Career Close Up: Software Engineer

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One of the top three jobs in IT in terms of the numbers employed, a software engineer designs, tests, implements and maintains software systems to meet client or employer needs.

There are two main types of software: systems software runs the operating systems of a computer; applications software runs the programs you use to create spreadsheets, drawings, and documents and to store and send them by e-mail.

Software engineers, also known as computer programmers or software developers, use a variety of computer programming languages and applications, and although most work in teams with other IT professionals, some do work alone.

Typical work activities

Typical work activities include:

  • working with computer coding languages; designing, writing and testing new software programs;
  • developing existing systems by analysing and identifying areas for modification;
  • maintaining systems by identifying and correcting software defects;
  • investigating new technologies;
  • creating technical specifications and test plans;
  • writing operational documentation with technical authors;
  • working closely with staff such as project managers, graphic artists, systems analysts, marketing and sales people;
  • consulting clients/colleagues concerning maintenance and performance of software systems;
  • implementing new software.

Now that most commercial and manufacturing functions have relied on IT systems for many years, the work actually done by most software engineers has moved away from designing and creating new systems from scratch.

A typical new system is now usually created by 'bolting together' existing software products, ie getting incompatible platforms to work together and creating code to link them together, rather than writing every line of code afresh for the whole system. This requires:

  • a knowledge of the available software packages and programming languages;
  • the ability to provide appropriate interfaces with which to integrate them.

Salary And Conditions

  • Range of typical starting salaries: £19,000 - £35,000, with the higher range relating to work in management consultancy (salary data collected May 04).
  • Range of typical salaries at senior level/with experience (eg, after 10 - 15 years in the role): £24,000 - £80,000 (salary data collected May 04).
  • The size of installation, location and the nature of the employer's business will affect salary levels. Computer manufacturers, software houses, as well as the finance centre of London, usually pay higher salaries.
  • Working hours are typically nine to five, but frequently involve extra hours. Substantial overtime, sometimes paid, is generally required in the weeks immediately prior to a major project going live.
  • Career breaks, part-time work and self-employment through contracting are possible once experience is gained.
  • The occupation is genuinely open to men and women equally, although currently men considerably outnumber women.
  • Jobs are available in most areas but the majority are in major population centres.
  • A high level of commitment is expected because of the high costs of projects and tight deadlines.
  • Stress increases with the approach of a deadline and the expectation will be for staff to put in the hours of work necessary to complete the project.
  • The work environment and dress code tend to be informal, depending on the amount of client contact.
  • The work is largely office-based, although travel to clients or extensive work on client sites may be required, particularly within consultancy work.
  • Travel within a working day, absence from home at night and overseas travel may be occasionally required.

Entry requirements

Although this area of work is open to all graduates, the following degree subjects may increase your chances:

All subjects with a high computing content may be useful. Some larger employers will offer training to non-IT graduates, but small firms will expect graduates to be already fully competent in this area. For games programming, maths and computing science will be the most useful, but in other contexts business and management is equally as well regarded.

Although some employers, particularly software houses, will only recruit graduates with relevant degrees, there are many opportunities for those without relevant degrees or diplomas. Most end-users, for example, do not specify particular subjects of study. An IT conversion course (MSc Computer Science) may be helpful for those without a computing degree.

You must be able to think logically, work methodically and pay attention to detail to produce unambiguous code. You also need to be creative in thinking and design in some contexts, business-minded in others and able to see the potential for IT in the organisations to which you apply. An interest in solving problems is required, as is considerable patience in order to see a program through to completion if it fails the first time.

Typical employers

Software engineers may work within IT firms or consultancies who specialise in providing IT solutions for their clients. They may also work for companies who employ software engineers to support in-house IT systems; very large companies will have requirements for IT systems to deal with, for example, payroll or stock control, as well as systems needed to support the main business or industry function of the company.

Some IT companies specialise in one area, such as web design and internet solutions, or entertainment and educational software, such as computer games or multimedia training/e-learning. Telecommunications and electronic engineering are sectors also employing many software engineers within specialist companies.

The range of sectors in which a software engineer may be employed is very broad, as software engineers are called upon to support IT systems across many end-user business areas. Some of the main areas that employ software engineers include:

  • manufacturing industries such as the automotive industry;
  • navigation and communications equipment designers and manufacturers (eg such as those used for air traffic control);
  • financial services, trade markets, global investment banks, security market specialists and the pensions sector;
  • business intelligence and market research;
  • energy and water supply companies, as well as energy extraction firms.

Career Development

As a software engineer, your immediate prospects will depend on the size and type of the organisation for which you work and, consequently, movement between employers is common.

Experienced software engineers may move into more senior roles as senior software engineers/lead software engineers overseeing teams of other software engineers. They may also move into project manager roles after gaining several years' experience, overseeing the completion of projects by multidisciplinary teams within a timeframe and to budget. You may want to specialise in different technical or business areas or, alternatively, move between employers to broaden your expertise.

Software engineers often move into IT consultancy roles once they are experienced, and usually, the more experience you have, the easier it will be to move into this kind of work. Consultancy work is generally better paid and gives you more flexibility to work on a variety of projects, but mobility is essential.

Both the British Computer Society (BCS) and the Institution of Analysts and Programmers (IAP) will be able to provide up-to-date information on career moves and areas of development.

Source: Adapted from Prospects.ac.uk - the UK's official graduate careers website. Graduate Prospects works in partnership with the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) to maximise the opportunities and support available to all students and graduates throughout their career search. For more details visit www.prospects.ac.uk and www.agcas.org.uk.