46 skills startups want and what they pay

What skills should I learn to get a job at a startup?

What are my skills worth?

Those two questions come up all the time, and frankly, the internet doesn’t have easily accessible information to answer them. Search for “startup skills” on Google and you’ll get vanilla advice about the top skills being “facing failure” or “hustle.” Sure. But you need to know a few things too.

To fill this gap we analyzed thousands of job postings and ranked the top skills that startups are looking for and what they pay for them. If you’re thinking of joining a startup or even starting one, this list and the linked resources will get you up to speed on the startup labor market.

The average salary shown below is just that, the average. Depending on how good your skills are, which company you work for, and when you get hired, the pay can be higher or lower. We’ve also included pay for the top 10% of the Bay Area jobs for these skills to get a sense of how much top talent gets paid. Also, remember, there is also equity compensation and other perks for many jobs and these are not included in the salary figures.

Check out the sister article: 41 skills Indian startups want and what they pay

#1 – Javascript

Average pay: $81,929
Average pay in the Bay Area: $113,690
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $170,000
Other must-have skills: Node.js, HTML5, CSS3, React.js, Angular.js, Ruby on Rails, PHP, SQL, JQuery.
Common job titles: Software Engineer, Full Stack Developer
Where to learn this skill: Lots of options, this course provides a great intro.

#2 – Python

Average pay: $90,094
Average pay in the Bay Area: $118,344
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Python, SQL, MySQL, Machine learning, AWS, Linux, Django.
Common job titles: Software Engineer, Data Scientist, Data Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Again, plenty of options. Try this comprehensive course for R and Python.

#3 – Sales & Marketing

Average pay: $70,247
Average pay in the Bay Area: $94,779
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $175,000
Other must-have skills: Product Marketing, Email Marketing, Saas, Sales Strategy, Leadership, Salesforce, Lead generation.
Common job titles: Account Executive, Sales Development Representative, Business Development Manager.
Where to learn this skill: Checkout the digital marketing specialization on Coursera

#4 – Social media marketing

Average pay: $61,094
Average pay in the Bay Area: $85,532
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $150,000
Other must-have skills: Digital marketing, SEO/SEM, git, Email Marketing, Content Creation, Google Analytics, Writing, Facebook Advertising.
Common job titles: Marketing manager, Director of Marketing, Head of Marketing.
Where to learn this skill: a Northwestern course on social media marketing.

#5 – Business development

Average pay: $68,691
Average pay in the Bay Area: $91,345
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: Sales, Sales Strategy, Business strategy
Common job titles: Business development manager, Business development representative, account executive, sales development representative.
Where to learn this skill: Big list of business development courses on edX.

#6 – Java

Average pay: $89,332
Average pay in the Bay Area: $121,392
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Android, Scala
Common job titles: Software engineer, Android developer, Backend Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Check out the Learn Java tutorial.

#7 – Node.js

Average pay: $85,388
Average pay in the Bay Area: $112,701
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $170,000
Other must-have skills: Javascript, HTML5, CSS3, React.js, Angular.js, MongoDB, AWS.
Common job titles: Software engineer, Full Stack Engineer, Full Stack Developer
Where to learn this skill: Lots of options, this course provides a great intro to the full MEAN stack.

#8 – React.js

Average pay: $86,006
Average pay in the Bay Area: $112,782
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $170,000
Other must-have skills: Javascript, Node.js, HTML5, Angular.js
Common job titles: Software engineer, full stack developer
Where to learn this skill: A highly rated react.js course on Udemy.

#9 – Ruby on rails

Average pay: $90,351
Average pay in the Bay Area: $118,568
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Javascript, SQL, MySQL, Postgresql
Common job titles: Software engineer, full stack developer, DevOps engineer
Where to learn this skill: Free Ruby on Rails tutorial.

#10 – HTML5/CSS/Front-end development

Average pay: $72,767
Average pay in the Bay Area: $105,332
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: Javascript, Node.js, React.js, Angular.js, PHP, SQL, Postgresql, Jquery
Common job titles: Software Engineer, Full Stack Developer, Frontend Developer
Where to learn this skill: Lots of options, this course provides a great intro to the MEAN stack.

#11 – UI/UX Design

Average pay: $75,656
Average pay in the Bay Area: $103,550
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: Sketch, Graphic Design
Common job titles: Product designer, UI/UX Designer, Product Manager
Where to learn this skill: What is the difference between UI/UX Design. Seven steps to becoming a UI/UX Designer.

