STEM

Software Engineer

Design software systems that run at large scale, deciding how the pieces fit together and how to keep them running

Open interactive guide

What does a Software Engineer do?

Software engineers work at large tech firms, banks, and startups, often on teams of dozens. They plan how systems handle heavy use, write code, and set up tests and monitoring. Engineers who think ahead and enjoy weighing trade-offs do well.

A day in the life

9:30 AMCheck dashboards to make sure every service is healthy
10:00 AMWrite a design plan for a new feature
11:30 AMReview a teammate's code and suggest safer ways to write it
1:30 PMSplit a slow service into smaller parts that can grow
3:00 PMFix a rare bug that only shows up at busy times
4:30 PMHand off on-call duty and note what to watch overnight

What's great

  • Work on systems used by millions
  • Many industries and remote options
  • Learn by teaming up with experts
  • Clear steps to bigger roles

The hard parts

  • On-call duty can wake you at night
  • Big systems take time to understand
  • Code reviews mean lots of feedback
  • Tools and methods keep changing

What is a Software Engineer's salary and outlook?

$72k – $180k
Salary Range
Bachelor's degree
Typical Education
High demand / Rapid growth

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $72,000 to $180,000 a year, with a midpoint around $120,000. 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 Engineer?

A common path is Bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering. The ladder often runs from Junior Software Engineer to Software Engineer, then Staff Engineer, and VP of Engineering. Other routes: Self-taught with open source projects; Coding bootcamp plus a junior role; Math or physics degree plus programming skills; Master's degree for a specialized area.

  • Self-taught with open source projects
  • Coding bootcamp plus a junior role
  • Math or physics degree plus programming skills
  • Master's degree for a specialized area

Career path

Entry level
Junior Software Engineer
Mid career
Software Engineer
Senior
Staff Engineer
Executive
VP of Engineering

Will AI replace a Software Engineer?

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 engineers guide and check it.

AI tools can now write chunks of code, fix bugs, and suggest solutions fast. This means software engineers spend less time typing every line and more time deciding what to build and checking that it works right. The job shifts toward planning, testing, and teamwork.

AI can help with

  • Writing first drafts of code
  • Finding and explaining bugs
  • Suggesting ways to improve or speed up code

What stays human

  • Deciding what problem the software should solve
  • Checking that AI-written code is safe and correct
  • Talking with teammates and users to understand real needs

Skills to build now

  • Learn to code in a beginner language like Python or Scratch
  • Practice breaking big problems into small steps
  • Join a coding club or work on team projects

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.