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Software Engineers get to apply lots of different areas of study into their everyday work. Whether it's science, engineering, mathematics, computer science, or even design, these engineers are able to use lots of different methods and techniques in their line of work.


Essentially, software engineers design, develop and test software applications for computers. They usually work in offices or labs during their average 40-hour workweek. Even though they use a wide range of study, typically software engineers only require a Bachelor's degree, although a Master's degree is appealing to most employers.

What Does a Software Engineer Do

There are certain skills that many software engineers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Learn more about what a Software Engineer does

How To Become a Software Engineer

If you're interested in becoming a software engineer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 73.5% of software engineers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 19.9% of software engineers have master's degrees. Even though most software engineers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Software Engineer

Software Engineer Job Description

Software engineers conceptualize, design, create, test, develop, and troubleshoot applications, systems, and software. The software or applications are created to solve, address or simplify challenges, requiring engineers to be familiar with or have a good grasp of the company's technical needs and virtual environment.

Learn more about Software Engineer Job Description

Career Path For a Software Engineer

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a software engineer can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as systems analyst, progress to a title such as systems engineer and then eventually end up with the title manager, systems engineering.

Software Engineer

Average Salary for a Software Engineer

Software Engineers in America make an average salary of $100,260 per year or $48 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $136,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $73,000 per year.
Average Software Engineer Salary
$100,260 Yearly
$48.20 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Software Engineer

The role of a software engineer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general software engineer responsibilities:

  • Caci’s enterprise solutions & services division is seeking a talented
  • Manage sharepoint 2010/2013 sites and sub sites, gather user requirements, analyze business processes,
  • Design, code, document and implement new applications & as well as existing programs contribute to enhancements,

There are several types of software engineer, including:

Software Developer

Role:

As a software developer, you'll spend a lot of time analyzing what exactly customers need. In fact, you might put those needs ahead of other aspects of your job. After all, a happy customer means a happy business.


On top of assessing needs, you'll be responsible for making sure those needs are met through developing special software. You might even recommend certain upgrades for customers, if you feel that will help them along the way.


Most employers will expect you to have a bachelor's degree. So it looks like you might need to put some time and resources into your education. Just to make sure potential employers are impressed. If nothing else, the extra education may put you ahead of your colleagues.

  • Average Salary: $87,521
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Software Test Engineer

Role:

Software test engineers are professionals who ensure that software is doing what it is designed to do consistently. From their title, one major duty of a software test engineer is to test out the software. They carry out a variety of both automated and manual tests to ensure the software is consistently producing the desired results. After tests have been carried out, you have to come up with reports about the outcome of the test, which will aid decision-making. You are also to collaborate with developers and other colleagues. Sometimes, you could be called to monitor the work of other testers.


Generally, software test engineers hold a bachelor's degree in software engineering or computer science. Having a master's degree gives you an edge and makes you eligible for leadership positions. Software test engineers are not only expected to be shrewd, but you have to be a great communicator. Paying attention to detail, the ability to handle stress well, and multitasking are some other skills you must possess. The median salary per year is $83,070.

  • Average Salary: $85,338
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Software Development Engineer

Role:

While playing games, using specific apps, or merely using your cell-phone, do you ever think who develops them? Well, it's the Software Development Engineer who works day and night to make your screen interaction better and bolder. But trust us, the effort is paid quite well because as a Software Development Engineer, you can make, on average, $56 per hour.


Becoming a software development engineer, however, is not possible without hard work and patience. You need hours and hours of practice after acquiring the required knowledge. Thus, to become one, you must at least get a bachelor's degree. But you will find that more than 45% of the practicing professionals have a master's degree!


As a Software Development Engineer, you will be hired for a 9-5 job, but you don't need a physical office to work. In fact, most of the companies will ask you to work in your comfort zone while completing your projects effectively.

  • Average Salary: $109,147
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Software Engineer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active software engineer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where software engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Software Engineer Jobs By State

Software Engineer Education

Software Engineer Majors

Software Engineer Degrees

Bachelors

73.5 %

Masters

19.9 %

Associate

3.5 %

Top Colleges for Software Engineers

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

Top Skills For a Software Engineer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.8% of software engineers listed java on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and creativity are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Software Engineer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Software Engineer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Software Engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Software Engineer diversity

Software Engineer Gender Distribution

Male
Male
78%
Female
Female
22%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among software engineers, 22.0% of them are women, while 78.0% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among software engineers is White, which makes up 48.5% of all software engineers.

  • The most common foreign language among software engineers is Spanish at 24.5%.

Online Courses For Software Engineer That You May Like

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1. Software Engineering Immersive (Full-time)

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Meet the global demand for technical problem-solvers by developing your coding skills to create full-stack web applications across multiple frameworks, incorporating functionality from third-party APIs, executing software engineering projects in an Agile development workflow, and more...

2. Data Science Immersive (Full-time)

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Harness the power of data science to solve the world’s most challenging problems by developing your skills in predictive modeling, pattern recognition, data visualization, wrangling massive data sets, forecasting trends, and informing strategy across diverse industries like public policy, robotics, and FinTech...

