What does a software specialist do?
Software Specialist designs and develops computer software and operating systems, establishing policies and protocols to ensure quality and data security. They function as a member of a company or an organization's information technology department. They also utilize their expertise by assessing and reviewing existing software, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against vulnerable areas. Most of the time, a software specialist directly communicates with clients to determine their software needs and preferences, regularly coordinating to ensure client satisfaction and smooth workflow.
Software specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real software specialist resumes:
- Develop Javascript code that integrates with Accela in order to automate business process.
- Manage and design UAT tests for new software release, delegate out tasks, and report results back to QA department.
- Analyze data sources and parameters for reports generate in PL/SQL and XML.
- Develop and support custom applications utilizing Perl, HTML, and SQL.
- Project lead in various projects involving java and/or web application development.
- Complete intensive in-house training in UNIX and specialize software programs.
- Develop a national backup scheme for NT and UNIX platforms.
- Work with Aspose for dynamic pdf generation in windows application.
- Resolve technical issues by debugging and support coding and testing functions.
- Involve in descriptive programming to validate different types of UI information.
- Integrate display layouts/UI's to add a provision of manually debugging the application.
- Analyze the Coredump by using Linux GDB and done bug fixing for entire application.
- Develop reports (Perl & PHP) drawing data from store and corporate databases.
- Fix various bugs in the UI relate to threading and out of memory conditions.
- Resolve issues to see if issue are relate to Novell and or SUSE Linux products.
Software specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Software Specialists are proficient in C++, C #, and Database. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Software Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- C++, 8%
Design and verification of ADA and C++ code for control and testing of aerospace turbines.
- C #, 8%
Win Interactive, courses in C # (Vinnitsa)
- Database, 7%
Developed customized business database applications.
- Software Development, 6%
Assigned multiple roles at customer locations including system management, disaster recovery, video direction and software development.
- Java, 5%
Used automated and regression tooling to conduct functional testing of java and web-based applications.
- Technical Support, 4%
Trained end users and provided technical support, maintaining configuration documentation.
"c++," "c #," and "database" are among the most common skills that software specialists use at work. You can find even more software specialist responsibilities below, including:
Detail oriented. One of the key soft skills for a software specialist to have is detail oriented. You can see how this relates to what software specialists do because "developers often work on many parts of an application or system at the same time and must therefore be able to concentrate and pay attention to detail." Additionally, a software specialist resume shows how software specialists use detail oriented: "conduct training for the entire center on object oriented programming and embedded architecture. "
Analytical skills. Another essential skill to perform software specialist duties is analytical skills. Software specialists responsibilities require that "developers must analyze users’ needs and then design software to meet those needs." Software specialists also use analytical skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "involved complex asynchronous design with posix threading, java threading, opengl texture loading and file / metadata management. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for software specialists to perform their duties. For an example of how software specialist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "developers must be able to give clear instructions to others working on a project." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a software specialist: "train employees on use of all company software; develop training materials; assist with the design of internal communications. ".
Creativity. A big part of what software specialists do relies on "creativity." You can see how essential it is to software specialist responsibilities because "developers are the creative minds behind new computer software." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical software specialist tasks: "manage all cms solutions including patch management, inventory solution, software management solution, and deployment solution. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in software specialist job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what software specialists do. Software specialist responsibilities rely on this skill because "because developers are in charge of software from beginning to end, they must be able to solve problems that arise throughout the design process." You can also see how software specialist duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "utilize sage accpac crm solution to integrate sales, marketing and customer support"
The three companies that hire the most software specialists are:
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Compare different software specialists
Software specialist vs. Associate software engineer
An associate software engineer is an individual who is responsible for improving existing software or designing new application software. Working under the supervision of a senior software engineer and together with a team of engineering professionals, associate software engineers must be able to code software and ensure that it can run with different types of technology. They must have the technical knowledge and expertise of commanding programming languages such as JAVA, HTML, and CSS. Associate software engineers are also required to assist the QA team in testing the software before it is released to the customers.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a software specialist are more likely to require skills like "c #," "database," "software development," and "software systems." On the other hand, a job as an associate software engineer requires skills like "python," "git," "scrum," and "taking care." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Associate software engineers tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $111,877. In contrast, software specialists make the biggest average salary, $93,737, in the telecommunication industry.The education levels that associate software engineers earn slightly differ from software specialists. In particular, associate software engineers are 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a software specialist. Additionally, they're 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Software specialist vs. Principal software engineer
A Principal Software Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of an organization's projects. They diagnose, document, and troubleshoot systems to resolve problems identified through testing, as well as implement strategies to improve integration and efficiency.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that software specialist responsibilities requires skills like "c #," "software systems," "troubleshoot," and "software applications." But a principal software engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "python," "aws," "git," and "scrum."
Principal software engineers earn a higher average salary than software specialists. But principal software engineers earn the highest pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $154,293. Additionally, software specialists earn the highest salaries in the telecommunication with average pay of $93,737 annually.In general, principal software engineers achieve higher levels of education than software specialists. They're 13.7% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for software specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Frank McCown Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
Software specialist vs. Staff software engineer
A Staff Software Engineer is responsible for developing, maintaining, and repairing company software for maximum efficiency and usability. They instruct and mentor their team members in software development techniques and cloud development.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from software specialist resumes include skills like "software systems," "troubleshoot," "software applications," and "software support," whereas a staff software engineer is more likely to list skills in "python," "architecture," "git," and "scrum. "
Staff software engineers earn the highest salary when working in the retail industry, where they receive an average salary of $160,201. Comparatively, software specialists have the highest earning potential in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $93,737.Most staff software engineers achieve a higher degree level compared to software specialists. For example, they're 15.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Software specialist vs. Information technology specialist
An Information Technology Specialist, also known as a Computer Professional or IT Specialist, is responsible for the computer support of an establishment or individual. Most of the duties require extensive and proactive knowledge of Information Technology, such as in the aspects of network and systems administration, security and information, hardware and software management, troubleshooting, and more. The tasks of an IT Specialist are diverse. It is not limited to installation or activation, as it also involves monitoring, management, and analyzation.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between software specialists and information technology specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a software specialist might have more use for skills like "c++," "c #," "software development," and "software systems." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of information technology specialists require skills like "customer service," "dod," "system software," and "switches. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for information technology specialists, with average annual pay of $84,905. Comparatively, the highest software specialist annual salary comes from the telecommunication industry.The average resume of information technology specialists showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to software specialists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.Types of software specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
