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In a digital world, software engineer employment is through the roof.
But is the role right for you?
In this article, we will tell you everything there is to know about software engineer jobs:
Salary and bonuses.
Main responsibilities.
Education and certification requirements.
Day-to-day activities.
Work-life balance and freelance options.
Plus, you will also learn about the easiest programming jobs to get – even with no formal education and zero experience!
Sounds too good to be true? Sure, we will talk about the challenges of the job also – and what skills you should focus on for a smooth and successful career!
Software Developer Jobs in a Nutshell
What does a software engineer do?
The cool part about software development careers is that your skills get so versatile.
Engineers can participate in every stage of the software development process. From gathering data and conversing with clients, to programming, testing, and debugging. A consulting software engineer can also do evaluation of computer software for companies that hope to improve their information systems.
To do that, you usually need a degree in computer science, information systems, information technology, or a similar tech-related specialty. That said, there are plenty of alternative career paths. Excellent coding skills and an impressive portfolio (paired with relevant experience) can be enough for junior software engineer jobs.
Software developer jobs come with a healthy salary. The average median pay is $105,590 per year (or $50.77 per hour). But it gets better:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, software engineer job openings are on an impressive rise. The projected job outlook for the 2018-2028 period is 21%. This is significantly higher than the national average.
By 2028, there will be 284,100 new software developer jobs!
Do you want one of them? Read on!
Software Development Career Planning for Beginners
So you’re in college? Or in high school and still thinking about your degree? Or a professional looking for a change in career? Here is what you need to know:
The Right Software Engineer Degree
The typical entry-level education for software developers is a bachelor’s degree. The most common are computer science programs, since they cover a broad range of topics. You will come out of college with a solid understanding of all stages of software development.
What about programming?
A degree in computer programming is a solid option. Fluency in at least one language and framework are among the key software developer skills, and a programming degree can give you much more.
Software Engineer Jobs with No Degree
Some people say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in any given field. Do you need that many? Probably not, but you do need extensive experience and skill if you hope to get a job without a relevant degree.
And the next question is:
How to gain experience in programming?
First, of course, you have to learn programming. Focus on one language/framework first. Choosing it can be tricky, but Ruby on Rails is a popular one. It’s a very flexible skill to have, since so many companies use Ruby plus the learning curve is nowhere near as steep as that of other languages.
Then, you have two options:
Applying for a software engineer intern position.
Working on software development projects (and working some more, and some more…).
And, surprise-surprise, it’s best to pursue both of them.
For your own software development practice time, do both portfolio building and contribution to open source projects. Granted, contributing to open source can be intimidating at first, but it teaches you one of the most crucial software engineer skills – collaborating with others. Not to mention that reading other people’s code will help you pick up good habits and best practices.
Software developer intern positions are available in most large companies. Whether you are a college student, a self-taught dev, or a recent graduate – internship experience is essential for getting jobs. And it does more than make your CV more attractive. As an intern, you will be using the tools that actual developers work with, and going through the same process as them.
Needless to say, there is a world of difference between a learner-friendly environment and the experience you get when you get thrown into the deep end.
And if you’re wondering:
How do I get a developer job with no experience?
… I am sorry to burst your bubble, but this is virtually impossible.
Interviewing for Entry-level Software Engineer Jobs
Hiring managers consider two main things:
Your expertise.
How well you will fit in the company.
Show them off by mastering the resumé and upping your cover letter game. Make sure you do your research on the company and write a specific motivation letter for each of the software engineer job openings you apply to. Highlight your expertise by linking a portfolio and/or mentioning technical challenges that you had to work through in your cover letter.
Also, work on your online presence – the digital footprint you leave on places like GitHub, LinkedIn, and your personal website (or portfolio site) will bring recruiters to you.
Most companies do two (or more) interviews – the first one being a screening one. Even the easiest programming jobs to get come with technical questions in the interview. Some employers might ask you to work through a code challenge, while others will discuss your portfolio projects in depth. Make sure you are prepared for both scenarios.
