Learn about the day-to-day job duties, annual salaries, and career opportunities of a software engineer. Discover statistics on industry growth, common qualifications, and average weekly hours.
Overview
Software engineers are responsible for designing, creating, and maintaining software systems – ranging from individual applications to online service platforms. These professionals typically oversee the entire development process, from the planning and prototyping stages to testing and maintenance.
Those in the field often work in teams with other developers, programmers, and UX specialists to see projects to completion. During the design phase, software engineers help others map out basic program needs and performance expectations, ensuring these align with client requirements. Once a product makes it to market, they typically work to improve the software, helping troubleshoot existing problems and create the appropriate patches.
Employment for software engineers is expected to grow very strongly in the next five years – with a projected 23.4% job growth, according to SEEK statistics.
Key Skills
- Advanced knowledge of software systems, how they work, and their development process
- Expert programming skills and knowledge of multiple languages, including Java, Python, Ruby, and .NET
- Strong interpersonal skills for collaborating in teams and liaising with clients
- Keen attention to detail for spotting and/or preventing software issues
- Accounting/financial skills to ensure solutions are cost-effective, within budget, and efficient
- Excellent leadership skills to guide teams through the software development process
Quick Facts
Software engineers can find work in most regions of Australia, with New South Wales and Victoria currently holding the largest share of workers. Weekly salary potential is currently higher ($2,003) than the all job average ($1,460) with plenty of opportunity for full-time work.
Salary Range
$57,000 – $112,000 (Median: $79,000)*
*Source: Payscale
Average Weekly Hours
41 hours (vs. all jobs average of 44 hours)*
*Source: Job Outlook
Main Industries
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Financial and Insurance Services; and Public Administration and Safety
Most Common Qualification Level
STUDY PATHWAYS
Getting the skills you need is simple by studying one of our information technology courses below.
- ICT40120 – Certificate IV in Information Technology (Networking)
- ICT50615 – Diploma of Website Development
- ICT50118 – Diploma of Information Technology
- Certified Cyber Security Professional
- Certified Data Science Professional
- Certified Microsoft Full Stack Developer
- Cloud Computing Certified Professional
*Sources: payscale.com.au and joboutlook.gov.au – All information is to be used as a guide only, and are accurate at the time of publication.
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Industry Partnerships
A BALANCED APPROACH TO TRAINING WITH DDLS
DDLS is Australia’s largest provider of corporate IT and process training, with the widest portfolio of strategic partners and courses in Australia. For more than 25 years, DDLS has been an award-winning non-accredited training provider, spanning across Australia and into Asia.
DDLS partners with world-class companies to help organisations and individuals in the IT industry remain up-to-date with new processes, technology and platforms to reduce risk and enable efficient business practices.
GAIN A COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH THE MICROSOFT AZURE
Azure Dev Tools for Teaching provides developer tools and learning resources that students need to build their cloud-based skills. It also allows students to build, deploy, and manage applications with comprehensive Azure cloud services. Whether you’re a student getting started, or just interested in building cloud-based skills in your community, this platform has got the cloud development resources you need. Azure based tools and environments are profoundly used during the AIICT learning cycle and assist the students in becoming familiar with the Microsoft Azure environment utilised in the IT industry.
Specifically designed around building your expertise in today’s most popular technologies, the Microsoft Imagine Academy is focused on helping you to gain Microsoft Certification, a globally recognised credential that will give you a distinctive edge in the competitive job market.
SUPPLEMENT YOUR QUALIFICATION WITH LINKEDIN LEARNING
As an AIICT student, you will gain unlimited access to the global leader in online video training, Linkedin Learning, an on-demand library of high-quality instructional videos covering a vast range of software, business and creative skills. LinkedIn Learning combines industry-leading content from Lynda.com with personalized course recommendations based on insights from LinkedIn’s network.
GLOBALLY RECOGNISED CERTIFICATIONS TO PUT YOU AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION
For our Certified Cybersecurity Professional course offering, AIICT has partnered with the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). CompTIA is the leading provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications in the world. These certifications are accredited by International Organisation for Standardisation and the American National Standards Institute (ISO/ANSI)
