In today’s rapidly evolving job market, possessing a robust combination of both technical and workplace skills is crucial for career success. Among these, high-income skills stand out as particularly valuable. These are specialized abilities and knowledge sets that are highly sought after by employers because they directly address critical business needs. Mastering these skills can significantly enhance your competitiveness as a job applicant and provide greater career flexibility, potentially enabling transitions across different roles and even industries, as highlighted in a 2022 McKinsey & Company report [1].
This article will explore eight high-income skills that are particularly relevant to learn or strengthen in the coming year. These skills are not only in high demand but also offer the potential for substantial career advancement and increased earning potential. To further your skill development, consider exploring job-ready learning opportunities from industry leaders like Google, Microsoft, and IBM, available through platforms such as Coursera Plus. Completing programs on these platforms often leads to valuable certifications that can significantly boost your resume.
Top 8 High-Income Skills to Learn Now
The following list outlines eight high-income skills that can significantly enhance your resume and make you a more attractive candidate to potential employers. This selection is based on comprehensive reports forecasting in-demand skills through 2030 from leading organizations such as the World Economic Forum [2], Pearson [3], Future Learn [4], LinkedIn [5], Glassdoor [6], and Coursera [7].
These skills are highly transferable across various career paths and can be instrumental in strengthening your current role. For example, a marketing professional who develops data analysis skills can gain valuable insights to optimize campaign performance, even without transitioning to a data-centric role.
Whether you aim to enhance your current career trajectory or pivot towards a new field centered around a specific skill, this list serves as a valuable guide to navigate the evolving job market.
1. Generative AI Skills
Generative AI (GenAI) is rapidly transforming industries and becoming an essential skill across numerous professions. Businesses are increasingly adopting AI tools to boost productivity, and many more are actively seeking ways to integrate AI into their workflows, business models, and product offerings. This makes Generative AI skills one of the most crucial Best Skills To Learn today.
Developing proficiency in GenAI, particularly in areas like prompt engineering—the art of refining GenAI requests to achieve desired outputs—is becoming increasingly vital. Fortunately, numerous resources are available to help you build fundamental AI skills or advance your existing knowledge. For those interested in pursuing an AI-focused career, here are some key roles and their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, according to Glassdoor:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| AI Engineer | $132,855 |
| AI Business Strategist | $134,671 |
| Data Engineer | $105,742 |
| AI Developer | $109,604 |
2. Data Analysis Skills
Analytical thinking is identified as the top skill in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report [2]. As data-driven decision-making becomes the norm across industries, the demand for professionals skilled in collecting, interpreting, and communicating data to solve business challenges is surging. Data analysis skills are undeniably among the best skills to learn for career advancement.
Individuals proficient in data analysis utilize a variety of tools such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, SQL, Tableau, R, and Python. Here are some prominent careers that leverage data analysis expertise, along with their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, as reported by Glassdoor:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| Business Analyst | $93,038 |
| Data Analyst | $84,967 |
| Data Engineer | $105,742 |
| Data Scientist | $116,576 |
3. Software Development Skills
Technology is at the forefront of business innovation, driving the need for skilled professionals in developing, maintaining, and enhancing technological systems. Software development skills are consistently recognized as some of the best skills to learn for long-term career prospects. Professionals in DevOps and software engineering are essential for building, monitoring, and managing an organization’s technological infrastructure.
Experts in DevOps and software engineering utilize tools like Git, Docker, Jenkins, and Kubernetes, and are often proficient in programming languages such as Python, Java, and C++. Below are some careers that heavily rely on software development skills, along with their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, according to Glassdoor:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| Applications Engineer | $107,864 |
| Systems Developer | $96,501 |
| Software Engineer | $117,384 |
| DevOps Engineer | $108,403 |
4. User Experience (UX) Skills
Complementary to technological advancement is user experience (UX), which focuses on optimizing how users interact with products. UX skills are increasingly vital and are considered among the best skills to learn for those interested in design and technology. UX professionals are dedicated to designing and refining product presentation for optimal user engagement. Their roles encompass research, design, and marketing aspects of product development.