Now, let’s talk about the software engineer job description you will usually see in ads. (And what you might not see – a.k.a your day-to-day reality in the position.)
Software Developer: Comprehensive Job Description
Disclaimer: This is a general job description for this position. Every employer will have different criteria for hiring.
Software engineers build programs and systems that serve the end-user’s needs. They work alongside other professionals (developers, as well as product managers, graphic designers, QA, etc.) throughout the software development lifecycle.
Software Developer Jobs: Daily Activities
The key responsibilities for junior software developer jobs include:
Analyzing technical and user-derived application requirements.
Code configuration changes that are related to these analyses.
Perform tests and document them.
Assist in the design of new software applications.
Document and analyze possible improvements/roadblocks.
Work alongside more senior professionals to resolve issues in a timely and efficient manner.
Senior software engineer jobs involve the same essential two activities – creating software and testing/optimizing it. They do come with more complex problems to solve, of course, and they might also involve some managerial work.
Software Development Careers: Climbing up the Corporate Ladder?
The job outlook for this career path looks solid. The positions available are growing at a much faster rate than the national average.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that by 2028 they will increase by 21%. With newbies coming in, experienced developers can easily take up a coaching/managerial role in their companies.
But here is the kicker:
They don’t necessarily want to!
When you ask ‘What kind of jobs can a software developer get?’, you are not asking ‘What kind of jobs do they want to get?’
Every year, Stack Overflow surveys thousands of developers about their job, learning, and career growth. In 2019, over 90,000 devs participated in the survey.
One of the questions asked was, “Do Developers Need to Become Managers to Make More Money?” A whooping 51.3% answered no! An additional 19.6% said they weren’t sure.
Not only is a managerial position not (always) more lucrative, not all software engineers even want one. Only 25.4% said they wanted to become managers in the future, while 36.4% answered they wouldn’t. But there is more:
The engineers with more professional experience were more likely to pass on a managerial position offer!
What can you take out of this? First off, that you can make good money as a software developer – even if you don’t have any people working under you.
Second (and, arguably, more important), software engineers are content with their jobs and aren’t looking to switch. PayScale’s satisfaction rate confirms it – the average job satisfaction of all 3,863 respondents is 3.8 out of 5 (which equates to ‘highly satisfied’).
Software Engineer Jobs Salary Range
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national median pay for software developers is $105,590 per year ($50.77 per hour).
The median salary is the number where 50% of software engineers earn more and 50% earn less. Your actual salary will be affected by your experience and education, as well as your location and the industry you work in.
Software developers working on applications make a median salary of $103,620 per year. Those who work on systems software, on the other hand, earn $110,000 per year.
The top industries for systems software developers were manufacturing (median annual pay of $118,900), engineering services (median annual pay of $113,250), and finance and insurance (median annual pay of $111,380).
For application developers, it pays the best to be working for a software publisher. The median salary there is $114,320 per year!
Top Locations for Software Engineer Jobs
Your salary depends on where you live. Software engineer jobs in NYC, for instance, come with an annual mean wage of $123,030. This is above the national average, sure.
Why?
For starters, you have a higher concentration of tech companies in NYC, compared to, say, Memphis. Then, there’s also the cost of living. While you can live comfortably on $120k per year in NYC, you could buy more with the same money in Memphis.
But still: which are the highest-paying places?
The top-paying states for systems software engineers are California, New Hampshire, Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington. There is a slight difference for application software developers. They make the most in Washington (you make an average mean salary of $122,840 as a software engineer in Seattle), California, New York, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Software engineer jobs in Chicago, on the other hand, are under the national average. The mean salary there is $109,670 per year. It is worth mentioning, however, that Chicago is one of the metropolitan areas with the highest level of software development employment.
Freelance Software Engineer Jobs
Much like other tech jobs, software engineering is available as remote work. While you do need to work with other people, collaboration is perfectly manageable over the internet. You can do most software engineer jobs from home. That’s exactly how open source projects work!
