Software Engineer Job Description

What is a Software Engineer?

Software engineers are the creative minds behind the software applications we use daily. As computer science professionals, software engineers bring knowledge of programming languages and engineering principles. They develop web applications, mobile apps, video games, robots, operating systems, and network systems. Software engineers can work on various projects, and the roles and responsibilities can vary depending on where you land in the field. 

There’s a common belief that a software engineer’s typical day includes spending eight hours coding alone in an office or remotely. In reality, this is a highly collaborative field, and software engineers will work alongside teams of other engineers, software developers, data engineers, quality assurance, and other professionals to ensure a successful program. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, software engineering jobs will grow by 22% over the next decade, which is faster than average for most occupations. If you enjoy coding and have a knack for problem-solving, you should consider pursuing a career as a software engineer. Learn more about what the typical software engineer job might entail. 

What does a Software Engineer do?

Software Engineers typically spend their days maintaining, troubleshooting, and updating existing systems and developing, constructing, and testing new technologies to solve complex problems. They do this by using a variety of programming languages and applying engineering principles to software development. 

These professionals find ways to make dreams and ideas a reality — but they don’t do this alone. While there can be independent projects, many will require collaboration within and across teams. Software engineers are involved in every stage of the development process and work closely with other engineers, developers, designers, scientists, and non-technical staff to develop systems and software. 

The software engineering field is broad, and there are a variety of specializations that an engineer can focus on. The most common types of software engineers include: 

• Front End Engineers: These engineers focus on the “front-end” of websites, which is the area users experience. Front end engineers focus on making sites functional, user-friendly, fast, and pleasing to the eye. 
• Back End Engineers: Back end engineers focus on the server side of the website, which keeps the site running. They spend their days writing the server scripts and application programming interfaces (APIs) that front-end engineers and UX designers use. 
• Full-Stack Engineers: Full-stack engineers can manage both the front-end (user-side) and back-end (server-side) of websites. 
• Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer: QA engineers assess and resolve product issues before they are released to users. 
• DevOps Engineer: DevOps engineers oversee code releases and deployments in collaboration with developers and IT staff.
• Security Engineer: Security engineers test, implement and maintain data and technology security systems for companies.

Job Requirements

The field is broad, and the job requirements for a software engineer will vary depending on the specialization, sector, and company. Generally, you will find that most Software Engineers roles will have the following job requirements: 

• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, or a closely related field of study, or any combination of relevant experience, education, and training 
• Experience in developing scalable, low-latency, distributed data processing systems
• Experience with cloud computing (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, etc.) 
• Hands-on experience with the relevant programming languages used by the company (Java, Scala, Node.js, Python, C++, Go, etc. )
• Experience with Scrum/Agile methodologies
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Readiness to learn new technologies.
• Excellent troubleshooting and debugging skills
• Ability to work independently and across teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication

Job Responsibilities

While responsibilities may vary across organizations, most software engineers will, at the minimum, handle the following responsibilities: 

• Develop innovative solutions to meet company/client(s) needs 
• Work with cross-functional teams to develop and execute projects and develop technical solutions
• Monitor system performance, perform needed maintenance, and identify opportunities for improved efficiency of existing software and systems. 
• Oversee the entire software development lifecycle, including design, development, testing, deployment, debugging, and documentation
• Identify, assess, and implement new technologies 
• Write clean, testable, and reusable code

Skills

If you are interested in being a Software Engineer, it will be essential to be competent in the following technical and soft skills:

Technical Skills

• Experience in multiple programming languages, such as JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Python, C++, Ruby, and SQL
• Software testing and debugging 
• Cloud computing skills 
• Object-oriented design 
• Agile project management 

Soft Skills 

• Team player 
• Detail-oriented 
• Lifelong learner 
• Multitasking 
• Written and verbal communication skills