In our modern age, computers impact practically every aspect of daily life. But before we can type an address into our smartphone or book a restaurant reservation online, a programmer was necessary to create the software these programs rely on. Still, programmers arent as in demand as they once were. Following the programming hiring boom of the pandemic, fewer programmers are now needed in the workforce, especially as programming becomes increasingly automated in the age of AI.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 11% decline in employment for computer programmers between 2022 to 2032. Still, BLS projects that there will be about 6,700 job openings per year over that decade because of workers transferring to other occupations or retiring. The amount of code that you write is going down, but the impact that you have with that code that you write is going up, explains George Heineman, an assistant professor of computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, of the current need for programmers.

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For those who are interested in pursuing programming jobs, here are 10 of the fields top-paying roles.

Highest-paying cities: San Diego, Calif. ($298,291), New York, N.Y. ($225,432), Phoenix, Ariz. ($216,956), according to Indeed.

Description: This C-suite position oversees a companys IT department and research and development department. Part of this job includes researching new technology and finding weaknesses that can be fixed with new IT technology.

Heineman says this C-suite position carries a huge amount of responsibility, and that its more about hiring people than actual programming. You dont get to do the good stuff. You hire people who get to do the good stuff, Heineman explains. Its understanding the mission of the company and how to translate that mission into action.

Education: Its common for chief technology officers to have a bachelors in IT, business or cybersecurity; an MBA can provide business acumen and leadership skills.

Highest-paying cities: New York, N.Y. ($188,965), Cupertino, Calif. ($183,159), Santa Clara, Calif. ($182,851), according to Indeed.

Description: Machine learning engineers create software that can run automatically and contend with problems it encounters by learning to improve upon its tasks without assistance from humans. This wide-ranging skill can be applied to virtual assistants like Amazons Alexa, self-driving cars and recommendation algorithms.

You dont have to be a programmer to be a machine learning engineer, although a lot of programmers go in that direction, Heineman says. They really understand how to take that very specific domain and model it and run these machine learning algorithms through their paces.

Education: Machine learning engineers are usually required to have at least a bachelors in a related field; most job postings require a masters in computer science, data science, software engineering or a similar field.

Highest-paying cities: Bolinas, Calif. ($181,995), Kensington, Ky. ($178,838), Summitview, Wash. ($173,838), according to ZipRecruiter.

Description: AI engineers research and develop machines that simulate the thinking patterns and behavior of humans. Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, AI engineers create applications and systems that assist companies to increase profits and efficiency, cut costs, and make better business decisions.

Education: AI engineers typically hold a bachelors in a related field such as IT, computer science, data science or statistics. Though not usually required, its also common for AI engineers to hold a masters degree in a field like data science or computer science.

Highest-paying cities: San Jose, Calif. ($170,922), San Francisco, Calif. ($159,685), Washington, D.C. ($154,236), according to Indeed.

Description: Cloud computing allows companies to access large-scale storage without maintaining their own physical servers. Cloud architects set up these clouds for companies, maintain systems and communicate with third-party cloud servicers. Cloud architects must be deeply knowledgeable about security to protect the cloud.

You cant just start off as a cloud architect. You need experience, Heineman says. There is no single cloud. Theres not just one programming language, or theres not just one computer architecture.

Education: Earning a bachelors degree in computer science or a related field is often preferred by employers. A cloud architecture certification can also be helpful.

Highest-paying cities: Palo Alto, Calif. ($169,540), Bellevue, Wash. ($167,827), Redmond, Wash. ($141,286), according to Indeed.

Description: Data science professionals can take large sets of raw data, revise it, and analyze it to reveal actionable insights. Prevalent in industries like finance, health care, and technology, this role is especially useful for its ability to take data that was once incomprehensible and turn it into something constructive

Information is data with meaning, and thats the job of a data scientistget the data to be meaningful, says Paulus Wahjudi, chair and professor of the Department of Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering at Marshall University.

Education: Its not strictly necessary, but a bachelors degree in computer science is useful for this role.

Highest-paying cities: San Diego, Calif. ($168,874), Herndon, Va. ($160,279), Chicago, Ill. ($156,416), according to Indeed.

Description: Requiring both IT and business skills, an enterprise architect ensures that a companys technology is in line with its business goals. Enterprise architects set IT standards, buy software or get an IT department to create it, based on their analysis of an employers business goals.

