Learn More About IT Classes in Orlando
Orlando is located in Orange County in central Florida. While this city is well-known for its tourist industry, it also has a diverse economy that includes many tech-focused sectors with a strong need for IT professionals. The Orange County Government website states, “From the established industry sectors such as Travel & Tourism, Modeling, Simulation & Training and Optics & Photonics, to the new and emerging industry sectors such as Life Sciences, Clean Technology, and Digital Media, Orange County has a well-balanced economic base that is poised for future growth.” Innovate Orlando, a nonprofit organization that works to help the area’s tech ecosystem grow, comments that Orlando’s tech opportunities are increasing at a rapid pace. It says. “Orlando’s tech economy isn’t just growing — it’s accelerating.”
Orlando Industries That Need IT Professionals
IT professionals work in a wide variety of jobs, including Software Engineers, Database Administrators, Systems Administrators, IT Technicians, Cloud Architects, IT Project Managers, DevOps Engineers, and Cybersecurity Analysts. They are employed in almost every sector of the economy.
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Aerospace and Defense: According to the Orlando Economic Partnership, “Orlando is at the center of an enormous cluster of top aerospace and defense companies.” It reports that some of the largest aerospace manufacturers in the state have operations in Orlando, including Lockheed Martin, one of the city's biggest employers. Other major employers include Northrop Grumman, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Thales, and Blue Origin. Innovate Orlando finds that there has been increasing collaboration between the defense industry and artificial intelligence experts in recent years. It gives some examples of recent partnerships: “[Cybersecurity company] Fortress just landed a $919M federal contract to protect U.S. supply chains using AI.... [and] UCF [University of Central Florida] incubator startup Axiom AI … turned a breakthrough defense contract into a $1.4M win.”
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Digital Technology: Orlando has a unique tech industry that results from how the tech industry has meshed with the entertainment industry there. The Orange County Government website explains, “Orange County's thriving digital media sector has developed from the collaboration between established and emerging industries such as modeling, simulation and training, film and television production, theme park rides and shows, and interactive and immersive entertainment.” According to the Orlando Economic Partnership, that industry is thriving, and Orlando is number two in the country for tech job growth. It reports that more than 70 thousand tech workers are in this city. Tech companies include Electronic Arts, Falcon’s Creative Group, ITEC Entertainment, Iron Galaxy Studios, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and Universal Orlando Resort.
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Tourism: Orlando is famous for its many tourist attractions, including Disney World and other theme parks, and has a large tourist industry. The Orange County Government website calls Orlando the “Most visited destination in the United States, ” and says it receives 68 million visitors yearly. According to Visit Orlando, tourism supports more than 640,000 jobs in Orlando.
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Simulation: The simulation sector is important to Florida’s many theme parks and the aerospace, defense, education, gaming, and healthcare sectors. The Orlando Economic Partnership explains that this industry is massive and well-established. It says, “Orlando’s simulation industry is straight out of Tomorrowland, powered by more than 60 years of research and development, a workforce more than 45,000 strong, billions of dollars’ worth of investment and an ecosystem of connected infrastructure and specialized centers of excellence.” Orlando simulation companies include AVT Simulation, Engineering & Computer Simulations, SIMETRI, and Electronic Arts.
Average IT Salaries in Orlando
- Database Administrator: $83,000 (Indeed)
- Software Engineer: $97,000 (Indeed)
- Data Analyst: $70,000 (Indeed)
- Computer Programmer: $61,000 (Indeed)
- DevOps Engineer: $117,000 (Indeed)
- Cybersecurity Analyst: $114,000 (Glassdoor)
- Cloud Architect: $181,000 (Glassdoor)
- IT Technician: $56,000 (Glassdoor)
- Systems Administrator: $81,000 (Indeed)
- IT Project Manager: $97,000 (Indeed)
- DataArchitect: $158,000 (Glassdoor)
IT and Tech Job Trends in Orlando
There has been rapid job growth in Orlando in recent years. In a recent article titled “The New Job Hot-Spots: Phoenix, Orlando and Albuquerque, ” the Wall Street Journal reports that Orlando is a leading location for job growth. The author states, “The Orlando metro area added 139,000 jobs in the past five years, growing by more than 11%.” In an article titled “Orlando Adds 100+ Jobs Per Day in 2023, ” the Orlando Economic Partnership reports that Orlando added more than 40,000 jobs in the most recent year analyzed, which equates to more than 100 jobs per day.
The article explains further that jobs were added in all industries, but notes, “Healthcare and the region’s headline tourism industry were again key contributors—adding 9,300 and 9,100 jobs, respectively, or approximately 25 new jobs each daily.” The authors call Orlando, “One of the country’s leading regional job engines.” In addition to healthcare and tourism, they find that there is strong job growth in professional and business services, education, finance, transportation, warehousing and utilities, and wholesale trade. They report, “These sectors generated more than 80% of all net new jobs in the region over the period; more importantly, they all offer wages above the regional average.”