There are many advantages of being a software engineer such as the salary, having a secure professional future and the advantage of being able to pursue a career in many parts of the world. Software engineering is one of the most versatile jobs in the tech industry. But in many cases, it’s unclear exactly which career path to choose. So, if you want to get a clearer picture of this profession, the career opportunities it offers and know the best software engineer jobs, this is the article for you.
Make the right choice
What are the best software engineer jobs available?
There are several titles in the field of software engineering jobs.
The path you choose as a career will be conditioned by your personal and professional interests.
Here is a list of the current most in-demand software engineering jobs worldwide and a description of them to help you get a good understanding of each role:
- Blockchain engineer jobs: Blockchain engineers specialize in creating and implementing digital solutions for organizations by utilizing a unique type of technology. They perform the operations, designing, developing, analyzing, implementing, and supporting a distributed blockchain network. This page explains in simple words what is Blockchain.
- Cyber security specialists: Like the other types of engineers, they have to build, but in this case, they specialize in security systems. They implement and monitor security controls to protect an organization’s data from cyber-attacks, loss, or unauthorized access.
- Mobile application developer jobs: The technology behind every mobile phone was developed by a mobile application developer. A mobile app developer is a software engineer who works primarily with mobile devices, creating, programming, testing, and maintaining apps and mobile platforms across devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops.
- Machine Learning and artificial intelligence engineer jobs: Machine Learning engineers design algorithms that find natural patterns in data, and help make better decisions and predictions for organizations. An AI engineer builds AI models using machine learning algorithms and deep learning neural networks to draw business insights.
- Front-end and back-end engineer jobs: A front-end engineer focuses on building the user interface for a website or application. They’re responsible for the look and feel of a website and handle anything a user can interact with. While back-end engineers work on the server-side of web applications.
You need to set priorities
Other things to consider to finding software engineer jobs is answering questions such as what type of industry you want to be in, because these types of jobs are found in all types of industries.
This will define what projects you will be in. When it comes to job growth for software engineers, it includes manufacturing, healthcare, medical insurance, business, IT services, retail, research and development, government, defence and security.
You also need to decide what kind of company you would like to be in. For example, a startup or in a large company.
If it is the first option, you may have the opportunity to learn more as you may be more involved in the projects.
Whereas in a large company you might have to work harder to make an impact, but the job will be more secure and defined.
The most important thing is to know what your role will be and if it suits your preferences.
And for that, you need to know yourself, what you are willing to endure and what working conditions you want to have.
Learn, learn and learn & sharpen your skills
Now that you know what kind of role you want to have as a software engineer, we recommend you review the jobs in this specific field and see what skills are needed for these specific positions.
This will give you a better chance of finding a job that suits your preferences. There are plenty of ways to educate yourself, either independently, self-taught or at an educational institution.
A degree in software engineering or computer science is the traditional approach taken by many students.
Also, software engineering bootcamps are becoming increasingly popular.
Unlike a static degree course, the bootcamps are more accurate on the skills employers are looking for, to help students fast-track their way into a well-paid position.
Additionally, taking online courses and self-learning offers significant flexibility and affordability that no other mode of learning currently offers.
Free courses are available online in the form of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
Differences between structured studies, Bootcamps and online courses
| Online courses and self-learning | Bootcamp | BS in software engineer | |
| Length | Diverse | 1 week to 6 months | Four years |
| Cost | Free to $2000 | The median cost is $11,900 in 2019, according to an RTI Press research report. | The median cost is $37,000 – $91,000 in total tuition |
| Main advantages | Low cost, fast-paced and adapted to growing market demands. | Technical specificity: A coding Bootcamp tends to focus on specific techniques, skills, and coding languages that will be relevant to job searchers. Provide practical skills fast. | Well-rounded students ready to succeed in whatever technology-related career they choose. You can gain experience through internships. |
If you want more references, here are some interesting bootcamps:
- App Academy Offers 16-week and 24-week coding boot camps in software engineering. Students complete the 24-week option entirely online.
- DevMountain. It offers two boot camps related to software engineering. Java -Software Engineering coding Bootcamp trains students to use Java for software engineering. And Python Software Engineering teaches students about software engineering fundamentals and Students to build Python projects.
- Flatiron School Review. It offers software engineering programs that help students become proficient in full-stack web development, including instruction in web frameworks, and JavaScript.
And some online courses too:
Coursera offers entire degrees, like the University of London’s Bachelor of Computer Science, which you can do part-time and complete in 3-6 years. Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals, Google IT Automation with Python and Object Oriented Java Programming: Data Structures and Beyond Specialization are other excellent courses you can take.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
It is very important to know your skills and know what skills you need to work on.
In the case of software engineer jobs, you need to have very strong technical skills as well as soft skills.
Here are the most important ones:
Hard skills for software engineer jobs
In general, the most important is the computer systems skills you should have as your career is linked to programming and web development. Many people naturally have computer skills and others find it a bit more difficult. In general, these are the most important:
- Front-end and back-end coding knowledge
- Understanding of agile development methodology
- How to test and debug your own code
- How to write clean code with clear comments
Soft skills for software engineer jobs
The Soft skills of software engineers are essential as they must constantly be able to listen and communicate with customers or product managers to better understand the software they are building.
But, in general terms, here is a list of the most necessary skills needed to be a software engineer:
- An ability to communicate technical information in a way that is understood by non-technical profiles
- Time management and understanding of agile methodologies, as of stress management since you’ll be working deadline-based.
- Team collaboration and orientation to problem-solving are a must!
Search for opportunities: Where to find the best software engineer jobs?
Sites to find software engineer jobs
The traditional way to find a job for a software engineer is to look on job websites.
The most used at the moment are: LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, JustTechJobs, TopTechJobs and Trovit.
Use Google to your advantage. Make sure the profiles on all of these job websites are consistent and honest with your skills because the image you show and what companies see, must be attractive.
Employers typically look for humbleness and professionalism, and your social media presence is your opportunity to represent yourself.
Network
Expand your network by reaching out to your friends, family, co-workers at the university or classes through LinkedIn.
Building a network of industry professionals can give you the opportunities to share your resume, publicize your portfolio and receive recommendations.
Be creative on LinkedIn
Use LinkedIn to find recruiters and hiring managers working on roles that are interesting to you.
They will appreciate the initiative and you will create a much more targeted software engineering job search.
Also, use hashtags or fill in your job history with the keywords that will help recruiters find you and understand your skills.
Job Fairs
Take advantage of various career fairs and networking events related to software engineer jobs.
These job fairs are usually organised by educational institutions, so keep an eye on the websites of these institutions. If you graduated from an institution, keep these job fairs on your radar. Also, be part of the job banks that educational institutions have at their disposal as many companies publish offers on the websites of these institutions in order to reach better profiles.
Spontaneous applications and company monitoring
Some jobs are only listed on company websites, not on public job-search sites.
If there are some companies you’d like to work for, check their websites (or call their HR departments) to see what’s open.
Many companies have a section for spontaneous applications, so you may just send an introductory message with your CV asking them to take you into account when new positions open.
In conclusion, there are many advantages of being a software engineer today. New openings for these positions are opening up every day. OpenSitemas publishes offers daily on its official website, we invite you to check them continuously and be aware of these new vacancies available!.
OpenSistemas offers Extended teams services to other companies interested in including in their projects, qualified profiles such as software engineers that are so demanded in the market. If you want to know more about this, we invite you to visit the following link.
As you can see there are many opportunities in this field, take into account the tips we gave you in this article and we assure you that you will have a secure future in this field. What are you waiting for?
