Software Engineer

Software engineers are primarily editors for programs and application. Their job is to lead teams of programmers in the creation of programs, followed by editing them for mistakes and clarity. They usually are given their code in clumps instead of gradually as the programmers write it. Towards the end of a large project it is not uncommon for software engineers to be rushed in finishing their work and they will often end up finding out their project were cancelled anyway. Statistics show that ½ of all projects will be discontinued before they are completed, ¼ of all projects are finished late and a ¼ of all projects are finished as they were intended to be completed. As well Software engineers who work with system application tend to make more money than those who work with software applications. A Software engineer who works with system applications is more likely to work on development of an operating systems and running maintenance on existing systems such as computers at hospitals.  While a Software engineer who works on software applications is likely to be building stuff like Microsoft Office and video games. This is considered an easier side to the development so they are generally paid less.

As you can probably guess software engineers mainly work with a computer. However to be more specific they work with key programming languages such as Java, C, and Visual Basic. These languages can be base on a GUI or just straight forward coding. Software engineers can usually work at home only having to go to work occasionally, however to do this they would be required to transfer all data to a home computer and to have a decent enough computer to handle whatever program is being developed. Junior level engineers will generally only have communication with their senior and few programmers meanwhile a senior level engineer may have communication with a few junior level engineers, a dozen or so programmers and their division’s manager.

Software engineers would need to be able to work long hours and be able to keep other on task. Being able to manage stress would also be a helpful attribute since senior level engineers are often responsible for the completion of a project. A common trait look for in software engineers is also leadership and a light personality. They need be able to keep people working their hardest while not burning them out. To take an example from my business teacher you also need to be able to view the weak points of your team and be able to weed them out. It also helps if you are good at understanding others instructions well and interpreting since you are given the objective and not always the means to do it.

For low levels of software engineering you would require a graduate degree in software or computer engineering from a university. This degree would allow you to become a junior or senior level engineer, however most software engineers also will get a bachelors degree in business for those who plan to go far require a master’s degree. This is because after senior level engineering you work less and less with code and more with making sure everything is on schedule and with the business plan. For the junior level Software engineer all you require is the bachelor degree. For the senior level Software Engineering you will require your degree as well as at least 3 years of job experience. To become a manager of a software department it will usually require a business degree of some kind and at least 5 years of work experience. The highest you can go as a software engineer is a CEO or President. At these levels you will usually be doing little or know coding and spend most of your time reviewing the business plan and other decisions for the company.

High school courses for this course are some of the toughest out there. You will need University level Science, Calculus and Vectors, Advance Functions and English and preferable the programming tech class (ICS3M). As well in order to get into some of the more advance computer classes and to beat competition it is also recommended that you take both Chemistry as well as physics. Other thing on top of these courses that could help you get ready for programming is trying to teach yourself additional programming languages. At our school we are basically only taught Visual Basic which is by far not that important as far as programming languages go. I have personally started to teach myself C++ so that I will have less to learn in the field of programming. As for job shadowing it can be handy to talk to someone already in the field but you really require getting your own experience.

When you first enter this career as a junior level engineer you can expect to be making anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 a year, compared to other jobs this is quite a good salary.  When you reach the senior software engineer level you can expect to make $60,000 to $80,000 dollars year. This is where most will cap off at however after this your become the manager of a department, at this level you can expect to earn around $75,000 to $100,000 a year. Now for those who are exceptionally skilled and lucky you can become the CEO of a company and earn around $80,000 to $150,000 a year.