Top In Demand Career Options for Software Engineers Available in 2021

StefanBStreet
8 min readJan 18, 2021

When a student completes his degree, he will start searching for a job. In other fields, the students know what they have to do to get a job. In software engineering, the situation can get complicated because it is one of the most dynamic fields. When a software engineer completes his degree, he faces a plethora of options for the career path. Some specialties are no longer in demand because innovative technology has automated many things. In the past, software engineers were also working as accountants because they can work better with computers. It is changed now because everyone can work on accounting software without the knowledge of coding. We have compiled a list of professions that are in demand these days. It is better to consider these software engineer career options before going towards the traditional paths.

Software Development Engineer

Software development engineers should have skills in developing and debugging software. If you want to work in this field, you need to have professional-level coding skills. It is better to have problem-solving skills and team management skills if you are looking to grow and this field. Software development engineers can work by freelancing for many companies. They can also start their own software house. It can be a rewarding career because several companies are trying to automate their company functions. You can design software that can help them automate. They will pay you a handsome amount for that. The documentation related to software is also a crucial skill for the software development engineer. It is better to know documentation skills so you can let the companies know about your achievements.

Data Scientist

The data scientist is a type of software engineer who can work in multiple specialties. He can take the raw data and arranges it in a presentable form. Humans are producing more data than ever produced in history. We need professionals who understand data science. It is crucial to store this data properly if anyone wants to grow their company. Companies can collect the data of the customers to target the right type of audience. The data scientist will take the raw data and use statistics to get the required information. To become a data scientist, the software engineer should know Python, machine learning, and data types because as a software engineer you can get an entry-level position in this field. Aspiring data scientists should also have advanced mathematics knowledge to excel. Data scientists can work with large companies or even

Cybersecurity Engineer

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The digital identity has become so crucial that one can control all the funds of a person if someone can hack the digital identity. Companies want to protect their business secrets from competitors so they want to secure their information. They will hire a cybersecurity engineer to do this job. A software engineer can work in this field if he has advanced programming and analytical skills. The cybersecurity engineer will check the vulnerability in the system of the company. The cybersecurity policy planning is also the duty of the software engineer. They will also check the network-systems and analyze the situation after a cybersecurity attack. It is crucial to have good communication skills if you want to work as a cybersecurity engineer because you have to report the issues to the CEO. Most companies are ready to pay an excellent salary to a person who can guarantee that their information will remain secure. If someone can collect the right type of information, they can beat the company to become the market leader. All the major companies have at least one cybersecurity engineer in their team because cyberspace is full of security threats these days.

Full-stack developer

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Whenever a person is developing a website that has a responsive front-end, he needs to know about full-stack development. We can divide the website development into two parts. The front-end of the website is used to interact with the users. The back-end is used to arrange the website and develop the front pages. There are a lot of websites like Linkedin and Facebook that are highly responsive. If a software engineer wants to work as a full-stack developer, they should be familiar with database programming languages, front-end client javascript libraries, and server side web application frameworks such as Python Django or NodeJS. The full-stack developer can work with a company full-time or he can find projects by contacting the companies and offering them website designing services as a free lance programme r. A lot of companies want to develop responsive websites to attract more customers. E-commerce websites are one of the best examples. The large institutions may also hire you full-time if you are proficient in front-end and back-end website development.

Software Architect

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The software architect is a type of software engineer who has advanced knowledge of collaborating with other professionals related to software development. Software architects will collaborate with all professionals like programmers, user interface experts, graphic designers, and other professionals. He will assign the duties to all these professionals and ensure that all the work is done on time. The software architect is responsible for taking a set of requirement and designing the software and testing it to the highest standards to ensure that the users get the best experience possible. As the software Architects work with higher management, they have to find a job in a large company. In a small company, only the software engineer is responsible for software development. A large company can afford to hire a team of professionals to work on their software.

Dev Ops Engineer

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There is a new strategy that involves releasing the small parts of the software and testing them. The software engineer will combine these parts to make a full program for customer use later. The Dev Ops engineer is a person who specializes in this type of software development life cycle. This job requires the software engineer to understand cloud platforms. He also has to understand the basics of development tools like chef and puppet. Many small and large institutions may want to hire these engineers because they can make software without bugs. If a person has extensive knowledge about this software development life cycle, he can earn a lot because these engineers are in high demand these days. As a Dev Ops engineer, you have to lead a team of professionals working on small parts of the program.

Start-Up Developer

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Startup developers work with a start-up and produce software that can accelerate the growth of the company that may fit into one of these other types of roles. Most of these developers get a part in the company rather than a good salary. If you want to work in this field, you need to know the type of startup and the environment where startups want to grow. A lot of companies like Uber and Airbnb were under development and marketed as companies that can revolutionize the world. If you start working as a developer in these companies, you can earn the riches you deserve once the company has an IPO where your stock grants can grow immensely. This role also requires full commitment and often requires more than 50 hours a week to ensure the company launches well and performs for customers in its early years as the company is working to secure investing and a future. You should work with the company as if you own the company. Most of the roles are not defined at the start of so you should be ready to work with a lot of professionals and freelancers wearing a lot of different hats as the company establishes itself. By getting experience in these companies, you can also start your own company later in the future as you will have acquired the skills for it to become easy for you to manage your project.

Freelance Software Developer or Consultant

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It is one of the best software engineer career options because freelancing is the way of getting ahead in the future as well as giving you more control of what you work on. Most of the software engineers work for one client. They try to get a job and settle. If a person has an average intellect, getting a job is the right option. If a person is creative and he can handle multiple clients, he should take a different path home. A software engineer can work as a freelance software developer or consultant. You can go to different websites that are offering work to freelancers. You can create a profile on these platforms and ask the clients to give you work. Many clients are posting requirements on these platforms. You can show them your strengths and they will award you the project. Upon completion, you can get the payment. You can get a continuous stream of work if you have an account on many freelancing platforms. When a client likes your work, he may hire you part-time. If you have excellent skills, you can earn well with freelancing.

Smartphone Application Developer

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In the past, only a handful of people had smartphones. Smartphones are becoming a necessity these days. The demand for smartphone application developers is increasing every day. By working as a smartphone application developer, you can get freelancing projects or you can work with a software development company. You can also develop your smartphone application and upload it on famous platforms like Google Play and the Apple store. When you have hundreds of active users, you can put advertisements on your smartphone application and earn from it. Some professionals are working on small programs and games to get active-users. It has helped them arrange a budget for creating complicated smartphone programs.

Originally published at http://beapython.dev on January 18, 2021.

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StefanBStreet

Stefan is a senior SDE at Amazon with 7+ years of experience in tech. He is passionate about sharing the thing he enjoys learning to others