6 answers
Tylar
Student
Sumter, South Carolina
8
Questions
6 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1365
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Tylar if your trying to determine if becoming a software engineer is right for you, it may be helpful to know that most employers require software engineers to have at least a bachelor's degree in software, math, or science, as well as broad experience with computer systems and applications.
HOW TO KNOW IF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING IS RIGHT CAREER FOR YOU
• DO YOU HAVE A DEDICATION OF LEARNING – There are always new software languages to master and always new techniques to learn. If you aren’t committed to learning, your skills will become antiquated within a few years.
• ARE YOU ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE – That’s really what software engineering is all about – constant tinkering. Most software solutions are released in a constant state of beta, where software engineers take user feedback and their own intuition to continually improve it.
• DO YOU HAVE A SHARP EYE FOR DETAIL – This doesn’t just apply when actually writing the code. The best programmers feverishly Q-and-A their own code to ensure it’s perfect. If you have that eye for detail and are willing to thoroughly test and revise your work, you have a key quality necessary for becoming a software engineer.
EDUCATIONAL & SKILL REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A SOFTWARE ENGINEER
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS – Since a software engineer's (or software developer's) entry-level education typically involves a bachelor's degree, the next step is to complete your degree program. Those who work with applications typically graduate with a computer software engineer degree or another related degree in computer science or mathematics. Courses in a computer science undergraduate program may include computer fundamentals, data structures, principles of programming languages, software engineering, and computer architecture.
REQUIRED SKILLS – Strong analytical skills and the ability to pay careful attention to detail are key to a successful career in software engineering. Also useful is the capacity to work well in groups and a willingness to understand the various roles played by fellow team members. Software engineers tend to specialize in a few areas of development, such as networks, operating systems, databases, or applications, and each area requires fluency in its own set of computer languages and development environments. A small percentage of software engineers work alone, but most collaborate with other specialists in development groups all working together to create complex projects.
ALTERNATIVE CAREERS
COMPUTER PROGRAMER – For those interested in working with software developers and writing code for applications and systems, becoming a computer programmer could be a good career move. Utilizing computer languages such as Java and C++, programmers construct working software products, run performance tests, and find ways to eliminate bugs in the programs. Many computer programmers positions requires a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. However, some employers may hire someone with significant programming knowledge and an associate degree in computer studies.
WEB DEVELOPER – If creating interactive and dynamic websites sounds like an intriguing career, consider becoming a web developer. Web development describes many jobs that include webmaster, web designer, and web architect. Depending on the position, duties could include programming the structure of sites using HTML and JavaScript, choosing visual components and layout, fixing errors, adding applications and video, observing website traffic, and setting up site access for modification purposes. Many web development positions may only require an associate's degree in web design or a similar field, but employers filling more complex web architecture jobs could require a bachelor's degree in programming or computer science.
Computers touch nearly every part of life. For that, you can thank software engineers. They’re the ones responsible for developing, designing, testing, writing, modifying, and debugging software based off specific requirements. Although there are plenty of full-time software engineering jobs out there, it can also be a flexible position, with contracting and freelancing opportunities commonly available.
Hope this was Helpful Tylar
HOW TO KNOW IF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING IS RIGHT CAREER FOR YOU
• DO YOU HAVE A DEDICATION OF LEARNING – There are always new software languages to master and always new techniques to learn. If you aren’t committed to learning, your skills will become antiquated within a few years.
• ARE YOU ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE – That’s really what software engineering is all about – constant tinkering. Most software solutions are released in a constant state of beta, where software engineers take user feedback and their own intuition to continually improve it.
• DO YOU HAVE A SHARP EYE FOR DETAIL – This doesn’t just apply when actually writing the code. The best programmers feverishly Q-and-A their own code to ensure it’s perfect. If you have that eye for detail and are willing to thoroughly test and revise your work, you have a key quality necessary for becoming a software engineer.
EDUCATIONAL & SKILL REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A SOFTWARE ENGINEER
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS – Since a software engineer's (or software developer's) entry-level education typically involves a bachelor's degree, the next step is to complete your degree program. Those who work with applications typically graduate with a computer software engineer degree or another related degree in computer science or mathematics. Courses in a computer science undergraduate program may include computer fundamentals, data structures, principles of programming languages, software engineering, and computer architecture.
