Software Engineer: Responsibilities, Roles, Salary

Every single day we are surrounded by technology. We use apps on our phones, visit websites, use different tools and software. All these things are the product of Software Engineer work. No wonder that so many people nowadays are looking for a way to enter this highly demanded profession. And if you are reading this article, you must be interested in a career as a Software Engineer too, right?

In this article, we are going to overview software engineering and all the aspects of the profession. Hopefully, reading it will help you understand if this career path suits you.

General Information about Software Engineering

Software engineering is a branch of computer science that applies engineering concepts for software development. Its main goal is to create, maintain, and improve software.

You will probably ask how software engineering is different from software development? Well, this is not an easy question to answer because many companies do have these roles, and their responsibilities quite interchangeable. However, by definition, software engineers and developers are not the same.

The main difference between them is that software developers know how to code and may have technical skills to create meaningful software. While software engineers see the product as a system and often work with stakeholders to create a digital product that requires all their needs.

What Does a Software Engineer Do?

The main responsibility of a software engineer is to research, find smart solutions and develop a new software. This also includes evaluating existing issues with the user experience of a product and finding the best solutions for them.

Besides the listed responsibilities above, Software Engineer plays an important role in the following processes:

• working with users to determine their software needs;
• designing, developing, and testing a system or application according to the users’ specifications;
• optimization of packets capture and processing/monitoring;
• benchmark measurements;
• bottlenecks detection and resolution;
• documenting the system or application in detail for future maintenance;
• recommending software upgrades for existing systems or applications;
• collaborating with developers and other engineers to create software.

Levels of Software Engineers: Junior, Middle, and Senior specialists

Junior SE — writes code, fixes bugs, and generally works under the guidance of a senior programmer.

Middle SE — works with no supervision, performs complex tasks, but may ask for help from a Senior specialist if needed.

Senior SE (3+ years of experience) — an expert and an informal leader of the team. This person has a decision-making role concerning every aspect of the software engineering process: architecture solutions, development technology, etc. Senior software engineers usually dedicate most of their time to monitoring teamwork, helping Middle and Junior colleagues, and communicating with other departments, and coding takes only about 20% of their time.

How to Become a Software Engineer?

Software engineering has widened the skillset for newcomers. To become a Software Engineer, you need to have basic knowledge in programming science, syntax, to-do lists, etc. Besides, your level of English should be not lower than Intermediate or Upper-Intermediate (B1-B2).

And what about higher education? Well, as software engineering is in great demand nowadays, a technical background (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Development, Mathematics) is obligatory. You can also attend bootcamps that offer various training curricula, both in-person and online, for a fraction of the average price. Once your bootcamp is complete, you’ll need to build up your portfolio and touch up your software engineer CV.

We’ve analyzed the requirements of IT-companies to round out the most common software engineer responsibilities. The list includes the following:

• people leadership experience with a strong desire to lead;
• knowledge of SCRUM, Agile, Lean, DevOps;
• demonstrable experience in designing software solutions leveraging open source and open standards;
• knowledge of modern languages, design principles, design patterns, and testing;
• experience in driving collaboration across teams;
• strong skills in critical thinking, decision making, problem-solving, and attention to detail;
• experience in writing technical documentation;
• conduct code reviews;
• suggest effective architecture solutions to overcome the milestones;
• conduct onboarding.

Be ready that you’ll be a little bit introverted in the first years of your work as a Software Engineer. It happens because you spend a lot of time learning how to code, minimizing communication. The level of communication increases along with the career path.

How Much do Software Engineers Earn?

A Software Engineer’s salary depends on many factors: from the specifics of their work to the region they work in.

Factor 1 is the digital product a software engineer develops. It could be an application or a system. Usually, Software engineers who develop systems are paid more because this work is more complex.

Factor 2 is the company’s location. The regions with the highest salaries are the US, Western Europe, Australia, Canada, and Israel. A software engineer’s annual income in these regions varies from $40k to $110k, and even more.

As you understand, the lower a country’s standard of living is, the less software engineers earn there.

Factor 3 is the level of engagement in the product development process. Software engineering could be a full-time or part-time job.

Anyway, software engineers are one of the most well-paid specialists in the digital market, and no matter what region you live in, your salary will most likely be several times higher than the average in your country.

Every Industry Needs Software Engineer

The world is undoubtedly on its way to full digitalization, and this tendency is unlikely to change in the nearest future. That’s why there is hardly an industry that doesn’t need software engineering involved: from government institutions to nonprofit organizations and small businesses. So a skillful software engineer will have no problems with finding a job.

If you are looking for professional Software Engineers for consultation and a dedicated development team to join, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll provide you with the explicit information about the world of software engineering.