While UX roles involve data, they are fundamentally rooted in design and offer significant creative opportunities. These roles also require strong social perceptiveness—qualities highlighted in multiple skills reports [2, 3, 4]. Here are some careers that utilize user experience skills, along with their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, based on Glassdoor data:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| UX Writer | $71,119 |
| UX Researcher | $89,954 |
| User Interface (UI) Designer | $93,973 |
| UX Designer | $82,554 |
| Product Designer | $94,508 |
5. Web Development Skills
Web development bridges the gap between software development and user experience, combining the technical expertise of the former with the design principles of the latter. Web development skills are highly sought after and are consistently ranked among the best skills to learn for a versatile career in the digital age. Professionals in this field are also adept in technical search engine optimization (SEO) to create and program websites that effectively meet business objectives.
Here are several careers that require web development skills, along with their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, according to Glassdoor:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| Front-End Developer | $86,511 |
| Full-Stack Developer | $91,396 |
| Webmaster | $71,798 |
| Back-End Developer | $86,166 |
6. Project Management Skills
Many organizations employ project-based structures where various teams and individuals collaborate on specific projects or products. Professionals skilled in coordinating these efforts possess valuable project management skills. These skills are consistently recognized as some of the best skills to learn for leadership and organizational roles. Project managers are responsible for managing timelines, budgets, and communication among stakeholders involved in project outcomes.
Project management skills encompass leadership, communication, planning, resilience, and organizational abilities—all highly valued by employers [2, 3, 4, 6]. While crucial for managerial positions, project management expertise is also essential for dedicated project management roles. Below are career paths in project management and their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, based on Glassdoor:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | $63,698 |
| Program Manager | $96,614 |
| Project Manager | $89,773 |
| Portfolio Manager | $94,965 |
7. Account Management Skills
While project management often focuses internally, account management skills utilize a similar skill set but are geared towards external interactions with clients and customers. Account management skills are particularly valued in sales and client-facing roles and are considered among the best skills to learn for those seeking to build strong client relationships and drive business growth. These skills enable professionals to effectively represent their company and products to clients.
Account management involves both the organizational skills needed to finalize business deals and the interpersonal skills required for effective negotiation and relationship maintenance. Professionals in this field often utilize customer relationship management (CRM) tools such as Salesforce.
Here are careers that leverage account management and sales skills, along with their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, according to Glassdoor:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| Account Manager | $67,566 |
| Business Development Associate | $73,041 |
| Business Development Manager | $109,533 |
| Sales Representative | $74,115 |
8. Content Creation and Management Skills
Content creation and management skills are centered around storytelling and are indispensable for marketing and communication roles. These content creation skills are highly valuable and are considered among the best skills to learn for those passionate about communication and digital media. This skill set combines creativity, originality, social perceptiveness, and emotional intelligence. Furthermore, integrating data analysis, particularly marketing analytics, can enhance these skills by enabling professionals to measure audience engagement and content effectiveness.
Here are careers that utilize content creation and management skills, along with their average base salaries in the United States as of December 2024, based on Glassdoor:
| Job title | Average base pay |
|---|---|
| Social Media Manager | $55,713 |
| Digital Marketing Manager | $89,494 |
| Content Marketing Manager | $81,400 |
| Brand Marketing Manager | $110,361 |
Enhance Your Skills with Coursera
To further develop and strengthen these high-income skills, explore the diverse range of courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates available on Coursera. Expand your knowledge, master essential tools, and gain practical experience through hands-on assignments to continuously enrich your skill set.
With a Coursera Plus subscription, offered at monthly and annual rates, you gain unrestricted access to a vast catalog of learning programs from globally recognized universities and leading companies, making it an ideal platform to acquire the best skills to learn for career advancement.
References
[1] McKinsey & Company. (2022). The Great Attrition is making hiring harder. Are you searching the right talent pools? https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-great-attrition-is-making-hiring-harder-are-you-searching-the-right-talent-pools
[2] World Economic Forum. (2023). The Future of Jobs Report 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2023.pdf
[3] Pearson. (n.d.). Technical Report: The Future of Skills. https://futureskills.pearson.com/research/assets/pdfs/technical-report.pdf
[4] Future Learn. (2022). The Future of Learning Report 2022. https://cdn-wordpress-info.futurelearn.com/info/wp-content/uploads/The-Future-of-Learning-Report-2022.pdf
[5] Search Engine Journal. (2021). LinkedIn Lists Top 10 In-Demand Marketing Skills. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/linkedin-lists-top-10-in-demand-marketing-skills/409997/#close
[6] Glassdoor. (2022). 50 Best Jobs in America for 2022. https://www.glassdoor.com/research/best-jobs-for-2022/
[7] Coursera. (n.d.). Coursera Skills Reports. https://www.coursera.org/skills-reports/job-skills
