The best entry-level tech jobs, in our view, are data analyst, junior software developer, QA analyst, IT support, sales development, customer success and business analyst, followed by web development, UX design, technical writing, project coordination and security operations. They differ a lot in pay, competition and how much proof you need to get in.
Definition: An entry-level tech job is a role at a technology company, or a technology role anywhere, that expects roughly 0 to 1 years of relevant experience. Indeed Hiring Lab uses the same 0 to 1 year band when it classifies postings.
The ranking is ours. We weighed how open each role is to beginners, starting pay, outlook and where it tends to lead. Your background could reasonably reorder it.
How to read the pay numbers
Most pay figures below come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, with median annual pay for May 2025 and projected growth for 2025 to 2035.
One caveat matters a lot. A BLS median covers everyone in the occupation, from first-year hires to veterans, so starting pay usually sits well below it, often nearer the lowest-10-percent figure we include where it helps. Location moves it further.
For a newer-grad reference point, NACE's Winter 2026 Salary Survey (150 employers, base salary only) projected average starting salaries for the class of 2026 of $81,535 for computer sciences majors and $68,873 for business majors.
The entry-level tech jobs at a glance
| Role | BLS median pay, May 2025 | BLS outlook, 2025 to 2035 | Typical way in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data analyst | $120,230 (data scientists, closest BLS match) | 35 percent | Degree in a quantitative field, SQL portfolio |
| Junior software developer | $135,980 | 10 percent | CS degree or strong projects |
| QA analyst or tester | $104,300 | 6 percent | Testing projects, some scripting |
| IT support specialist | $61,860 (user support) | Minus 3 percent | Certifications, help desk work |
| Sales development rep | $104,920 (technical sales reps, closest match) | 1 percent | Sales or service background |
| Customer success associate | No direct BLS category | Not tracked | Service, teaching or account work |
| Business or systems analyst | $105,850 | 8 percent | Business degree plus data skills |
| Junior web developer | $92,650 | 5 percent (with digital designers) | Portfolio of live sites |
| UX or product designer | $104,000 (web and digital interface designers) | 5 percent (with web developers) | Design portfolio with case studies |
| Technical writer | $90,390 | 1 percent | Writing samples on technical topics |
| Project coordinator | $102,320 (project management specialists) | 7 percent | Organizing experience, a certificate |
| Security operations analyst | $129,180 | 21 percent | Usually after IT or networking work |
Our ranking of the best entry-level tech jobs
1. Data analyst
What you do: pull data with SQL, build dashboards and answer questions like why sign-ups dropped.
Pay and outlook: the BLS doesn't publish a separate data analyst category. Its closest match, data scientists, had a median of $120,230 in May 2025 and is projected to grow 35 percent from 2025 to 2035, with a bachelor's degree as the typical entry point. Analyst roles generally pay less than that median at the start.
How people get in: a quantitative degree, or any degree plus two portfolio projects with short memos.
Who it fits: people who like puzzles and explaining them. It leads naturally to data science and product.
2. Junior software developer
What you do: write, test and ship code, usually small features and bug fixes at first.
Pay and outlook: a median of $135,980, with the lowest 10 percent under $82,460, and 10 percent projected growth. The BLS lists a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field as typical.
The catch: this is the most crowded door. Indeed Hiring Lab found entry-level roles made up just 4.5 percent of software development postings in the first quarter of 2026. Gergely Orosz's Pragmatic Engineer newsletter reported in June 2026, citing Live Data Technologies data, that large US tech companies now take on far fewer interns and that new grads make up a much smaller share of their engineering hires than in 2023.
Who it fits: people who already code for fun and can show finished, used projects.
3. QA analyst or tester
What you do: test software before release, write test cases, and increasingly write automated tests.
Pay and outlook: a median of $104,300, with the lowest 10 percent under $61,440, and 6 percent projected growth.
How people get in: careful testing of real apps and basic scripting. In our view QA is a reasonable side door into engineering, though automation is changing what the junior version looks like.
Who it fits: detail-minded people who enjoy breaking things.
4. IT support specialist
What you do: fix laptops, accounts and access problems for colleagues or customers.
Pay and outlook: computer user support specialists had a median of $61,860, and the BLS projects the wider support group to decline 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. Still, it projects about 48,700 openings a year, mostly from people moving on. The typical entry is some college, and the BLS notes a high school diploma plus IT certifications can be enough.
Why it ranks this high anyway: a degree is often optional, and it feeds into systems administration, cloud and security.
