Employment Spot

Computer Software Engineers

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that computer software engineering will be one of the fastest growing occupations through 2014. In fact, employment of computer software engineers is projected to grow “much faster than average” at an increase of over 27 percent.

There are two types of computer software engineers: computer applications software engineers and computer systems software engineers. Computer software engineers are employed in a wide variety of industries since every business requires unique computer software and systems, but approximately 30 percent of computer software engineers work in computer systems design and related services. Other industries for computer software engineers include software publishers, government agencies, computer manufacturers and electronic equipment manufacturers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer software engineers now have employment opportunities in almost every industry due to the “proliferation of Internet, e-mail, and other communications systems,” which is “expanding electronics to engineering firms that are traditionally associated with unrelated disciplines. Engineering firms specializing in building bridges and power plants, for example, hire computer software engineers to design and develop new geographic data systems and automated drafting systems.” Computer software engineers are truly needed in every field and industry. This need has led to a great number of job openings for these professionals.

To be eligible for one of the thousands of open computer software engineer positions, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree, preferably in computer science or software engineering. For more complex jobs, a graduate degree in computer information systems is preferred. Computer software engineers must have strong problem-solving and analytical skills. They must be able to communicate with clients and other computer software engineers. To remain eligible for advancement, computer software engineers will have to gain new knowledge of technology throughout their careers. The ability to integrate new technology with established computer systems will continue to be a skill employers desire.

Computer systems engineers perform some or all of the following duties:

· design and develop new computer software systems

· incorporate new technologies into a rapidly growing range of applications

· apply the principles and techniques of computer science, engineering and mathematical analysis to the design, development, testing and evaluation of the software and systems that enable computers to perform their many applications

· analyze users’ needs and design

· construct, test and maintain computer applications software or systems

· design and develop many types of software, including software for operating systems and network distribution, and compilers, which convert programs for execution on a computer.

· solve technical problems that arise

· develop algorithms, analyze and solve programming problems

Computer applications software engineers specialize in some or all of the following duties:

· analyze users’ needs

· design, construct and maintain general computer applications software or specialized utility programs

· use different programming languages, depending on the purpose of the program (languages most often used are C, C++ and Java)

· develop both packaged systems and systems software

· create customized applications

Computer systems software engineers specialize in some or all of the following duties:

· coordinate the construction and maintenance of a company’s computer systems and plan their future growth

· coordinate each department’s (ordering, inventory, billing and payroll) computer needs and make suggestions about its technical direction

· set up the company’s intranets—networks that link computers within the organization and ease communication among the various departments

· work for companies that configure, implement and install complete computer systems

· serve as the primary technical resource for sales workers and customers

· help with product sales and provide their customers with continuing technical support

· explain the requirements necessary for installing and operating new systems

· ensure security across the systems they are configuring

There are many skills all computer software engineers utilize. These are the core skills mastered throughout their formal education. Additional skills will be gained on the job as individual companies’ systems are built and configured.

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