In the ultra-digital age, the importance of technical know-how is self-explanatory. According to a recent survey conducted by career-recruiting website Glassdoor, 4 out of 10 highest paying jobs in the US are IT and digital-related, including UX designer, product manager, software engineer, system engineer. Tech industry in Hong Kong reflects a similar pay scale.
Let’s explore these IT professions a little bit more.
- Product Manager (Annual income: HKD $707,405)
Product Manager is the chief of staff of a product from the start to the end. They usually shift from the fields of project manager or solution architects, both of which guarantees a smooth transition into the role of product manager.
Product manager is tasked with multiple roles, spanning from setting a product strategy to delivering a final product to the market. Indeed, PM needs to embrace the golden tenet of customer service- “Users-first”. Nevertheless, apart from taking customer demands into account, being able to develop a ground-breaking product to improve users’ lives substantively is an integral part of PM’s role.
Unlike in the past, PM is encumbered with heavier task nowadays, who is expected to develop life-changing products from scratch. Take pre-iPhone era as an example. Product managers of mobile phones in the past tend to develop products according to the customer’s liking and preference, such as providing more colour options or bigger buttons. But ultimately, it was Steve Jobs who redefined smartphones, telling customers what they actually need instead of the other way around.
Being a PM is not hard; being a forward-looking product manager, who’s capable of leaving an impact on the next generation, is.
- UX Designer (Annual income: HKD $755,219)
Technical savoir-faire is a fundamental skill set of UX Designer, whose mission is to explore different facets of user experiences with their sense of design, thereby enhancing accessibility and pleasure interacting with the product.
The creative process of UX designers involves constantly finding problems in a product and creating solutions for the through a specified workflow, including research, design and develop as well as testing.
For instance, to enhance user satisfaction towards a website, UX designers are tasked with leading and directing users to a particular page, aligning users’ needs with business objectives, and achieving accessibility, scalability and readability at the same time. The primary duty is to bring favorable attitude toward the website and the company as a whole.
Nowadays, there are many overseas institutions, such as General Assembly, which provide UX certificate course. For those who are interested in a career in UX, the certificate course is a great way to equip themselves with the skills required in the industry to welcome novel prospects.
With product manager and UX Designer being one of the best-paid positions in this niche, IT talents should be ready to embark on a new venture anytime.
If you want to learn more about UXUI and Web Development, check out our course here at our job board.
Extended Reading:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/18/10-highest-paying-jobs-in-the-us-right-now.html