How much will your salary increase over the course of your technologist career? The answer to that question hinges on a variety of factors, including your specialization and career track. However, data from the latest Dice Salary Report offers some key insights into what technologists make as they rack up years of experience. 

Overall, average technologist salaries in the U.S. increased 3.6 percent between 2019 and 2020, reaching $97,859. When we break out salary by years of experience, though, things start looking very different. Those with less than a year of experience (i.e., just starting out in tech) made an average of $57,031 in 2020, up 3.30 percent from 2019. Technologists didn’t begin to approach that “overall” average of $97,859 until they logged nearly a decade of experience.

 

At the furthest end of the experience chart, those technologists with more than 15 years of experience pulled down an annual average of $11,187 in 2020, up 2 percent from 2019 (when average salaries came to $114,915). Those with 15 years of experience have often ascended into a managerial role and/or have the kind of specializations and skills that allow them to unlock considerable compensation and benefits.

Here’s the full breakdown for your perusal, in handy chart format:

No matter how many years you’ve spent in the tech industry, there are lots of ways to boost your salary, including merit increases, negotiating for better pay, or developing new skills. Jobs that pay six-figure salaries include not only IT management (such as CEO, CIO, CTO, and so on), but also architect and engineering roles, particularly in “hot” areas such as cloud, cybersecurity, and data science:

Also, salary is but one part of your overall compensation package. When negotiating for a new job or a promotion at your current company, you should also keep in mind that your manager is potentially open for a discussion around increased benefits, including more vacation days, health insurance, and stock options. For example, if you want to boost your skills in order to open up new opportunities, you could ask your manager to pay for training and classes; since many companies recognize the benefits of a highly trained workforce, they may give you what you want.