Education: Enterprise architect jobs usually require a four-year degree in data science, computer science, or a similar field. These roles often require five to 10 years of experience and a masters degree in a related field.

Highest-paying cities: Palo Alto, Calif. ($159,261), San Francisco, Calif. ($151,315), and Herndon, Va. ($151,190), according to Indeed.

Description: DevOps engineers work to improve software development processes by coordinating all teams involved with a products development. This role updates and maintains software processes with the aim of fixing bugs and improving user experience.

Education: Employers usually prefer DevOps engineers who have a bachelors degree in computer programming, software engineering, or a related field.

Highest-paying cities: San Francisco, Calif. ($154,204), Irving, Texas ($144,535), Charlotte, N.C. ($139,145), according to Indeed.

Description: A full stack developer can do pretty much anything related to computer programming. With the back-end team, they help manage servers and create databases; with the front-end team, they assist with the creation of parts of the project that are client-facing. Full stack developers are in high demand because of their ability to assist at any stage of a project.

Education: Full stack developers usually have at least a bachelors in computer engineering, information technology, computer science, or a related field. Some have certificates or specialized degrees in AI, web development, information security, or database management.

Highest-paying cities: Washington, D.C. ($124,316), New York, N.Y. ($121,596), and Boston, Mass. ($120,549), according to Indeed.

Description: As the name of the role suggests, database developers oversee developing databases. In modern times, most companies constantly record and store data thats used to conduct data analysis, record the companys history, and comply with regulations. Databases and data warehouses are necessary to securely store this data and must be crafted to meet the needs of each individual business. After creating these databases, a database developer must constantly maintain them.

The databases, in some ways, are so optimized that they can run themselves, but you still need someone to know how to model the data, and thats what a database developer does, Heineman says. They could have moderate programming skills, [but] thats not really the strength. Its modeling skills.

Education: Database developers usually have a bachelors degree in computer science, software engineering, or a similar field.

Highest-paying cities: Tallahassee, Fla. ($121,435), San Francisco, Calif. ($118,145), and Washington, D.C. ($98,807), according to Indeed.

Description: It is the job of a systems administrator to keep a companys hardware and software up and running securely. From managing operating systems and servers to updating and installing new software to providing tech support, a systems administrator must be able to take on any task required of them.

Having good people skills is a boon for this role, as systems administrators must often help non-technical employees. Theyre the one that gets called 24/7, says Wahjudi. If anything goes wrong, its your responsibility to get it back up.

Education: To be a systems administrator, most jobs require a bachelors in a field related to information or computer science. Some positions may require an associates or postsecondary degree.

Though the need for programmers has fallen since the boom of the pandemic, both Heineman and Wahjudi say that programming skills are useful and transferable. While demand may have slowed for these positions, people are still being hired for high-paying jobs that use programming.

We tell our students that a computer is stupid, Wahjudi says. Its only as smart as the programmer.

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10 of the highest-paying programming jobs right now - Fortune

Vernor Vinge, a mathematician and prolific science fiction author who in the 1980s wrote a novella that offered an early glimpse of what became known as cyberspace, and who soon after that hypothesized that artificial intelligence would outstrip human intelligence, died on March 20 in the La Jolla area of San Diego. He was 79.

James Frenkel, who edited nearly all of his work since 1981, said the cause of death, in an assisted living facility, was Parkinsons disease.

David Brin, a science fiction writer and a friend of Mr. Vinges, said in a tribute on Facebook, Vernor enthralled millions with tales of plausible tomorrows, made all the more vivid by his polymath masteries of language, drama, characters and the implications of science.

Mr. Vinge (pronounced VIN-jee) was renowned for his novella True Names (1981), in which he created an early version of cyberspace a virtual reality technology he called the Other Plane a year before William Gibson gave the nascent digital ecosystem its name in a story, Burning Chrome, and three years later popularized the word in his novel Neuromancer.

In True Names, Mr. Slippery, one of the anonymous computer hackers known as warlocks who work within the Other Plane, is identified and caught by the government (the Great Enemy) and forced to help stop a threat posed by another warlock.

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Vernor Vinge, Innovative Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 79 - The New York Times

Before coming to UT, when I heard someone talk about artificial intelligence, my mind wandered to HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. My understanding of the technology was lackluster at best, and, like many, I viewed it as distant and unrelated to my majors.

