Top 15 High-Income Skills To Make Money In 2022

Are you looking to progress in your career and are wondering what skills could help you earn more? Or perhaps you’ve taken a break to raise a family and are ready to return to the workforce?

Whether you’re a student, a mom or a professional looking for a promotion, learning high-income skills has never been easier.

In fact, the rise of online learning platforms has led to a sharp increase in enrollments for online courses over the last few years, with Coursera reporting over 92 million new registrations in 2021 on its platform alone.

“Skills themselves are the currency of the future” – Alex Kaplan, global leader of Blockchain and AI for Industry Credentials at IBM. But what are high-income skills exactly?

High-income skills are high in-demand skills that can help companies and organizations generate more revenue, and allow you to earn at least a six-figure annual salary.

So, to help you land a high-paying job and reach a six-figure annual paycheck, here are 15 high-income skills you can learn in 2022. 

1. Digital Advertising

In a digital world where consumers are constantly bombarded with information, breaking through the noise and standing out can be difficult for companies. That’s exactly why professionals specializing in digital advertising are in such high demand. 

Not only do they know the ins and outs of Facebook, Google and YouTube ads, but they’re also adept at writing powerful copy that converts. Digital advertisers know how to craft ads that trigger emotions and prompt viewers or users to take action and what channels to use to promote their ads efficiently. 

Their work revolves around driving sales and is vital to a company’s success.

2. Copywriting

Writing copy is easy. 

But writing powerful and effective copy that turns readers into loyal paid customers isn’t. Copywriters excel at writing engaging copy tailored to a specific audience. Just like digital advertisers, they know exactly what power words to use and what emotions to convey to encourage readers to take action. 

Their passion for words and their expertise can help a company establish itself as an authority in its field, build credibility and create bonds with its target audience. And this, in turn, can help businesses by driving sales and increasing brand awareness. 

Copywriters can produce a wide range of written content including emails, landing pages, ebooks, websites, product descriptions, video scripts, and blog posts. 

So, whether you want to sharpen your copywriting skills to progress in your current company or start your own business as a copywriter, if your words can convert readers into customers, you’ll be able to earn six figures in no time.

3. Developing Apps And Software 

If you’re about to graduate and want to find an in-demand skill, learning how to become a Software Developer might be an excellent idea. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the software development industry is expected to grow by 22% by 2029. What’s more, the average annual salary for a Software Developer is $107,510 and up to $136,320 for the 25% of best-paid individuals!

And with a projected 7.49 billion mobile users worldwide by 2025, the app development industry is also expected to continue rising. These remarkable stats make software development skills one of the most in-demand skills for years to come. 

4. Testing Software

Software testing refers to the process used by companies to identify whether developed computer software is complete and correct and assess its quality. Software testers’ responsibility is to look for errors or weaknesses in the software so they can address them before the product is released to the end users.

As the world enters an era of digitalization, the number of apps and software available is rapidly growing, making software testing one of the most in-demand skills for startups and other businesses looking to develop quality products. 

And guess what? 65% of Software Testers report learning the job simply by doing it.

5. Big Data Engineering

Big Data engineers’ role is to build systems that collect complex data sets from applications or third-party tools and process them to make it easy for Data Analysts and Data Scientists to interpret and utilize the information collected.

We live in a data-driven world where Big Data has become part of our everyday life and a currency for companies. In this day and age, organizations and businesses need an advanced data strategy to derive real-time insights from the data they collect and design effective marketing plans that will resonate with their target audience.

And this explains why data engineering is one of the most sought after and high-income skills in 2022. 

6. Artificial Intelligence Engineering

Artificial intelligence engineers develop, manage and run AI initiatives within a company.

Research shows that the number of businesses and organizations adopting artificial intelligence has grown by a staggering 270% over the last four years. What’s more, having access to AI is a top priority for a staggering 83% of businesses.

From self-driving cars and medical diagnosis to contactless shopping and job candidate selection, the applications for artificial intelligence technology are endless. And as more companies adopt AI-driven initiatives, the need for Artificial Intelligence Engineers is soaring, making AI engineering one of the top high-income skills in 2022.

7. UX Design

UX Design stands for User Experience Design. And according to LinkedIn, UX Design is one of the top ten high-income skills in the US. 

A UX designer’s responsibility is to ensure website or app users have a positive and quality experience when interacting with a specific design. 

These skilled individuals focus on all aspects of product development, including user research and persona development, to identify the need for a particular product solution and the key market for it. They also map out information in a way that’s easy to understand and access for website or app users. Lastly, they create prototypes so that they can visualize the end product, test it and tweak it. 

