Find & compare hands-on courses near Northern Virginia or live online in coding, design, business, and more. We’ve chosen over 400 of the best tech courses from the top training providers to help you find the perfect fit.
The NoVA portion of the DMV metro area is one of the richest areas in the United States, and it is home to some of the largest companies and government agencies on the eastern seaboard. Composed primarily of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford counties, as well as Langley in Fairfax County and a number of smaller suburbs, the economic area is deeply connected to the nation’s capital and to the city of Baltimore, resulting in one of the most unique economic structures in the country. If you are looking to find high-paying work, NoVA is likely to have significant opportunities for you, especially if you are interested in working in the field of government or civil service.
Unsurprisingly, the major employer in the Northern Virginia region is the U.S. government, associated agencies, and businesses and institutions related to the function of government. This creates a unique economic landscape for the region, since there is a range of industries clustered together almost entirely in the DMV owing to its access to the federal government. Whether this means working at a government institution, working for a lobbying organization, or working as part of a nonprofit advocacy group, there are going to be job opportunities related to the function of government.
The most obvious place that this manifests is in government agencies themselves. Many significant government agencies are located in the NoVA area, including the CIA in Langley, the Pentagon and DoD in Arlington, and a host of agencies such as the National Patent and Trademark Office and the Food and Nutrition Service in Alexandria. All of these industries rely heavily on the work of skilled technicians, IT administrators, and cybersecurity experts to keep their necessary infrastructure running and protected from hostile attacks. In addition, they rely heavily on the work of data analysts to make informed decisions about their respective roles in the government, particularly coming from specialized datasets produced by some of the most competitive data science jobs in the industry.
In addition, government-adjacent fields, like lobbying, activism, and the nonprofit sector, also employ a significant number of workers from NoVA. These institutions also rely heavily on their ability to generate, analyze, and understand data and put that analysis into practice in practical ways that target specific constituencies or representatives. They also rely on designers and data visualization specialists to help make their findings more persuasive. While not working year-round, campaigns and political action committees are also likely to hire heavily out of NoVA when they are in need of managers, analysts, designers, and information specialists.
Finally, the government and various private trusts run a range of historic sites, museums, and other specialized educational spaces in and around the capital. These include institutions like the National Gallery, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Smithsonian, the National Air and Space Museum, and more specialized spaces like the International Spy Museum (and this isn’t including the many museums in Baltimore). All of these spaces are increasingly interested in the digital side of education, curation, and preservation, meaning that software engineers and specialized data experts can find competitive but high-paying jobs in spaces that reward a passion for specialized work.
Alongside the government, defense contractors working closely with the DoD hire analysts, scientists, and cybersecurity experts from Northern Virginia. These contractors work alongside government agencies to negotiate contracts, plan for the development of new manufacturing projects, and design and sell prototype technologies that they can then put into mass production. In addition to hiring mechanical engineers who can design defense armaments, they also hire software engineers to create new software applications that make existing technology more effective, accurate, and easy to use.
Northern Virginia is one of the major hubs for all internet traffic in the nation, with nearly 70 percent of all internet traffic flowing through hubs in Loudoun every day. Per capita, it is the largest data center market in the world, eclipsing even London and NYC, and many telecommunication companies have locations in the area. This means that there are ample employment opportunities for database administrators, database architects, and other professionals, particularly those in cybersecurity. If you are interested in IT work, Northern Virginia is likely to be one of the best places on Earth to find work.
While not always thought of as a tech-heavy career field, air traffic controllers and related technicians are constantly in high demand in NoVA owing to the presence of two of the largest international airports in the world (Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport). These airports see the movement of millions of people annually and are at the heart of the American air travel industry. This means that there are ample career opportunities for professionals who understand the logistics and technologies that undergird air travel, and there are always going to be opportunities for architects and engineers working on projects to expand and streamline these airports (as well as handle the regular wear and tear that they undergo).
Given its relative wealth and adjacency to two of the larger metros in the country, wages in Northern Virginia are significantly above the national average. The cost of living is also going to be higher than average as a result, but if you are looking for specialized, high-paying work, the region is likely to have the kinds of jobs you are looking for. Here are a few common job titles and the mean annual salaries in the region:
If you are looking to learn in-demand, career-focused tech skills, you are likely to be able to find dedicated training sites in the Northern Virginia area. Not only will you find schools catering to the significant demand for skilled tech experts, but the adjacency to major colleges and universities such as Georgetown, William and Mary, and the University of Maryland means that there are sure to be educational options available to anyone who wants to develop their career skills.
If you are looking to learn skills in a more immersive environment (and you want to learn faster than you would in college with more opportunities to fit your own schedule), you might want to consider enrolling in a live online course. These online classes, which cover everything from basic Excel to professional-level cybersecurity training, offer students the chance to learn practical, career-focused skills through live, hands-on exercises without having to leave the comfort of their own home. These lessons are taught by live instructors who can directly interface with students and respond to their concerns in real-time, meaning you won’t miss out on the benefits of a live class when learning online.
Adobe Photoshop is widely known as the best photo editing software for photographers and photo retouchers. It's also used by digital painters as well as graphic designers for creating a wide variety of designs such as social media graphics, web designs, app designs, graphics that will be animated in Adobe After Effects, and much more.
Explore Photoshop Classes in Northern VirginiaAdobe Creative Cloud is a collection of industry-leading apps dedicated to creativity, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, and many more. Adobe Creative Cloud has what you need to create projects using photo editing, bitmap or vector illustration, digital design, animation, audio, augmented reality (AR), and more.
Explore Adobe Classes in Northern VirginiaMicrosoft Office is a suite of software with an integrated collection of applications for word processing, and creating spreadsheets, databases and other media. Many offices, schools and individuals use Microsoft Office.
Explore Microsoft Office Classes in Northern VirginiaPower BI is a collection of software that works together to convert multiple sources of data into usable information. Using the Power BI Desktop, the Power BI service, and the Power BI mobile apps, businesses can analyze data, create visualizations, and make sense of it all. Leaders can use these critical insights to forecast, plan, and make informed decisions. This dashboard has the power to uncover critical business insights needed to drive decision making.
Explore Power BI Classes in Northern VirginiaArtificial intelligence (AI) is a transformative field in technology that leverages advanced algorithms and data to enable machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, creating career opportunities in numerous industries. By learning AI, professionals can gain cutting-edge skills essential for roles in sectors like tech, finance, healthcare, and more, positioning them at the forefront of innovation and problem-solving.
Explore AI Classes in Northern VirginiaLearn in-demand technology and computer skills to launch a new career in design, programming, marketing, business, and more. See the career pages for more information on required skills, tips for landing a job, typical day-to-day work, and where to find job postings.
$83,000 / year in Northern Virginia
21% less than the U.S. averageDigital Designers make graphics, animations, and other visual effects. Depending on their preference, a Digital Designer might choose to niche down to work exclusively on pre-print, web, or digital marketing. These niches that the Digital Designer is designing websites, applications, advertisements, or publications.
$103,000 / year in Northern Virginia
16% less than the U.S. averageSoftware Engineers use their extensive knowledge of user experience design, operating systems, and programming languages to develop software. They can create different types of software, from games to operating systems. After analyzing a client's needs, they design, develop, and test software to meet that need. Software Engineers can be divided into two distinct career categories: Application Engineers and Systems Engineers.
$121,000 / year in Northern Virginia
5% less than the U.S. averageData Scientists collect, organize, and analyze large sets of data, providing analysis that is key to decision-making. Governments, non-profits, and businesses of all types rely on data for forecasting, risk management, and resource allocation. Data Scientists discover and analyze trends in data and report their findings to stakeholders. They use algorithms and models to simplify and mine datasets, creating data-driven recommendations. Data Scientists are needed across a variety of industries, especially with the ubiquity of data and its critical role in business decision-making.
$85,000 / year in Northern Virginia
3% more than the U.S. averageData analysts review large amounts of data to summarize, analyze, and visualize it and provide insights. Working from data from multiple, relevant sources, they create and maintain databases, and use statistical techniques to analyze the collected data. Data analysts must be able to communicate with others about what the data shows and to be able to provide realistic recommendations based on their analysis. Many industries such as healthcare, advertising, and retail rely on the work of data analysts to inform their business decisions and strategy.
$104,000 / year in Northern Virginia
18% less than the U.S. averageUser experience (UX) designers are responsible for ensuring that digital products offer a seamless user experience by prototyping, conducting user research, and performing user testing. They test the navigation and functionality of websites, apps, and other digital products. UX designers must stay current on design trends to maintain adherence to best practices. They also conduct ongoing user research to understand the habits and needs of users.
$99,000 / year in Northern Virginia
18% less than the U.S. averageProduct Managers guide product development from ideation to market. Starting with consumer and market research, they use their understanding of customer wants and needs to inform product development and go-to-market strategy. They will work closely with Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and Other Teams to launch products. After launch, they solicit and analyze feedback on the product to inform future iterations.
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