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Career Rating and Comparison
| Category | This Career | All Rated Careers |
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| Career Satisfaction |    | |
Degrees and Schools
Most colleges and universities offer four-year degree programs in software engineering or computer science.
Classes
Students in a software engineering program usually divide their time between class and computer lab. Courses include:
- Fundamentals of information technology
- Principles of software application development
- Requirements gathering and project planning
- Systems analysis and design
- Computer programming
- Database design and development
- Network technologies
- Information systems security
- Systems administration and management
- Web technologies and development
- Organizational behavior
Online Classes and Programs
Bachelors degree programs in software engineering and computer science are readily available online. E-learning programs that are offered by campus-based colleges and universities are more likely to have internship and job placement programs.
Online courses should be part of an institution with accreditation from agencies approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or United States Department of Education (USDE).
Employment Requirements
Most employers of application software engineers require:
- Certification in relevant software packages, languages and technologies
- Substantial experience in application development
- A bachelors or masters degree in software engineering or computer science
Associations can also be of interest for employability and professional development. For software engineers the IEEE Computer Society may be of interest.
How to Evaluate Software Engineering Schools
When evaluating software engineering and computer science degree programs, asking the following questions can be helpful:
- Reputation and location - How does the program rank nationally and/or by reputation among employers? Is it located in a community where software engineering and technology is a prominent industry?
- Classes and subjects - Does the curriculum offer sufficient elective courses in programming languages and technologies of interest? Are popular classes difficult to get into?
- Practical experience - Are computer labs well-equipped with leading technologies? Does the program provide a variety of internship opportunities that are appealing?
- Financial aid and expenses - Are students provided substantial guidance in finding scholarships, work / study programs, grants, student loans and other financial aid opportunities?
- Graduate success - Over the past several years, what has the program's track record been for placing graduates in relevant jobs?
Application Software Engineer Job Description
Software applications are used for business productivity, computer and network management, games and entertainment, conducting transactions on the Internet, and just about anything else that a computer can do. Application software engineers analyze the needs of people who will be using the software, and create packaged software or custom programs using programming languages.
Additional responsibilities of application software engineers include:
- Collecting and analyzing client requirements
- Making recommendations as to efficient and effective ways of applying, developing and implementing software applications
- Planning and designing applications
- Creating solutions for problems and better processes by developing software
- Using different programming languages to construct applications
- Providing support, fixes and enhancements of software products for clients
- Overseeing testing and implementation of software applications
Many application software engineers travel frequently to client sites or different facilities to guide implementation and provide training to users.
Career Profiles
To help career searchers evaluate their options, BrainTrack has asked hundreds of workers to profile their jobs with a review and ratings. See below for a summary of this career compared to all rated careers and for detailed reviews.
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| Opportunity for Promotion | | |
| Career Flexibility | | |
| How Cool Is The Career | | |
| How Stressful | | |
| Social Orientation | | |
| Earnings Potential | | |
| Task Variety | | |
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Sorting by: • Show All Details • Hide All Details
Job Title: Software Developer
Attended: University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studied Computer Science + Applied And Computational Math Sciences (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"I've always enjoyed coding and most of the time I'm programming without much unnecessary interaction with others. I enjoy designing and modifying algorithms for the various tasks I get throughout the month."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | We had a very well funded CS department. Just about any software suite you could have wanted was paid for by the school and available through programs like MSDN, and the building itself was aesthetically appealing. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Promotions just come with time. With enough years of experience I'll move up to a senior position - but until then, there isn't many opportunities, even during reviews. |
| Job Security | 8 | You always need to work hard as there's a constant supply of software engineers available and looking for work in my area. At the same time, if you do work hard, you have plenty of job security since a good developer is harder to find. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | I've spoken to several developers, and many earn around 70k a year with extensive experience. Others have become private consultants and rake in over 100k a year. |
| How Stressful | 10 | There are always deadlines to meet. Other people's work depends on yours working on time, which can be very stressful. |
| Task Variety | 5 | I spend several days on a single project. Things tend to vary every couple of months. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | Nobody thinks "cool" when they see a developer typing 65 wpm in a cubicle. There is no glamor - it's just simple labor. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I work from home once a week. I can even work from a Starbucks if I wanted. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | There is some workplace interaction and joking. Most of the time, you aren't interacting with anyone but yourself and your computer. |
Job Title: Staff Applications Developer
Attended: San Jose State • San Jose, CA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2008)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"The amount of pay relative to the work I do provides a good balance. Must continually be learning as new software technologies and methodologies come out regularly."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | The instructors were knowledgeable and the courses had many of the fundamentals of Computer Science. I would have liked to do more programming rather than just tests. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | The opportunity to get promoted is fairly good. Team sizes are about 5-25 so the competition is less than it is at other companies. |
| Job Security | 8 | Job security is great due to the fact that there is a high barrier to entry for hiring qualified applicants. Also, almost every company requires software, whether it be web application or desktop, to power their company. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | Will not be able to retire instantly from this job, but the rewards are handsome. If motivated enough, starting your own company is possible, which would increase the earnings potential immensely. |
| How Stressful | 7 | There are deadlines depending on release cycle. Mine are every month, which means there's stress every month building up to that deadline. Also, a high reliance on your coworkers is the biggest point of stress because certain things are outside your control. |
| Task Variety | 8 | The things I do on the job rarely repeat themselves. They may be similar tasks but no two tasks are identical because I'm working on enhancing a product and maturing it every cycle. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | This is not a very glamorous job. The only thing this job will get you is recommendations to help someone fix their computer or start a website. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | This job allows for a flexible schedule. I have no set hours as long as I meet deadlines. I would be able to telework, but I do meet with my boss once a week face to face. A majority of my meetings are over the phone or via shared desktop. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Most of the social interactions take place over phone or in a business setting. Usually the less socializing that occurs, the less stress you will be under, because you only socialize when things are going wrong. |
Job Title: Software Developer
Attended: Pittsburgh Technical Institute • Pittsburgh, PA
Studied Computer Programming (completion in 2006)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/21/2012
"I enjoy the process of creating software. It is both creative and technical. Solving problems and tracking down bugs can be frustrating, but the sense of accomplishment when I'm done is huge."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | I feel like one already had to be a programmer to get much out of the process. Many of my peers struggled. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | You can become a senior developer. After that there doesn't seem to be anywhere to go but management. This doesn't sound like much fun and seems like a complete career shift. |
| Job Security | 8 | In spite of the recession, work keeps rolling in. The world is only going to become more dependent on technology and the software that runs on it. Positions seem to be open everywhere. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | I feel like I do quite well relative to my cost of living. If you are willing to shift jobs every few years, you can increase your earnings fairly quickly. In spite of all the off-shoring fears, there is a dearth of capable software engineers. |
| How Stressful | 5 | It can be stressful if unrealistic deadlines are set. It can be stressful if you manage your time poorly. It can be stressful if you are in over your head with a task you don't understand. But I bet this is true of any field. |
| Task Variety | 6 | If you find yourself doing the same things over and over again, odds are you can automate or somehow abstract away that repetition. Unfortunately, you aren't always given the time to do this. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | Not many people will understand what you do. You will mostly sit alone with a computer. I've never heard any words like “coolness” or “glamor” used in association with software engineers, unless it was another software engineer saying it. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | I've worked part time as a freelancer. I've worked full time with the freedom to work from home. Software jobs are everywhere. I'm in Pennsylvania completely by choice. |
