Hey there! As an experienced technology industry analyst, I‘ve seen firsthand how Alaska is quickly becoming a hub for innovation. Despite its remote locale and small population, the state is using technology to solve complex problems – from facilitating communication across vast distances to overcoming extreme Arctic conditions.
In the process, Alaska has cultivated a thriving, high-paying technology job market hungry for talent in areas like:
- Cloud computing infrastructure
- Remote connectivity and telecommunications
- Data analytics and artificial intelligence
- Transportation and logistics optimization
- Environmental analysis
- Energy development and optimization
And the opportunities are growing quickly – Alaska‘s tech sector expanded 11% from 2018 to 2019 alone according to CompTIA research. As the state invests to build tech hubs and connect infrastructure, there‘s never been a better time to kickstart or advance your technology career here.
To showcase the potential, I‘ve compiled this guide covering 7 of Alaska‘s best-paying and most promising technology jobs emerging across the state‘s industry landscape.
For each role, I dive deep on:
- Day-to-day responsibilities
- Key technical skills required
- Average salaries you can expect to earn
- Companies currently hiring
- Long-term growth trajectories
I‘ll also share some insider tips I‘ve picked up on transitioning your career to Alaska effectively. So let‘s get started!
#7. Network Administrator – $58,039
Connectivity is king for remote teams and operations to collaborate effectively across Alaska‘s vast terrain. Network administrators are the foundation – managing the high-speed data infrastructure tying everything together.
As Alaska invests heavily to improve broadband connectivity, network admin roles keep emerging. For example, GCI and other telcos currently have over 50 openings to architect low-latency networks across remote regions.
In these roles, your responsibilities may include:
- Overseeing infrastructure like routers, switches, and firewalls
- Ensuring 99.999% uptime and high availability
- Optimizing network capacity and speeds as usage scales
- Building redundancy and backup mechanisms into network design
- Setting up monitoring to quickly detect and resolve outages
- Reporting network analytics to key stakeholders
- Maintaining cutting-edge expertise as new advances emerge
| Key Skills | Companies Hiring | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Routing protocols like BGP, TCP/IP | GCI, AT&T Alaska, Matanuska Telephone Association | $58,039 per year |
| Cybersecurity fundamentals | Alaska Communications, Doyon Government Group, Bristol Bay Telephone Cooperative | 10% above national median |
| Wireless connectivity standards | Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Lynden Incorporated, NANA Management Services |
This baseline connectivity role offers a great way to start a career that can eventually scale into more senior network engineering or IT leadership positions down the road.
#6. Application Developer – $72,201
Virtually every modern Alaska business relies on custom software – from mobile interfaces for field data collection to inventory tracking systems optimized for harsh conditions.
And demand for skilled developers is spiking to build these custom platforms. Positions are growing over 20% annually with over 300 current openings according to CyberSeek job data.
If you have application development skills, opportunities abound to earn an average salary exceeding $70k tailoring solutions. For example:
- Oil and gas companies need apps to orchestrate equipment maintenance and respond to Arctic hazards
- Research teams require interfaces to gather environmental sensor data in remote locales
- Public safety organizations need specialized dispatch and response coordination mobile apps
- Logistics groups need to track assets across vast distances
As an application developer, typical responsibilities include:
- Consulting with business leaders on software requirements and constraints
- Mapping effective data structures and system architecture
- Developing readable, maintainable code bases
- Conducting intensive testing to squash bugs quickly
- Creating intuitive user interfaces aligned to end user needs
- Ensuring new features integrate seamlessly
- Recommending upgrades and improvements aligned to business objectives
| Key Skills | Companies Hiring | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Java, JavaScript, C# | General Communications Inc., Bristol Bay Housing Authority, UIC Science | $72,201 per year |
| Relational databases | Lynden Incorporated, NANA Management Services, Matanuska Telephone Company | 20%+ annual growth |
| Agile development processes | Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative |
The versatility to tailor solutions to Alaska‘s unique constraints makes development a continually in-demand skillset.
#5. Systems Administrator – $88,770
The servers, data centers and core infrastructure powering Alaska’s innovation rely on the toolkit and expertise of savvy systems administrators.