Fast forward to 2024, and UT declared the Year of AI. For many, this barely registered. So many of us dont deal with AI daily, so a focus on it from administration felt irrelevant. In reality, AI is the fastest-adopted technology in history, and the implications its growth has on every profession are vast. UT students cant afford to ignore the growth of this field, and we must take advantage of the resources we have on this campus to familiarize ourselves.

When I arrived on campus, we talked about AI in my journalism classes consistently. Instead of fearing this technology that many treat as a threat, we were learning what it did and how we could use it to make ourselves more productive. It was an example of its expansion as a tool in fields beyond those typically associated with technology.

Computer science professor Swarat Chaudhuri believes AI is largely perceived as untrustworthy because of its potential to make biased decisions. While these faults are certainly present, the technology also has great potential if understood.

Artificial intelligence the name just has this mystical air about it, Chaudhuri said. Its really just finding patterns in data, learning those patterns and then reproducing them.

Chaudhuri, an expert in trustworthy AI, also acknowledged the threats the software poses. The inclusion of false information in AI-generated answers, known as hallucinations, and its use in disinformation campaigns, has led many to distrust the technology. Despite its problems, Chaudhuri believes the benefits are worth exploring. From medical research to combing through data at high speeds, Chaudhuri says the future of many industries revolves around AI.

Raymond Mooney, a computer science professor whos been studying AI at UT for nearly 37 years, said that UT is now investing in the Year of AI to produce results with technology that rival that of schools like Princeton. In doing so, researchers can discover new information about AI and refine its uses.

I used to be able to do decent AI research with a graduate student of mine with a relatively small amount of computational resources, Mooney said. Now, to be state of the art, you need humongous computational resources.

Robert Quigley, a professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the Moody College of Communication, said this is the first time he recalls UT designating a year to a specific area of research or interest in his time as a professor. He believes it emphasizes the importance of focusing on this technology and its uses.

When leadership sets the agenda for something, it causes things to happen, Quigley said. Theres a lot more interest in it, theres a lot more people wondering, How do I become a part of that?

As investment and attention toward AI and its development increases, some embrace the approaching new era while others resist accepting the technology. Quigley said that may be the worst thing someone can do.

My biggest warning is being too scared of it and not learning about it, Quigley said. Theres a huge opportunity here for communications, for business, for engineering, but if we dont embrace it and try to learn, if we dont try to find the good uses, then all well get are the bad.

AI technology is the future. It will connect in some way to every industry, and ignoring its prevalence will only make someone less prepared to utilize it as a tool in their work.

It can be daunting to approach something as vast and complex as artificial intelligence. However, most of us dont need to be experts. We dont have to understand everything, but we must try to understand some. As UT prioritizes the expansion of AI technologies, we must do the same in prioritizing our understanding of systems that will inevitably play an instrumental role in the way we live our lives.

Doud is a journalism and government freshman from Conroe, Texas.

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Take advantage of the 'Year of AI' The Daily Texan - The Daily Texan

Vanderbilt has begun work to establish a transformative college dedicated to computer science, AI, data science and related fields, university leaders announced today. In addition to meeting the growing demand for degrees in technological fields and advancing research in rapidly evolving, computing-related disciplines, the new, interdisciplinary college will collaborate with all of Vanderbilts schools and colleges to advance breakthrough discoveries and strengthen computing education through a computing for all approach.

The College of Connected Computing will be led by a new dean, who will report to Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver and to School of Engineering Dean Krishnendu Krish Roy. The search for the colleges dean is scheduled to begin in late August, and recruiting of faculty will begin in the coming months. It will be the first new college at Vanderbilt since the university and the Blair School of Music merged in 1981.

Of all the factors shaping society, few are more influential than the rapid emergence of advanced computing, AI and data science, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. To continue to carry out our mission, prepare all our students for their careers and advance research across the university, Vanderbilt must contribute even more to the study, understanding and innovative application of these fast-changing disciplines. Our aim is to make Vanderbilt a global leader in these fields, ensuring our continued academic excellence and capacity for world-changing innovation.

Our new college will enable us to build upon our strong programs and catapult Vanderbilt to the forefront of breakthrough discovery and innovationin key areas of computer science and also in a wide range of other disciplines that capitalize on advanced computational methods. In launching this new college, we will provide students with highest-caliber educational opportunities at the intersection of these pathbreaking fields, Raver said. The creation of this college represents a tremendous win and will be transformative for our entire university community.