| Social Orientation | 2 | It will mostly be you and your computer. At most you'll have two people solving a problem in front a computer together. It doesn't scale any higher than that. If you are getting a lot of social interaction, you are probably tied up in unproductive meetings. |
Job Title: Firmware Engineer
Attended: University Of North Florida • Jacksonville, FL
Studied Electrical Engineering (completion in 2005)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"I've been presented with many opportunities to explore and implement new technologies into cutting edge products. The potential growth from the beginning has been fantastic."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | The school provided lots of applicable practical knowledge in the classroom and lab that has built a foundation for my career. The curriculum included many current applications that benefited the graduates of the program. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 9 | Work loads are heavy in the software engineering environments, giving leverage in growth and leadership. Continuous organizational improvements lend to growing from within and climbing up the ranks. |
| Job Security | 9 | Software/Firmware engineering is a discipline in great demand that meets the need of many various industries. Software will be required for new devices or refreshed devices looking for BOM cost reduction. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Software engineering is a specialized discipline that commands good earning potential. The cost of replacing a software engineer is high in terms of salary and lost production. |
| How Stressful | 8 | With SW engineering comes stress from accelerated development schedules, especially in consumer electronics. The level of stress depends on how good (or not) management is in resource allocation and scheduling. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Tasks are laid out and bought-in by several levels of organizations, so the work is fairly predefined. The variation of tasks comes from working on concurrent projects. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | S/W engineering lends to excitement from start to finish of the development cycle. The successful release of a unit is very rewarding. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | My work schedule is based on task completion, whether on a time or location metric. Work hours have been adjustable as long as the work gets done. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | Most collaboration involves design and code reviews. While there is casual interaction mixed with business conversations, the majority of the discussion is work related. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: University Of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, FL
Studied Computer Engineering (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/21/2012
"This is truly my passion. I look forward to going to work every day."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | My school was top of the line. I was very happy with how my school conducted things. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 9 | If you are good at programming, you will get noticed and will get promoted. It's not very hard to get a promotion if you have the required coding skills. |
| Job Security | 9 | I work in an office and not outside. There is an insane demand for software engineers at this day and age. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | I'm making well into 6 figures and I'm just out of college. It doesn't seem like my job is in any risk, and I've been getting promoted frequently. |
| How Stressful | 7 | As with any job, it's very stressful around deadlines. It's also very frustrating when code doesn't compile and you're near a deadline. |
| Task Variety | 9 | The job gets somewhat repetitive in terms of the actual approach that is used (agile dev.). The actual problems and coding scenarios that we are faced with vary greatly, however. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | Being able to code and produce code is very cool and is a skill that many people would love to have. Also, having the ability to 'hack' things is very useful and is also looked at as being cool. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | The fact that all coding is done on a computer makes it possible to work entirely online. I have the options of working from home, etc. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Computer scientists are stereotyped as being socially awkward. This doesn't come from out of nowhere. There is not much social interaction at the place that I work. |
Job Title: Junior Software Engineer, Team C Leader
Attended: Stony Brook University • Stony Brook, NY
Studied Physics/Computer Science (completion in 2008)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"The pay is reasonable in this field, and the work, though stressful, is usually enjoyable when starting a new project. However, the management is completely inefficient and has very little knowledge in regards to actually writing efficient programs."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I think it is really as good as can be expected. The classes could be smaller, and for some of the really interesting ones there was a waiting list, but overall I think it prepares the students well to at least get through the first 2 years of being a complete novice in the job market. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | It is similar to being in the army - you get promoted simply based on the time spent with the company. If after 4-6 years you have not gotten fired you can get promoted to being a head of a small team, and then a manager of a section and so on, and so on. |
| Job Security | 5 | Your job security is only as secure as the company you work for. You can be the best programmer on the staff, but if management can not find a way to market the proprietary program/service or find new clients, the job can be very insecure and stressful. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | If the market is growing and you are not constantly messing up at your job, your pay will go up. Unfortunately, that also means that a lot of people who should not be getting promoted do so and eventually the company's bottom line suffers. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Very stressful. The management is completely clueless and borderline irrational when choosing deadlines for projects. Miscommunication happens all the time between different teams, and there are constantly bugs and errors in the systems that one needs to fix. |
| Task Variety | 3 | Once you are assigned a project, that is all you do for a few months. That is really all you and your team think and talk about. If the project is fun, then you can be having fun for a few month. On the other hand, a bad project can be truly horrible. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | It was "cool" in the beginning I guess, before one realized that programming can actually not be that much fun and can get repetitive and stressful. Once you realize what it actually involves, all the "cool" aspects mostly go away and you find yourself being no different than a construction worker, but living a more unhealthy lifestyle. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | Well, it certainly is somewhat flexible, and in theory a lot of work can be done from home. On the other hand, considering the long hours at work, after a while one has no interest in bringing more work home. Transfers to different locations seem to be reserved only to marketing/management divisions. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Business interactions are usually limited to people who are either your supervisors, or people you supervise. You rarely get to deal with people on the same level as you, and when you do you are usually both too busy to talk about anything that does not relate to your work. During social interactions, one tries talking about work to a minimum. |
Job Title: Sr. Software Engineer
Attended: Indiana • Bloomington, IN
Studied Informatics (completion in 2000)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/21/2012
"I enjoy the pace and challenge. I have the opportunity to program in several languages. Innovation is encouraged at my company, which is great."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I was well prepared to enter the field, but more importantly realized the importance of continued learning and progress in order to stay current in the IT profession. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 9 | I have been promoted twice in the last two years! I'm now supervising 6 junior developers. |
| Job Security | 9 | The IT job market is one of the few bright spots in today's economy. I am secure in my current job and there are lots of available opportunities should I choose to move on. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I'm pretty entrepreneurial so I see an opportunity to take new ideas and really run with them. Even if I choose not to start my own company I will do well financially if I do good work. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Sometimes it's not stressful at all, but when we are working under a tight deadline, that changes. Also, tech support can be stressful when something breaks, which when it happens is always at the wrong time. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Some things are consistent day-to-day. But, the work that I do changes over time as I move to new projects, products, modules, etc. And, there are always new team members to train, mentor, and learn from. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Super cool would be racing cars or something like that. But, I think it's cool to work in a field that challenges your mind and to do things that not everyone can understand. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I can work flexible hours. I also get to work from home. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I come into daily contact with not only my peers but with others in the organization such as testers, business analysts, and project managers. I also enjoy client interaction on a regular basis. |
Job Title: Software Engineer I
Attended: University Of Nevada Reno • Reno, NV
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"I enjoy the complex problems that come with developing programs. I am always learning something."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | UNR is an OK school for computer science. The focus is heavy on Math and theory, but I wish it had more practical programming classes. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | My job has a growth path for engineers. It takes many years but they can become level II or level II Software Engineers. |