Nearly every growing company seeks sysadmins to architect stable foundations that help teams collaborate effectively regardless of harsh conditions or remote barriers.
With over 250 current job openings but only 50 annual graduates with sysadmin training, it’s a prime time to capitalize on major supply/demand imbalance.
As a sysadmin in Alaska, no two days look the same. You may be:
- Optimizing infrastructure to run smoothly in Arctic temperatures or off-grid locations
- Archtecting redundancy and backups for high-availability services
- Proactively monitoring usage to prevent outages as traffic spikes
- Troubleshooting connectivity issues for remote teams
- Evaluating emerging tech like Docker and Kubernetes for integration
- Orchestrating complex infrastructure migrations seamlessly behind the scenes
- Training colleagues on best practices for system security and access
| Key Skills | Companies Hiring | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| OSes like Windows, Linux | GCI, Lynden Incorporated, Alaska Airlines | $88,770 per year |
| Virtualization platforms | Alaska Communications, Bristol Bay Housing Authority, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium | Over 250 current openings |
| IaaS services like AWS, Azure | Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, NANA Management Services, Matanuska Telephone Company |
With top-tier pay and exciting complexity, systems administration offers a perpetually in-demand Alaska tech career path.
#4. Software Engineer – $95,701
Software engineering represents arguably Alaska’s most vibrant and well-compensated technology career track.
Nearly 500 openings exist across the state as businesses demand new platforms to drive remote collaboration, environmental research, supply chain visibility and more.
As a software engineer, you’ll work closing with stakeholders and executives to understand business challenges. You’ll then design, architect and program complex systems to solve them.
Common examples right now include:
- Data analytics dashboards aggregating field research sensor data
- Navigation and hazard detection for aviation and maritime operations
- Predictive maintenance suites for industrial equipment resilience
- Automation for manufacturing and warehouse logistics coordination
- And countless more platforms vital for Alaska’s continued growth
Core responsibilities as an engineer typically include:
- Consulting with leadership on software capabilities needed
- Modeling detailed system architecture and data flows
- Developing code across languages like Java, Python, C# and JavaScript
- Unit testing rigorously through all stages of development
- Fixing bugs and bottlenecks quickly as users validate builds
- Implementing new features aligned to business goals
- Mentoring other engineers to improve skills
| Key Skills | Companies Hiring | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| OOP languages & frameworks | GCI, Alaska Airlines, Bristol Bay Housing Authority | $95,701 per year |
| Relational & cloud data stores | Alaska Communications, Lynden Transport, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation | 500+ open jobs |
| Code versioning tools like Git | UAA Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, Aerometals Inc., Design Alaska |
With lucrative compensation and exciting project diversity, software engineering offers perpetually growing opportunities to cultivate your expertise while shaping Alaska’s future.
#3. Data Scientist – $99,954
Alaska is gathering immense volumes of data through environmental sensors, infrastructure instrumentation, supply chain telemetry, public health statistics and more.
But translating these complex data streams into actionable insights demands specialized expertise – enter data scientists.
Employers badly need talent to model trends, guide decisions and optimize operations. Data science job postings have ballooned over 90% year-over-year according to Burning Glass market analytics.
In one of these fast-growing roles, you may:
- Architect data lakes to consolidate volumes of structured and unstructured data
- Build advanced analytics models uncovering usage patterns and emerging trends
- Apply techniques like machine learning for predictive forecasting and recommendations
- Create interactive dashboards distilling insights for key stakeholders
- Continuously evaluate new data sources and techniques to drive innovation
- Make recommendations guiding business strategy rooted in hard analytics
| Key Skills | Companies Hiring | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Python, R, SQL | Alaska Department of Health, GCI, Bristol Bay Housing Authority | $99,954 per year |
| Statistical analysis & modeling | Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, NANA Management Services | 90%+ YoY growth |
| Cloud data tools like AWS Redshift | UAA Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, Aerometals Inc., Design Alaska |
With virtually every industry seeking advanced analytics, data science offers unmatched career advancement and compensation potential as employers struggle to fill hundreds of open roles.
