Top Career Paths for Former Software Engineers in 2026
In 2026, the landscape for software engineers has evolved significantly. Many professionals are reconsidering their career paths, leading to a notable shift in the job market.
While enrollment in software engineering programs remains strong, interest in traditional software engineering roles has seen a decline. As a result, many engineers are exploring alternative career opportunities.
This raises an important question:
What career paths are former software engineers pursuing today?
To find out, we analyzed the resumes of individuals who transitioned from software engineering roles. After reviewing thousands of entries, we focused on the top 100 job transitions.
Some of the findings are intriguing and may surprise you, so we’ve highlighted a selection of these roles below.
Top Career Options for Former Software Engineers
While some of these roles may appeal more than others, they all represent viable opportunities for former software engineers looking to pivot their careers.
For a more comprehensive view, check out the detailed list of job transitions below.
Detailed Ranking of Most Common Jobs for Former Software Engineers
Most Common Career Moves for Former Software Engineers
These roles not only capitalize on the skills acquired during software engineering but also serve as stepping stones into new career domains.
Our Methodology for Identifying Top Career Paths for Former Software Engineers
We utilized data from our extensive database of over 7 million resumes, focusing on those that identified as software engineers in their work history. We then traced the subsequent job titles listed in their employment records, ranking them based on frequency of occurrence.
To curate our list of unique career moves, we sifted through the ranked data, identifying roles that:
- Appeared in fewer than 1% of all job transitions
- Were not included in the top 100 most common positions from our database
This approach allowed us to highlight the most interesting and diverse career paths for former software engineers.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
