How to become a software engineer

Design, develop and produce complex computer software systems.

Pathways to this career

  1. Complete a undergraduate degree in a related field such as computer sciences or software engineering.
  2. Boost hands-on experience and ensure your resume pops with internships and work experience in the field.
  3. Practice makes perfect, so explore your skills and expand your portfolio with side projects. 
  4. Join online communities (or start one) dedicated to software engineering and development.

What does a software engineer do?

Software engineers work on the entire computing system and lifecycle including back-end systems. They play an important role in DevOps practises by collaborating with designers and project managers, research, code reviews, testing and programming.

Tasks and duties

  • Provide advice, guidance and expertise in DevOps by creating strategies and proposals for purchases and upgrades.
  • Collaborate with  with designers, data scientists, and project managers to create user-focused applications.
  • Research, design and analyse system programs and clients' needs.
  • Write and maintain program code to ensure it meets system requirements and meets industry standards and best practice.
  • Write and develop computer programs in order to locate, retrieve, and store specific data, information, or documents. 
  • Test code and identify bugs to be fixed to ensure programs and applications perform to specification.
  • Leverage expertise to provide advice and guidance to implement new software and update existing software.
  • Write and maintain technical and end-user documentation and operational procedures.

Industry bodies

Related jobs

Software engineers typically have a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Common areas of study are Computer scienceInformation technologySoftware developmentInformation technology and Postgraduate IT.

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