How To Become A Software Development Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a software development specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Frank McCown Ph.D.,

Kevin Treu Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a software development specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $49.13 an hour? That's $102,196 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 21% and produce 284,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a software development specialist?

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.

ScoreSoftware Development SpecialistUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $102,196

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 29.92%

Black or African American 4.46%

Hispanic or Latino 8.20%

Unknown 4.81%

White 52.46%

Gender

female 32.32%

male 67.68%

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

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a software development specialist

Explore software development specialist education requirements

Most common software development specialist degrees

Bachelor's

70.6 %

Associate

15.0 %

Master's

9.4 %

Start to develop specific software development specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Software Development	13.80%
Java	8.45%
Windows	6.41%
SQL Server	6.05%
Application Development	3.91%

Complete relevant software development specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New software development specialists 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 software development specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real software development specialist resumes.

Research software development specialist duties and responsibilities

Develop and manage Unix base configuration management systems to maintain software assets.
Used Javascript, Ajax, Css etc.
Work with JQuery Validators for validations in MVC.
Design web interface using jquery javascript libraries to access automation.

Apply for software development specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a software development specialist 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 software development specialist salary

The average software development specialist salary in the United States is $102,196 per year or $49 per hour. Software development specialist salaries range between $78,000 and $132,000 per year.

Average software development specialist salary

$102,196 Yearly

$49.13 hourly

How do software development specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Software development specialist 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 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

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019

Pros

Designing a new system or making changes to an old one.

Cons

Compensation. Pay and Benefits do not match the time spent on a project. Alabama is the Worst state to live in for SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salaries. 40 to 50 percent less than our peer States.

What is a software development specialist and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a software development specialist?

Software development specialist career paths

Key steps to become a software development specialist

Explore software development specialist education requirements

Most common software development specialist degrees

Start to develop specific software development specialist skills

Complete relevant software development specialist training and internships

Research software development specialist duties and responsibilities

Apply for software development specialist jobs

How did you land your first software development specialist job

Average software development specialist salary

How do software development specialists rate their job?

Software development specialist reviews