Software Engineer
Software Engineer Job Description
Computer and Information Scientists, Research Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Solve or develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software. Computer Programmers Convert project specifications and statements of problems and procedures to detailed logical flow charts for coding into computer language. Develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information. May program web sites.
Software Engineer Salary Statistics as of 2015
Average annual salary for a Software Engineer is $91450 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest salary recorded was $120350. The lowest salary reported was $57936. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.
Median hourly wage for a Software Engineer is $45.47 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest hourly rate recorded was $59.85. The lowest hourly rate recorded was $28.81. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.
Bonuses for a Software Engineer are based on the years of experience using statistics from the U.S. as of 2015. The average bonus recorded was $2500 from people with 15+ years of experience. The average bonus recorded was $4943 from people with under 1 year of experience.
These are the highest paying states for a Software Engineer. These numbers are based off the median annual salary as of 2015.
California – $59,349 – $117,208
Illinois – $49,928 – $94,894
Massachusetts – $51,630 – $100,512
New York – $48,689 – $103,068
Texas – $49,624 – $99,442
Virginia – $54,787 – $112,471
Washington – $52,788 – $109,439
These are the highest paying cities for a Software Engineer. These numbers are based off the median annual salary as of 2015.
San Francisco, California –
Seattle, Washington –
San Jose, California –
New York, New York –
San Diego, California –
Boston, Massachusetts –
Chicago, Illinois –
This chart outlines the average annual salary of a Software Engineer from the past 5 years. In 2015 the average annual salary was $91450 while in 2007 it was just $84809.14
Software engineers provide complex services that are required for today’s modern economy. The median annual wage in the United States is around $85,000 dollars. The starting salary is around $50,000 per year while the upper ten percent of software engineers earn more than $125,000 per year. Software engineers are expected to see growth in the demand for their services over the coming decade. Software engineering can be a demanding job with the need to combine technical skills with creative problem solving. Banks and the financial industry have a high demand for software engineering services and pay some of the highest wages in the industry.
Requirements
A bachelors degree is normally required to enter a software engineering career. If one wishes to specialize in a particular sub-field then a masters degree can be helpful as well. A bachelors degree will teach the basic of software engineering, but a master will give more industry specific knowledge and a more specified skill set. Computers are commonly used for complex modelling services. Many companies that hire software engineers to create modeling software for the oil industry desire a masters degree.
The job requirements of a software engineer are highly analytically. This type of engineer is required to analyze highly complex problems and discover and implement solutions. Creative thinking is required as customers are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to solve their problems. Though computing power is constantly increasing there is not an infinite amount of resources available. Software engineers need to be able to make the most efficient use of the resources which their customers have. Specializing in a specific sub-industry allows the creations of a stronger skill set and higher wages. Strong interpersonal skills are an important part of this job. Engineers are required to work in groups. Without strong interpersonal skills it is impossible to be productive and interface with other employees.
Job Outlook
Software engineers have the possibility to move into management. In this career field many people will first take an entry level position at a software firm. After gaining experience as a programmer, one is able to move into a more senior position. In a senior software design position one has more responsibility for the creative direction a project. After gaining experience in this position is common to move into a junior project management role. It is common for the transition from a worker to a manager to be very stressful and difficult. After proving oneself as a project manager it is possible to move into middle management. Management positions require a greater number of weekly hours and a greater amount of stress. Many software engineers will use a couple years to explore management as a career and then return to a software engineer position. As an engineer, the demand for travel and overtime is not relatively high. Though the median earnings for this position are high, many of the jobs are found in cities with a high cost of living. The technology industry in San Francisco offers very high wages to compensate for the high cost of living.
Gender Statistics |
Related Jobs |
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90%
10%
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Based on our stats gathered across the U.S. 90% of Software Engineers were males while 10% were females. These numbers are based on averages across all states combined. Some individual states may have a much different ratio however.
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Past Jobs Software Engineer |
Future Jobs Senior Software Development Engineer (SDE) |
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