3. Intro to HTML and CSS

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Throughout this course, you'll learn about the underlying structure of the web - HTML. You'll learn how to use this tree-like structure to create websites. You'll also learn how to apply styling to a website through CSS. You'll learn about CSS syntax, selectors, and units. Along the way, you'll also learn about code editors and a browser's Developer Tools...

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Best States For a Software Engineer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a software engineer. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, New York, and Nevada. Software engineers make the most in California with an average salary of $115,477. Whereas in Washington and New York, they would average $112,080 and $92,846, respectively. While software engineers would only make an average of $92,651 in Nevada, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Washington

Total Software Engineer Jobs: 6,948
Highest 10% Earn:
$153,000
Location Quotient:
2.42

2. California

Total Software Engineer Jobs: 19,681
Highest 10% Earn:
$160,000
Location Quotient:
1.71

3. Oregon

Total Software Engineer Jobs: 2,587
Highest 10% Earn:
$125,000
Location Quotient:
1.59
Full List Of Best States For Software Engineers

How Do Software Engineers Rate Their Jobs?

2/5

Based On 2 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Software Engineer Reviews

3.0
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


1.0
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.


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Top Software Engineer Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ software engineers and discovered their number of software engineer opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Google was the best, especially with an average salary of $142,466. Microsoft follows up with an average salary of $128,196, and then comes Meta with an average of $153,335. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a software engineer. The employers include VMware, USAA, and Cigna

Most Common Employers For Software Engineer

What Are The Best Companies To Work For A Software Engineer?

Dr. Jonathan Geisler

Associate Professor, Taylor University

The best companies to work for are the ones that are responsive to both their customers' and employees' needs. They are the ones that have tried to be proactive during the pandemic and not just survive until everything got "back to normal." They know that a damaged workforce leads to a damaged company, and so they provide good management, encouraging everyone to be healthy mentally and physically.Show more

Software Engineer Videos

Becoming a Software Engineer FAQs

Data Scientist Vs. Software Engineer

A data scientist is a tech professional that uses algorithms and statistics to draw insights from data, while a software engineer is someone who uses programming and engineering skills to design software.

Devops Engineer Vs. Software Engineer

Devops engineers work in both the development and operation of software, this means they work on code with the developer team, oversee the code releases, and also manage the deployment and operation processes. Some of their duties include accessing technological automation tools, managing cloud deployment, maintaining compliance and security controls, and monitoring operations.

Devops Vs. Software Engineer

A devops is an engineer that is part of the development and operations of creating software, while a software engineer is a tech professional who designs software.

Devops work in both the development and operation of software, this means they work on code with the developer team, oversee the code releases, and also manage the deployment and operation processes. Some of their duties include accessing technological automation tools, managing cloud deployment, maintaining compliance and security controls, and monitoring operations.

Full Stack Developer Vs. Software Engineer

A full stack developer is a tech professional that takes care of building an application, including user interface design, logic design, code writing, and testing, while a software engineer focuses on designing system architectures via back-end or front-end development.

Network Engineer Vs. Software Engineer

A network engineer is concerned with designing, configuring, and deploying computer networks and networking infrastructure, while a software engineer applies engineering principles and approaches to software development.

Product Manager Vs. Software Engineer

A product manager is responsible for understanding a user's needs, setting the product roadmap, and designing deliverables, while a software engineer does the designing, coding, and execution of software.

Software Architect Vs. Software Engineer

A software architect works on the design of an overall development process but doesn't involve coding in their work, while a software engineer does the designing, coding, and execution of software.

Software Engineer Vs. Computer Engineer

A software engineer is a tech professional who develops, creates, and maintains software applications, while a computer engineer is a tech professional who develops computer systems using computer science and electrical engineering skills.

Software Engineer Vs. Programmer

A software engineer is someone who designs and develops software applications and products, while a programmer is a tech professional who writes, modifies, and tests computer code.

A software engineer designs and creates computer systems and software applications.

Are Software Engineers Happy?

Yes, software engineers are happy. Though computer science is a demanding profession, most software engineers enjoy their jobs and consider the work challenging and rewarding. The combination of pay, flexibility, and job satisfaction leads to software engineers being quite happy compared to people in other professions.

C# Vs Python

C# is a high-level, object-oriented language, while Python is a different high-level, object-oriented language.

C# supports object-oriented programming, structured programming, functional programming, as well as many others. This language was designed by Microsoft to compete with Java. There are a total of 86 keywords used in the C# language. It is considered a static-type language.

Can Software Engineers Work From Home?

Yes, software engineers can work from home. The normal requirements for a software engineer to work are an internet connection, a sufficiently fast computer, and a quiet area to focus. This means that working from home is an option for most software engineers. However, some people find it hard to focus at home due to family, insufficient space to work, or the lack of feeling of oversight. So, while working from home is an option, it might not be the best option for every engineer.



Before the pandemic, software engineers were one of the few professionals that were already working from home. For the above mentioned reasons, software engineers can have flexible work schedules where they work for part of the day at home and part of the day at the office. In fact, surveys have shown that over 30% of software engineers were already working from home part time.


