Institute For Career Research - Careers in Software Engineering

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PLUS EXCELLENT PAY ABOUND IN THIS RAPIDLY EXPANDING FIELD

• Ranges vary from state to state
  
• Average salary is between $100,000 and $120,000
  
• Senior Engineers at top firms can earn up to $225,000

• Fast thinking
  
• Communication Skills
  
• Handle stress well

• Computer Coding
  
• Math
  
• Science
  
• System Design
  
• Maintenance
  
• Documentation

• Offices
  
• Tech Firms
  
• Software Publishing Companies
  
• Startups

• Several routes to becoming a software engineer ranging from self-education to PhD programs
  
• Bachelors degree is helpful

• Good pay
  
• Excellent Job Outlook
  
• Stimulating work
  
• Good perks

• Difficult to learn
  
• Potentially unhealthy lifestyle being stuck at a computer
  
• Many of the job hubs have a high cost of living
  

If you are like most everyone today, your life is connected to software throughout the day. You wake up to your phones alarm, ask Google Assistant what is on the schedule, avoid the morning traffic jam with Waze, spend your day working on a Windows computer, join a conference on GoToMeeting, make dinner reservations with OpenTable, summon a ride to the restaurant with Uber, and share your fun evening with Instagram. Software is everywhere thanks to the millions of software engineers who are making life better, one bit at a time.

A computer software engineer is an expert in computer systems who designs, develops, improves, and maintains software. These engineers typically work in one of two categories: computer applications software or computer systems software. Applications are pieces of software designed to help people perform a certain activity, such as tracking physical activity on a smartwatch or playing video games on a phone. Systems software is what makes a computer run. Without it, the hardware is simply a lump of plastic and silicon.

Software engineers typically develop the mathematical formula used to create the code that will tell the software what to do. They use flowcharts and diagrams to demonstrate how the software should function so that developers, programmers, and coders can produce entirely new software or produce an update for existing work.

Software has become ubiquitous in modern life and therefore touches every imaginable industry. As the need for new and improved software continues to grow, so does the need for more software engineers. The future job outlook for software engineers is exceptionally good and opportunities are likely to continue growing faster than average for years to come. The demand for these professionals is so intense that employers are forced to compete for talent by offering generous salaries and a variety of tempting perks.

To get in on the high-paying action, you have to know your stuff. A bachelors degree is usually sufficient, at least for entry-level positions, and there are a number of schools that offer graduate degrees for advanced study. A degree in software engineering can lead to opportunities in many different fields, such as creating video games, developing Internet applications, running computer networks, or implementing computer security protocols. There are also nontraditional ways to obtain the necessary skills, such as the increasingly popular coding boot camps. However, this route is best reserved for those with exceptional aptitude and determination. In any case, it will be necessary to continue learning new things throughout your career.

If you are thinking of getting into the world of software engineering, now is a good time to do it. It is considered one of the best jobs based on pay, career potential, perks, work-life balance, and other factors that make a job great. The work itself can be very rewarding, especially when the software you create helps change the world for the better. If you like all things tech, enjoy solving real life problems big and small, and want a lifetime of job security, a career in software engineering might be the right choice for you.

The best way to prepare for this career is to challenge yourself in high school. Take as much advanced math and science as you can. The most important classes are algebra I and II, geometry, calculus, probability & statistics, physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Effective communication is a vital part of a software engineers work. English, writing, and speech classes will teach you how to convey your ideas and function better in a team environment. Learning a foreign language is also a good idea. Those working for international companies are more likely to be offered travel and advancement opportunities if they can speak more than one language.

Start taking computer science classes as soon as possible. Many high schools also offer programming classes in several computer languages. If your school does not offer this, most community colleges offer these classes during the summer specifically for pre-college students. Another option to boost your skills is to attend a computer science summer camp.

You can start learning by experimenting with computers on your own, but it will be a lot more fun to do it with others who share your interests. Join a club. Every high school has at least one computer club and there are probably more clubs at your community center. There are also countless online groups where you can exchange ideas and learn from like-minded people.

Get some exposure to the software engineering world. Job shadowing even for a day can give you a good idea of what a software engineers day-to-day work life is really like. Internships and volunteer work are great for getting hands-on experience. Do you have some coding skills? Look for a part-time job where you can master those skills while getting paid.

Create a LinkedIn profile. It is the perfect place to list your classes, accomplishments, and experience. Keep it focused on software engineering and post relevant interests and activities. It is important to maintain your profile. Update immediately whenever you have something new to add. LinkedIn will eventually become your go-to app to advance your career goals.

Software engineering is a modern profession that emerged only 40 years ago. However, the stepping stones to this field were laid long ago. The first accounting tool, the Sumerian abacus, first appeared circa 2700 BC. The Ancient Greeks developed an analog computer known as the Antikythera mechanism to calculate and display information about astronomical phenomena in 87 BC. The binary number system, the mathematical basis for computer processing instructions, was introduced by German polymath, Gottfried Wilhelm Liebniz, in 1703. Computing pioneer, Charles Babbage, designed the first general mechanical computer, called the analytical engine in 1837. Shortly after, in 1843, an English countess Augusta Ada King, who had worked on Babbages analytical engine, developed the first computer algorithm. The first programmable digital computer, the Z3, was invented by another computer pioneer, Konrad Zuse, in 1941.

At this point, the stage was set for people to start creating instructions that would enable a computer to perform certain tasks. This is the essence of computer programming. At first, the instructions were hard-wired into the machine. This was done primarily by engineers, mostly electrical engineers. The hardware centric design was inflexible, so it was replaced by the stored program architecture that fundamentally divided hardware and software for the first time.

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