Michale Le

Mrs. Hayes

English Literature & Composition

16 October 2019

Career Research Paper

“To me, mathematics, computer science, and the arts are insanely related. They're all

creative expressions,” Sebastian Thrun, innovator and entrepreneur. To become a software

engineer one must open their minds to the possibilities of what you can perform on a computer.

When you create a piece of software, there are almost an unlimited amount of actions you can

make it do either positively or negatively impacting others. From a very young age, I have

always been fascinated by computers from how they operated, how they were put together, and

how they can be tinkered with​.​ From that point on, I knew that this was going to be my passion

and my future and my joy. Becoming a software engineer is the ultimate end goal after finishing

my education. Software engineers not only create many of the things we know and love today,

but also they are the ones that motivate me in pursuing this career.

First of all​, software engineering was first organized by NATO in 1968 due to a software

crisis, however the foundation of software engineering was laid down by Terry Baker who

“applied the basics of structured programming to systems development, thereby providing the

first steps in developing the science of software development,” and Corrado Bohm and Giuseppe

Jacopini who developed the methodology for the development progress of programs. Writing

software has changed much over the years as it has evolved into a profession with a goal to

maximize its quality and how it gets created. Software engineering can also maximize the quality
of life as it is very beneficial to today’s society as according to Whitson, “The most popular

software is e-mail. In business, word processing and spreadsheet applications are omnipresent,

and larger companies use enterprise resource planning software to reduce costs and optimize

profits.”

Next, there are many people out there intrigued, motivated, and passionate about software

engineering like I. The most notable figures is the famous Bill Gates for starting his company

Microsoft and Mark Zuckerberg for creating facebook and paving the pathway for software

engineering’s popularity. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there

are approximately “1,300,000 people that are currently employed as a software engineer.” The

employment of software engineers is projected “to grow 21 percent from 2018 to 2028, much

faster than the average for all occupations.” Jobs with this career pathway can be mostly found

anywhere as companies need people to set up a base of their software to get them up and running

nowadays. Big companies or small companies, it doesn’t matter as every company is jumping

onto the technological bandwagon.

In addition, this career field has many responsibilities. Software engineers are the creative

minds behind the apps, programs, and operating systems we use today. According to the Bureau

of Labor Statistics, the typical duties of a software engineer is to “Analyze users’ needs and then

design, test, and develop software to meet those needs, recommend software upgrades for

customers’ existing programs and systems, and ensure that a program continues to function

normally through software maintenance and testing.” Software Engineers have to meet deadlines

and resolve any problems that may occur. Anything that pops up will be an inconvenience as the
finishing of their part or project is crucial to their jobs. According to the BLS, Software

Engineers usually work 40 hours per week, but it is also normal for them to work 50 hours per

week as well. For an entry-level position as a software engineer, you can make $55,000, the

average is $84,019, and the exceptional salary is $110,000. However, It depends on the company

and the jobs that you would perform that determines your salary.

Furthermore, you can’t just perform and fulfill the position as a software engineer on a

whim. According to Whitson, “A major in computer science is the traditional way to prepare for

a software engineering job. Courses in ethics, mathematics, and physics are required at the outset

of a computer science degree program, followed by about thirty-six hours of computer hardware

and software courses.” Usually to advance the career would mean that you would have to meet

the requirement of having a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, but a master’s would also

help greatly. There are many schools that offer Computer Science as class, but most notably are

Georgia Institute Of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of

Technology, and Virginia Institute of Technology. Software Engineers must be able to work in

teams when working on their projects as well as being confident and creative with their ideas.

Most big tech companies will require you to be able to program your own programs as well as

having to know over 6 coding languages to be used in their projects. According to the BLS,

writing code is not their first priority, developers must have a strong background in computer

programming in general. Another good way to be able to become a Software Engineer is to

intern at big tech companies and learn from their methods and how they run their day-to-day

operations.
 Next, software engineering or software-based companies function differently from your

average office jobs or accounting jobs where you sit in front of computers as well. According to

the BLS, “software development is a collaborative process, and developers work on teams with

others who also contribute to designing, developing, and programming successful software.

However, some developers work at home.” Software Engineers specifically have to follow what

their project requires of them from their work which is to either set up a website or programming

an app or software that allows you to do a specific function.

In conclusion, pursuing this career field is my dream as well as my passion. Finishing my

education and everything I have prepared for this career would be beneficial to me. Computer

Science and Software Engineering has always appealed to me since I was young and still to this

day. “The future of software engineering is bright, with good jobs available in the computer

industry, scientific laboratories, and businesses,” Whitson.

 Works Cited

Whitson, George M. ..III, B. S. .. M. S. ..Ph. D. “Software Engineering.” Salem Press

Encyclopedia of Science, 2018. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89250579&site=eds-live&sc

ope=site.

“Software Developers : Occupational Outlook Handbook:” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics,

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm.

"Computer science." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 14 Mar. 2019.

school-eb-com.proxygsu-scly.galileo.usg.edu/levels/high/article/computer-science/10962

6.