What’s going on guys — in this video I break down the TOP 3 most popular IT jobs in 2024 according to the data I keep seeing in my research. If you’re not locked into a niche yet and you’re trying to figure out where you fit best, I lay out the same metrics I always tell people to look at before you commit time and money: job growth over the next 5–10 years, average salary (and what you should realistically expect coming out of school), work-life balance, and whether a degree is actually necessary. The three roles I cover are Software Developer, Data Analyst, and Cybersecurity Professional. For software dev, I talk about the strong growth (25%), high average pay (~$145k), and generally solid 9-to-5 lifestyle — plus the fact that you can break in without a degree if you can truly prove you can code. Data analyst also shows 25% growth with an average around ~$80k and good work-life balance, but I’m more direct here: you’ll usually want a general IT degree to get your foot in the door. And of course, cybersecurity is my favorite — it’s expected to grow 32% and it’s understaffed — but the work-life balance can get dicey when incidents hit after hours, and I strongly recommend an IT degree plus certs like Security+ (and Network+) to give yourself the best shot.