| Job Security | 5 | Outsourcing has become a big problem in the Software Development field. My current company has a large office in India, so it may be likely that my job will go overseas. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Earning potential in my field is great. A software engineer can make lots of money after they have been working in the field for many years. |
| How Stressful | 7 | The job can be stressful. Many times there are deadlines that have to be met. That often means working over the weekend. |
| Task Variety | 4 | Tasks are about the same everyday. I work on the same project for long periods of time. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I don't think Software Engineering is really cool. I admit it's cool if you're in a hot new startup or working for yourself. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | My office is very flexible with scheduling. I can come in early or late and work from home. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | Often times I get to work really close with senior engineers. I don't have much interaction with the customers. |
Job Title: Application Development Manager
Attended: University Of Maryland - University College • College Park, MD
Studied Information Systems Management (completion in 1984)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"The computer field is a very exciting field. No two days are the same. The technology is always changing. The salaries in the IT field pay very well."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | At the time I attended the school, they had just brought in an IBM 4341 so we did not have to create our programs using punch cards. The program was somewhat flexible in allowing you to choose among courses rather than a specific curriculum to follow. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 9 | I started in the field in 1984 making 21,500 as a programmer. Within 4 years at that company I was promoted to a programmer/analyst making 30,000. I worked for ten years at the next company. I was promoted 3 times and went from a $36,000 salary to a $90,000 salary within 10 years. |
| Job Security | 9 | While many fields have downsized the number of employees, the IT field seems to stay constant or to increase its numbers. Most if not all businesses now rely heavily on computers to help run their businesses. If you know the technical side and know the business side of a company, you are even more valuable. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | IT field is one of the fields where you can make very good money without going into management. I was making more money than my brother in-law and sister put together. |
| Task Variety | 9 | Many jobs have very repetitive tasks. I am very lucky that most of the time my tasks were things I did once. With the technology changing so frequently, you need to learn new languages and platforms. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | I think the days of thinking of programmers as geeks with black taped up glasses and a pocket protector are long gone. The IT field has really opened up due to the increased use of technology in business and it has attracted a lot of very bright and sociable people. I was able to do a lot of traveling during my career and the money is very lucrative. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | During the time I was at the company for 10 years, I changed job positions several times within a couple of different areas of our IT shop. I was also able to set my hours. I could work four 9-hour days and be off every other Friday. I also moved from Maryland to Florida and was allowed to telecommute for 16 months until I finally left the company. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | I am a people person and I worked very closely with the user community in all the positions I've held. Three of my closest friends are women I met through work and have kept in touch with over a 20 or so year period. |
Job Title: Software Developer
Attended: University Of Toledo • Toledo, OH
Studied Computer Science Engineer (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"The job itself isn't too bad, but it can be a bit repetitive and boring at times. The pay is also far below industry average."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | The classes were decent and the instructors were, for the most part, informative and easy to relate to, but it was a little too broad for my tastes. I would have liked to have dug deeper into the various schools of thinking for programming rather than the higher level stuff. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | I can see being promoted in my own department, but I can't ever see being in a management position. It just isn't the nature of the job. |
| Job Security | 8 | There is a high demand for CSE majors and anyone who can work well with software lately. The company I work for is very technologically driven so it will always have a need for programmers. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Computing is a hot field right now. It's easy to take your career to a six figure level with the right training and the right job. While I am not there yet, or anywhere close, I hope to achieve this goal in my career. |
| How Stressful | 5 | The flexible hours allow me to work when I need to and when it is convenient for me, but it is not uncommon for something to need to be done immediately resulting in long hours for a week or two. If a system goes down that affects our day to day operations, I can assure you I won't be home early that night. |
| Task Variety | 4 | Despite the different projects I often work on, the work is fairly repetitive. I am given the opportunity to decide how to do each task, so this allows me to test new methods and teach myself new ways of accomplishing the same thing. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | Despite the halo of nerdiness that surrounds my field, we are being seen more and more as technological innovators that are helping to usher in this new age of computing and connectivity. All I have to tell someone is that I created a new app and they think its fascinating, despite that being an extremely small portion of my job. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | As long as my work is complete my boss doesn't put much emphasis on a 9-5 schedule. I am a salaried employee, and regularly work at home or offsite. It also is rarely an issue to leave early because of a personal need. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | I spend most of my time behind a desk in my office, but I am occasionally afforded the opportunities to go to conferences and other meetings of like minded individuals. It's nice to see other people who do what I do and learn from them. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: Nicholls State University • Thibodaux, LA
Studied Applied Mathematics (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"I would like to work more as part of a team, and of course make more money. However, overall, my job is not bad."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | The school wasn't anything special. However, there were some good teachers, and I did learn quite a lot. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | If I can find someone to replace me in my current role, I could move up to several different positions. I could also move into a different division, and become a patent agent in the legal department. |
| Job Security | 9 | I am the only person in my division capable of programming with the language and API for the critical product I support. I don't expect to lose my job unless I seriously mess something up. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | My career has good earning potential. Not as good as starting my own business, but not bad. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Deadlines are always looming, and there is always more work to be done. Also, software engineers are often bad at dealing with people, so there is a lot of interpersonal stress. |
| Task Variety | 6 | I work on slightly different tasks everyday. Unfortunately, they are only variations of one theme. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | I work for a recognizable company, so that's kind of nice. For the smaller companies I worked at before, I wouldn't rate this so highly. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | I can work at home as needed, I can come in as late as 10 or as early as 7. If I have some things I need to do I can make up the time on another day. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | I spend at least four hours a day alone with my computer. There are meetings and lunch with coworkers, but there's still not much interaction. |
Job Title: Member Of Technical Staff
Attended: University Of Cincinnati • Cincinnati, OH
Studied Aerospace Engineering (completion in 1995)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"I am now in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley area, and hence there is a great deal of opportunity in my industry. I made the switch from aerospace (where my master's work was centered on computer simulations of aerodynamics) to take advantage of this. In general, people with technical skills are highly valued and highly paid. However, my overall rating is an 8 instead of a 10 because a) there is little job security in this industry, and b) while salaries are good, certain industries, like finance, pay even better for people with technical and math skills."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | I did my undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and my grad work at the University of Cincinnati. Both are highly-respected and highly-ranked public institutions. Tuition is reasonable and graduate students in engineering typically obtain a free ride due to various fellowship programs. Job placement after graduation is solid. My academic advisor worked closely with me and I learned a great deal during my graduate program. Both the faculty and students were top-notch in terms of intelligence and skill, and were also great to work with. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | Software developers who keep current on their skills, exhibit dedication in their work, meet project deadlines, and can work effectively with managers, peers, and product managers are often promoted to team lead positions, senior architect positions, etc. Technical people have many avenues open for promotion, including CTO/lead architect, VP/manager of engineering, product management, sales engineering, sales, etc. based upon their interests and skills. I have found that the industry is generally biased towards pure merit when assigning promotions, as opposed to favoritism, seniority, etc., so the opportunities are excellent for those with strong skills and a good work ethic. |
