The happiest job in America pays $150,000 a year

Unhappy at work? Consider switching to a career in coding.

You may think of web developers as chained to their computers, but a new survey shows that a majority of developers are probably happier with their career than you, with high salaries and personal autonomy.

The survey—commissioned by education site SkilledUP and conducted by market research firm ProvokeInsights—indicated that 88% of the 303 developers surveyed were completely satisfied with their career, 11% were somewhat satisfied, and only 1% were not at all satisfied. The happiest developers specialized in mobile/responsive programming.

This isn’t the first time a survey counted web developers among the happiest careers—a 2015 CareerBliss survey ranked web developers among the top ten happiest jobs in the U.S.

Since it’s unlikely developers are actually getting their daily dose of vitamin D from the light of their computer screens, what’s the secret to their career satisfaction?

Work-life balance, job flexibility, and job location, ranked among the top reasons for the high happiness ranking. Some respondents said that they had the opportunity to work from home, could control the number of projects they accepted, worked on their own schedule, and clocked in reasonable hours.

Unsurprisingly, salary also sweetens the gig. The majority of developers surveyed raked in between $50,000 and $149,000 per year—and 82% of respondents say they expect a pay raise in the next six months.

Luckily for those with Python or Ruby skills listed on their résumés, respondents said there are plenty of jobs available in web development. According to the survey, 95% of respondents said their career was in demand, 90% said there were jobs available, and 57% said they’re regularly contacted by headhunters about job opportunities. And 62% said their own company is currently looking to hire more developers.

If you want to make the career switch, it won't hurt if you don't have a development background, either. A majority of respondents say a degree in computer science is not required and 56% said they started their careers in a different field. Instead, most of the developers learned the skills needed for their jobs through on-the-job training or online courses.