Best Entry-Level Tech Jobs in the US 2026

"Entry-level tech job" is too broad. Some pay $60k. Some pay $180k. Some have tons of openings. Some have brutal competition. Some lead to amazing careers. Some lead to dead ends.

Here is an honest ranking of entry-level tech jobs in the US for 2026, based on pay, demand, career trajectory, and difficulty of entry.

How We Ranked These#

For each role, we considered:

• Median entry-level pay (US, 2026)
• Job openings (active postings on LinkedIn and Indeed)
• Difficulty to enter (skills required, competition)
• Career trajectory (where you can go in 5 years)
• Job security (resistance to automation and layoffs)

Tier 1: High Pay, High Demand, Achievable#

1. Software Engineer (General)

• Median entry pay: $115k base + $20k bonus + $80k RSU = $215k total
• Top pay (FAANG): $190k base + $30k + $150k RSU = $370k total
• Openings: ~85,000 active postings for entry-level
• Difficulty: Medium-high. Requires 6+ months of focused prep.
• Trajectory: Excellent. Senior engineers at $400k-$700k, staff at $700k-$1.2M.
• Job security: High. Software is foundational and demand keeps growing.

Best for: People who enjoy problem-solving and building things. The most predictable path to high pay if you can pass the technical bar.

2. AI/ML Engineer (Entry Level)

• Median entry pay: $140k base + $25k bonus + $130k RSU = $295k total
• Top pay (AI labs): $220k base + $40k + $250k RSU = $510k total
• Openings: ~22,000 active postings
• Difficulty: High. Requires strong CS + math + ML background.
• Trajectory: Exceptional. Senior MLEs at $500k-$900k.
• Job security: Very high in 2026.

Best for: People with strong math and CS backgrounds. The fastest-growing tech specialty.

3. Cloud / Infrastructure Engineer

• Median entry pay: $110k base + $15k bonus + $50k RSU = $175k total
• Top pay (top cloud companies): $180k base + $30k + $120k RSU = $330k total
• Openings: ~38,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Medium. Requires AWS/GCP/Azure knowledge.
• Trajectory: Excellent. Senior cloud engineers at $350k-$550k.
• Job security: Very high. Companies will always need cloud infrastructure.

Best for: People who like systems thinking, infrastructure, and automation.

4. Security Engineer (Entry Level)

• Median entry pay: $115k base + $15k bonus + $50k RSU = $180k total
• Top pay (top security companies): $180k base + $30k + $130k RSU = $340k total
• Openings: ~18,000 active postings
• Difficulty: High. Requires deep security knowledge.
• Trajectory: Strong. Senior security engineers at $400k-$650k.
• Job security: Very high. Security demand growing rapidly.

Best for: People who like puzzles, defense thinking, and adversarial problems.

Tier 2: Good Pay, Strong Demand, Easier to Enter#

5. Data Engineer (Entry Level)

• Median entry pay: $105k base + $15k bonus + $45k RSU = $165k total
• Top pay: $160k base + $25k + $110k RSU = $295k total
• Openings: ~32,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Medium. Requires SQL + Python + cloud knowledge.
• Trajectory: Excellent. Senior DEs at $400k-$600k.
• Job security: Very high.

Best for: People who like data, pipelines, and SQL.

6. Frontend Developer

• Median entry pay: $95k base + $10k bonus + $35k RSU = $140k total
• Top pay: $160k base + $25k + $100k RSU = $285k total
• Openings: ~45,000 active postings (highest of any tech role)
• Difficulty: Medium. JavaScript ecosystem is large.
• Trajectory: Strong but ceiling lower than backend at non-tech-first companies.
• Job security: High.

Best for: People who like visual work, UX, and immediate feedback.

7. DevOps / SRE (Entry Level)

• Median entry pay: $105k base + $15k bonus + $40k RSU = $160k total
• Top pay: $170k base + $25k + $100k RSU = $295k total
• Openings: ~24,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Medium-high. Requires sysadmin background.
• Trajectory: Strong. Senior SREs at $350k-$550k.
• Job security: Very high.

Best for: People who like operations, monitoring, and reliability.

8. Backend Developer (Generalist)

• Median entry pay: $110k base + $15k bonus + $50k RSU = $175k total
• Top pay: $180k base + $30k + $120k RSU = $330k total
• Openings: ~52,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Medium.
• Trajectory: Excellent.
• Job security: Very high.

Similar to general software engineering but focused on server-side.

9. Mobile Developer (iOS or Android)

• Median entry pay: $100k base + $15k bonus + $45k RSU = $160k total
• Top pay: $170k base + $25k + $100k RSU = $295k total
• Openings: ~18,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Medium.
• Trajectory: Strong but more specialized.
• Job security: Medium-high. Some risk from cross-platform tools.

Best for: People who love mobile, polish, and consumer apps.

Tier 3: Lower Pay But Easier to Enter#

10. QA / Test Engineer

• Median entry pay: $75k base + $8k bonus + $20k RSU = $103k total
• Top pay: $130k base + $20k + $60k RSU = $210k total
• Openings: ~15,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Low-medium.
• Trajectory: Limited. Pay growth slower than SWE.
• Job security: Medium. Some automation risk.