| Job Security | 5 | I went through the dot-com boom and bust. After the dot-com bust, many people were out of work in my area for extended periods of time. In addition, many companies lay off software developers when times are tough. I would say that the opportunities in the industry as a whole are strong, but job security at any particular company is tenuous over the long term. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | We are generally paid well right out of college, and senior software people typically make over $100K. However, I believe that certain professions, such as sales and finance (specifically trading and investment banking) pay even better for skilled people. |
| How Stressful | 3 | There are definitely times when the job is stressful: a server takes the site down and people want it fixed instantly, a head-scratcher of a bug is holding up a key release, and it seems like every company has too much work and too few engineers. However, the work is engaging and fun, and I have found that my fellow engineers are generally terrific to work with and are always willing to jump in and assist. Hence, the low rating for stress: I am thinking largely of the chronic, negative stress that occurs when you are, for example, working in the fast-food industry, or manning a customer-service line packed with angry callers, or at risk for repetitive-stress injuries at a boring, low-level manufacturing job; add to that that those jobs typically come with lousy pay and inflexible hours, and I would have to say that being a software engineer is not terribly high stress. |
| Task Variety | 8 | I would not say tasks are different every day. When working on a project, you are often working on the same code base for several months (same programming languages, methodology, etc). However, the variation over time is considerable, as there are always new projects (mobile versions of applications, new application feature sets, etc.) starting, and the industry moves quickly in terms of new platforms, languages, and toolsets. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | Silicon Valley is known for innovation and laid back working environments (these are not laid back in terms of expectations of course, but rather things like schedule flexibility, dress codes, etc). I believe that having computer skills is generally regarded in our culture as cool, as is working in the internet and software space. Many people in this industry have gone on to start large companies, and this is widely recognized in our society (consider movies like The Social Network). |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Most people in the Silicon Valley area have at least some flexibility when it comes to telecommuting, and few are bound to a rigid schedule when it comes to hours spent in the office. Many people work as consultants or contractors instead of full timers, and they are generally able to pick and choose their projects. There are many jobs available, particularly in desirable cities such as San Francisco, San Jose, Chicago, Boston, New York, etc. Of course, I know some software engineers who live in places like Utah, Lake Tahoe, Idaho, etc. and simply telecommute entirely. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | Software engineers spend most of their time in front of a computer coding, and of course, those who telecommute have less opportunity for social interaction. However, I have found most office environments to be very friendly, and even when working "heads down" on a project, there is no shortage of people to have lunch or grab a beer with. In addition, I cannot say I mind not being tied up in meetings all day. |
Job Title: System Administrator
Attended: Albany State University • Albany, GA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"I enjoy working with computers. I love solving computer problems."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | My school provided adequate training for the degree. They also provided competent instructors. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Not many opportunities for promotions unless someone above me leaves. Based on my performance, promotions can open up on occasion. |
| Job Security | 5 | I'm a contractor, and therefore tomorrow is never promised in my job. My contract can always be terminated. |
| Earnings Potential | 5 | I receive a set raise per year. I also get bonuses. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Some issues are tougher than other. I have to deal with different users. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Most the tasks are routine. My normal daily tasks are short. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | My career has a lot of problem solving issues. My job is mostly routine. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | My job allows me to telework. My manager is also flexible if I need a day off. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I interact with a lot of users. I work in an open office. |
Job Title: Software Developer
Attended: Utah State University • Logan, UT
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/20/2012
"I am satisfied with my career, but I expect more. I mean I should learn more new technologies so that I can be more confident on the job. I am proficient in Java but I need to learn some scripting languages, like Perl and JavaScript."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I was satisfied with my program, but again I expected more from my department. There was limited research work in the department. Also, they laid more stress on c++ as compared to Java or C#. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 9 | I am learning a lot of new things in addition to my present job. I am sure once I get some good experience, I will have plenty of future opportunities. |
| Job Security | 10 | I think my job is secure. I am a part of a database management team and I guess I am able to deliver what my boss expects from me. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | I earn more than what I expected. Anyway, money is not important to me. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Sometimes it becomes stressful when working continuously trying to finish work before a deadline. However, this is good for me. I love hard work. |
| Task Variety | 7 | More or less I have to the same work daily. But things changes when it comes to the different people for whom I am working. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 9 | I am satisfied with my career for in terms of its coolness. Software engineer is a good, white collar job. Working conditions are good with lovely perks and amenities. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | I am satisfied with my job flexibility. Although sometimes I work night shifts and weekends, I am satisfied. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I have very little time for social interaction. After my job I love to learn and work on new things. Every 6 months you will find some new technology being introduced in this field, so you are always learning. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: University Of Memphis • Memphis, TN
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/21/2012
"I am comfortable with the technology I am currently working on. I am capable of delivering the results needed."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | Definitely hard, especially the courses in the theory of computation and algorithms. The project was gigantic. Not so easy to complete it. Experience needed in perl and python. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | As stated above, as long as the market conditions are good, we have opportunities. Only large scale companies can afford the costs of the technologies. So if these large scale companies are doing well, we have work. |
| Job Security | 8 | Market conditions are good. Openings are plentiful. Decent pay in the technology I am working on. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | The pay is good when business is good. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Initially it is really stressful. Depending on a person's ability it may take up to a year and a half to understand the business flow. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Nature of the work is similar, however different tasks come up depending on the business needs of the customer. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | If one is an expert in the technology, this field is cool. Initially, years are really tough. |
| Career Flexibility | 4 | Not possible to work on part time jobs, not so flexible to work from home. Installation of many computers and servers is needed. There are also security issues. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | Good communication skills are needed. Involves heavy customer interaction with all stages of the life cycle. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: Virginia Tech • Blacksburg, VA
Studied Computer Science And Applications (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/22/2012
"There are few opportunities because of the college's remoteness and the quality of the program. There are better colleges where you spend your time better."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | The professors in the computer science program are not really interested in computer science. Instead, they are more interested in bioinformatics. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | As I said, the field is really cutthroat. Promotion chances are limited as are opportunities to learn new stuff. |
| Job Security | 5 | Since I work in the cutthroat market of embedded systems, I can live well as long as I work hard. Things can get difficult when market prices fall rapidly and more jobs are outsourced. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | |
| How Stressful | 8 | I need to work more than 10 hours per day. Customer scenarios are complicated and take a toll. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Daily Tasks are mostly the same. They only differ in the complexity of the problems. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Very cool because of the above average pay. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | It is flexible enough to let you work from home, but location wise it is not. Career options are available but not for everyone and specializations don't really help. Everybody can do the job with prerequisite training. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | The job does not involve too much social interaction. |
Job Title: Junior Software Engineer
Attended: Pomona College • Claremont, CA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/19/2012
"I find my work to be challenging and enjoyable. Additionally, it pays well and I like my co-workers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | My school's computer science department is rather small and underfunded. It is a liberal arts college that places little importance on computer science. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | My company is very small with few positions. Unless someone very high up leaves the company, there is no position that I could be promoted to. |