Remote software engineer jobs come with a bunch of perks, not the least of which is the flexibility of choosing projects. The high demand for software developers puts you at an advantage. Most freelancers spend their time in a back and forth of ‘whew, I found a decently paid project’ and ‘when will I find the next one’.
Not freelance software engineers!
It’s a seller’s market, and you practically get to pick the projects you like best.
But it gets better: some professionals go as far as saying that freelancing is better-paid than 9-to-5 software engineer jobs!
The kicker? This article talks about Germany.
In the US, most software engineers still have regular working hours. Depending on your position, you might have to do some overtime or shift work, but this is usually the exception, not the rule.
Tech companies are notorious about their fun working environment – from snacks to beer Thursdays and midday yoga classes, there is plenty they do to keep their employees happy. Besides, even if office talk and socializing are not your thing, the discipline that comes from being around other people that work is just what some of us need.
Bottom line, though, freelance software engineer jobs may not be for everybody, but they sure are a sweet opportunity for some!
Software Developer Degree and Certification Options
While companies are getting more flexible in terms of their education requirements, it’s still a good idea to have a relevant degree when you’re applying for jobs. Software engineering and software development are the two obvious choices, along with Computer Science.
In truth, any programming-centric field is good enough as it gives you a solid base of tech knowledge. As an added benefit, these degrees give you more than just one career path. You can also use them to apply for data science jobs (which only require a tech degree, doesn’t matter which one) or DevOps jobs.
Software Engineer Certifications
Do you have the software developer skills and experience, but not the degree? Consider these certifications:
Microsoft’s MTA Developer, aimed at entry-level engineers takes many tracks, including web development (which comes in very handy if you’re aiming for web developer jobs).
AWS Certified Developer is for developers that create applications on the AWS cloud. While not all companies use AWS services, Amazon’s cloud is the leader on the market and gaining new clients as we speak. This is one certificate that will stay relevant in the future.
Oracle Java certifications come in several different levels (from Associate to Expert), and they tend to be a higher-level credential to get. Make sure you have the OCP Java Certification for Programmer, or a Sun Certified Oracle Java certification for Programmer, which are the prerequisites.
Scrum Alliance Certifications are aimed at professionals that are familiar with Agile development principles and Scrum implementation. Not only does it help your CV stand out, it will also give you access to higher-level jobs, since Scrum is a skill virtually all employers value very highly.
Now, let’s recap what areas of expertise you need before you jump into the job-seeking pool (in which, by the way, our directory comes in very handy):
Technical Software Engineer Skills
Here are the baseline skills you need to get new grad software engineer jobs:
Programming skills – object-oriented development in languages like Python, Ruby, JavaScript, C#, .NET, and Java (not all at once, start with just one language and framework).
Data management – from database creation (SQL and NoSQL) to management and data safety (by the way, these skills could also help you get database administrator jobs).
Software development life cycle – an understanding of all steps and familiarity with Agile principles (even better if you are an expert in Scrum).
Version control – most companies use Git, so this is the one you should focus on.
Testing software – the more you know, the better. Being familiar with testing concepts is a solid base, which you can improve on later.
The more skill you have in key areas like data safety (which is a major concern for most companies and the reason why their IT budgets are constantly growing) and Agile software development, the more desirable of a candidate you become.
Specific skills like COBOL and Magent will not only help you get COBOL jobs or Magent developer jobs. They also make you a more versatile professional. In software engineering, it’s about keeping yourself on your A-game, and there is really no point in your career where you can stop learning.
Non-technical Skills
Developing software is not an end in itself.
In other words:
The answer to ‘What does a software engineer do?’ is not ‘write code’. Software developers make computer-based solutions to real-life problems
Software engineer jobs in 2020 are getting more and more business-oriented. And that doesn’t mean just understanding what your manager needs. One of the key skills that can set you apart as an excellent developer is proactive analysis and creative problem-solving. Business acumen is an essential non-technical skill, and so is attention to detail and keenness to keep optimizing.
