Top Cities for IT Classes & Training

Students interested in learning IT at a dedicated training facility will find that almost all of their options are located in major metropolitan areas. Since this is also where many of the highest paying jobs are located, it makes sense that students looking for a career change may want to consider looking at the kinds of cities that offer the most robust training options for aspiring IT professionals.

What is IT?

The field of information technology (commonly referred to as IT) involves working with the computer systems, hardware, software, and networks related to the processing and distribution of data. The umbrella of IT also encompasses things like networking hardware (servers and routers) and applications that allow communication over a variety of networks and the internet. 

The term “information technology” was first used in a 1958 publication of the Harvard Business Review, which divided IT into the following three categories: techniques for processing, the use of statistical and mathematical methods to make decisions, and the simulation of higher-order thinking through computer programs. Businesses devote entire departments to information technology, assembling teams to handle these tasks. 

Data processing plays a significant role in a variety of business practices, including product development and design, marketing and market research, sales and invoicing, customer development and retention, accounting and taxes, human resources and payroll, and regulatory compliance. IT has become an essential part of nearly every modern industry, so it is a wise choice to become an expert in information technology.

What Can You Do with IT Skills?

Learning IT can be useful in many ways, both professionally and personally. If you currently work in an adjacent or similar field, learning IT can help you develop new skills that can either advance your current career or help you launch a new one. On a personal level, you could use your IT savvy to troubleshoot your own computer and networking problems or create custom systems, networks, or computer programs. 

Charlotte 

North Carolina is known as an East Coast tech hub and one of the best cities for IT jobs. Total tech jobs statewide are approximately 733,000, including 61,000 in Charlotte. With a reputation as a financial and banking epicenter, more and more jobs in non-technical industries require technical know-how, so there’s an ever-increasing need for IT professionals in the Charlotte region. Between 2021 and 2022, Charlotte advertised for 53,504 open tech positions. Plus, the number of IT jobs is expected to grow by 8.8% by 2027.

If you’re on the hunt for the right course, you can find available IT classes in Charlotte at Noble Desktop. They’ve curated thousands of top-quality courses from leading providers to help you learn what you're passionate about. General Assembly offers a variety of courses in-person in Charlotte, including their Python Programming Short Course. You’ll cover topics like Python fundamentals, object-oriented programming, Python in data science, Python in web development, and other Python applications.

New York

New York is more recently an ever-growing hot spot for tech and, when combined with the city's traditional strengths in finance, healthcare, media, and fashion, creates a high demand for experts in information technology. In fact, NYC boasted the highest quantity of IT jobs available (204,883) in 2022. Furthermore, the number of IT jobs is expected to reach a whopping 366,521 by 2026.

You can check out available IT classes in New York with the help of Noble Desktop. One class to check out is Noble Desktop’s in-person training titled Cybersecurity Bootcamp that’s ideal for the aspiring IT professional. Students will learn the skills for cybersecurity roles like Engineer and Analyst, and gain in-demand technical skills including Python programming, computer networking, Linux, and cloud computing in AWS.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County prides itself as the home of entertainment — a statement backed by the sheer number of filmmakers, story writers, and studios including Fox, Disney, Sony, Paramount, NBC Universal, and Warner Bros. Aside from entertainment, there are also several other thriving industries in the City of Angels, like aerospace, bioscience, transportation, and fashion. While these industries may be diverse, one common thread among all of them is the need for skilled It professionals. A Cyber Security Engineer, for example, can make a whopping $168,000 per year, while Systems Administrators average around $117,000.

You can check out available IT classes in Los Angeles with the help of Noble Desktop. One option to consider is UCLA Extension’s Introduction to Computer Science 1, a course that will teach you basic data types, operators and control structures; input/output; and procedural and data abstraction. You’ll also get an introduction to object-oriented software development, functions, recursion, arrays, strings, and pointers. 

Dallas

The longstanding home of well-known corporations like AT&T, ExxonMobile and Southwest Airlines, the tech scene in this metro area has been rapidly emerging as one of the best places for IT jobs for entrepreneurs and enterprises alike. Because of this, it’s no surprise that IT job growth in the Dallas metro area is expected to grow by 10.5% by 2027 to nearly 203,000 jobs. And, with Systems Administrators making just under six figures ($99,000), you can earn substantially over the national average salary. 

If you’re ready to find the right class for you, search Noble Desktop for available IT trainings. Cerstaffix offers an online Java Programming course that’s held live online with in-person lab access in Dallas. This course covers the main terms and concepts that are essential to programming in Java, explains what the language elements do and how you can effectively apply them in practice, and provides an extensive introduction to the key packages in the Java class library illustrated with full working examples.

Houston

Known as Space City, Houston boasts one of the youngest, fastest growing, and most diverse populations in the world. With top industries like aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and digital technology and innovation, the 12-county Greater Houston region offers nearly endless opportunities for companies and individuals to thrive. And, with Systems Engineers making around $134,000, you can earn well above the national average salary as an IT expert. 

Noble Desktop is a great place to search for available IT classes in Houston. Certstaffix’s Java Programming course also has lab access in Houston so you can enjoy the benefits of remote learning and in-person education. 

Chicago

There’s more to Chicago than deep dish pizza. The third largest metro area in the U.S., Chicago is home to several booming industries, like manufacturing, information technology, transportation, and health services. The Windy City is a great place to both learn and work in IT. It’s an especially good city for Web Developers thanks to a vibrant tech scene, diverse culture, and high employment rate in the web development and design field. Companies like Microsoft, Groupon, and Grubhub all offer job opportunities for experts in IT, so there are ample networking and employment opportunities available. And, with a median salary of $167,000 for System Architects, you can make a comfortable living in Chicago.

