Software developers

Software developers are the creative minds behind each computer software. Software application development entails the creation of various computer apps that enable users to execute various tasks on computers and other devices. The job entails computer programming, testing, documentation, and problem fixing in the creation of programs and various frameworks that result in software products (Baecker, 2014). Software development entails both writing and maintaining source code, but it also encompasses everything from the conception of the software through its final embodiment. Some of the major task assigned to this occupation includes customizing or designing computer application software and modifying the already existing software with aims of optimizing the operational efficiency by correcting errors. Additionally, the software developer evaluates the requirement of certain software, as well as the user, needs with aims of determining software feasibility (Jorgensen, 2014).

ADVERTISMENTS

An example of a position advertisement for this occupation is that of software developer engineer. This advert was from Samsung Mobile. The minimum qualifications for this post were:

A BS in computer science, similar area of study or equivalent experience

Algorithm skills as well as strong data structure

A Ph.D. in computer science or any other similar technical field

Passionate about software engineering and development

Proficiency in a general purpose programming language including JavaScript, Java, Python Scala, Go among others.

https://www.monster.com/jobs/q-software-development-engineer-jobs.aspx

Another post for this position is that of a senior software engineer. Microsoft Corporation advertised for the post in May sixth, 2017 with aims of getting a candidate who will help them in developing the best platform for game creators (Ince & Andrews, 2014). The company indicated that the responsibilities of the candidate include:

Acting as the voice of the game developer within the company

Performing an analysis of the titles, features, and experiments

Acting as the major connection between the needs of the game developer and other groups within Microsoft

Working closely with partners to make sure that they are getting the best from Microsoft platforms

The requirements of the candidate included

A minimum of seven years of related industrial experience with effective proficiency in C/C+

High technical knowledge of game development

Effective communication, negotiation and collaboration skills

A track record of self-directed execution

Experience at least two full AAA shipping cycles of games

http://job-openings.monster.com/monster/05b7de21-616e-4176-9cdc-012fb07849c9?mescoid=1500127001001&jobPosition=1

The last post in this occupation is Software Development Manager. Amazon advertised for the post in May fifth, 2017 where they indicated that the manager would have the following duties while managing software development and engineering team:

Leading the team of software engineers when it comes to the design, development, testing, and operations of the software

Being responsible for maintaining the sanity of architecture, operational excellence and delivering results on time

Assisting in the protection of customer information

The qualifications for interested candidates include:

Six years and above experience in building and managing development teams

Bachelor’s degree in computer science

Long-term strategies and influence leadership decisions.

Effective verbal as well as written communication skills

http://job-openings.monster.com/monster/05b7de21-616e-4176-9cdc-012fb07849c9?mescoid=1500127001001&jobPosition=1

The Range of Salaries

In 2014 a computer and information system manager earned a total of $148,070

A software developer earns an average salary of $102,160

The average salary for senior software engineers is $107,600

Industries with this occupation

Every person wants software engineers, and this is good news for those pursuing software engineering careers. Some of the industries that one is likely to find this occupation include retail industries. This is mainly because most of them are trying their level best to break out of the box. Additionally, most of the retailers are looking for specific platforms and development skills, and they are required to hire workers who understand the future technology as well as the customers of the future (Baecker, 2014).

Health care is another industry where computer software developers exist. They always play a major role in the health care system as professionals within this industry have to write clinical applications, analytics, cloud systems as well as the patient portal. The software developers within this industry consult the software vendors, insurance companies as well as different health providers (Highsmith, 2013).

Additionally, computer software developers are present in research and development industry. Most of the industries within this category maintain game-changing product labs as well as emerging units which requires specific software engineers. Government and defense are another industry which makes use of software developers. Every office from the municipal, to state and federal agencies, and government contractors hires software programmers with related cyber skills and certification. Everyone wants to hire the services of computer software programmers which make it hard to find enough of them. This means that it is a good career to venture in (Baecker, 2014).

Computer software developers work in well-lit offices and computer laboratories which have comfortable surroundings. Most of them work for over 40 hours per week, but following the project-oriented nature of their job, they are sometimes required to work evenings and weekends to solve any unexpected technical problem and to meet deadlines. Moreover, software developers value a conducive working environment which helps them to engage in the creative work. When the location is big and noisy, the ability of the software developers to engage in a thorough work is highly affected. Each team should be free to establish its culture and to have self-contained rooms to avoid distractions from others.

For one to be an effective computer software developer there is a need to undergo training in some specific areas. To start with one needs to have a solid base of technical knowledge, which results from some training to gain strong skills in areas like physics and calculus. Training must also be offered to familiarize the recruit with different software programs. This ensures that the employee maintains the ability to learn and use the software quickly. Recruits need to be trained to work alone on menial tasks for long periods and to be able to quickly shift gears to discuss the use of certain software with the development team or the people who will be using the software.

When it comes to the educational requirements in the field of computer software development technical knowledge is of great importance than formal training. Most of the post maintains that every employee should have a bachelor’s degree, but you can also join a company with an associate’s degree if you are in a position to demonstrate experience working with software development applications. In some cases, employers want an employee with a master’s degree (Benner et al., 2014).Once employed most of the companies maintains that there is always need to stay updated with different changes in the programming language as well as applications, which mostly requires taking additional courses. Moreover, the work requires some math’s requirements like a sequence in calculus, linear algebra as well as differential equations.

In most cases, these education requirements are completed within the first two years of any program. Students are taught ways of constructing, analyzing and maintaining software through laboratory sessions and lectures. Lastly, most of the companies require the employees always to take part in education and training programs when employed following the constant changes in the technology which also changes the work performed by computer software developers (Highsmith, 2013).

The major work of computer software developers is to come up with software that can be used by different people. This means that computer software developers need some work experiences like that one of understanding the interaction between human beings and computers as well as understanding how to decipher what different users desire to make software more effective. They also need to have an eye for detail as making a small mistake in code or even forgetting an important piece of information may make the software ineffective. The developers need to be proficient in C++ and Java to be able to use, test and design the computer software (Highsmith, 2013).They must also have experience in working with multiple operating systems as well as an understanding of how anti-virus and network security works. Additionally, computer software developers require experience in both system and application development. The system software developers are responsible for developing operating systems for computers while application software developers design the computer programs and modify the existing ones to perform some specific tasks. In each of the two fields, the employees must have experience in software such as C, C++ as well as Java.

References

Baecker, R. M. (Ed.). (2014). Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: toward the year 2000. Morgan Kaufmann.

Benner, K. M., Feather, M. S., Johnson, W. L., & Zorman, L. A. (2014). Utilizing scenarios in the software development process. Information system development process, 30, 117-134.

Highsmith, J. (2013). Adaptive software development: a collaborative approach to managing complex systems. Addison-Wesley.

Ince, D., & Andrews, D. (Eds.). (2014). The Software life cycle. Butterworth-Heinemann.

Jorgensen, M. (2014). What we do and don’t know about software development effort estimation. IEEE software, 31(2), 37-40.