| Job Security | 8 | I play an important role in my company and have close relationships with my employers. I feel very secure in this job. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I currently make a very nice salary. I also expect to see it rise in the future. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Demands are made on me in my position. However, it is not more than I would expect. |
| Task Variety | 3 | Each day I spend most of my time programming. I do very little else. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | I find my work to be very exciting and appreciated by others. I consider that to be very cool. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I have flexible work hours. Furthermore, I am able to work from home frequently. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | There is a decent number of company meetings and group planning. However, most of my work is individual programming. |
Job Title: Application Designer/Programmer
Attended: Elgin Community College • Elgin, IL
Studied Associate Of Science (completion in 1999)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/24/2012
"When I entered my profession, I believed all the hype. Unfortunately it's all been small potatoes and it has not been fulfilling."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 2 | I wasn't enough to learn there. I learned more by reading books and watching videos. They actually still taught a command line basic class then. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 1 | There's not much going on in my field right now (at my current employer). If I was willing to relocate I might find something better, but maybe not. |
| Job Security | 1 | Very low pay and right now there's no new work. I'm planning to start my own company if it gets much worse. |
| Earnings Potential | 3 | To reach the top of this career field I need more education. Unfortunately, education costs more than I can afford to spend right now. |
| How Stressful | 5 | The work itself is only stressful when I get close to a deadline. Other than that the only thing stressful is the low pay and lack of major projects right now. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Most days are different. One day I'll be mocking up a program's design to explain its functionality, the next day I'll code, and on some days I'll wait around forever on a phone call/e-mail for pertinent info I need. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | The work is very uncool, and actually very demanding at times. The cool part is that people think I'm very smart when they find out my job title. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | I am allowed to work on projects at home on my own time. There are deadlines and an occasional presentation, but as long as I move projects along I am left alone and allowed to do my own thing. |
| Social Orientation | 1 | Very little social interaction, unless you consider a company meeting/brainstorm session/lunch social interaction. |
Job Title: Java Consultant
Attended: University Of Wisconsin - La Crosse • La Crosse, WI
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/25/2012
"I like developing software, but do not enjoy the day to day corporate grind. If I was working in a different environment I may enjoy it more."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Some classes were too easy, and did not prepare students well for working in the IT industry. There was a lack of web development courses when I attended. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | I am not sure of the opportunities for promotion at the consulting agency. I have only worked there for 6 months so far. | |
| Job Security | 8 | I feel that my job is secure since I am working for a consulting agency. If a company no longer needs me, there are many opportunities around the area I can get. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | If you stay the normal promotion route, you can earn a respectable salary in IT. Also, there are many opportunities to start your own business. |
| How Stressful | 2 | Only slightly stressful. This is because I know I could easily get another position. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Depends on the project. Some projects are very mundane, and others are exciting. It really depends on the current project. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Software engineer seems cool to outsiders, but the corporate IT world is pretty much the opposite of cool. Only trendy tech start-ups really have the coolness factor. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Very flexible when I'm not on assignment, less flexible when I am. That being said, most companies are flexible with remote working and hours. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Minimal social interaction unless I am building requirements with a business team. As a consultant, people are not always excited to socialize with you. |
Job Title: Freelance Software Engineer
Attended: Full Sail University • Winterpark, FL
Studied Internet Marketing/Computer Science (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/26/2012
"I work when I want, where I want and I have no bosses standing over my shoulder"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | Full Sail U. is one of the biggest, most successful schools in the US for technology and media. Over 100 alumni from Full Sail U worked on the movie Avatar. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 1 | As a freelance SE, there aren't many chances to move up the career ladder, unless of course you get hired by a big company such as Apple. When you are freelance, and work contract based, you work for your self, you are your own boss, to an extent, and so therefore, you are at the top of the chain. |
| Job Security | 10 | More and more smartphones, tablets, and PCs come out everyday. Someone needs to understand them and be able to work on them. There will always be demand for software engineers, as we truly are in the century of digital technology. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | Companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, and others are paying their software engineers $50,000+ per year. These jobs aren't hard to get if you have the necessary education. |
| How Stressful | 2 | There isn't much stress in my career due to its freelance nature, but it can be stressful sometimes when projects get behind expected schedules. Sometimes in software engineering you end up working hours you wouldn't normally work because something went wrong, or there is a problem, or the company you work for wants last minute changes. |
| Task Variety | 1 | in my line of work there is no variation. My day consists of: Build a code block, compile it, test it, fix it, and repeat. All day long. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | I think software engineering is pretty cool, because I'm a computer geek. I love the look on my friends' faces when I ramble about objective C or some other low level coding. They get glassy eyed and scratch their heads as if they are in a new country. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | As a freelance SE, I set my own hours and work at my own pace, which is great for me because I have a busy life at home with my family. This isn't always a good thing though, because sometimes projects can be pushed back due to not having any deadlines in my head, which can lead to stress later on when it comes down to crunch time. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | There isn't much social interaction in my field of work. It's mostly long hours in front of computers, and lots and lots of testing. However there are times where meeting are held, and everyone has a good time. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: Worcester Polytechnic Institute • Worcester, MA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/25/2012
"I like what I do and I get paid decently for it. I have the time to pursue my other interests while doing my job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | Professors are good. Infrastructure is good. Students are smart. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | I work in a big company, so there is a lot of room for me to grow. The work environment is pretty dynamic. |
| Job Security | 6 | In this volatile economy, I don't feel any more secure than the next guy. Although I don't feel constant insecurity, it's always a possibility that I could lose my job. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | I don't see myself earning a whole lot of money at this job, unless I venture into other areas. That's okay though, because I didn't set out to be a millionaire. |
| How Stressful | 5 | The stress level varies throughout the year. But for the most part, things are manageable. |
| Task Variety | 6 | Mostly the tasks are routine. But it also depends on me, as I have decent control over what I do and how I do it. And there's always the option for switching jobs if this gets too boring. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Well I don't think software engineers are considered particularly cool. But when I tell someone that I'm a software engineer, they at least think I'm smart, which is cool. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | The work environment is pretty flexible. We don't have fixed office hours. I don't have to "dress up" for my job. I am allowed to work from home. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Social interaction is poor. I sit in a cubicle the whole day. I don't even know all the people that work in my building. A casual smile and a hello is mostly what's exchanged when we cross each other. |
Job Title: PEARL - Senior Associate
Attended: University Of Colorado • Waterloo, CO
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2005)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/25/2012
"Quite satisfied, very competitive pay and there's always work."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Good program, but it is too general at times. Better career advice would be helpful. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | Depends on the company you work for - the bigger it is, the more opportunities. I feel comfortable with my current position and the gains I've made over the years. |
| Job Security | 9 | Very secure, even though I've worked in several companies now, I feel like I will not lose my job easily and if I do, there's always the need for people who know how to code. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I will not become a billionaire unless I start another facebook, but I won't die hungry, that's for sure. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Average I would say. It all depends on your workflow. Taking breaks to disconnect helps a lot. |
| Task Variety | 6 | Again, depends on the company. In other ones I've worked for, it's the same everyday. But that's not the case at the one I'm currently working for. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Not that cool. There's nothing to brag about, of course until the code is finished and it works like a charm. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I work 40 hours a week. I can do them in 2 or 3 days and it's all good. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | A lot. LAN parties are the best still, even though I'm older now. |
