It’s becoming increasingly important to master a computer, not just the basic stuff, but also the underpinnings: making apps, building a site, or leveraging the cloud in business. Today, software engineering is one of the highest-paid jobs worldwide, and there are plenty of slices to be had from that financial pie still.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel knows this. He is rooting for computer science and coding classes in school. Not optionally, but mandatory. Specifically, he wants programming to be a graduation prerequisite.

President Obama’s former chief of staff has served as Chicago’s mayor since 2011 and has long called on the federal government to make computer science a requirement of high-schoolers. He seeks to make it a graduation rule by 2018 and to have the computer science classes count toward a credit for a key subject like math or foreign languages.

President Barack Obama himself has stressed the importance of teaching American students how to code before they choose their own path in life, just to be sure everyone starts off with an equal shot at a higher paying job, of course, for a brighter future for the entire country. If Mayor Emanuel has his say and the results are good, many Western-influenced parts of the world could see coding become a mandatory subject in the near future.

New York is at it too. In September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a ten-year deadline to train enough teachers so that every student in New York City will have a shot at becoming something in the tech sector. San Francisco is also looking at its options to make programming part of the curriculum for its students.

Jobs in demand in 2015

To give the news some context, let’s look at the most sought-after jobs in 2015 in the United States. A ranking by US News indicates that the best-paid technology jobs are (in this exact order):

• Software Developer ($72K – $116K)
• Computer Systems Analyst ($63K – $102K)
• Information Security Analyst ($67K – $113K)
• Web Developer ($44K – $85K)
• Mechanical Engineer ($65K – $102K)

What about the top bachelor’s degrees for getting hired this year? Well, not surprisingly Computer Science, Engineering, Information Sciences & Systems, and Management Information Systems are among the top positions that ask to be filled this year in the US of A. Other sought-after degrees include Finance, Accounting, Business Administration/Management, Marketing, and Logistics.

Information Science incorporates not only computer science, but also commerce, communications, law, library science, museology, management, mathematics, archival science, cognitive science, philosophy, public policy, and the social sciences, making it one of the most diverse fields of work a person could land in.

The top 10 master’s degrees in demand are (technical jobs highlighted): Finance, Computer Science, Accounting, MBA, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Sciences & Systems, Logistics/Supply Chain and Human Resources.

When it comes to the top doctorate degrees in demand, we don’t even need to highlight anything anymore. Here’s the list below, courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (via Forbes). In this day and age, coding is a key perquisite when applying in any of these fields.