Who it fits: patient problem-solvers who want a paid start without a four-year degree.
5. Sales development representative (SDR)
What you do: research prospects, send outreach and book meetings for account executives.
Pay and outlook: the BLS has no SDR category. Its closest match, sales representatives for technical and scientific products, had a median of $104,920 with roughly flat projected growth, and the BLS notes most employers mix salary with commission or bonuses. SDR pay sits well below that median and depends on hitting targets.
How people get in: results from retail, hospitality or any job with targets.
Who it fits: resilient, competitive people. SDR is a common first step toward account executive roles.
6. Customer success associate
What you do: onboard customers, answer questions, and keep accounts healthy so they renew.
Pay and outlook: no direct BLS category exists, so we'd lean on posted ranges. The 1752vc salary guide is one benchmark for startup roles.
How people get in: people from teaching, retail and hospitality often move here, since the core skill is helping people under pressure.
Who it fits: people who like relationships more than quotas.
7. Business or systems analyst
What you do: turn business needs into requirements and work between teams and engineers.
Pay and outlook: computer systems analysts had a median of $105,850 and 8 percent projected growth, with a bachelor's degree typical.
How people get in: business, economics or information systems degrees, plus spreadsheets and SQL.
Who it fits: organized communicators who like systems. It leads to product management fairly often; our guide to entry-level product manager jobs covers the direct routes too.
8. Junior web developer
What you do: build and maintain websites and front-end features.
Pay and outlook: web developers had a median of $92,650 (lowest 10 percent under $48,100), and the BLS projects 5 percent growth for web developers and digital designers combined. It notes some roles need only a high school diploma.
How people get in: a portfolio of live sites, ideally for real clients.
Who it fits: people who like visual results and quick feedback.
9. UX or product designer
What you do: research users, design flows and screens, and test them.
Pay and outlook: web and digital interface designers had a median of $104,000 (lowest 10 percent under $53,750).
How people get in: two or three case studies that show your process, not just final screens.
Who it fits: people with empathy and an eye for detail.
10. Technical writer
What you do: write documentation, guides and help content for software and APIs.
Pay and outlook: per the BLS technical writers profile, a median of $90,390 but only 1 percent projected growth, and the BLS lists less than five years of related experience as typical, so many writers arrive from another field.
How people get in: samples that explain something technical clearly, such as open-source docs.
Who it fits: clear writers who are curious about how things work.
11. Project coordinator
What you do: track timelines, run meetings and keep projects moving.
Pay and outlook: project management specialists had a median of $102,320 and 7 percent projected growth, with IT project complexity named as a driver. Coordinator roles start well below that.
How people get in: experience organizing people or events, sometimes with an entry-level project management certificate.
Who it fits: people who like knowing the status of everything.
12. Security operations analyst
What you do: watch alerts, investigate incidents and escalate threats.
Pay and outlook: information security analysts had a median of $129,180 and 21 percent projected growth, among the fastest on this list.
The catch: the BLS lists less than five years of related experience as typical, and many analysts start in network or systems administration. It's often a second tech job, hence last place despite the pay.
Who it fits: curious, calm people who will put in a couple of years in IT first.
Best tech jobs for recent college graduates
New grads have edges (campus recruiting, internships) and one handicap: a thin resume in a crowded market.
The by-major data is mixed. In the New York Fed's figures for recent graduates (released February 2026, built on 2024 Census data), computer science majors had a 7.0 percent unemployment rate and computer engineering 7.8 percent, among the higher rates, yet those same majors also had some of the highest early-career wages, around $87,000 and $90,000. High pay alongside high unemployment suggests, to us, a competitive entry point more than weak demand.
How we'd map majors to roles:
- Computer science or engineering: junior developer, QA automation, data analyst, including at non-tech employers.
- Math, statistics, economics: data analyst and business analyst.
- Business: sales development, customer success, business analyst, project coordinator.
- Communications, English, humanities: technical writing, customer success, marketing roles at software companies. Our guide to the best non-technical tech jobs goes further.
- Psychology, design, art: UX research and design. Our guide to getting into tech without a CS degree has a plan for business, communications and psychology majors.
- No degree yet: IT support and web development are the most realistic first doors.
If AI specifically appeals, our list of the best entry-level AI jobs covers those roles separately. For where the money goes later, see the highest-paying tech jobs.
How to get an entry-level tech job
A short version of the process we'd suggest:
- Pick one role and one backup. Open to anything reads as unfocused.
- Read 25 to 30 recent postings for that role and list the skills that repeat.
