Pick your direction with evidence, not vibes.
Every "learn to code" journey starts with the same fear: what if I pick the wrong thing? Here's the whole map - what each role actually builds, what it pays, how hireable it is at entry level - and staged, interactive checklists that take you from zero to job-ready without tutorial hell.
By Carl Mills • salary figures are indicative 2026 junior ranges (major cities +20-30%) • updated
The 2026 job market, one table
Twenty-eight roles cover essentially all of tech hiring - every one links to an interactive roadmap. Entry column = how realistic this is as a first job.
| Role | You build… | Entry salary (US) | First job? | Best if you like… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontend | What users see - interfaces, interactions | $65-90k | Great start highest junior volume | Visual feedback, design, instant results |
| Backend | APIs, data and logic behind the scenes | $70-95k | Great start slightly less competition | Data, systems, puzzles over pixels |
| Full Stack | Both of the above (startups love it) | $70-95k | Great start via frontend or backend first | Owning a feature end to end |
| DevOps / Cloud | The platforms other devs ship on | $85-110k | 2nd role | Automation, reliability, infrastructure |
| AI Engineer | Products on top of LLMs - RAG, agents | $90-130k | 2nd role | The frontier, fast iteration, evals |
| Data Analyst | Reports and insight from business data | $55-75k | Great start gentler technical bar (SQL + BI) | Finding stories in numbers |
| BI Analyst | The dashboards a business runs on | $60-80k | Great start steady enterprise demand | Reporting rigour, business partnering |
| Data Engineer | Pipelines that move and clean data | $75-100k | Sometimes often via analyst/backend | Backend instincts + data at scale |
| AI & Data Scientist | Models, experiments, hard questions | $80-110k | Sometimes portfolio or numerate degree | Statistics, modelling the messy world |
| Machine Learning | Training and serving models in production | $95-130k | 2nd role via SWE or DS | Engineering rigour applied to models |
| MLOps | The platforms that keep ML alive in prod | $100-135k | 2nd role via DevOps or ML | DevOps discipline for the model lifecycle |
| QA / Test Automation | The safety nets that catch bugs | $55-75k | Great start classic underrated entry door | Breaking things methodically |
| Cyber Security | Defences, detection, response | $65-90k | Sometimes SOC analyst is the entry door | Adversarial thinking, high stakes |
| DevSecOps | Security automated into the pipeline | $95-120k | 2nd role via DevOps or security | Making the secure path the easy path |
| Network Engineer | The networks everything else assumes | $60-85k | Great start via helpdesk/NOC | Troubleshooting, how the internet works |
| PostgreSQL DBA | Operating the database everyone depends on | $75-100k | Sometimes via support/backend | Depth, performance detective work |
| Android | Apps for 3 billion devices (Kotlin) | $70-95k | Great start smaller but loyal market | Shipping to the Play Store |
| iOS | Apps for the platform users pay on (Swift) | $70-95k | Great start thin junior competition | Polish, the Apple ecosystem |
| Game Developer | The thing people choose to do for fun | $60-85k | Great start competitive; shipped games decide | Craft obsession, finishing things |
| Server Side Game Dev | Multiplayer servers and state sync | $75-105k | 2nd role via backend or games | Backend under real-time pressure |
| Blockchain | Code that moves value, unpatchable | $80-110k | 2nd role via strong web/backend | Security paranoia, the frontier |
| UX Design | How products work for humans | $60-85k | Great start portfolio-gated, not degree-gated | User empathy, visual craft |
| Technical Writer | Docs developers actually trust | $60-85k | Great start great door for strong writers | Clarity obsession, teaching |
| Developer Relations | The bridge between product and developers | $85-115k | 2nd role credibility first | Teaching in public, community |
| Product Manager | Deciding what gets built and why | $80-110k (APM) | Sometimes APM programs or sideways moves | Outcomes, ambiguity, persuasion |
| Engineering Manager | Teams that ship (people, not code) | $140-180k | Senior path via senior engineer | Multiplying others, hard conversations |
| Software Architect | The decisions expensive to change | $140-180k+ | Senior path typically 8+ years | Systems thinking, trade-offs |
| Forward Deployed Engineer | Real solutions inside customer chaos | $110-150k | 2nd role fast generalists | Building fast, client presence |
Indicative 2026 junior ranges from public salary data; London/SF-tier cities typically +20-30%. Roles without an interactive roadmap yet link to the fundamentals that serve them all.
Three questions beat three months of agonising
Do you want to see what you build?
If visible results keep you motivated, start frontend. If you're happier with logic and data than pixels, start backend.
Do you prefer building or running?
Making new things → developer roles. Making things reliable, fast and automated → DevOps/cloud/QA - reached best via a first dev or IT seat.
What does your local market want?
Search your city's junior listings tonight. Count the roles and the named stacks. Demand data beats internet debates every time.
Then commit for six months. Roles converge later - the cost of a "wrong" first pick is close to zero, but the cost of switching every three weeks is everything.
The interactive roadmaps
Staged checklists ordered the way hiring teams evaluate juniors. Progress saves in your browser; export a personalized PDF study plan any time.
All 28 roadmaps, A to Z
Every roadmap: staged checklist, progress saved in your browser, glossary tooltips, and a free personalized PDF study plan.
The roadmap gets you skilled. Interviews get you paid.
When your roadmap is mostly green, switch to interview mode: a free 12-question mock interview shows whether you'd pass a real screen today, and the signal scorecard shows why applications go unanswered.
