How To Become A Software Engineer Lead: What It Is and Career Path

What is a software engineer lead and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Frank McCown Ph.D.,

Kevin Treu Ph.D.

Software engineers are why you're able to read these words on your computer or phone. They design software and applications, often from the ground up. Software engineers have an in-depth knowledge of various programming languages and computer operating systems. They create apps and software for clients based on their specific demands.

Depending on the client's needs, engineers may develop games, mobile apps, business applications, or network control systems. These professionals often have to work in teams because of the amount of work needed to get software off the ground. Soft skills required by software engineers include communication and teamwork.

The industry of software engineering is expanding, thanks to technology's versatility. Thus, there are more educational opportunities to become an engineer, but there are also greater demands. Software engineers usually begin their career in high school and solidify their knowledge through college, while also acquiring relevant experiences.

What general advice would you give to a Software Engineer Lead?

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 Engineer LeadUS Average

Salary

8.3

Avg. Salary $125,565

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 29.85%

Black or African American 4.53%

Hispanic or Latino 8.28%

Unknown 4.83%

White 52.34%

Gender

female 13.31%

male 86.69%

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

Newest jobs for Software Engineer Lead in Ashburn, VA

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Key steps to become a software engineer lead

Explore software engineer lead education requirements

Most common software engineer lead degrees

Bachelor's

69.3 %

Master's

22.8 %

Associate

4.2 %

Start to develop specific software engineer lead skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	15.05%
Python	5.39%
Software Development	5.22%
AWS	4.50%
Spring Boot	4.22%

Complete relevant software engineer lead training and internships

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

Research software engineer lead duties and responsibilities

Lead project for setting up DR for Bitbucket and clustering for improve performance.
Manage development and production server environments in Linux.
Manage entire QA process from requirements documentation to final release testing.
Manage technical investigations of software and database problems; coordinating between users and developers, and developing fixes or recommending workarounds.

Get software engineer lead experience

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

Prepare your software engineer lead resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your software engineer lead 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 software engineer lead resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Software Engineer Lead Resume templates

Build a professional Software Engineer Lead 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 Software Engineer Lead resume.

Apply for software engineer lead jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a software engineer lead 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

How do software engineers lead rate their job?

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Software Engineer Lead 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 engineer lead and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Software Engineer Lead?

Newest jobs for Software Engineer Lead in Ashburn, VA

Software Engineer Lead career paths

Key steps to become a software engineer lead

Explore software engineer lead education requirements

Most common software engineer lead degrees

Start to develop specific software engineer lead skills

Complete relevant software engineer lead training and internships

Research software engineer lead duties and responsibilities

Get software engineer lead experience

Prepare your software engineer lead resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Software Engineer Lead Resume templates

Apply for software engineer lead jobs

How Did You Land Your First Software Engineer Lead Job

Average software engineer lead salary

How do software engineers lead rate their job?

Software Engineer Lead reviews

Software Engineer Lead jobs by state