The Virtual Vocations Guide to Remote IT Jobs is a remote jobseeker resource and action plan for finding and applying to remote information technology jobs.
Click the report cover image to the left or follow this link to view and download the Guide to Remote IT Jobs PDF.
Guide to Remote IT Jobs
The information technology industry represents not only the most readily available remote jobs in the Virtual Vocations job board but also the most applied to remote job categories, as indicated by Virtual Vocations members. Due to IT’s reliance on computers and associated hardware and software, information technology jobs are a natural fit for home-based and virtual work arrangements.
IT Industry Overview
Since 2016, information technology has remained the number one remote job category in the Virtual Vocations database. During 2019, IT accounted for more than 70,000 remote job openings posted to our job board.
Projected IT Industry Job Growth
The IT industry is expected to grow 12% from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than the average compared to all other career fields, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). By 2028, the U.S. economy should add nearly 550,000 IT jobs to the market. The BLS believes job growth in information technology will originate from three key areas:
- Information Security
- Cloud Computing
- Big Data
Expected Education for IT Industry Professionals
The majority of remote IT jobs require a bachelor’s degree in a computer-based field like information technology, computer science, or information systems.
Remote IT Job Options
From healthcare and education to sales and finance, remote IT professionals are essential to businesses in every major industry. Remote IT jobs are well-paid and continuously in demand.
Visit the Virtual Vocations job board to search for remote IT jobs that suit your skills and professional experience. To jumpstart your remote jobs search, explore current remote job openings in the following popular IT sectors.
Search Remote IT Job Openings Now
- Software Developer Jobs
- Technical Support Jobs
- Systems Administrator Jobs
- Programmer Jobs
- Web Developer Jobs
- Software Engineer Jobs
Remote Information Technology Wages Data
When researching and applying to remote IT jobs, it is important to know median annual wages as well as salary ranges for a variety of in-demand IT jobs. While the hourly and salary wages of remote IT jobs are based on candidate skills and experience, as well as the hiring company, several telecommuting IT positions come with annual wages near or over $100,000.
“The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $86,320 in May 2018, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $38,640,” according to the BLS.
Median Annual Wages for Remote IT Jobs
This list of median annual wages for remote IT jobs will give remote IT jobseekers midpoint wage expectations for a variety of widely available remote information technology careers. This information can be used when negotiating the salary of a new remote IT job.
Computer Research Scientist
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $118,370
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $56.91
Network Architect
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $109,020
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $52.41
Software Developer
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $105,590
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $50.77
Information Security Analyst
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $98,350
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $47.28
Database Administrator
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $90,070
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $43.31
Computer Systems Analyst
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $88,740
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $42.66
Computer Programmer
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $84,280
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $40.52
Systems Administrator
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $82,050
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $39.45
Web Developer
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $69,430
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $33.38
Computer Support Specialist
- Full-Time Annual Salary: $53,470
- Part-Time Hourly or Freelance Rate: $25.70
Common Salary Ranges for Remote IT Jobs
Knowing common salary ranges for remote IT jobs will help remote jobseekers determine the lowest pay they should accept for a remote job in their field, regardless of their location. All of the IT salary ranges listed below were researched in the PayScale Salary Data & Career Research Center.
- Computer Research Scientists: $61,000 – $181,000
- Network Architects: $79,000 – $155,000
- Software Developers: $50,000 – $104,000
- Information Security Analysts: $50,000 – $107,000
- Database Administrators: $46,000 – $110,000
- Computer Systems Analysts: $45,000 – $99,000
- Computer Programmers: $41,000 – $99,000
- Systems Administrators: $44,000 – $87,000
- Web Developers: $40,000 – $87,000
- Computer Support Specialists: $35,000 – $74,000
Remote IT Jobs Jobseeker Action Plan
Virtual Vocations provides jobseekers with the tools, information, and resources to conduct a safe, efficient, and high-quality remote job search. We also recognize that finding and landing the right remote job takes time.
The following five-part action plan outlined here in our Guide to Remote IT Jobs will provide remote IT jobseekers with actionable steps they can take now to progress their remote job searches.
1. Identify Core Skills for Your Remote IT Career
Universal Skills for Remote Work
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Writing
- Negotiation
- Creativity
- Flexibility
- Re-engineering
- Computers
- Organization
- Online Research
- Self-Discipline
- Positivity
- Critical Thinking
Technical Skills for Remote IT Jobs
The IT remote job industry requires jobseekers to possess highly skilled and specific knowledge of technical areas. Before applying to remote jobs in the following virtual IT careers, consider these technical skills suggestions.
WEB DEVELOPMENT
Remote web developers create and design websites from their homes or another non-central location. An associate’s degree is typically needed for this remote career field, which is projected to grow 13% from 2018-2028, according to the BLS. This level of job growth is much faster than all other occupations.
Top Technical Skills for Remote Web Developers:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Bootstrap
- jQuery
- Git
- GitHub
- Photoshop
- WordPress
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Software development has one of the highest projected job growth rates among all IT careers. This remote career field is expected to grow 21% from 2018-2028. Remote software developers, who design the systems and applications for computer programs, can work for computer systems design firms and software companies, software publishers, financial institutions, data and analytics companies, consulting operations, healthcare technology providers, professional services providers, e-commerce and retail businesses, and more.