REQUIRED SKILLS – Strong analytical skills and the ability to pay careful attention to detail are key to a successful career in software engineering. Also useful is the capacity to work well in groups and a willingness to understand the various roles played by fellow team members. Software engineers tend to specialize in a few areas of development, such as networks, operating systems, databases, or applications, and each area requires fluency in its own set of computer languages and development environments. A small percentage of software engineers work alone, but most collaborate with other specialists in development groups all working together to create complex projects.
ALTERNATIVE CAREERS
COMPUTER PROGRAMER – For those interested in working with software developers and writing code for applications and systems, becoming a computer programmer could be a good career move. Utilizing computer languages such as Java and C++, programmers construct working software products, run performance tests, and find ways to eliminate bugs in the programs. Many computer programmers positions requires a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. However, some employers may hire someone with significant programming knowledge and an associate degree in computer studies.
WEB DEVELOPER – If creating interactive and dynamic websites sounds like an intriguing career, consider becoming a web developer. Web development describes many jobs that include webmaster, web designer, and web architect. Depending on the position, duties could include programming the structure of sites using HTML and JavaScript, choosing visual components and layout, fixing errors, adding applications and video, observing website traffic, and setting up site access for modification purposes. Many web development positions may only require an associate's degree in web design or a similar field, but employers filling more complex web architecture jobs could require a bachelor's degree in programming or computer science.
Computers touch nearly every part of life. For that, you can thank software engineers. They’re the ones responsible for developing, designing, testing, writing, modifying, and debugging software based off specific requirements. Although there are plenty of full-time software engineering jobs out there, it can also be a flexible position, with contracting and freelancing opportunities commonly available.
Hope this was Helpful Tylar
That was a great answer, I'm surprised at how much knowledge you have about careers! Thank you for your active efforts to help students like me!
Aun
Your Welcome Aun, It was my Pleasure. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Doc Frick
Thank You Stephanie. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Doc Frick
Jaishree B
Engineering
2
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Jaishree’s Answer
I think it depends on what you actually enjoy . If your strength is in solving math problems, coding in any programming language and have very good logic to solve issues, software engineering is very easy. Also, if you enjoy solving common day problems using technology , every day is going to be interesting. So, ask yourself what is of interest to you and then decide . My interest was coding and so when I started my job, I found what i learnt in college came to life. And I could relate to many things I learnt and the job was very easy. Also, one need to be very open to learning new things and un-learn old ways.
Zhijian Huang
Software Engineer
3
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Zhijian’s Answer
Short answer: if you are very good in logical thinking, software engineering is easy for you.
Julius Finney
Software Engineer
4
Answers
Reston, Virginia
Updated
Julius’s Answer
Short Answer:
No, its relatively easy to be a bad software engineer or at anything if your great at interviews but you will find you may not last long. To be a good software engineer you must strive to learn not just the technical requirements but the social skills needed to work in a team.
No, its relatively easy to be a bad software engineer or at anything if your great at interviews but you will find you may not last long. To be a good software engineer you must strive to learn not just the technical requirements but the social skills needed to work in a team.
Riley Carr
Business Analyst
179
Answers
Hollywood, Florida
Updated
Riley’s Answer
I think this question could have a lot of different answers. To be hired as a software engineer, you will first need to complete a bachelor's degree in software engineering. This major will require a lot of math courses as well as coding courses. If you are not strong in math, you will most likely struggle with these courses, but you could always find a tutor if this is your concern. I started college with this major and I did end up switching to Computer Information Systems, which will get you a similar job but the major requires slightly more business courses and less math which was a better path for me. However, if you enjoy math and do well in the classes then it will not be too hard for you to learn the skills.
Vineeth Abraham
Consultant, Program / Project manager
21
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Vineeth’s Answer
Software Engineering is not a hard if you really like it. You need to identify your core area of what you like to contribute and then keep focusing on that. It will really help to see things right if you enjoy what you really do. Learn some part of software engineering and check if you really like to do.
If you are not so passionate about Coding you may feel really tough and same with other areas. Being said all these Software engineering is getting tougher day by day with lots of advanced technologies happening in very short time. Change is there in the industry every quarter. So you need to quickly adapt to changes.
If you are not so passionate about Coding you may feel really tough and same with other areas. Being said all these Software engineering is getting tougher day by day with lots of advanced technologies happening in very short time. Change is there in the industry every quarter. So you need to quickly adapt to changes.