#12 – iOS Development

Average pay: $82,072
Average pay in the Bay Area: $109,894
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $175,000
Other must-have skills: Android, Swift, Objective C, C
Common job titles: iOS Developer, iOS Engineer, Software Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Free Udacity course on iOS Development.

#13 – Communication skills

Average pay: $58,123
Average pay in the Bay Area: $84,165
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $150,000
Other must-have skills: …
Common job titles: Account manager, customer success manager, executive assistant.
Where to learn this skill: Here is a WikiHow page on how to communicate effectively.

#14 – SQL/MySQL/PostgreSQL

Average pay: $84,792
Average pay in the Bay Area: $112,298
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $170,000
Other must-have skills: Python, HTML, AWS, NoSQL, Ruby on Rails, PHP
Common job titles: Software Engineer, Data Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Fifty best ways to learn mySQL.

#15 – Angular.js

Average pay: $75,785
Average pay in the Bay Area: $113,690
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $170,000
Other must-have skills: Javascript, Node.js, HTML5, React.js
Common job titles: Software engineer, full stack developer
Where to learn this skill: Angular.js tutorial.

#16 – Customer service

Average pay: $50,090
Average pay in the Bay Area: $65,087
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $120,000
Other must-have skills: Relationship management
Common job titles: Customer success manager, account manager
Where to learn this skill: Free online customer service courses.

#17 – Machine learning/artificial intelligence

Average pay: $87,919
Average pay in the Bay Area: $118,602
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Python, Data Science, R
Common job titles: Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer
Where to learn this skill: A beginners guide to AI/ML.

#18 – Project Management

Average pay: $73,522
Average pay in the Bay Area: $96,430
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $157,000
Other must-have skills: Leadership, Agile
Common job titles: Product manager, Project manager
Where to learn this skill: Free edX project management course.

#19 – Android

Average pay: $78,894
Average pay in the Bay Area: $108,966
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $175,000
Other must-have skills: Java, iOS Development, Mobile app design
Common job titles: Android developer, Android engineer.
Where to learn this skill: Google’s Android Development Course.

#20 – PHP

Average pay: $68,792
Average pay in the Bay Area: $105,915
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: Javascript, HTML, CSS, SQL, JQuery
Common job titles: Software engineer, full stack developer
Where to learn this skill: Learn PHP Online

#21 – Data analysis

Average pay: $75,597
Average pay in the Bay Area: $98,775
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: R, Python
Common job titles: Data scientist, data analyst
Where to learn this skill: Free online data analysis curriculum.

#22 – Photoshop

Average pay: $55,438
Average pay in the Bay Area: $81,892
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $120,000
Other must-have skills: Graphic design, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch.
Common job titles: Graphic designer, UI/UX Designer, Visual designer
Where to learn this skill: Udemy photoshop course.

#23 – C++

Average pay: $89,442
Average pay in the Bay Area: $117,050
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: C
Common job titles: Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Google for Education ++ Course.

#24 – Growth hacking

Average pay: $63,824
Average pay in the Bay Area: $91,906
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $150,000
Other must-have skills: Social media marketing, SEO/SEM, Facebook advertising, Email marketing, Digital Marketing.
Common job titles: Growth Hacker, Head of Growth, Marketing Manager, Head of Marketing
Where to learn this skill: Coursera has a specialization in social media marketing.

#25 – Product management

Average pay: $92,888
Average pay in the Bay Area: $120,642
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Leadership, product development.
Common job titles: Product manager
Where to learn this skill: Lots of courses on product management. Carnegie Mellon also has a degree.

#26 – Graphic Design

Average pay: $59,059
Average pay in the Bay Area: $87,595
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $140,000
Other must-have skills: Photoshop, Illustrator
Common job titles: Graphic designer, Visual designer, UI/UX Designer
Where to learn this skill: Format magazine has a list of free graphic design resources.

#27 – MongoDB

Average pay: $83,948
Average pay in the Bay Area: $115,899
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $175,000
Other must-have skills: Node.js
Common job titles: Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Full Stack Engineer
Where to learn this skill: MongoDB University

#28 – Linux

Average pay: $85,181
Average pay in the Bay Area: $115,914
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Linux, Python, AWS, Docker
Common job titles: DevOps Engineer, Software Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer.
Where to learn this skill: Free Linux Courses

#29 – SEO/SEM

Average pay: $67,713
Average pay in the Bay Area: $93,938
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $158,000
Other must-have skills: Social media marketing, digital marketing, content marketing, social media, Facebook advertising.
Common job titles: Marketing manager, Digital Marketing Manager
Where to learn this skill: Lots of courses on SEO/SEM at Coursera and Udemy

#30 – Swift

Average pay: $83,932
Average pay in the Bay Area: $111,461
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $175,000
Other must-have skills: iOS development, Objective C, C
Common job titles: iOS Developer, iOS Engineer,
Where to learn this skill: Download the swift ebook.

