Software engineering is the systematic process of designing, developing, testing and deploying the programs that run all types of computing devices. Today’s technology driven society relies on computers for nearly all of its operations. When computers are used effectively, businesses gain operational efficiencies that lead to competitive advantages. Individuals and families are also able to coordinate and maintain busy schedules, stay connected with family and friends and access a number of entertainment options via their computers. Needless to say, the demand for technology products is projected to keep rising at a steady clip. Subsequently, software engineers who can design new programs or modify existing ones to meet new requirements often have many career opportunities available to them. Here are some of the steps that a person can take to provide software engineering support to numerous industries throughout the global market place.
Education and Training
Most software engineers begin their careers by obtaining undergraduate degrees in computer science or computer engineering. During these degree programs, aspiring technology professionals learn programming languages, database management methodologies, the fundamentals of computer system architecture and network security techniques and procedures. The courses that they can expect to take are also heavily math centric and include topics like multivariate calculus, applied statistics and differential equations. People who do not have degrees in computer science or computer engineering can sometimes gain access to software engineering jobs if they have the specific skills that are required for certain job positions. For example, there are people who work as software engineers and have undergraduate degrees in varied disciplines like philosophy, business administration, English and physics. These people usually have trained themselves in software engineering by taking self study, on the job training or formal, non-credit software development course work over a number of years. Examples of free software engineering course topics that are offered online by leading universities are computer system engineering, algorithm design and acceptance testing in Eclipse that are administered by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and North Carolina State University respectively, according to Study.com.
Professional Development and Certifications
Because changes in technology happen relatively quickly, all software engineers must continually educate themselves to keep their skills sharp and relevant. Subsequently, most of them seek out professional development courses that allow them to learn about new technologies that can enhance their proven foundational knowledge of software engineering. Software engineers also take courses that culminate in certifications so that they can prove to colleagues, employers and hiring managers that they have the updated skills that are required for certain software projects. Acquiring and maintaining professional certifications are especially important for software engineers who do not possess computer engineering or computer science degrees. These individuals must provide ways of verifying their technical qualifications to employers.
Salary and Job Growth Information for Software Engineering
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), software engineers earned median average salaries of $97,990 in 2014. This same BLS report noted that software engineering jobs were expected to grow through 2024 at rates that were much faster than the average for all jobs surveyed. These technology professionals often work for software development firms or as software engineering consultants to private companies or public agencies.
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Conclusion
Software engineers often possess critical thinking, logic, quantitative analysis and problem solving skills that make them valuable in all types of jobs and not just those that involve software development. While these engineers enjoy a certain amount of career flexibility, they are likely not to find a shortage of positions that are directly related to software engineering in industries like financial services, aerospace, telecommunications and healthcare.
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