reach millions of people on a daily basis.

"That means growing demand for developers who build and update apps so they're secure, user-friendly, and sought after."

CNNMoney used data from PayScale.com and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to come up with its rankings, taking into consideration factors such as how much education is required to enter the field; promotion opportunities; how employees rated their jobs for stress and meaningfulness, according to a quality-of-life survey; and the percent who can telecommute at least part of the time. Full methodology is available here.

CNNMoney's methodology resulted in some strange bedfellows in the rankings, as "landman" (researching the titles of properties and negotiating deals with landowners for mineral rights) clocked in at No. 3.

Besides mobile developers, the only other tech job in the top 10 was database analyst, ranking No. 9.

"Mobile app developers are the first to test out the latest phones, tablets and wearable devices," CNNMoney said in explaining why the position is great. "If you like playing around with technology and exploring all the possibilities it offers, this can be a really fun job," the publication quoted mobile app developer Kyle Craig as saying.