You can check out available IT classes in Chicago with the help of Noble Desktop, like Northwestern University’s Cybersecurity Bootcamp. This challenging part-time program will help you gain experience with a host of popular tools such as Wireshark, Kali Linux, Metasploit, and Nessus while you learn skills applicable to certifications such as the CompTIA Security+, Network+, Linux+, Server+, Cloud+, and certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). You’ll also benefit from a comprehensive set of career services to help equip you for success as you work to change career paths or advance in your current position.

Austin

Austin is home to over 2,000 tech companies and startups, including 5,500 in the greater Austin area. Plus, the estimated total pay for a Systems Administrator is $95,573 per year, with experienced IT experts making well into the six figures. Austin also offers a great work–life balance, access to educational opportunities, and a distinctive culture that IT professionals are sure to enjoy outside of their work hours. 

There are plenty of IT classes available in Austin and you can search using Noble Desktop’s website. Classes are held in-person, online, or in a hybrid fashion with access to a learning center or computer lab so you can choose the option that works best for you. 

Atlanta

Over the last five years, tech jobs have grown by 15% in Atlanta. As recently as 2021, there were more job postings in Atlanta than in major cities like Chicago, Austin, and even San Francisco. Programming languages like JavaScript, Python, and Java are in-demand, with JavaScript featuring in 72% of job postings. Salaries for IT experts remain well above average in Atlanta as well, with Cybersecurity Analysts making about $137,000 per year.

You can find available IT classes in Atlanta at Noble Desktop, like General Assembly’s Data Science Bootcamp. This training covers topics like data analysis, statistical modeling, machine learning models, data visualization, decision trees, natural language processing, neural networks, and Python. This course, and many others from General Assembly, can be attended online or in-person at their Atlanta location.

Washington D.C.

It’s no surprise that government business is big in the nation’s capital. Top tech employers in the area include Leidos, General Dynamics, Booz Allen Hamilton and Northrop Grumman. Nearly half of the job postings in 2021 were for software developers/engineers, cybersecurity engineers, systems engineers and network engineers. And, with so much of the nation's most important operations occurring in D.C., demand and salaries for IT experts remain high. Cybersecurity Engineers, as an example, make around $174,000 per year. 

If you’re ready to find the right class for you, search Noble Desktop for available IT trainings. George Washington University offers Cybersecurity Bootcamp, a challenging, part-time program that takes a multidisciplinary approach to attaining proficiency in IT, networking, and modern information security. You’ll gain experience with a host of popular tools such as Wireshark, Kali Linux, Metasploit, and Nessus, and learn skills applicable to certifications such as the CompTIA Security+, Network+, Linux+, Server+, Cloud+, and certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

Learn IT Skills Online

If you don’t live in a location with ample in-person classes, don’t worry. There are plenty of online options available that you can attend from wherever you choose, whether that’s your living room, office, or while traveling. To learn more about live online IT courses, consider exploring your options with Noble’s Classes Near Me Tool.

Learn IT Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop’s Data Science Certificate prepares you for entry-level data science and Python engineering roles. You’ll learn how to manipulate databases and perform data analysis, read and write complex database queries, prepare and clean data for analysis, and use Python to automate everyday tasks such as aggregating, updating, and formatting data. This course also covers how to clean and balance your data with Pandas, apply machine learning algorithms with the scikit-learn library to solve real-world problems, and analyze the results to detect areas for improvement. Finally, you’ll build and present dynamic dashboards and other data visualizations and deploy your projects online with GitHub to demonstrate your analytical abilities to employers.

Their Software Engineering Certificate is another option for aspiring IT students. Divided into front end development, React Development, and Django (Python) Development, you will learn HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling; the fundamentals of JavaScript and Git; and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, reorder, and adapt web page content to different size screens. You’ll then move on to the fundamental JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. Plus, you’ll cover topics like React, a powerful JavaScript library for web development, and master Node.js, MongoDB, and Express.js to round out your JavaScript development skills.

By creating a portfolio of projects, preparing for common interview questions, and polishing your resume and LinkedIn profile, this course will have you ready to pursue a new job in software engineering in as little as 20 weeks (on a full-time schedule). One-on-one mentoring and a free one-year retake are included in the cost of this course. Payment plans and tuition assistance are available, and this training requires no previous experience, making it great for beginners.

Or, you could try your hand at Noble’s Python Developer Bootcamp. This three-week online course teaches Python for software development with Django, Django REST, and other developer tools like Git and SQL. You’ll start by learning the basics of Python, including its lexical syntax, then move to more advanced topics like dictionaries, custom functions, and sorting algorithms. In week two, you'll learn object-oriented programming, how to work with APIs, and get an introduction to web databases using SQL. By creating projects that can be added to your portfolio, you’ll master URL dispatchers, querying models, and automating tasks with Django, as well as how to work with images, authentication, and use API endpoints with Django REST. 

It’s recommended that you are comfortable coding HTML and basic CSS. You should possess equivalent knowledge of Noble Desktop’s Web Development with HTML & CSS class, and mastery of another programming language is helpful, but not required. Payment plans and financing are available, in addition to extra perks like one-on-one mentoring, a free one-year retake, and a verified digital certificate are included with your purchase.