Best Classes Northern Virginia

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.

Major Industries in Northern Virginia

Government & Public 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.

Defense & Cybersecurity

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.

Data & Infrastructure

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.

Aviation & Engineering

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).

Job Titles for Tech Professionals in Northern Virginia

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:

• Database Administrator: $118,000
• Database Architect: $154,000
• Software Engineer: $128,000
• Mechanical Engineer: $124,000
• Data Scientist: $139,000
• Cybersecurity Expert: $142,000

Tech Training in Northern Virginia

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.