Job Title: Senior Software Engineer
Attended: Utah State University • Logan, UT
Studied Computer Engineering (completion in 1999)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/26/2012
"I enjoy what I do and get a sense of satisfaction from my work. There is a fair amount of stress that goes with the job though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I felt I was well prepared for starting my career after graduating. USU is not one of the top schools, but it gave me the education I needed. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | There are opportunities for advancement, especially early on in your career. Opportunities tend to decrease the further along in your career you go. |
| Job Security | 7 | There have been many layoffs recently at my current employer. I feel it could be much worse in other industries, however. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Software engineers can make a good living and there are regular performance based raises and bonuses. You are not likely to get rich, but you can make a good living. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Pressure to meet project deadlines at all costs creates stress. A very demanding boss adds to that stress. |
| Task Variety | 8 | I am involved in all aspects of a project from start to finish, so each day brings something new. The variety of day-to-day tasks keeps things from becoming dull and repetitive. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | There is opportunity to work with cutting edge technology. There are also opportunities to travel and visit many different customers. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | My work schedule is flexible, as long as I am in the office during "core" work hours. We are also able to work from home occasionally. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | I work closely with a team of engineers and we hold regular team meetings and have frequent technical discussions. We also socialize outside of work and have organized activities. |
Job Title: Software Developer
Attended: Augustana College • Sioux Falls, SD
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2002)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/28/2012
"I have been at my current company too long and I am burnt out. I feel like my current company isn't aggressive on new technology."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I had small class sizes which made it easy for the professor to know you. I had challenging projects, coursework, and extra studies available to me. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | I work for a small company so there is nowhere to go. I think I could find a promotion if I left the company. |
| Job Security | 8 | I am not worried about being fired at my job. There seems to be a lot of IT Jobs in the Minneapolis area. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I think the IT business is a good business as far as income compared to many other professions. I'm fortunate enough to be able to pay all my bills. |
| How Stressful | 7 | I do get stressed with deadlines. I also get pretty stressed when QAs cannot make up their minds on requirements. |
| Task Variety | 5 | There isn't much difference in the day to day stuff. Mostly I fix bugs and rework requirements. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | People are pretty impressed when I tell them about my career. I think that makes it pretty cool. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | I'm able to work from home when the weather is bad. I'm also able to go to appointments easily when I need to. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I work with a lot of weird people who prefer to be on the computer rather than talk to you. I'm not always sure everyone is very social unless they are eating donuts. |
Job Title: Software Design Engineer
Attended: University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studied Software Engineering (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/27/2012
"Being a software engineer often means putting in very long hours. You also often have to deal with managers who have reached their position through seniority and have no relevant degree or experience. They often treat you like a college kid and have no appreciation for your education or technical skills."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | It is a very good program. I feel it prepared me well for the job market. I found a job within weeks of graduating. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | I have been promoted several times but this was only because I was willing to put in the long hours (60+ hours) and because I am very detailed oriented. People who only do an average job and just put in 40 hours don't get promoted as often. |
| Job Security | 10 | Software engineers do not often get laid off. Talent is hard to acquire and usually hard to retain, so even if your company is downsizing, you can be sure that if you are doing your job you will be the last to go. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | Base pay is really good. If the stressful environment does not cause you to go on spending binges, you will be able to save a lot of money and probably retire early (even if you don't work for a hot startup). |
| How Stressful | 10 | I have never had a regular 40 hour week since I started working. Expect to meet crazy deadlines to deal with moving project targets and overstressed coworkers. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Problems are different every day. You may use the same technologies over a long period of time, but week to week there are always new challenges (new bugs to fix, new features to develop). |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | Programming is not very cool for most people. In certain circles it is considered very prestigious. It really depends on the people you are talking to. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | My company provides a lot of flex-time and flex-scheduling options... in theory at least. Every single time I have requested a special arrangement, it has been refused. Beware of large companies whose HR departments brag about all their life-career balance options, as in my experience only a few workers will be allowed to benefit from these programs. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | Programming is mostly a solitary activity. If you are not too good at your job, you may be "promoted" to become a program manager. Then, depending on the team/company, you may get to meet more people, go to conferences, etc. |
Job Title: Senior Technical Consultant
Attended: University Of North Carolina • Raleigh Durham, NC
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2006)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/27/2012
"The job is technically challenging but does not offer room for growth. Also, support work is quite tedious and leaves no room for innovation."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | The school prepared my completely for my day to day tasks. The network of consultants is also very helpful for job search and meetups. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | There are quite a few chances to get promoted. Developing a good customer rapport is very essential to move on to the next step. Also, there should be a commitment in trying to bring issues to quicker resolutions. |
| Job Security | 5 | There are far too many people with the same credentials and there are more coming out of college everyday. This makes it easier for replacing technical consultants. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | The pay is extremely rewarding. We get recognition awards every quarter as well as bonuses and other perks. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Only during deadlines and go lives does the job get stressful. Otherwise, if you can plan properly, you can complete most of the day's work comfortably. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Daily tasks are the same for one project but as the projects vary, the tasks also vary. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | There is nothing glamorous about sitting in front of a computer. The pay is good so that brings satisfaction. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | There is lot of flexibility since there is limited collaboration with teammates on a daily basis. Also, since most of the work is assigned completely to one person, there is lot of independence in the schedule as well. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | As a team there is lot of interaction, but outside of the workplace there are limited opportunities. There are project parties, dinners, and occasional outings, but they are very few and far between. |
Job Title: Senior Lead Software Design
Attended: George Washington University • Washington, DC
Studied Computer Engineering (completion in 1994)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/26/2012
"I enjoy working on Software Development and Integrated Applications. I especially like debugging and getting programs to work."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | I would have rated it higher but a lot of the professors lack the knowledge to teach beyond "school learning". I had one professor that could barely speak English and even announced to the class that she had no programming experience and would be unable to help us. Her class was Database Structures and Programming. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | My company promotes from within. Attention to detail and self motivation help to gain an edge over other potential candidates for promotions. |
| Job Security | 10 | With the ever evolving world of programming, it is important to stay up on current trends and languages. I program in 13 different programming languages and I speak 3 different languages. I ensure that my job security is not at risk. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | As technology grows, so does the demand for software engineers. True programmers are paid nicely and have plenty of room for advancement. Fly-by-night internet programmers that have no experience other than using a piece of software to write the program code for them keep us in business by us having to fix their mistakes constantly. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Every job has some level of stress. We have deadlines and release dates always looming over us. |
| Task Variety | 4 | We write program code. We debug program code. The only thing that changes is what the code is supposed to do. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | How many other people get to say they design software that millions of people use daily? I enjoy working for a company that is always on the cutting edge of technology. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | My schedule is not set in stone. I work flexible hours and days. I am capable of working from home as well as in the office. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | Working for a software company allows for us to have a lot of interaction socially with customers as well as with co-workers. We are always having a company gathering or a family day out. |
