Do principal engineers write code?

No, principal engineers do not write code typically. The software programming that they develop is given to programmers who write code. It is the responsibility of the principal engineer to assess company needs and design software to address those needs. These individuals will oversee teams of programmers and instruct them during the code writing process.

How long does it take to become a principal software engineer?

It takes approximately six to eight years after graduation from college to become a principal software engineer. After earning the appropriate degree, candidates for this position must amass several years of relevant work experience.

What is a principal software engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frank McCown Ph.D.,

Kevin Treu Ph.D.

A principal software engineer designs and develops complex software systems. They work as technical leaders, oversee teams of software engineers, and collaborate with other departments to ensure software products are delivered on time and within budget. Principal software engineers are experts in programming languages, software architecture, and development methodologies. These engineers ensure their team adheres to industry best practices, and are involved in identifying new technologies and trends, as well as mentoring junior engineers.

What general advice would you give to a principal software engineer?

Frank McCown Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Harding University

The market is stable for software developers, despite the economic challenges created by the pandemic. Before accepting a job offer, talk to the company's employees through online meetings or email, and see what they think of the company. Do they enjoy their work? Are there opportunities to learn new technologies? How does the company treat their employees? There's a good chance you will be working remotely in your first job, so you will need to exercise a lot of self-discipline, be punctual for online meetings, do the work you've been assigned, and know when to ask questions when you get stuck. Expect a steeper-than-normal learning curve if you are working remotely instead of in an office.

ScorePrincipal Software EngineerUS Average

Salary

8.5

Avg. Salary $134,230

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.0

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 29.94%

Black or African American 4.43%

Hispanic or Latino 8.17%

Unknown 4.80%

White 52.50%

Gender

female 12.47%

male 87.53%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

4.0

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a principal software engineer?

Pros

High salary and compensation
Continuous learning and development opportunities
Flexibility in work schedule and location
Chance to work on cutting-edge technologies
Ability to solve challenging technical problems

Cons

Long working hours and tight deadlines
Constant pressure to produce high-quality results
Potential for burnout or stress-related health issues
Risk of project failure or budget overruns
Limited opportunities for creative or innovative work

Key steps to become a principal software engineer

Explore principal software engineer education requirements

Most common principal software engineer degrees

Bachelor's

68.9 %

Master's

24.4 %

Associate

2.8 %

Start to develop specific principal software engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	16.43%
Python	8.08%
Software Development	6.46%
Object Oriented Programming	3.54%
Linux	3.40%

Complete relevant principal software engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New principal software engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a principal software engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real principal software engineer resumes.

Research principal software engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage and fix bugs with JIRA bug tracking application.
Manage Blogcritics.org revamp/rewrite using Wordpress, PHP, MySQL and memecach.
Participate in daily scrum meetings and used TFS to manage the user stories, tasks and for bugs reporting and tracking.
Manage OS security patching and intrusion detection systems.

Get principal software engineer experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a principal software engineer. The most common roles before becoming a principal software engineer include senior software engineer, software engineer team lead and consultant.

Prepare your principal software engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your principal software engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a principal software engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable principal software engineer resume templates

Build a professional principal software engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your principal software engineer resume.

Apply for principal software engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a principal software engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average principal software engineer salary

The average principal software engineer salary in the United States is $134,230 per year or $65 per hour. Principal software engineer salaries range between $98,000 and $182,000 per year.

Average principal software engineer salary

$134,230 Yearly

$64.53 hourly

How do principal software engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Principal software engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023

Pros

Problem solving and cutting edge technology - always learning and evolving my skill set

Cons

Still have to deal with people :)

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2023

Cons

Unrealistic demands from management and the job markets ups and downs

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

I enjoyed working on creative problems that dealt with the user interface

Cons

I didn't like how technical it could become

What is a principal software engineer and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a principal software engineer?

What are the pros and cons of being a principal software engineer?

Principal software engineer career paths

Key steps to become a principal software engineer

Explore principal software engineer education requirements

Most common principal software engineer degrees

Start to develop specific principal software engineer skills

Complete relevant principal software engineer training and internships

Research principal software engineer duties and responsibilities

Get principal software engineer experience

Prepare your principal software engineer resume

Choose from 10+ customizable principal software engineer resume templates

Apply for principal software engineer jobs

How did you land your first principal software engineer job

Average principal software engineer salary

How do principal software engineers rate their job?

Principal software engineer reviews

Principal software engineer FAQs

Do principal engineers write code?

How long does it take to become a principal software engineer?

Search for principal software engineer jobs

Principal software engineer jobs by state