#2. Software Architect – $112,257
Serving as the technical visionaries guiding software development, architects ensure complex systems scale securely to serve key functions for Alaska’s public and private institutions.
The state currently lists over 100 open software architect positions with specialized needs including:
- Architecting systems resilient to intermittent connectivity and harsh conditions
- Designing platforms serving critical functions like healthcare delivery and public safety response
- Leading remote teams with streamlined collaboration capabilities
- Guiding adoption of cloud, containers and bleeding-edge advances
As an architect, responsibilities may consist of:
- Collaborating with executives to map strategic software infrastructure priorities
- Making platform recommendations by evaluating technical tradeoffs
- Standardizing development patterns and security best practices for teams
- Providing guidance as complex systems are coded, tested and deployed
- Reviewing systems continually for optimization opportunities
- Staying on top of emerging technologies to integrate innovatively
| Key Skills | Companies Hiring | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Programming languages like Java, JavaScript | Alaska Department of Health, GCI, Alaska Airlines | $112,257 per year |
| Web infrastructure (REST, SOAP, etc) | Alaska Communications, Bristol Bay Housing Authority, UIC Science Division | Over 100 open roles |
| Relational & NoSQL databases | NANA Management Services, Bristol Bay Telephone Cooperative, Aerometals Inc. |
With coveted expertise and exciting complexity, software architecture offers perpetually growing six-figure Alaska career potential.
#1. Cloud Engineer – $123,525
As Alaska’s employers adopt flexible cloud platforms to collaborate remotely, skilled cloud engineers have become perpetually in-demand assets with salaries topping $120k.
From data analytics on AWS to IoT applications leveraging Azure, the cloud skills gap here is acute – with over 200 openings but barely over 50 certified experts in the state according to Cyberseek.
In one of these roles, your cloud responsibilities may cover:
- Consulting with IT leaders on ideal infrastructure design
- Architecting performance and security optimized environments
- Migrating legacy on-premises apps into the cloud
- Centralizing data lakes for advanced analytics
- Evaluating emerging cloud-native services for integration
- Optimizing costs as usage scales using automation
- Ensuring high availability across regions
- Troubleshooting issues and outages quickly
| Key Skills | Companies Hiring | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| AWS, Azure, Google Cloud | GCI, Alaska Airlines, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation | $123,525 per year |
| Linux, Docker, Kubernetes | Alaska Communications, NANA Management Services, Aerometals Inc. | Over 200 open jobs |
| Infrastructure orchestration tools | UAA Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, Bristol Bay Telephone Cooperative, Design Alaska |
With demand growing quickly, lucrative cloud roles offer flexibility and exciting complexity at the leading edge of Alaska‘s innovation ecosystem.
The continued spread of connectivity and technology across Alaska is creating new batches of perpetually in-demand, high-paying tech jobs with every year.
Nearly all industries are seeking talent in areas like development, data and cloud as they build digital infrastructure to overcome Alaska‘s remote conditions and terrain.
This guide just scratched the surface of the many fast-growing opportunities emerging. For those looking to elevate their earnings potential and solve truly complex problems, Alaska‘s thriving innovation ecosystem offers the perfect environment to challenge yourself while advancing your skills.
I hope you found these insights useful! If you have any other questions navigating Alaska‘s job market just let me know.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tech skills are most in-demand in Alaska?
Some of Alaska‘s most sought-after skills include cloud computing, programming languages like Python and JavaScript, AI/analytics, cybersecurity and network infrastructure experience. Fluency in these areas can open up hundreds of lucrative opportunities.
How can I break into Alaska‘s tech scene?
The best ways are to network with its thriving innovation community by joining groups like Alaska Technology Alliance, pursuing niche certifications aligned to Arctic tech operations, highlighting outdoor interests and flexibility with remote work, and showcasing how your skills can overcome unique local challenges.
Which industries offer the top tech salaries and growth?
Industries like telecom, logistics, energy and more have acute demand for tech talent. Government contractors also offer stable and well-compensated tech roles. Highly specialized startups are emerging as well with exciting projects.
