As Artificial intelligence (AI) and Business intelligence (BI) have moved from concept to reality, top tech companies in every segment (e.g., Internet services, Hardware, Software, etc.) are offering exciting opportunities for MBA graduates.
The average salary range of MBA graduates from the top business schools in the Tech is between $54,989 –$2,00,000, and the best-paying jobs in technology include Data Scientist ($130,000), Site Reliability Engineer ($200,000), and Machine learning engineer ($189,000).
The tech giants, also known as “Big Tech” – Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Alphabet, heavily recruit MBA graduates with robust knowledge in technology. Besides, every year since 2010, 20,000 new tech-related jobs have been created in the US alone, and due to the shortage of Tech workers with relevant skills, many business schools are incorporating tech-inspired MBA curriculum (e.g., STEM MBA programs).
Moreover, the lack of skilled tech workers tells us the scope of opportunity for MBA graduates.
Here is a list of the Tech jobs with Skills required and median base salary:
Tech jobs and Skills required
| Tech Jobs | Median Base Salary | Tech Skills Required |
| Data Scientist | $130,000 | Data Science, Mining, and analysis. Python, Machine learning |
| Site Reliability Engineer | $200,000 | Linux, Software development, Python, Cloud Computing, SQL |
| Enterprise Account Executive | $182,000 | Cloud computing, Solution selling, sales management, Salesforce |
| Product Designer | $121,500 | UX, User Interface Design, Graphic Design, Adobe Photoshop, Product design |
| Solution Architect | $139,000 | Software development, SQL, software |
| Information Technology Lead | $121,000 | Technical support, Troubleshooting, Business Analytics, IT. |
| Scrum Master | $103,000 | Scrum, Software development, Business analytics, Agile methodologies |
| Cloud Architect | $15,500 | Linux, Amazon Web services, solution architecture, software development, cloud computing |
| Machine Learning Engineer | $182,000 | Data Mining, AI, Data Science, Machine learning |
A chief sales officer (CSO) is a top executive at a company in charge of all the sales and marketing strategies for the business. Your duties as a CSO include aligning strategies and costs with the other departments, performing market research to develop new goals for sales, and overseeing customer service and employee training. Qualifications for the career include many years of job experience as a sales manager and a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field. A good chief sales officer also has strong leadership, analytical problem-solving, and communication skills.
· Data Scientist – $125,549
Not to be confused with data engineers, data scientists derive insights and explain data trends to help organisations make better decisions based on data. They don’t usually come from IT or programming backgrounds but from another science field of study such as Mathematics. In fact, they are often not even required to understand programming at all but instead possess extensive experience using and working with data-related programs.
The perks of being a data scientist have lured many IT professionals to the career in recent years. Professions with minimal experience can expect starting salaries of £25,000 to 50,000 for entry-level roles, with plenty of chance for growth. Many data scientists easily make triple figures with a few years of experience and the demand for the role is only increasing.
A vice president of procurement handles purchasing for departments and assists the president of the company or organization. Your primary responsibilities are to supervise department personnel and procure supplies and needed materials. You ensure your staff has no conflicts of interest, contracts are fair, and the purchase of items is efficient. You meet with managers, review orders, assess supply and demand, research market costs, finalize purchase details, and report on company status. Your duties also include strategizing and enacting procedures for purchasing supplies for the company.
- Cloud Architect – $198,354
Cloud architects supervise a company’s cloud computing systems. With many organisations now committing to large-scale cloud architectures, cloud architects have the important job of ensuring these systems are effectively managed and maintained. They must also ensure that all systems – both technical and non-technical – are set up for an organisation’s operations.
The cloud architects’ role is not limited to managing systems, however. They must also bridge the gap between complex business challenges and solutions within the cloud, requiring them to be highly knowledgeable about modern cloud solutions. Most cloud architects are expected to already have several years in the industry as cloud analysts or administrators to obtain this knowledge. Today, a single organisation may employ up to 200 cloud-native SaaS solutions for business operations, all of which need to be secured and integrated. The cloud isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so the cloud architect will likely remain one of the most important roles in an enterprise as well as the top paid.
As a vice president of corporate communications, you develop strategies for public relations, manage advertising campaigns, improve brand awareness, and ensure consistent messaging across all platforms. Your duties include leading crisis communication when something goes wrong, ghostwriting speeches for senior management, providing strategic thinking about corporate interests, and developing plans for inspiring employee engagement. You may establish metrics and measurement plans to monitor the effectiveness of corporate communications, leverage data and market research to predict budget needs, and provide proactive and reactive advice. Some people in this position focus on finding new ways to tell a company’s story and new media with which to communicate to audiences.
- Applications Architect – $174,667
Application architects manage the design and development of software applications within an enterprise. They collaborate with stakeholders and application development teams to implement and monitor application development stages and document application development processes.
The role requires various programming and communication skills, as architects are expected to understand all interactions between components on a level of abstraction and defiance of limitations and requirements for source code. This often involves training a team of software developers to ensure each of them understands the context and influence they have on the system so they can work together to manage the entire system.
A chief marketing officer (CMO) or director of marketing is an executive whose duties and responsibilities include planning, overseeing and executing the marketing activities of a company or organization. The skills and qualifications of a CMO include a strong business acumen, a broad understanding of all areas of marketing, and a commitment to the overall goals of the business. Chief marketing officers generally have a long career in marketing before taking on the role of CMO. Other jobs in the marketing department include marketing manager, graphic artist, marketing communications manager, and social media specialist.
- IT Security Manager – $152,628
IT security managers play one of the most important roles in an organisation’s IT team. They oversee and control a company’s main line of defence against security threats, identifying, communicating and managing current and emerging cyber threats with relevant stakeholders. The role involves planning and carrying out security proceedings to safeguard a business’ critical data from being stolen by malicious actors or breached by deliberate attacks.
With the cyber threat landscape worsening year by year, the role of cybersecurity professionals is more important than ever before. Experts believe cybercrime will cost the world $10.5 trillion by 2025, leading many Business Leaders are looking to strengthen defence mechanisms to protect themselves from the increased risk of cybercriminal activity. This has increased the demand for professionals within the space, and this demand will likely continue in the coming years.
A group product manager is responsible for product strategy, and you usually work for a software company and report to company executives. In this career, you oversee teams from development to launch and stay up-to-date with competitors’ products. Duties may include conducting customer surveys, inspecting budgets, and developing business models. You start with a job as a product manager (PM) to gain experience in the field. Other qualifications include strong leadership skills, and a bachelor’s degree in management, business administration, or a related field. Certifications may be required based on industry.
- Data Architect – $162,729
The third position on this list involving data management, data architects find ways to analyse and optimise data for a variety of different applications. They work closely alongside AI engineers, cloud architects, and IT security managers to provide the data necessary to drive and improve their operations. This requires them to optimise extremely scalable systems, working with SWL and NoSQL databases effectively and delving deep into the fundamentals of mathematics to find ways to optimise data.
Since data architects must conceptualise systems to centralise and protect diverse data, they often play a critical role in helping organisations access and exploit data, requiring high-level communication skills paired with an understanding of business goals and initiatives. Since the role can require multiple high-level skills and qualifications, data architects are often compensated more generously than other data-related roles, with yearly salaries easily surpassing the $100k mark.