Job Title: Senior Software Engineer
Attended: Middle Tennessee State University • Murfreesboro, TN
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1983)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/28/2012
"My career is not as exciting as I had hoped. However, the job pays well and employment is relatively easy to find, even during a recession."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | My education enabled me to accept a challenging job on the cutting edge of software engineering as soon as I finished my degree. The basic software engineering principles I learned have been useful, even as software engineering has changed drastically. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | I work primarily in small companies, where the organizational structure is pretty flat. There are software engineers, project managers, and department managers. My salary increases at a satisfactory rate, but because I'm not interested in management, there are not many true opportunities for promotion. |
| Job Security | 7 | As long as you are willing to work long hours under pressure, your job security is good. For the hiring company, replacing a software engineer and his or her acquired knowledge and experience is a difficult task; they can't just pull someone off the street and expect that person to understand the complexities of the company's product immediately. Your job security is high because your company has invested in you by training you to work on their products. On the other hand, companies get bought out, merge with other companies, and fail at a higher-than-average rate. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | The earnings potential for software engineers is good, and is well above average. However, unless you can create the next Facebook or Google, you won't get rich. |
| How Stressful | 9 | The software development business moves quickly and changes even more quickly. You are expected to produce products under extremely tight and frequently unrealistic deadlines. Overtime is frequently required, and if you're working on a salary, you are rarely rewarded. You need to spend time at home learning the next new technology or language so that you will be prepared when the job changes, as it frequently will. You never feel like you can relax, because there's always something new to learn, and your future job security depends on learning it on your own time, before you officially "need" to know it for your job. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Software engineering is about more than just writing code. You need to be able to design solutions, write about your designs and your products, provide help to the technical support staff, and mentor others. Most software engineers will find the variety of day-to-day tasks stimulating. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Coolness depends on the company for which you are working. If you're working for Google, your job is cool. If you're working for Intersystems, your job is not so cool because few people have heard of your company or understand what you do. The secret is to find a field (such as health care information systems, in my case) that makes you feel good about the work that you are doing. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | Part-time work is rarely available. Jobs are available in most urban locations, and a few out-of-the-way locations as well. The ability to work from home varies dramatically from company to company, as does the availability of flex-time. Some companies have no physical offices at all, and all employees work from home. Some companies have rigid policies against working from home. Some companies allow flex-time; others have rigid start times. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | Software engineering has changed from the days when a programmer huddled in his cubicle and didn't come out for days. These days, most jobs require you to interact with members of your team on a daily, if not hourly, basis, Many jobs also require you to interact with customers to understand their needs and their work processes so that your software and user interface will be helpful and user-friendly. Communications skills are important, as you interact with everyone from technical support people to upper management, in your company and in your customers' companies. |
Job Title: Systems Developer
Attended: University Of Maine Farmington • Farmington, ME
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2008)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/27/2012
"I knew from my early years of high school that I wanted to work with computers, specifically in a programmatic capacity. Both the ability to create and the logic inherent in software development are very appealing to me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | UMF is, traditionally, a Liberal Arts college, so it's no surprise that the CS program was lacking in some areas. The upside to this, however, was that the lower number of students meant more one-on-one time with the professors. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | Unless you want to become management, there's only so far you can go as a Software Developer. Senior-level development (and possibly Architect) is about the apex. |
| Job Security | 8 | My field is always in demand, as technology drives nearly everything we do nowadays. Furthermore, once you've proved to be a valuable asset, employers are generally not willing to replace you with an inexperienced graduate. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | It might not make you a millionaire, but the pay is exceptional, particularly in today's economy. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Deadlines will always be a major stress factor, coupled with management's typical inability to understand the technical details of a project. |
| Task Variety | 3 | Coding is coding is coding. The project might be different, but it's all very similar in the end. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | There's not a lot of "glamour" in coding. It's more about the satisfaction of creating something useful. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I am able to work remotely 100% of the time. I have a laptop and a secure VPN connection to my employer's network, so I have the ability to work from anywhere. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | Working remotely limits your amount of social interaction. With the use of VoIP services, this is mitigated somewhat. |
Job Title: Principal Software Engineer
Attended: University Of Colorado • Boulder, CO
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/26/2012
"I enjoyed the classes and the subject, but I did not like the University itself. I did not fit in well with the population, but I did pick a fulfilling major."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | I was very impressed with my professors, especially in the upper division and capstone classes. I believe the school gave me all the tools and opportunities I needed to be successful. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | I am unemployed now. However, I see many chances in the future with a new company and new promotion possibilities. |
| Job Security | 2 | I am currently unemployed. I was laid off by my previous employer whose name will remain confidential. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | I believe the future earnings are bright. Engineers will always be in demand. Computer software is not a fad! |
| How Stressful | 7 | I am easily stressed. The deadlines and intense logical demands of the job only add to this. |
| Task Variety | 6 | I work on similar tasks for extended periods at a time. However, being lower in my former company, my tasks changed dramatically every few weeks. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | I am very fulfilled with my career. Many people do not know what I do when I tell them I am a software engineer. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | Based on my past job, I had a slightly flexible schedule. I believe the field of engineering could provide me with work at home possibilities. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | I am very much a people person. I feel like this job does not provide me with enough interaction with many other co-workers. |
Job Title: Jr. Application Developer
Attended: Milwaukee School Of Engineering • Milwaukee, WI
Studied Software Engineering (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/27/2012
"When I started programming it was new and exciting. Now that I am in a corporate setting, the fun is drained by meetings, obscene deadlines, and over-zealous clients."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | I paid a lot for my degree for a similar education compared to my peers. I could have gone to a state school and been at the same place. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | I'm being promoted shortly to Application Developer. It's a large company. |
| Job Security | 10 | I have many projects I am working on and the industry is solid. Also, I'm up for a promotion. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | |
| How Stressful | 7 | I make it more stressful than it needs to be. Otherwise, who cares? |
| Task Variety | 5 | Change requests comes in. I code them. Days and weeks and months are the timeframes. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Insurance sales programming is for the birds. How cool is your financial advisor? Now the software he uses? It's mine. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Work life balance is a core tenet. I would not be able to work such a comfortable schedule anywhere else, not even at Google! |
| Social Orientation | 5 | It's a large team and a larger company. We have a championship belt for the best moustache! |
Job Title: Software Developer
Attended: New York University • New York, NY
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 1/28/2012
"I work with a team of really talented developers, which has helped me/motivated me to learn a lot of things in a short period of time. My hard work is very well appreciated, which keeps my morale high."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | It is consistently ranked as one of the best schools for information security. Being in New York and being a prestigious school gives me a great network of alumni. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Being a small company, the hierarchy does not have as many levels as a big firm. Being a good employer, people hardly ever quit. So it's hard to get promoted. |