Of course, we can’t not mention communication skills. As a developer, you will rarely (if ever) be working by yourself. You need to learn how to talk to others (both fellow engineers and non-tech employees), how to collaborate effectively, when to stand up for your opinion, and when to back off. Not only does this make for a better end-result, it will also make your job a whole lot easier and more pleasant.
Software Developer Jobs in 2021: In Conclusion
With a projected growth of 21% by 2028, it’s clear that software engineer employment is on the rise.
Is this really a surprise to anybody?
We are living in an increasingly digital world. Companies need experts to craft elegant and functional software, much like cotton mills needed engineers to build their machines. With the digital revolution, software engineering is one of the safest career paths you can take.
Then again, there are a lot more perks to software engineer jobs than the sheer amount of them that are available. Software developers enjoy lucrative salaries, enviable benefits, and high job satisfaction. Even with ample career advancement opportunities, most of them don’t even want to become managers!
So is software engineering a dream-come-true career? If you are equal parts computer savvy and creative, absolutely!
Check out the most recent postings for software developer jobs and related careers in our directory!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are software engineers in demand?
Yes, very much so. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a 21% growth in software engineer job openings by 2028. This means 284,100 new positions! It’s even better for application developers, where the projected growth is a whopping 26%.
For reference, this is much faster than the national average for all occupations. By all standards, software developers are incredibly in-demand at the moment.
How do you become a software developer?
Start with a college degree in Computer Science or a related field. You want to focus on getting both programming skills and a solid understanding of the software development lifecycle. While it is possible to get a software engineer job without a degree, it is much more difficult, and you’ll have access to a limited number of opportunities.
Whether you have a formal degree or not, experience is key. Spend time as a software engineer intern, along with working on your portfolio and open-source projects. This way you gain skills and experience even if you’re struggling to find the right job (or if you’re still a newbie).
Apply to jobs after you research the company and write personalized cover letters. Make sure you highlight your achievements, but be prepared for the interviewer to ask about them. The same goes for the projects in your portfolio – they represent your work as a software developer, and you should be prepared to give in-depth answers to questions you receive on them.
How do I get a job as a software engineer?
The typical software developer requirements include:
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, information systems, or a related field.
Ability to assess business needs through technical requirement analysis (and deliver software-based solutions).
Fluency in object-oriented design in languages like Python, Ruby, JavaScript, C#, .NET, and Java.
Being familiar with Agile software development techniques (i.e. Scrum and Kanban).
Database management and safety.
Source code control using tools like Git and Mercurial.
Experience with testing concepts, unit testing, and end-to-end testing practices.
Experience often replaces formal education! Most employers will consider candidates with 3+ years of software development experience for positions that normally require a degree. That said, you might be at a disadvantage – both when it comes to getting the job, and during salary negotiations.
How much do software engineers earn in the USA?
The median software engineer jobs salary is $105,590 per year (or $50.77 per hour). This median wage reflects that 50% of software developers made more, while 50% earned less than this. The top 10% made over $166,960 per year!
What skills do software engineers need?
The key software engineer skills are:
Programming and scripting languages – being fluent in at least one; currently, Ruby, Python, and JavaScript are among your best choices.
Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) – choosing the best one for you and using it to write, compile, run, and debug your code.
Operating systems – your software runs on an operating system, and understanding how it works is indispensable if you want to create applications that work smoothly and efficiently.
Networking – since most applications are based on the client-server model, being familiar with the basics of networking is one of the essential software developer skills.
Version control – most companies use Git, but being familiar with the key version control concepts will help you even if you don’t know the specific tool.
Databases – proficiency using SQL and/or noSQL, as well as data safety concepts.
Testing – understanding basic testing concepts (but any additional testing skills and knowledge you have will come in handy)
Additionally, you need soft skills to help you work with others. Picking up good code-writing practices will make it easier for your colleagues, but so will improving your communication skills. Unconvinced? Remember the Google survey. All of the top skills for success were soft ones!
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