Across the nine career tracks Derry Training teaches, the highest-paid entry point is AI & Machine Learning Engineer (median $145,000). Below: the pay ladder for each field and the concrete skills employers ask for.
| Role | Field | Entry | Median | Senior/peak | Core skills employers want |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI & Machine Learning Engineer | Artificial Intelligence | $100,000–$110,000 | $145,000 | $250,000+ | Python programming, Statistics & probability, Machine-learning modelling, Deep learning & neural networks |
| Cloud Solutions Architect | Cloud | $95,000–$115,000 | $142,000 | $250,000+ | Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), Large-scale system design, Cost optimisation & well-architected, Cloud migration |
| Cloud Security Architect | Cybersecurity | $95,000–$110,000 | $140,000 | $230,000+ | Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), Identity & access management, Encryption & cryptography, Security frameworks & compliance |
| AI Security Engineer | Cybersecurity | $95,000–$110,000 | $138,000 | $230,000+ | AI/ML security & adversarial ML, Machine-learning modelling, Application & web security, Threat modelling & risk |
| DevOps & Site Reliability Engineer | Infrastructure | $90,000–$100,000 | $135,000 | $220,000+ | Linux & systems, Containers & Kubernetes, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), CI/CD pipelines |
| Data Scientist | Data | $90,000–$100,000 | $132,000 | $220,000+ | Python programming, Statistics & probability, Machine-learning modelling, Data visualisation & storytelling |
| Data Engineer | Data | $85,000–$95,000 | $130,000 | $210,000+ | Python programming, SQL & databases, Data pipelines & orchestration, Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) |
| Penetration Tester & Offensive Security | Cybersecurity | $85,000–$95,000 | $125,000 | $220,000+ | Linux & systems, Networking & protocols, Vulnerability assessment & exploitation, Application & web security |
| Cybersecurity Engineer | Cybersecurity | $80,000–$95,000 | $120,000 | $200,000+ | Network & system security, Networking & protocols, Observability & monitoring, Incident response & on-call |
Figures are indicative US market ranges compiled by Derry Training from current job-market data and are not a guarantee of earnings. Skills are drawn from live job descriptions. Last updated August 2026.