Best for: People who like attention to detail and finding edge cases. Can be a foot in the door.

11. Technical Support Engineer

• Median entry pay: $70k base + $5k bonus + $15k RSU = $90k total
• Top pay: $110k base + $15k + $40k RSU = $165k total
• Openings: ~28,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Low.
• Trajectory: Can lead to engineering or customer success roles. Career ceiling lower.
• Job security: Medium. Some AI automation risk.

Best for: People who like helping others and solving customer problems. Good entry point to tech.

12. IT Support / Help Desk

• Median entry pay: $55k base + $5k bonus = $60k total
• Top pay: $95k base + $10k = $105k total
• Openings: ~42,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Low.
• Trajectory: Limited unless you transition to engineering or systems administration.
• Job security: Medium. Some AI risk.

Best for: People starting their tech career with no programming background.

Tier 4: Specialized but Lower Entry Demand#

13. Data Analyst

• Median entry pay: $75k base + $8k bonus + $20k RSU = $103k total
• Top pay: $130k base + $20k + $60k RSU = $210k total
• Openings: ~38,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Low-medium. SQL + Excel + analytics tools.
• Trajectory: Can lead to data engineer or data scientist. Pay ceiling lower than DE.
• Job security: Medium. Some AI automation risk.

Best for: People who like data and reporting but do not want to code heavily.

14. UI/UX Designer (Entry Level)

• Median entry pay: $80k base + $10k bonus + $20k RSU = $110k total
• Top pay: $140k base + $20k + $80k RSU = $240k total
• Openings: ~12,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Medium. Requires strong portfolio.
• Trajectory: Good. Senior designers at $250k-$400k.
• Job security: Medium-high.

Best for: People with visual design skills who want to work in tech.

15. Product Manager (Associate)

• Median entry pay: $130k base + $20k bonus + $50k RSU = $200k total
• Top pay (APM programs): $170k base + $30k + $120k RSU = $320k total
• Openings: ~3,500 active postings (small market for entry-level)
• Difficulty: Very high. Most APM roles are extremely competitive.
• Trajectory: Excellent. Senior PMs at $400k-$700k.
• Job security: Medium-high.

Best for: People with strong analytical and communication skills. Hard to enter but great career.

16. Technical Sales (Sales Engineer / Solutions Engineer Entry)

• Median entry pay: $90k base + $40k commission = $130k total
• Top pay: $160k base + $80k commission + $30k RSU = $270k total
• Openings: ~14,000 active postings
• Difficulty: Medium. Easier entry than pure engineering.
• Trajectory: Good. Senior SEs at $300k-$500k.
• Job security: Medium-high.

Best for: People who like sales but want a technical foundation. Often easier to break into than pure engineering.

Trends to Know#

Growing Fast in 2026

• AI/ML engineering
• Security engineering (especially AI security)
• Data engineering
• Cloud infrastructure
• Site reliability engineering

Slowing or Stagnating

• Generalist frontend roles (still hiring but more competitive)
• Mobile development (consolidation around fewer platforms)
• QA (some AI automation)

Stable

• Backend engineering
• DevOps
• Data analytics
• Technical sales

Declining

• Pure web development (HTML/CSS only)
• Manual QA without automation skills
• Basic IT support without modern certifications

How to Choose#

Pick based on:

Your Background

• Strong CS background → engineering roles (software, ML, security)
• Math/statistics background → data roles (DE, DS, analyst)
• Design background → UX or product
• Communication-heavy background → PM, sales engineering, tech writing
• No tech background → IT support or QA as entry, transition later

Your Goals

• Maximum pay: ML engineer, software engineer at FAANG
• Easier entry: IT support, QA, technical support
• Best work-life balance: data engineer, backend at non-FAANG
• Most autonomy: backend engineer, infrastructure
• Most creative: frontend, design, product

Your Tolerance for Difficulty

• High tolerance: ML engineer, software engineer at top companies, PM at APM programs
• Medium tolerance: data engineer, cloud engineer, backend engineer
• Lower tolerance: technical support, QA, IT support

How to Land Your First Role#

For any of these roles, the path is similar:

1. Build skills (3 to 12 months of focused study)
2. Build portfolio (2 to 4 real projects relevant to the role)
3. Optimize resume (use our ATS checker)
4. Network actively (cold LinkedIn outreach, alumni)
5. Apply strategically (50 to 100 tailored applications)
6. Interview prep (use our mock interview tool)
7. Negotiate offers (see our negotiation guide)

The timeline from "I want to work in tech" to "I have an offer" is typically 6 to 12 months if you are starting from scratch, faster if you have a CS background.

What to Do This Week#

If you are considering an entry-level tech job:

1. Read 3 actual job descriptions for each role you are considering
2. Pick the role that best matches your background and goals
3. List 3 to 5 specific skills you need to develop
4. Start a learning plan (40 hours of focused work for the next month)
5. Set up your GitHub profile and LinkedIn

The tech industry is still the highest-paying entry-level career for people with the right background. The pay difference between a $60k IT support role and a $200k ML engineering role is dramatic, but so is the difficulty of preparation.

Pick the role that fits your reality and goals, then commit to the prep.