What are some of the most lucrative careers in the Information Technologies field ?

Depends what you mean by information technology.

IT specialists generally do different things than, say, software engineers, who are different from computer engineers, so on and so forth. I'll give you a quick run-down:

Software engineers can make anywhere in the range from $50-100k a year, entry level, depending on what you're doing and for whom you're working. These people write code, build software systems, and usually specialise in a particular area of the field, among other things. You'll usually need a degree in computer science or a way to gain the experience needed to be competent in the field. If you have the resources to get a degree, do it. If you don't, there might be programs to enable you to go to school at least for a two-year degree. Software engineering is awesome in that you can self-teach enough to make something and showcase it -- a lot of times, if you can show that you made something and took the initiative to take your project from beginning to end, that looks great.

IT specialists tend to do more things like fixing computers, maintaining networks, managing infrastructure, responding to issues other people are having, etc. Overall they're not paid as well, but the barrier to entry is a lot lower and you could easily get an IT position without much experience and either move up in the field or segue into a more lucrative career.

Computer engineers tend to either end up in software engineering or componentry. They usually do things much closer to the hardware and are hard to find so generally paid pretty well. Electrical engineers and computer engineers end up in the same jobs sometimes. This is a field where either a degree is mandatory or you're very good.

I hope this helps a bit!

Hi Francilia
There are many career in IT that are both in high demand and pay a good salary. That's good news!

Among the jobs that are in demand where you live in Boston include web developers using technologies like Ruby on Rails, HTML5, and CSS. Mobile developers (iOS and Android) to build applications for smartphones are in high demand, as are skills like network engineering and production engineering.

Lots of different ways to go, depending upon what excites you the most.
Howard

Software Development

Also, Check out General Assembly as well for technology career ideas. training courses, and workshops. They have some upcoming events in Boston. https://generalassemb.ly/?where=boston#events

You may also want to consider roles in Information Security, also called, Cyber Security, which is really on fire with hiring right now and in the foreseeable future. You can learn more about information security jobs here: https://www.securitywizardry.com/index.php/home/cnd-ltd/recruitment/security-roles-defined.html

Good luck!

Congratulations Francilia for taking the first step, that is identifying your interest in making IT career!

Software engineering/programming is excellent field if that excites you. The job opportunities are extremely good in this field.
To get a jump start in this field, I would recommend you should start with Python. It is fairly easy to learn this programming language and there are lot of online free study materials and beginners courses available on Python.
After getting your hands around this you can go and explore other languages like Javascript or HTML5 based on your interest.

If you have strong interest in maths or statistics, you should explore some courses in data science which is great demand. There are many courses available in Coursera on these fields.
In addition to acquiring these skills in software/IT, you should get a college bachelors degree since that is a necessary to get a decent job.
Wish you all the best for your success!

And there's also the roles of Project Manager and Business Analyst. Project managers are responsible for helping teams deliver working software. They may or may not have a software developer background but they are responsible for driving a project to successful conclusion. It's a challenging, yet rewarding job. Business Analysts act as a bridge between end users and the technical team, translating end user requirements into specifications that a developer can work from. Both careers are very lucrative.

Good Luck!

I agree with Alana above on the different types of roles.

If you're looking for immediate salary then I'd look into computer programming and you can get started now (see links below for learning). This is a really hot market in Boston with no foreseeable end in the high demand and rising salaries.

http://www.codecademy.com/
https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming