STEM

Software Developer

Build the apps and programs people use every day by writing, testing, and fixing code as part of a team

Try a day as Software Developer Open interactive guide

What does a Software Developer do?

Software developers work at tech companies, banks, hospitals, and small startups, usually at a desk or from home. They turn an idea into working code, then test it and fix the bugs. People who like puzzles and can stick with a problem for hours tend to do well.

A day in the life

9:00 AMJoin a short team check-in about what each person is building
9:30 AMRead a bug report and trace it to the line of code that broke
11:00 AMWrite a new feature and add tests to prove it works
1:30 PMAsk a teammate to review your code and answer their questions
3:00 PMTry the feature on a phone and a laptop to catch surprises
4:30 PMWrite notes so the next person can understand the change

What's great

  • Many jobs let you work from home
  • Nearly every industry uses this skill
  • You see real people use what you built
  • There is always a new tool to learn

The hard parts

  • Long hours staring at a screen
  • Tight deadlines right before a launch
  • Tools change, so you keep relearning
  • One hard bug can eat a whole day

What is a Software Developer's salary and outlook?

$66k – $165k
Salary Range
Bachelor's degree
Typical Education
High demand / Rapid growth

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $66,000 to $165,000 a year, with a midpoint around $110,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as High demand / Rapid growth.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become a Software Developer?

A common path is Bachelor's degree in computer science or a similar field. The ladder often runs from Junior Software Developer to Software Developer, then Senior Software Developer, and Engineering Manager. Other routes: Coding bootcamp followed by a junior role; Self-taught with a portfolio of projects; Associate degree, then transfer to a four-year school.

  • Coding bootcamp followed by a junior role
  • Self-taught with a portfolio of projects
  • Associate degree, then transfer to a four-year school

Career path

Entry level
Junior Software Developer
Mid career
Software Developer
Senior
Senior Software Developer
Executive
Engineering Manager

Explore colleges

See College Scorecard facts for programs related to this path.

Will AI replace a Software Developer?

How much will AI change this job?

A lot

AI will change many everyday tasks in this job. The work shifts toward judgment, checking, and people.

AI writes more code, but developers guide and check everything.

AI tools can now write chunks of code, find bugs, and suggest fixes fast. This means developers spend less time typing every line and more time deciding what to build and making sure it works right. Understanding problems and checking AI's work becomes the most important skill.

AI can help with

  • Writing first drafts of code quickly
  • Finding bugs and suggesting fixes
  • Explaining what confusing code does

What stays human

  • Deciding what problem the software should solve
  • Checking that AI code is safe and correct
  • Talking with teammates and clients about needs

Skills to build now

  • Learn a beginner coding language like Python or Scratch
  • Practice breaking big problems into small steps
  • Join a robotics, coding, or math club

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.