Build your future in tech: 15 top computer science occupations

• What they do: design and develop software applications for businesses, consumers or internal use. 

• Key skills: programming languages, problem-solving and creative thinking 

• Career growth: opportunities to move from junior developer to senior developer, and into software engineering or technical leadership roles. 

• Average salary in Canada: $28.75–$69.71/hr (median $46.15/hr ≈ $95,992/year)  
  Source. 

Learn more about how to become a software developer.

• What they do: build and maintain websites and web applications. 

• Key skills: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, responsive design, UI/UX principles 

• Career growth: explore career opportunities as a front-end or back-end developer. 

• Average salary in Canada: falls within the software developer range ($28.75–$69.71/hr - $45.00/hr ≈ C$93,600/year)  
  Source. 

• What they do: analyze large sets of data to uncover trends, solve problems and support decision-making. 

• Key skills: Python, data visualization, statistics, SQL, machine learning basics 

• Career growth: advancement into data science, machine learning or big data analytics. 

• Average salary in Canada: $25.38–$61.54/hr (median $42.36/hr ≈ $88,109/year)  
  Source. 

Learn more about how to become a data analyst.

• What they do: protect systems and data from security breaches and cyber threats. 

• Key skills: cybersecurity tools, encryption, ethical hacking and risk assessment 

• Career growth: specialized roles in penetration testing, cloud security or cybersecurity management. 

• Average salary in Canada: $28.85–$71.43/hr (median $47.18/hr ≈ $98,134/year) 
  Source. 

• What they do: oversee technology projects from planning to execution. 

• Key skills: project management, communication, budgeting and leadership 

• Career growth: move into senior IT leadership or strategic consulting roles. 

• Average salary in Canada: $42.41–$63.31/hr (median $52.86/hr ≈ $109,949/year) 

Source. 

• What they do: test and evaluate software to ensure quality and functionality. 

• Key skills: manual and automated testing, attention to detail and bug tracking  

• Career growth: move into automation testing, QA lead or software quality engineering roles. 

• Average salary in Canada: $27.50–$65.93/hr (median $45.67/hr ≈ $94,993.60/year) 
  Source. 

• What they do: maintain and optimize databases to ensure smooth data management. 

• Key skills: SQL, data recovery, performance tuning and cloud database platforms 

• Career growth: roles in database architecture, cloud-based database management or database security. 

• Average salary in Canada: $25.38–$61.54/hr ($42.36/hr ≈ $88,109/year) 
  Source. 

• What they do: design scalable software systems and oversee their architecture and implementation. 

• Key skills: programming, system design and software architecture. 

• Career growth: opportunities in senior engineering, technical architecture or engineering leadership. 

• Average salary in Canada: $33.46–$84.62/hr (median $53.85/hr ≈ $112K/year) 
  Source.

• What they do: design the look, layout and user experience of websites. 

• Key skills: graphic design, HTML/CSS and UI/UX tools (Figma, Adobe XD) 

• Career growth: UX/UI design specialist, digital product designer or creative director. 

• Average salary in Canada: $19.23–54.95/hr (median $31.79/hr ≈ $66,123/year) 

Source.

• What they do: evaluate and improve IT systems within organizations. 

• Key skills: systems analysis, IT consulting and process optimization 

• Career growth: enterprise architect, IT strategist or systems integration lead. 

• Average salary in Canada: $28.85–$71.43/hr (median $47.18/hr ≈ $98,134/year) Source.

• What they do: build algorithms that allow computers to learn from and interpret data. 

• Key skills: Python, machine learning frameworks, data pipelines, algorithm design 

• Career growth: advanced AI research, deep learning specialist, or technical lead roles. 

• Average salary in Canada: $29.74–$64.90/hr (median $44.10/hr ≈ $91,728/year) 
  Source.

• What they do: design and maintain complex company-wide computer networks. 

• Key skills: Network protocols, security, routing and switching and cloud networking 

• Career growth: enterprise networking, cloud network engineering or network security design. 

• Average salary in Canada: $32.00–$72.12/hr (median $50.00/hr ≈ $104,000/year) 
  Source. 

• What they do: manage IT infrastructure, systems, and teams within an organization. 

• Key skills: leadership, budgeting, IT operations, strategic planning 

• Career growth: advancement to CIO, CTO, or director-level roles. 

• Average salary in Canada: $42.41–$96.63/hr (median $63.31/hr ≈ $131,685/year) Source.

• What they do: develop and deploy AI models and tools to solve real-world problems. 

• Key skills: machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, algorithm development 

• Career growth: opportunities in autonomous systems, AI research, or applied AI roles. 

• Average salary in Canada: $29.74 -64.90/hour (median $44.10/hour ≈ C$91,728/year) Source. 

• What they do: write, test, and maintain code for applications and systems. 

• Key skills: programming languages, debugging, algorithm logic 

• Career growth: career advancement into software development or engineering. 

• Average salary in Canada: $25.00–$65.83/hr (median C$43.75/hr ≈ C$91,000/year) Source.