UX Designers are critical to a company’s success in a world where consumers’ attention span is declining as they’re responsible for ensuring potential and existing customers have a positive and seamless experience when they interact with the company’s product. And this, in turn, can help increase engagement and loyalty and drive the business’ bottom line.

8. Video Production

Video consumption is on the rise due to its easy-to-digest and entertaining format. YouTube, Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories, and TikTok have all gained immense traction over the last few years, with billions of videos watched on these platforms every day.

And the trend is here to stay, with individuals predicted to spend 100 minutes per day watching online videos in 2022. What’s more, 90% of consumers would like to see more videos from brands and companies, prompting businesses to heavily invest in video marketing. In fact, 86% of marketers use video marketing to drive sales, making video production a key component of any successful marketing strategy. 

Now, with an average cost of between $1,000 and $5,000 per minute of completed footage, learning how to shoot compelling and high-quality videos can prove extremely lucrative! 

9. Photography

While photography might have been considered a dead-end career a few decades ago, in 2022, it has become one of the top high-income skills. The explosion of visual social media platforms such as Instagram or Pinterest, coupled with the shift to online for millions of companies worldwide, has driven the need for high quality and compelling photos.

And whether you want to specialize in wedding, real estate, editorial, or product photography, if you can produce stunning and attention-grabbing photos, you’ll be able to charge a premium and quickly reach a six-figure paycheck.

10. Sales

Every business sells something, whether it be a product or a service. It’s a skill that will always be in demand, and learning how to promote products and services efficiently can help you land a job in virtually any company or organization. 

The good thing about sales is that if you’re good at it, you can quickly earn a six-figure salary depending on the commission structure your company has implemented. But for this to happen, you need to focus on big-ticket and high-margin items. And you could also concentrate on industries with significant growth opportunities, such as the FinTech or BioTech space.

11. SEO

Talking about growth opportunities, learning the ins and outs of search engine optimization (SEO) can be a great way to propel your marketing career or kickstart your new venture and land a six-figure paycheck. 

To make it simple, SEO is the process of optimizing website copy in order to rank on the first page of search engines such as Google or YouTube. 

And as you can imagine, every company wants to be on the first page of popular search engines. 

As an SEO expert, you’ll be able to help companies rank higher on Google, bringing more organic traffic to their website, significantly increasing their ROI and driving their bottom line. That’s why SEO is a high demand skill.

12. Cybersecurity

Did you know that cyberattacks cost a staggering $11.7 million per business on average? What’s more, research has shown that 30,000 websites are hacked every day, and over 60% of organizations across the world have sustained at least one cyberattack in the past.

Now, as millions of businesses are shifting online and migrating their critical legacy workload to the cloud, these stats show the importance of cybersecurity for companies. Data breaches, phishing, or ransomware attacks can tarnish a business’s reputation and lead organizations to lose the trust of their customers. 

That’s why they’ll pay cybersecurity experts handsomely to ensure their data is secure.

13. Managing Social Media Accounts 

Do you have a knack for all things social media and love to post engaging and carefully curated content? Then, a career as a Social Media Manager might be just for you!

Any business that is serious about its marketing strategy and wants to drive sales needs a social media presence these days. Not only do social media accounts create trust and give credibility to a company, but they’re also one of the best ways to understand a target audience and engage with potential customers. Now, believe it or not, many business owners and small organizations don’t have the time and sometimes skills to manage their social pages. And this, in turn, can negatively affect their brand and bottom line. 

That’s why brushing up on your social media management skills could pay off immensely. 

14. Podcast Production

In 2022, podcasts are all the rage, and that’s why podcast production is one of the top high-income skills.

So much so that 60% of Americans listen to podcasts regularly. That’s because their convenience appeals to busy individuals looking to educate or entertain themselves while on the go.  

But making podcasts is hard work. Not only do companies need to come up with a compelling podcast content strategy that will resonate with their audience, but they also need to record high-quality audio and spend time editing each episode so that they can appeal to their target market. 

15. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing migration isn’t new for businesses. Yet, the shift to remote working over the last two years sped up its adoption. So much so that 60% of businesses plan to use cloud computing services within the next few months. Besides, almost half of companies prefer storing their classified data on the cloud rather than on devices.

Cloud computing has become key for companies to stay agile, responsive and flexible in an ever-changing environment. This explains why cloud computing has become the number one in-demand hard skill.

And if you’re interested in the space, Cloud Architects and Cloud Consultants, in particular, are two professions that command six-figure salaries.

Final Thoughts

We hope this article provided you with some useful inspiration and will help you on the path to financial success. The best way to propel your career to the next level is to learn high-level skills that clients will pay a premium for. And while it can feel daunting, especially if you’re just starting on the job market, as Roosevelt once said, believe in yourself, and you’re halfway there.