Software Engineer Job Description

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the United States Department of Labor, employment of software developers is projected to grow 24 percent from 2016 to 2026. This is much faster than the average for all occupations, and it is because of the prominent increase in the demand for computer software.

Students pursuing a degree in computer science learn software development as a part of their curriculum. But people from any other profession can easily move into software development by taking courses like Java, C++, Linux, Oracle, Visual Basic programming, etc.

Each position may expect different qualifications and experience, depending upon the nature of the work. Engineers who design software are also known as computer programmers. The field has generated the highest-paying jobs since the 1990s.

The IEEE Computer Society's Software Engineering Body of Knowledge defines software engineering as "the application of a systematic, disciplined, and quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; i.e., the application of engineering to software."

The nature of work and the technical skills vary according to the requirements of the job. This description is just a guideline to indicate the general nature and level of work. The actual duties, responsibilities, and qualifications may vary based on the assignment. Onsite training of software products may be provided by the company.

✔ Maintain the running systems
✔ Modify existing software to make it adapt to new hardware for performance improvement
✔ Analyze information, determine, recommend, and plan the installation of a new system, or modification of an existing system
✔ Develop software system testing and validation procedures

✔ Plan software programming and development of documentation
✔ Work efficiently with analysts, designers, and the staff
✔ Consult with customers and other departments on project status, proposals, and technical issues
✔ Advise customers about the performance and maintenance of software systems

✔ Coordinate installation of the software system
✔ Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements
✔ Assist in testing new releases and troubleshooting complex problems
✔ Implement and modify software as per the needs

✔ Write, revise, and verify quality standards and test procedures for the designed program, find software bugs, and evaluate the product to attain the desired quality
✔ Check whether everything is functioning according to user requirements or not
✔ Prepare training manuals for users
✔ Ease of maintainability

✔ The candidate needs a 4-year degree in computer science or an equivalent degree.
✔ A management degree or specialization in a particular subject would be an added advantage.

✔ Various technical skills like understanding of Networking and SQL database are required, depending upon the nature of the job.
✔ For senior positions, he/she should have 5 years of software development or testing experience.

✔ The applicant should possess technical skills like programming in C++ or C#, server operating systems experience, IIS, Apache, or TCP/IP networking, multithreaded programming, testing multi-tiered client/server systems, debugging assembly language programs like Winsock, SOAP, and AJAX, a background in engineering statistics or storage systems, etc.

A person with less years of experience may join as a junior engineer. He/she should have strong analytical skills. He should be able to work in groups, and should pay careful attention to minute details. Understanding the difficulties that the fellow team members have to face would help him/her become a good project manager.

The job description of a senior engineer may involve more years of experience, more technical skills along with other abilities like being self-motivated, well-spoken, having a positive attitude, excellent communication skills, etc.

✔ The median expected annual salary for a junior software engineer in the United States is USD 92,835.
✔ A senior engineer would get around USD 71,000 to USD 140,000.

Salary may vary according to the location and size of the company, qualification, experience of the candidate, and quality of work. Software engineers can work from home, depending upon the nature of work. The job may involve traveling overseas. The young generation is attracted towards this field because of good salaries and the associated job satisfaction.