9 Jobs That Make $80K a Year (or More!)

It can feel like job searching is all about compromise. You can’t do something you love and make a decent living, the saying goes.

Well, we’re here to quash that rumor: Many jobs in tech, for example, can be both fulfilling in the work itself and pay a lucrative salary. Think: building apps or programs that find cures for common illnesses, or helping valuable nonprofits raise money or kids learn crucial life skills. As an added bonus, breaking into the field doesn’t always require a college degree, meaning this career path is attainable for a large majority of workers.

Don’t believe us? Consider that computer and information technology occupations — including developers, quality assurance analysts, and data scientists — make a median annual wage of $105,990, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This is significantly higher than the average yearly salary in the U.S for all roles at $49,500. The BLS also reports continued demand in this field, with 317,700 new openings projected each year. Even with AI becoming increasingly mainstream, demand for engineers will only grow, experts say, requiring 80% of the engineering workforce to upskill.

Let’s dive into nine different jobs that pay over $80K a year, what they entail, and how to start building a rewarding and reliable career.

Is it possible to get a job that pays $80K a year without a degree?

Yes, you can get a job that pays $80K a year without a degree. Many tech careers that make $80K a year or more require at a minimum practical experience, which can be acquired outside the classroom through coding bootcamps, technical programs, or online certifications. 

Employers look for a strong portfolio of work and soft skills like critical thinking when considering job applicants without a traditional four-year education.

What jobs pay $80K a year? 9 tech careers to consider

Hoping to break into tech and land a job that pays at least $80K a year? Look no further than these options:

Data scientist 

Data scientists make over $100,000 a year, with the BLS placing the median wage at $112,590 per year. The BLS reports that the field of data science is growing faster than the average of all occupations, with around 23,400 new openings projected each year.

Data scientists take data and turn it into actionable insights. They leverage programming and mathematical tools (many of which can be learned without formal classroom training!) to identify patterns, trends, and opportunities that might assist a marketing team with launching a new product campaign, or an educational institution with improving student scores and engagement.

Cyber security analyst

Cyber security analysts make starting salaries of $80,000 a year, with that wage increasing to $95,000 in less than three years on the job. The BLS puts the annual salary of information and cyber security analysts even higher, at an average of $124,910, and projects about 16,000 new openings each year in this industry.

So what do cyber security analysts do? At a base level, they prevent companies from having their data and software hacked or stolen and set up systems for protecting sensitive and confidential information from being seen by unwanted parties. Technology is rapidly advancing and becoming more complex, especially with the integration of machine learning systems, and companies — from banks to healthcare providers to software startups and giants — are only going to invest more resources into cyber security in the future.

UX/UI designer

In job markets like New York, California, and DC, user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designers can make up to $94,000 a year. According to the BLS, this job pays on average $95,380 per year, and is projected to grow in demand faster than other occupations in the next 10 years.

UX/UI designers make the technology you use and love, well, lovable and usable. Their focus is on the visual appeal and accessibility of virtual products, from your everyday social media app to your doctor’s patient portal. While UX designers care about making a seamless journey for the customer from first click to purchase, UI designers care about overall appearance and aesthetic, be it fonts, colors, or imagery. Artists in particular thrive in these kinds of roles, but anyone can pick up UX/UI skills and tools with some hands-on experience in no time.

QA automation engineer

Quality assurance (QA) automation engineers and testers make on average $105,990 per year, according to the BLS.

If you enjoy breaking things (and also picking up the pieces), you might just be primed for a career in quality assurance. QA engineers catch bugs and fix errors in code before it’s released through automated tools and processes, ensuring companies avoid costly mistakes and deliver top-notch products. Their vital role in fast, effective software development is so important, the field will only grow in demand over time.

Cloud support/DevOps associate

DevOps associates make anywhere between $113,000 and $177,000 a year, while cloud support engineers make between $110,000 and $164,000, according to the latest data from salary platform Glassdoor, with the starting annual salary for an entry-level DevOps associate surpassing $80,000.

DevOps associates are great collaborators, working between developers and IT departments to ensure everyone is aligned on creating products that are secure, useful, debugged, and efficient. Similarly, cloud support engineers provide oversight for cloud development, troubleshooting problems and managing cloud infrastructure.

MLOps/AI platform associate

Machine learning operations (MLOps) engineers have a starting salary of around $105,000 a year, and the base salary for AI associates begins at $93,000, according to Glassdoor.

Like DevOps, MLOps associates oversee both the development of machine learning products and their deployment. This means they’re involved in building and managing the machine learning infrastructure, QA testing and training, and data collection. MLOps and AI platform associates are problem solvers and go-getters in that they help companies build artificial intelligence and machine learning models within the constraints of their budgets, data, and skilled workforce.

Business intelligence analyst

Business intelligence (BI) analysts make between $93,000 and $147,000 a year, according to Glassdoor.

As a BI analyst, you’ll be tasked with taking data, such as website clicks or customer demographics, and putting it into reliable systems that can then be used to answer queries. Working closely with data analysts and engineers, BI analysts ensure data warehouses are well maintained and enable stakeholders to make informed business decisions. 

In addition, a good sense of business operations and sales logic serves these professionals well, as they're the go-between for decision makers and tech experts, often helping translate more complex technical information into digestible insights and presenting them to stakeholders.

Front-end web developer

Front-end web developers make around $80,000 a year at the entry level. The BLS puts the average wage for this role a bit higher, at $95,380 per year.

Front-end engineers design the customer-facing parts of a website, such as navigation and layout. Beyond coding, these software engineers might conduct tests on new releases to ensure there are no bugs and collaborate with designers, data analysts, and other engineering stakeholders who can assist in perfecting the product.

AI operations specialist

AI operations specialists make $83,000 a year on average, according to Glassdoor.

This entry-level position into the hot field of artificial intelligence can be snagged with some hands-on experience with large language models and automation tools like Google AI Studio. In the job, you’ll get to be a part of creating and managing popular and useful chatbots (think those powered by ChatGPT and Gemini), as well as ensuring they’re delivering the best possible experiences for consumers.

How to make $80K a year ASAP — sign up for a bootcamp

That high-paying role isn’t out of reach! At TripleTen, we’ve seen hundreds of career changers pivot from retail, hospitality, education, and other industries into tech careers without a degree. Our online coding bootcamps easily fit into a busy schedule and teach you real-world, applicable skills for breaking into jobs that make $80K a year or more, including software engineering, BI analytics, and AI automation.