CTE Career Catalog - Software Engineer

Software Engineer

Job Desription

A software engineer designs, develops, maintains, and tests software behind an application or website. These engineers use engineering principles and their knowledge of programming languages to build software for users. They can also write software for computer operating systems which they have to test and maintain on a certain basis.

Salary average: $190,000 - $300,000 a year (Incudes benefits and bonuses)

Occupational Outlook

There are about 153,900 job openings for people who want to pursue a career in software engineering.

Links to Learn More About This Career:

Educational Requirements:

Having a bachelor's degree is very important for becoming a successful software engineer. A software engineer could or should also have knowledge with programming, knowledge of scripting and object-oriented language as well as a curious nature and a knack for problem solving.

Stanford university

Address: 450 Jane Stanford Way

Website: Stanford University

Information on the Major: Research Software Engineer - Stanford University Careers

Carnegie mellon university

Address: 5000 Forbes Avenue

Website: https://www.cmu.edu/

Information on the Major: MS in Software Engineering - Electrical and Computer Engineering - College of Engineering - Carnegie Mellon University

University of MIchigan

Address: 1109 Geddes Ave

Website: University of Michigan

Information on the Major: CSE @ UMich

Soft Skills, Characteristics, and/or Abilities Need For This Career:

Is curious, self-motivated, empathetic and humble
Can work well under pressure
Has a strong sense of responsibility and ownership
Has some knowledge of programming and coding languages
Has good observation skills and pays attention to detail

Software Knowledge Needed For This Career:

Some examples of software or knowledge a software engineer should or could know before entering the field are operating systems, networking basics, cloud computing, data structure and algorithms, etc.

Pros and Cons to Choosing This Career

Pros (Positives to this Career)

Good work-life balance
Flexible career and side-job options
Options to work in-house or remote

Cons (Negatives to this Career)

Long hours working on a computer
Demanding projects
Work can be isolating

Typical Working Conditions For This Career:

Being able to work at a remote location or at home
Very little physical fitness or activity required
Very long work hours possible
Isolating

Career Researched By: Luke Wrede