What Factors Affect a Tech Pro's Salary?

If you want to make the most money possible working in information technology, it pays to be male, white, highly educated, coastal and willing to manage as many people as possible. That said, an employee's skin color and gender are finally becoming a little less important to their earning power. Such are the main takeaways from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE's) "2015 Salary and Benefits Survey." The association digitally polled more than 12,000 of its members and found that technology professionals' pay, which is rising steadily, varies greatly based on experience, geography, education and the type of expertise they have to offer. However, though Jim Jeffries, 2015 IEEE-USA president, was pleased with the idea that members are being rewarded for making good career decisions, he was especially encouraged by members' improving work conditions. "The latest results show a rate of salary growth greater than in recent years and also an encouraging closing—but not an elimination—of racial and gender salary gaps," Jeffries reported. The findings also indicate that technology is becoming an increasingly stable field, with employees changing jobs less frequently. In addition, technology workers are putting in slightly fewer hours.