Top Technical Skills for Remote Software Developers:
- Programming language(s)
- Development platform
- OOD
- Algorithms
- Framework/Stack
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Technical or computer support is a remote IT career field that is expected to grow 10% from 2018-2028, according to the BLS; this is faster than average for all other occupations. Remote technical support professionals assist individuals, businesses, and organizations with computer support and advice through web platforms, email, and phone. Most remote technical support positions do not require a postsecondary degree, however, general computer knowledge is necessary. Most job skills will be learned through on-the-job training.
Top Technical Skills for Remote Technical Support Professionals:
- Troubleshooting
- Software and hardware diagnostics
- Web Support
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Software engineering is a remote IT profession that relies on the principles of computer science and mathematical analysis to create computer software. Remote software engineers may develop middleware, applications, computer games, and network control systems. The BLS does not specifically track job growth information for software engineers but it is similar to that of software developers.
Top Technical Skills for Remote Software Engineers:
- Programming
- Software development
- OOD
- Software testing and debugging
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
Remote computer programmers can work from anywhere in the world to write and test code for software and computer applications. Prospective computer programmers should have a relevant bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree and relevant work experience. Computer programming is an IT career that is expected to decline slightly over the next eight years, based on BLS career growth projections; however, the BLS still expects more than 225,000 computer programmers to still be employed in 2028.
Top Technical Skills for Remote Computer Programmers:
- SQL
- Java
- JavaScript
- Linux
- Microsoft C#
- .NET
- Oracle
- Python
- C++
- XML
2. Include Core Skills in Your Resume and Cover Letter
A well-written, keyword-optimized resume and cover letter will help set you apart from the competition. When crafting these employment documents, it is essential to include core skills. Here are some examples of how to showcase your core skills in a resume and cover letter.
Core Skills Showcased in a Resume
Core Skills Showcased in a Cover Letter
The Virtual Vocations Career Services department can assess your resume as well as rewrite your resume and cover letter following an expert evaluation from our experienced team members.
3. Set up Alerts for Remote IT Jobs Relevant to Your Skills
With Virtual Vocations remote job alerts, jobseekers receive daily emails containing new remote job openings that match their professional skills and backgrounds. For example, when a remote jobseeker searches the Virtual Vocations job board for ‘software developer’ remote jobs, they can click the orange ‘ACTIVATE‘ button to create an email alert for this search result.
Within the Alerts section of a jobseeker’s Virtual Vocations account, they can also set up a job alert by clicking the blue ‘CREATE NEW ALERT‘ button as well as see their Saved Job Alerts.
4. Explore Remote-Enabled Companies Continuously Hiring in Information Technology
Remote IT jobseekers can only be successful in their job searches if they have access to a wide range of information technology positions. The 10 companies included in this remote-enabled companies list continuously hire IT professionals.
Microsoft
View Microsoft’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
Oracle
View Oracle’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
SAP
View SAP’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
Cognizant Technology Solutions
View Cognizant’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
Capgemini
View Capgeminis Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
3M
View 3M’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
Apple
View Apple’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
Dell
View Dell’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
Infosys
View Infosys’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
Amazon
Examples of Remote Jobs with Amazon that have been found in the Virtual Vocations database include Telecommute Online Retailer Front End Engineer, Remote Enterprise Solutions Architect, and Virtual Senior Programming Technical Writer.
View Amazon’s Company Profile at Virtual Vocations
5. Use Virtual Vocations Jobseeker Resources
Virtual Vocations is here to help jobseekers who want to work from home in information technology roles. Remote IT jobseekers can utilize the following Virtual Vocations jobseeker resources to maximize their hireability and improve their job search prospects.
Career Services
The Virtual Vocations Career Services department provides the following expert services for entry-level, mid-level, and C-level remote jobseekers:
- Resume assessments
- Career coaching
- Resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile writing
E-Courses for Remote Jobseekers
Sign up for Virtual Vocations e-courses via the Telecommute Toolkit page of your Virtual Vocations account.
- Take our Getting Started With Telecommuting e-course
- Take our Create a Winning Telecommute Resume e-course
Telecommute Companies Database
The Virtual Vocations Telecommute Companies Database is filled with more than 20,000 researched company profiles of businesses and organizations known for hiring remote workers. In addition to the 10 remote-enabled employers featured in this Guide to Remote IT Jobs, remote jobseekers can find current openings from all information technology employers by clicking the button below.
Remote Jobseeker Blog Content
Remote jobseekers should not miss the following relevant blog posts about successfully preparing for your job search:
- Resume Mistakes: 10 Errors Employers Will Not Overlook
- Switching Careers? 6 Ways Remote Work Options can Help
- Job Interview Follow-Up: The Dos and Don’ts for Remote Jobseekers
Are you interested in applying to remote IT jobs? Connect with Virtual Vocations to share your story on our social media pages, via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube, where you can find more remote work content and conversations. We would love to hear from you!
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