The 10 best jobs in engineering and IT

It's a good time to be working in engineering and information technology (IT).

Not only are jobs in this sector some of the most in-demand in the world, they also offer a promising hiring outlook and lucrative salary potential for top talent, a CareerCast report found.

"CareerCast’s best jobs in engineering and IT – two foundations of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector – are shaping the landscape of 21st century America," said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.

"One of the brightest spots in the employment picture for the past few years has been the tech sector, and today's top talent have their pick of jobs with generous salaries and great benefits."

This has been true of many of the featured jobs in this list, even throughout the recession. CareerCast reported an almost 5% jump in average salary for engineers - according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers - between 2011 to 2013, keeping it in line with the national average salary of US$104,270 projections for mechanical engineers by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The highest average annual salary, however, goes to petroleum engineers, earning US$130,280

RELATED READ: The best jobs to have in 2014

The BLS also projects six IT and engineering careers will grow by at least 20% over the next eight years, led by a 27% growth in biomedical engineering. This is followed by computer systems analyst, with a projected hiring growth of 25% by 2022.

The 10 best IT and engineering jobs

1. SOFTWARE ENGINEERAverage Annual Salary: $93,350

2. COMPUTER SYSTEMS ANALYSTAverage Annual Salary: $79,680

3. BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERAverage Annual Salary: $86,960

4. COMPUTER SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATORAverage Annual Salary: $72,560

5. PETROLEUM ENGINEERAverage Annual Salary: $130,280

6. CIVIL ENGINEERAverage Annual Salary: $79,340

7. WEB DEVELOPERAverage Annual Salary: $62,500

8. TECHNICAL WRITERAverage Annual Salary: $65,500

9. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERAverage Annual Salary: $80,890

10. MECHANICAL ENGINEERAverage Annual Salary: $104,270

Salaries in USD and ranking as per the 2014 Jobs Ranking Report. To see the full report, go here.

Image: Shutterstock