Software engineering is a field of engineering related to the applications of software development and it is described by IEEE as “the systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge, methods, and experience to the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of software”.
These engineers or programmers started to become essential when the programming languages were created, in 1950, mainly because someone needed to deal with all the scientific, algorithmic, and business problems.
Nowadays, there are a lot of more specific fields in this area, like software design, development, requirements, testing, and also maintenance. There are some different paths to be chosen like Applications Development, which involves solving problems with programming languages such as Java and C#; Systems Development, which consists in the design and coding background software with C and C++; Web Development, where you have to design software and applications with HTML, Javascript, and PHP; and last but not the least, Embedded Systems Development, where designing computing systems and software to work on non-computing devices like smartphones and tablets is the main idea. It’s quite interesting to know more about these areas and how they are divided through a diversity of specifications, all inside the software engineer world. But there are more questions to be answered and more information to learn, so let me give you a helpful hand:
What Does a Software Engineer Do?
The answer can be very difficult to understand and complex to explain, but I will try to simplify it as best I can. So, software engineers can develop operating systems, computer games, business applications, and network control systems. Something between a creative side and a scientific project which results in creating and releasing a new product. A software engineer will analyze the client’s needs, and then he will meet those needs by developing, creating, or designing the operating system by converting the client’s instructions into a computer language.
How to Become a Software Engineer
You can become a software engineer by completing a computer science’s degree in usually four years (if you chose the most common university route). This degree, for many years, has been the only path to achieve a career as a software engineer. However, recently, other degrees related to math and science have also enabled people to transition into software development. Another typical path is coding boot camps, which prepare someone to automatically apply their knowledge about code, in a much faster way. These boot camps are extremely popular because, in 30 weeks, they offer intense programs that will increase your specific programming skills and are almost as good as a degree!
The Need for Software Engineering
The need for this field of engineering appeared a few decades ago, as I mentioned earlier, but this rise is explained by the constant technological innovation present in the business world, as well as the basic requirements for achieving your audience and, ultimately, profit. Specific operating systems are needed in almost every business and for every function inside a company. It becomes even more important as time goes on and this ends up answering the goal question: “Are Software Engineering in Demand?” This job is extremely important because every corporation is entirely connected to some network to work towards the client’s needs, so a software engineer will prepare this network adjusting to the needs of the industry, easing the communication between the consumer and the seller or manager. Pretty amazing, right?
The Rise of This Career
The rise of technology systems increased the need to employ more and more people who could solve any problems related to coding and programming and create new operating systems, applications, and much more. Every business in the world needs an app or a website and every person needs them too. We can’t forget how the world of science and technology is constantly changing and people need to keep up with that!
What About The Future?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in this specific area is projected to grow 21% in ten years, much faster than the average for all jobs. So, right now, the demand is high and it will keep growing in the next decade since we are living in an era of the digital revolution. Our modern world runs of software and the search for people who can transform businesses and make them better through their services will stay high. The response to constant advancements and competition never settles down, so everyone must keep improving and learning about everything – in this case, the tools that programmers use must be the most suitable to achieve the best results.
Lastly, and to answer my first question, yes, the demand for this career is growing over the years and the main goal is having people with the best skills and better prepared for the job. Are you interested in this science field profession? Do you consider yourself good for this highly demanded job? At least, you can now understand how great this career can be for you and even how to become a software engineer! Hopefully, I’ve answered all of your doubts and was able to keep you updated! Grab your keyboard and go change the world! Thanks for reading.