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Yes, and the evidence for that answer is stronger than in almost any other field. Information technology is the sector of the U.S. economy most deliberately structured around demonstrated competency rather than institutional prestige, and employer hiring data consistently reflects that. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that computer and information technology occupations will grow by 15 percent between 2022 and 2032, adding approximately 377,500 new jobs over the decade, at a median annual wage of $104,420, more than double the median for all U.S. occupations combined. The demand is structural and durable, and the hiring criteria that dominate IT recruiting, technical skills, certifications, and portfolio evidence, are largely format-agnostic.

This article covers the full labor market picture for IT roles, BLS salary and growth data by specialization, how online IT degrees are actually evaluated by employers and hiring managers, the specific certifications that pair with each sub-field, career pathway timelines from entry-level to senior roles, and how to position an online IT degree competitively from day one of your job search.

The IT Labor Market: BLS Data by Role

The table below covers every major IT occupation with 2023 BLS median wages, 10-year growth projections, typical degree and credential requirements, and projected annual job openings. This is the data that makes the case for an IT credential more compelling than in most fields.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2023-24 Edition.

Several figures deserve emphasis. Information security analysts show 33 percent projected growth, the highest of any major IT occupation, at a $120,360 median. Data scientists show 35 percent projected growth at $108,020. Software developers project 26 percent growth at $130,160. These three occupations alone, all directly accessible through online IT and computer science programs, represent a combined 198,300 projected annual job openings over the decade. The scale of demand is not a trend argument. It is a structural reality driven by digital infrastructure expansion, cybersecurity threat growth, and data-driven business transformation that has no visible ceiling.

The entry-level user support specialist role at $60,810 median with 130,500 annual openings is also significant context. IT has a genuine and large entry point for career changers and new graduates that does not require specialized experience, just foundational certifications and demonstrated troubleshooting ability. That entry point connects to a career ladder that reaches $169,510 at the IT manager median, a range that few other bachelor’s degree fields can match.

For a detailed comparison of which online IT degree specialization produces the best long-term career outcomes, see: Which Online IT Degree Has the Best Career Outlook?

Why IT Hiring Is Structurally Different From Most Fields

Understanding why online IT degrees are broadly accepted requires understanding how IT hiring actually works, which is meaningfully different from hiring in law, medicine, finance, or most management fields.

Competency-Based Hiring Is the Standard, Not the Exception

A 2022 report by CompTIA, the computing industry’s largest trade association, surveyed more than 500 IT hiring managers across the United States. The findings were unambiguous: 70 percent of respondents said they prioritize proven technical skills over educational background when making hiring decisions. Fifty-nine percent said industry certifications were as valuable as or more valuable than a degree when evaluating candidates. Only 18 percent said the institution’s reputation was a significant factor in IT hiring.

That distribution is nearly inverted compared with hiring patterns in fields like investment banking or management consulting, where institutional prestige carries outsized weight. IT employers have converged on skills-based evaluation because the field changes fast enough that a degree earned four years ago may not reflect current technical capability. Certifications, which require regular renewal and reflect current tool and protocol knowledge, function as a more reliable real-time signal than degree origin.

The GitHub Portfolio Dynamic

In software development, web development, and data science specifically, the public portfolio has become a hiring signal that carries more weight than any single credential. A GitHub repository with documented projects, clean code, and evidence of problem-solving in real scenarios tells a hiring manager more about a developer’s capability than a transcript does. Stack Overflow’s 2023 Developer Survey, which collected responses from more than 90,000 developers globally, found that 62 percent of professional developers were self-taught in at least one major technology, and that 85 percent of hiring managers evaluated code samples or portfolios as part of their screening process.

For online IT degree students, this dynamic is favorable rather than a disadvantage. The flexibility of asynchronous online programs gives students time to build portfolio projects, contribute to open-source repositories, and complete certification exam preparation alongside coursework. Campus-based students in the same programs do not have a structural advantage in portfolio development.

Remote Work Normalization and Online Degree Perception

The technology sector was the first major industry to normalize remote work at scale, and that normalization has had a secondary effect on how online education is perceived within it. According to the 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey, 35 percent of employed Americans in computer and mathematical occupations worked remotely, the highest rate of any major occupational category. Hiring managers in IT are disproportionately likely to have managed distributed teams, hired candidates they met only via video, and evaluated work products without in-person interaction. The conceptual distance between online education and online work is minimal in this hiring environment.

For a broader analysis of how employers across all industries evaluate online degrees in 2026, see: Are Online Degrees Respected by Employers?

The Certification Stack: What Pairs With Each IT Specialization

Certifications are not optional accessories in IT hiring. In most specializations, they are the primary signal of technical competency that employers use to screen candidates before conducting technical interviews. The right certification at the right career stage can be the variable that moves an application from the rejected pile to the interview queue. The table below maps the most valuable certifications by IT specialization, career stage, and approximate exam cost.

Source: Salary premium estimates based on Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report 2023, Dice Tech Salary Report 2023, and CompTIA State of the Tech Workforce 2023.

The Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report, which surveys more than 12,000 IT professionals annually, found that certified IT professionals earn a median of 11 to 13 percent more than their non-certified counterparts in equivalent roles. For a professional earning $95,000, an 11 percent certification premium represents approximately $10,450 per year in additional compensation. Across a five-year period, that differential compounds to more than $52,000, which is a substantial return on the $300 to $600 investment most certification exams require.

The CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), consistently cited as the most valuable cybersecurity credential, is held by professionals earning a median above $140,000 according to (ISC)2’s 2023 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional certification correlates with median salaries above $155,000 according to the 2023 Dice Tech Salary Report. These are not incremental career advantages. They are career-defining credentials that frequently determine promotion eligibility and compensation band placement.

For a detailed breakdown of the cybersecurity vs. computer science degree decision specifically, including which path leads to which certifications and salary ceilings, see: Cybersecurity vs. Computer Science: Which Online Degree Is Better in 2026?

Career Pathway Timelines: Entry-Level to Senior IT Roles

Understanding how IT careers actually progress from degree completion to senior-level compensation helps adult learners plan their credential strategy across time, not just at the point of graduation. The following pathways reflect typical trajectories documented in CompTIA, ISACA, and BLS occupational data.

Cybersecurity Pathway

Cloud Computing Pathway

Data Science Pathway

The career ladder in each specialization is steep and accelerates significantly with certification milestones. An information security analyst who earns a CISSP typically moves into the $115,000 to $145,000 salary band within one to two years of certification, regardless of total years of experience. The credential itself is the trigger for compensation reclassification at most employers. For online IT degree students, this means the certification strategy is at least as important as the GPA strategy.

For adult learners comparing which IT degree concentration produces the strongest 10-year earnings trajectory, see: Which Online IT Degree Has the Best Career Outlook?

IT Salaries by Region: Where Geography Matters

IT is one of the more geographically portable career fields in the U.S. labor market, particularly with the expansion of remote work. However, regional salary variation for IT roles remains significant even in fully remote positions, because many employers set compensation bands by location or use national market data with regional adjustments. The following figures reflect BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics geographic data for information security analysts, consistently one of the highest-growth and highest-demand IT roles.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2023, state-level data.

Northern Virginia and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area deserve specific mention for online IT degree holders pursuing federal government or government contracting careers. The federal civilian IT workforce is among the largest in the country, and federal IT positions are filled through OPM qualification standards that recognize degrees from regionally accredited institutions without distinction for delivery format. The Northern Virginia tech corridor, driven by government contracting, defense, and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Microsoft, and Google all maintain significant federal cloud operations there), consistently produces IT salaries 15 to 22 percent above national medians.

For students in fully remote programs, the regional data informs negotiation rather than relocation decisions. Understanding that your role’s compensation band may be set to a San Francisco or Seattle market rate, even if you work from a lower cost-of-living city, is increasingly common in IT and is worth researching by employer before accepting any offer.

What Entry-Level IT Jobs Are Actually Available Right After Graduation

One of the most practical questions for adult learners completing online IT programs is what the job market looks like on day one after graduation, before years of professional IT experience have accumulated. The entry-level IT market is substantially more accessible than many career changers expect, particularly for candidates who have used their time in school to build certifications and portfolio evidence alongside their coursework.

For a full breakdown of specific entry-level IT roles, hiring requirements, and salary ranges, see: Entry-Level IT Jobs You Can Get With an Online Degree

The salary ranges above reflect median starting compensation in the U.S. for candidates with a bachelor’s degree and the listed certifications but limited prior professional IT experience. In high-cost-of-living metro areas including San Francisco, Seattle, and New York, these ranges typically run 20 to 40 percent higher. In lower-cost markets, they may run 10 to 20 percent below.

The pattern across every entry-level role in the table is consistent: the bachelor’s degree is necessary but not alone sufficient to compete in most markets. The certification is what makes the application advance through screening. The portfolio, in roles like web development and data analysis, is what makes the difference in final-round hiring decisions. Students who graduate with a degree, at least one role-aligned certification, and documented applied projects are meaningfully better positioned than graduates with the degree alone.

Two Career Changers, Two Outcomes

Ryan, 33: Retail Management to Systems Administration

Ryan spent a decade in retail store management before deciding the ceiling of that career path did not match his long-term income goals. He enrolled in an online bachelor’s program in information technology and immediately began building outside the classroom: a home lab running a virtualized server environment, CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications completed in his first year, and a GitHub repository documenting his lab projects and configurations.

By the time he graduated, he had earned CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+, plus the AWS Cloud Practitioner credential. His GitHub had 11 documented projects ranging from network configuration walkthroughs to a basic intrusion detection lab. In interviews, every hiring manager focused on his technical work. Two interviewers asked him to walk through his home lab architecture in detail. Not one asked whether his degree was delivered online.

He accepted a junior systems administrator role at $67,000 before completing his final semester. Within 18 months, he had earned his Cisco CCNA and moved into a network administrator role at $84,000. At his current trajectory, his employer has indicated he is on track for senior network engineer consideration within three years, a role that typically pays $110,000 to $130,000 at his organization. His total program cost was $22,000. He recovered it in under 13 months.