Raver noted the ways that Vanderbilt is forging a bold and distinct strategic path to address burgeoning research and educational opportunities, including increasing demand for expertise in computing-related fields. Moreover, she said, the global interest in AI aligns perfectly with Vanderbilts leading work in that field. She said a dedicated college will enable Vanderbilt to keep making groundbreaking discoveries at the intersections of computing and other disciplines and will more effectively leverage advanced computing to address some of societys most pressing challenges.

The establishment of this interdisciplinary, cross-cutting college is a watershed momentnot only for the School of Engineering, but also for the entire university, Roy said. The future of education, research and thinking in all disciplines is now inherently tied to, and will be greatly influenced by, the knowledge and power of computing. The idea of computing for all is fundamental to the future of learning.

Many of the specific details about the collegeincluding its departments, degree programs and research infrastructurewill be informed by the recommendations of a task force on connected computing composed of faculty from across the university. In addition, Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Padma Raghavan will launch a Computing Catalyst working group that will engage faculty and staff leaders in computing from across campus and solicit their input on strategically expanding the universitys computing resources. The decision to establish this new college is rooted in conversations with faculty, Raver said. We are continuing that faculty engagement with this working group, and were fortunate to have the advice of some of the best minds in these fields as we embark on this exciting journey.

The members of the Connected Computing Task Force include:

Krishnendu Roy, Chair Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology; and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Douglas Adams Vice Dean of the Schools of Engineering Daniel F. Flowers Chair Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Affiliate, VINSE

Hiba Baroud Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering James and Alice B. Clark Foundation Faculty Fellow Associate Professor of Computer Science Faculty Affiliate, VECTOR, Data Science Institute

Gautam Biswas Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering Professor of Engineering Management Senior Research Scientist, ISIS Faculty Affiliate, Data Science Institute

Erin Calipari Associate Professor of Pharmacology Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Director, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Brain Institute

Laurie Cutting Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor and Professor of Special Education Professor of Psychology Professor of Pediatrics Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor of Radiology & Radiological Sciences Associate Provost in the Office of the Vice Provost of Research and Innovation Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Brain Institute

Benoit Dawant Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Electrical Engineering Incoming Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Director and Steering Committee Chair, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery & Engineering Professor of Biomedical Engineering Professor of Computer Science

Abhishek Dubey Associate Professor of Computer Science Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Director, SCOPE lab at ISIS Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Software Integrated Systems and Data Science Institute

Bennett Landman Stevenson Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor of Biomedical Engineering Professor of Computer Science Professor of Neurology Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE), Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Image Science (VUIIS), Data Science Institute

Michael Matheny Professor of Biomedical Informatics Professor of Biostatics Professor of Medicine Director, Center for Improving the Publics Health Through Informatics

Sandeep Neema Professor of Computer Science Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair of the Executive Council, Institute for Software Integrated Systems

Ipek Oguz Assistant Professor of Computer Science Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE)

J.B. Ruhl David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law Director, Program in Law and Innovation Co-Director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program Faculty Affiliate, Data Science Institute

Jesse Spencer-Smith Professor of the Practice of Computer Science Adjunct Professor of Psychology Interim Director and Chief Data Scientist, Data Science Institute

Jonathan Sprinkle Professor of Computer Science Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Software Integrated Systems

Yuankai Kenny Tao Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences SPIE Faculty Fellow in Engineering Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery & Engineering

Holly Tucker Mellon Foundation Chair in the Humanities Professor of French Director, Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities

Kalman Varga Vice Chair of the Department of Physics & Astronomy Professor of Physics Director, Minor in Scientific Computing Faculty Affiliate, VINSE

Steven Wernke Chair of the Department of Anthropology Associate Professor of Anthropology Director, Vanderbilt Initiative for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Research Faculty Affiliate, Data Science Institute

Jules White Professor of Computer Science Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics Senior Advisor to the Chancellor for Generative AI in Education and Enterprise Solutions Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Data Science Institute

Dan Work Director of Graduate Studies in Civil Engineering Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Professor of Computer Science Faculty Affiliate, VECTOR, Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Data Science Institute

Tracey George ex officio Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education Charles B. Cox III and Lucy D. Cox Family Chair in Law and Liberty Professor of Law

Tiffiny Tung Ex officio Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Social and Natural Sciences Professor of Anthropology

Members of the Vanderbilt community can learn more about this initiative and share feedback with the faculty working group by visiting vanderbilt.edu/about/computingtaskforce.

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Vanderbilt to establish a college dedicated to computing, AI and data science - Vanderbilt University News