#31 – AWS

Average pay: $94,167
Average pay in the Bay Area: $122,986
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Python, Node.js, SQL, Linux, Docker
Common job titles: DevOps Engineer, Software Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Tutorial.

#32 – Business operations

Average pay: $62,297
Average pay in the Bay Area: $83,575
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $140,000
Other must-have skills:
Common job titles: Operations Manager, Director of Operations, Head of Operations
Where to learn this skill: Here’s a Coursera course in Operations Management.

#33 – JQuery

Average pay: $72,764
Average pay in the Bay Area: $104,335
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: Javascript, HTML, CSS, PHP
Common job titles: Software Engineer, Front End Developer
Where to learn this skill: JQuery Learning Center

#34 – Git

Average pay: $69,944
Average pay in the Bay Area: $99,252
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $155,000
Other must-have skills: Social media marketing, Facebook advertising
Common job titles: Marketing manager, digital marketing manager
Where to learn this skill: Learn git.

#35 – Django

Average pay: $82,039
Average pay in the Bay Area: $114,143
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $170,000
Other must-have skills: Python
Common job titles: Software engineer, backend engineer, full stack developer
Where to learn this skill: Getting started with Django

#36 – Salesforce

Average pay: $71,613
Average pay in the Bay Area: $91,664
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: Sales and Marketing
Common job titles: Sales Development Representative, Account Executive
Where to learn this skill: Salesforce tutorial

#37 – Adobe Illustrator

Average pay: $57,461
Average pay in the Bay Area: $88,482
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $135,000
Other must-have skills: Photoshop, Graphic Design, Sketch
Common job titles: Graphic designer, Product Designer, UI/UX Designer
Where to learn this skill: Tutorials from Adobe

#38 – Business strategy

Average pay: $76,368
Average pay in the Bay Area: $100,677
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Business development
Common job titles: Business development manager
Where to learn this skill: Business strategy courses on Coursera.

#39 – Sketch

Average pay: $74,488
Average pay in the Bay Area: $95,487
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $140,000
Other must-have skills: UI/UX Design, Photoshop, Illustrator
Common job titles: Product designer, UI/UX Designer, Designer
Where to learn this skill: Check out this intro to Sketch post on Medium.

#40- Restful services

Average pay: $80,852
Average pay in the Bay Area: $112,327
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $175,000
Other must-have skills:…
Common job titles: Software engineer, Backend Developer, Full Stack Developer
Where to learn this skill: Build a restful service.

#41 – C

Average pay: $82,871
Average pay in the Bay Area: $111,707
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $175,000
Other must-have skills: iOS Development, C++, Swift, Objective C
Common job titles: iOS Developer, Software Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Wikibooks about C programming.

#42 – Docker

Average pay: $90,988
Average pay in the Bay Area: $125,133
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $160,000
Other must-have skills: Linux, AWS, DynamoDB
Common job titles: DevOps Engineer, Software Engineer
Where to learn this skill: Docker tutorial for beginners.

#43 – Agile

Average pay: $91,686
Average pay in the Bay Area: $118,306
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $170,000
Other must-have skills: Project management
Common job titles: Product and Project Manager
Where to learn this skill: The agile coach

#44 – R

Average pay: $87,128
Average pay in the Bay Area: $110,854
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $180,000
Other must-have skills: Python, Machine Learning
Common job titles: Data Scientist, Data Analyst
Where to learn this skill: List of free R tutorials also try this comprehensive course for R and Python.

#45 – Scala

Average pay: $107,869
Average pay in the Bay Area: $133,935
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $200,000
Other must-have skills: Java
Common job titles: Software engineer, Data engineer
Where to learn this skill: Scala Exercises

#46 – WordPress

Average pay: $55,676
Average pay in the Bay Area: $79,868
Top 10% pay in the Bay Area: $140,000
Other must-have skills: Content writing
Common job titles: Marketing director, Digital Marketing Manager
Where to learn this skill: learn.wordpress.com

One thought on “46 skills startups want and what they pay”

Pingback: 41 skills Indian startups want and what they pay – UsableInk