Melissa, 41: Accounting to Information Security

Melissa worked as an accountant for 16 years and recognized that her financial analysis skills, proficiency in auditing, and understanding of compliance frameworks were directly transferable to information security roles, particularly in financial services. She enrolled in an online IT degree program with a cybersecurity concentration, choosing the program specifically for its alignment with CompTIA Security+ exam objectives and its hands-on security lab requirements.

She earned her Security+ during her second semester and began building a security lab portfolio documenting penetration testing exercises, vulnerability assessments, and log analysis walkthroughs. Her accounting background was an unexpected advantage: cybersecurity roles in financial services specifically value candidates who understand regulatory compliance (SOX, PCI DSS, GLBA), and her prior professional experience was directly relevant.

Her employer, a mid-sized regional bank, had an open information security analyst position she applied for internally six months before graduating. The hiring manager cited her Security+ certification, her lab portfolio, and her compliance background as the decisive factors. She transitioned into the role at $88,000, a $24,000 increase over her accounting salary. She is currently pursuing her CEH certification, which her employer is funding through tuition assistance, and expects to move into a senior analyst role within two years at an estimated salary of $110,000 to $120,000.

Choosing the Right Online IT Program

The IT degree market is crowded with options at every price point and quality level. For adult learners making a significant time and financial investment, the program selection decision matters more than many students realize when they are in the excitement of early research.

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) holds NECHE regional accreditation and offers IT programs in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, and data analytics at approximately $330 per credit for undergraduates. Its cybersecurity curriculum aligns with CompTIA Security+ and other industry credential frameworks, and the program is fully asynchronous with monthly start dates, making it accessible for working adults and career changers managing full-time employment alongside their coursework. For adult learners who want a credible IT credential without the price premium of some flagship online IT programs, SNHU’s combination of accreditation, certification alignment, and tuition represents a strong value proposition.

For adult learners deciding between cybersecurity and computer science specifically, see: Cybersecurity vs. Computer Science: Which Online Degree Is Better in 2026?

How to Position an Online IT Degree in the Job Market

Even in a field as skills-focused as IT, how you present your credential and experience in the job search matters. The following practices are consistently cited by IT hiring managers in CompTIA workforce research and Dice survey data as differentiators between candidates at equivalent degree and experience levels.

Build the Portfolio During the Degree, Not After

The single most common mistake IT students make is treating portfolio development as a post-graduation activity. The time to build GitHub repositories, document lab projects, and complete certification exams is during the degree program, when the academic structure provides frameworks for the work. A graduate who can walk into an interview with 12 months of documented technical projects is in a fundamentally stronger position than a graduate who has a degree and a plan to build projects later.

Stack Certifications Strategically by Semester

A practical certification timeline for an online IT program running six to eight semesters might look like this: CompTIA A+ in semester two, CompTIA Network+ in semester three, CompTIA Security+ in semester four or five, and one cloud or specialization credential (AWS Cloud Practitioner, Azure Fundamentals, or equivalent) in semester five or six. This pace is achievable alongside coursework and produces a graduate who has four certifications at the time of job search, not zero. Each certification that appears on a resume before graduation is a conversation starter in every subsequent interview.

Use Professional Experience as an Asset, Not a Disclaimer

Adult learners changing careers into IT often frame their prior career as something to explain away. The more effective framing is the opposite. A decade in healthcare operations translates directly to healthcare IT credibility. A background in financial analysis translates directly to financial sector cybersecurity and data roles. A career in logistics translates directly to supply chain systems and ERP platform roles. The combination of domain expertise and new technical credentials is rarer and more valuable to most employers than a new graduate with technical skills and no domain context.

For adult learners managing the full financial picture of an IT career transition, see: How Adult Students Can Graduate With Minimal Debt

The Bottom Line

Can you get an IT job with an online degree? The BLS projects 377,500 new IT jobs over the next decade at a median wage of $104,420. CompTIA’s 2022 hiring manager research found that 70 percent of IT employers prioritize proven technical skills over educational background. The (ISC)2 2023 Cybersecurity Workforce Study found a global cybersecurity workforce shortage of 3.4 million professionals. The demand is not hypothetical. The jobs exist, the shortage is real, and the hiring criteria favor exactly what a prepared online IT degree candidate brings.

The candidates who succeed are not necessarily the ones from the most recognized institutions. They are the ones who graduated with the degree, at least two certifications, and documented proof of technical ability. Those three elements, in combination, are what the data shows consistently moves IT candidates from application to offer in a competitive market.

For adult learners and career changers considering an online IT program, the evidence is clear: the format of your degree is not the variable that determines your outcome. Your certification stack, your portfolio, and your ability to demonstrate technical problem-solving in an interview are. An accredited online IT program gives you the credential foundation and the time structure to build all three simultaneously, which is the combination that makes the career change work.

For a practical guide to completing an online IT degree while working full time, including realistic timeline benchmarks, see: Can You Work Full-Time and Complete a Degree in 2 Years?