Computer Science Vs Software Engineering

Computer Science is a subject that encompasses a wide range of computer-based areas, while software engineering is a subject that focuses on the development, design, creation, and maintenance of software systems.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Software Engineer?

It typically takes about four years to become a software engineer. This is because the main qualification for most software engineers is a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field.

Is A Software Engineer A Good Job?

Yes, being a software engineer is a good job. Software engineers tend to earn high salaries. Software engineering can be challenging, and the competitive compensation for this career path reflects that.

Is It Hard To Be A Software Engineer?

Yes, it is hard to be a software engineer. There are a number of qualifications that a software engineer is expected to have in order to succeed. On top of earning a bachelor's degree, software engineers are usually expected to be fluent and experienced in a number of programming languages.

Is There A High Demand For Software Engineers?

Yes, there is a high demand for software engineers. The demand for software engineers has been on the rise and is projected to grow 21% by 2028.

Software Engineer Vs Web Developer

A software engineer is a worker in the tech sphere that focuses on creating computer programs for operating systems, while a web developer is someone who designs websites and web applications.

What Are Careers In Python?

Data scientist, software engineer, and full stack developer are careers in Python. Here are some details about these careers and others that use Python:

  • Data scientist: A data scientist is a tech professional that writes high-level code with Python or R, and often uses BI tools for data analysis and visualization.

    Data scientists are considered builders. They are tasked with analyzing and understanding specific business problems, feature engineering, developing, selecting, and tuning models, and then generating insights to present to stakeholders. They often utilize AI to simplify their data processes.

    The average annual salary of a data scientist in the United States is $120,882.

  • Software engineer: A software engineer is a tech professional who designs software. Software engineers design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software and other software products.

    Their tasks include implementing technical designs, improving and maintaining existing code bases, reviewing code changes, writing new codes for applications, identifying issues with the software, and coordinating the installation of the software for clients. Many software engineers utilize Python.

    The average national salary of a software engineer is $93,809 per year.

  • Full stack developer: A full stack developer is a tech professional who takes care of building an application, including user interface design, logic design, code writing, and testing.

    Full stack developers work on both frontend and backend processes in the development, integration, and maintenance of automated, machine learning, and soft AI processes.

    Full stack developers often hold leadership roles in software engineering and development departments at tech companies. They design and create code for websites and applications.

    They also may interact with clients and work on databases, application programming interfaces (APIs), and servers. Full stack developers often know how to work with multiple coding languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

    The average annual salary of a full-stack developer in the United States is $106,043.

  • Data analyst: A data analyst scrutinizes numeric data and uses it to help companies make certain decisions. A data analyst focuses on pre-processing and data gathering. They represent data through reporting and other visual means.

    Data analysts are also responsible for statistical analysis, data interpretation, ensuring data acquisition and maintenance, and optimizing statistical quality and efficiency.

    The average salary of a data analyst in the United States is $75,694 per year.

  • Software developer: A software developer is someone who focuses on computer programs for desktops and mobile devices. Professionals in this role often use Python.

    A software developer is a tech industry professional in computer programming. They are tasked with the creation, management, and modification of software. Software developers must have keen attention to detail and be highly creative in writing and implementing code.

    The average salary of a software developer in the United States is $88,828 per year.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Being A Software Engineer?

The pros of being a software engineer include salary and demand within the industry, while the cons include education and training requirements and long work hours.

Here is a more detailed list of the pros and cons associated with being a software engineer:

What Is The Difference Between A Software Developer And A Software Engineer?

The difference between software developers and software engineers is that software engineers generally work on projects larger in scale and are able to handle the complete architecture of a project.

What Is The Software Engineer Hierarchy?

The software engineer hierarchy begins with an entry-level software engineer and rises through many levels, with the chief technology engineer being the highest.

Entry-level software engineers are typically straight out of college. They have little to no real-world experience. They are usually tasked with fixing bugs, testing code, and working on specific tasks.

What Is The Software Engineer Titles Hierarchy?

The software engineer titles hierarchy ranges from entry-level positions such as Junior Software Engineer or Software Developer to more senior positions such as Senior Software Engineer or Software Architect.

What Qualifications Do You Need To Be A Software Engineer?

The qualification you need to be a software engineer is a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. Additionally, most software engineers must be well-versed in several programming languages.

Data Engineer Vs. Software Engineer

A data engineer is an IT professional who conceptualizes and builds platforms that gather, manage, and analyze data, while a software engineer is an IT professional that creates software applications for computers and mobile devices.

Developer Vs. Software Engineer

A developer is a designer or project manager who is able to understand, write, and use code, while a software engineer applies engineering principles to create computer programs and data management systems.

Software Engineer Vs. Web Developer

A software engineer is a tech professional that focuses on designing software for desktops and mobile devices, while a web developer is a professional who designs and maintains websites and web applications.

Systems Engineer Vs. Software Engineer

A systems engineer is a professional who works on the overall management of engineering projects, while a software engineer is someone who designs and develops software applications and products.

Web Developer Vs. Software Engineer

A web developer is a professional that works on websites and web applications, while a software engineer is someone that focuses on designing computer programs for desktops and mobile devices.

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