- Build two pieces of proof that match those skills. If you have none yet, our guide on how to get experience when every job requires it covers ten ways to create it.
- Apply early. Fresh postings get read. On the 1752vc careers board, filter the startup track by Entry level and Past 7 days to see only recent junior roles at venture-backed companies.
- Pair each application with a short note to someone on the team.
An illustrative week for a new grad: 8 targeted applications, 8 short notes and 4 hours of project work. Over six weeks that is 48 of each. If that produces four to six conversations, it's working; if none, revisit the role or the proof. Our pillar on how to get a job in tech has the full 12-week plan.
"Entry-level tech is dead because of AI"
The worry is fair. Entry-level postings have fallen in Indeed Hiring Lab's data (down 7.5 percent year over year as of May 2026, while senior postings rose), and AI tools can now handle some tasks junior staff used to do.
But.
Some investors still argue for hiring juniors. Pear VC's head of talent, Nate Hirsch, wrote in 2026 that AI tools mostly cheapened routine execution, so startups should hire new grads for how fast they grow, with real ownership and a structured first 90 days.
The BLS still projects growth for most roles here, and many (sales, customer success, project coordination) center on people, which AI changes but doesn't remove. Our read: junior jobs now ask for more proof and more comfort with AI tools. A higher bar, not a closed door.
Common mistakes
- Chasing the median. BLS medians include veterans. Plan around starting pay.
- Aiming only at software engineering. It's the most crowded door; QA, data, support and sales often get you inside sooner.
- Ruling out a role over its title. Support and SDR roles can lead to product and other roles later.
Where we land
For most new grads we'd start with data analyst or a customer-facing role (SDR or customer success) at a software company: open to many majors, decent pay, short paths to other jobs. Without a degree, IT support. For strong coders, the developer door, with QA as backup.
That's our ranking, not the ranking. Your major, location and what you enjoy matter more than any list.
The bottom line
The first tech job is rarely the dream job.
It's the one that gets you through the door with something to show.
Key takeaways
- Strong entry-level tech jobs include data analyst, junior developer, QA, IT support, SDR, customer success and business analyst.
- BLS medians (May 2025) cover all experience levels, so starting pay usually sits well below them.
- Software development pays the most but has the narrowest entry door: 4.5 percent of its postings were entry level in Q1 2026, per Indeed Hiring Lab.
- IT support and web development are realistic first doors without a degree.
- Recent grads tend to do well matching their major to one role and applying early with proof attached.
Frequently asked questions
IT support and customer-facing roles such as sales development or customer success are usually the most open to beginners. The BLS notes support roles often need only some college, and a high school diploma plus IT certifications can be enough. Customer-facing roles tend to value communication and results from earlier jobs more than technical credentials.
In our view: data analyst, junior software developer, QA analyst, business analyst, sales development and customer success. Which fits depends on your major. Computer science grads lean toward development and QA, math and economics toward data, and business or humanities grads toward sales, customer success, technical writing and analyst roles.
It varies by role and city. NACE's Winter 2026 Salary Survey projected average starting salaries of $81,535 for computer sciences graduates and $68,873 for business graduates. BLS medians for tech occupations run higher, but they include experienced workers, so first-year offers usually land well below the median for each role.
Sales development, customer success, IT support, project coordination, technical writing, business analysis and UX design typically need little or no programming. Many still reward technical comfort, such as spreadsheets, SQL basics or understanding how software works. Data analyst roles usually require SQL, which is a lighter lift than software engineering.
It can be a good first step. The BLS projects a small decline in support employment from 2025 to 2035 but still about 48,700 openings a year, and the role often needs no four-year degree. Its value is where it leads: systems administration, cloud, security and other technical roles.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook, role pages: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers, Data Scientists, Computer Support Specialists, Computer Systems Analysts, Web Developers and Digital Designers, Information Security Analysts, Project Management Specialists, Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives, Technical Writers
- NACE: Class of 2026 Salary Projections Are Promising
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York: The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates
- Indeed Hiring Lab: The Labor Market Is Tilting Toward Seniority
- The Pragmatic Engineer: State of the Software Engineering Job Market in 2026, Part 2
- Pear VC: New Grad Hiring: Why Slope, Not Experience, Is Worth Paying For
Disclaimer: This guide is for general education only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Laws, market data and program terms change, so it may not reflect the latest developments or fit your situation. Treat it as a starting point, not a source of truth, and talk to a qualified lawyer, accountant or financial adviser before you make decisions.