| Job Security | 8 | Even though the economy is not doing that great, my company did not have even a single lay off in the past 4 years. My manager is very appreciative of my work. He involves me in major decisions, which make me feel like an important asset. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | Being a product oriented company, our earnings vary year to year. So bonuses and raises are completely dependent on how well the company as a whole is doing. |
| How Stressful | 7 | There are certain weeks, when if a bunch of production issues all come at once, it can get pretty stressful. Other times, it can be pretty slow as well. So it varies from day to day. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Most days I spend fixing bugs. While this gives me a deep insight to existing code, it also limits my potential for learning new things. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Most of my time is spent on bug fixes and small features. Developing new stuff is super cool, but it happens only once in a blue moon. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I have the freedom to work on schedules that fit me. I am also allowed to work from home as often as I want. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | Having a completely different dept to handle clients, there is very little chance of networking. Intra company interaction is good thanks to parties and meetings. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: The University Of Glasgow • Glasgow, UK
Studied Computer Science, BSc Hons. (completion in 2003)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/28/2012
"I find the work I do interesting, as it involves using fairly modern programming languages and frameworks. I am pretty well paid (>80K), I work reasonable hours (mostly 9-5), and I like the people I work with."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | It gives a good, solid foundation in the fundamental theories of algorithms, data structures, and programming techniques. There are also many practical exercises which assess your understanding of the material and give hands-on experience of how to actually build things. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | My current company has a strong culture of "create your own reality," so they will support moving in to new positions and roles (within reason). However, there aren't very many opportunities to lead a new team due to the size of the office at my location (it's a satellite office). |
| Job Security | 8 | My company is venture backed, so it has plenty of cash reserves. Also, we are consistently hitting our sales goals each year, with lots of customers to spread out the risk. In addition, the customers pay recurring fees each year for our service, so it smooths in revenue flow. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I'll probably never be a millionaire, but I earn above average and live in an area with a reasonable cost of living. I got stock options with the job, so there's some potential there. |
| How Stressful | 3 | We release on a regular weekly cadence, so there's not much pressure to complete something a particular week - it can just go out next week. We do have the occasional deadline for conferences, etc. Sometimes it can be hard to come to an agreement on a design or get things we need from other teams. |
| Task Variety | 8 | We have "hackathons," where we can work on whatever we want in any technology we want, so long as it's reasonably work related. We usually work on the same product day-to-day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | Our product is at the top in the market, both in sales and as rated by industry analysts of capability. We use modern technologies like git, groovy, grails, etc. We use modern methodologies like Agile and Kanban. We have a keggerator in the office and often play video and board games as a team. All in all, it's a very cool place. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I can work from home when necessary (waiting for a delivery, etc), but it's not expected to be the norm. I'm a regular 9-5, full-time employee. I can work in either of the offices in NC or CO. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | We have regular team outings and we play games pretty often. There are local meet-ups that we attend and sometimes host. |
Job Title: QA Engineer
Attended: University Of Illinois - Chicago • Chicago, IL
Studied Math And Computer Science (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/29/2012
"Often work can be frustrating or difficult. Furthermore, there can be a large overhead of meetings and status reports. Overall I do enjoy learning and working with computers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | The program was flexible to allow me to take the classes I wanted to. The program itself was fine, though some professors were unnecessarily difficult or obtuse. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | A promotion will happen almost automatically if I work in the same place long enough. Also, as I acquire skills I can apply for higher positions which means a bigger salary or better benefits. |
| Job Security | 10 | I began to do web development during school and have always been able to find work whenever I needed to. I've even be able to telecommute and work in another state. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I won't be filthy rich unless I move into senior management or start my own company. I do make enough for my wife and I to live on just my salary. |
| How Stressful | 9 | There is a constant push to learn and develop your skills. Depending on what part of a product you work on your work could lead directly to product failure. |
| Task Variety | 3 | Given our monthly and quarterly planning I know almost exactly what I'm going to do on any given day. There are a few surprises when things break, but for the most part we have a very explicit and obvious goal. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I sit in an office all day staring at a computer; I'm not flying a jet. I enjoy it and think what I am doing and learning is cool, though others may not. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | I've worked part-time and remotely and even done contract work - all of which are very flexible. Currently I am working for a large company and they require certain hours of availability, though often I can work from home if need be. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | I work in an office on a team with other people in my office - we are almost constantly communicating about work. I'm also fairly sociable and can chat up my co-workers when I'm bored. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: UC Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Studied Electrical Engineering Computer Science (completion in 2001)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/29/2012
"I'm well paid, but I'm still a low level engineer (not a manager). I've also spent too long at the same company which stunted my growth."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | UC Berkeley is one of the best colleges overall, and best engineering colleges in particular. It's easy to get job interviews due to having this school on my resume. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | I have been promoted every year or every other year in this profession. However, that is mostly a title and pay increase, and not a reflection necessarily of increased responsibility. |
| Job Security | 10 | Software engineers are in extremely high demand. In Washington state, I believe the unemployment percentage is below 5% vs. almost 10% for the state as a whole. The industry is one of the few growing in this economy. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | A fresh college graduate from a top-tier college, working at one of the major tech companies can easily earn $80-100k/year. After working in the industry for 5-10 years and growing your skills, you could expect to earn $150k-200k. If you start a company, or join the right startup, your earnings potential is limitless (see Facebook, for example). |
| How Stressful | 7 | Software engineering often has specific deadlines that must be met, which often leads to working long hours and stress. This is especially true when you have a family. |
| Task Variety | 7 | As a software engineer, you are problem solving on a daily basis. And, there are always different problems. However, you will tend to own an area, and if you spend enough time working in the same area it can get boring. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | Software engineering is not a "cool" profession, unless you live in the Silicon Valley. It means you will not be poor, but you are likely not filthy rich, so it isn't particularly glamorous. It is a solid, middle of the road profession, that requires intelligence and problem solving skills. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | My work schedule is very flexible. Some of my teammates don't show up at work until after lunch. We all work from home quite often. I also work with people all over the world -- frequently Europe, India, Israel, etc. However, the "tech centers" tend to be concentrated in particular cities. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | As part of the day to day job, you will spend a lot of time interacting with coworkers. You might think that engineers just want to sit at their desk and write code, but that stereotype isn't true. The most successful engineers are also able to network and collaborate well with others. |
Job Title: Senior Software Engineer/Developer
Attended: University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign • Urbana-Champaign, IL
Studied Computer Engineering And Computer Science (completion in 1997)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/29/2012
"The field paid well at one time, but due to outsourcing, there is not much job security any more. The work used to be interesting and required thought, but now it is routine and simplistic."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 3 | The University of Illinois is rated high in this field, but in reality it is a horrible undergraduate institution. The emphasis was always on research and not teaching. I could have been better prepared elsewhere. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | The only real promotional opportunities I will have will be to leave the technical side of the field and move into management. Otherwise, I'd have to go to a smaller company. |
| Job Security | 4 | Too much of this work is being sent to India. The job market in the US is saturated with new grads in CS. It is flooded with applicants and there are not enough jobs. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | The money is generally good or above average. Six figures is not uncommon. There are easier ways to make more money, but as a whole, the money is decent. That is changing, however, and the software jobs will likely be taken up by foreign labor, much like today's manufacturing roles. |
| How Stressful | 9 | Deadlines and multiple project juggling make this field very stressful. The work is generally under threat by low cost workers, so that increases the stress level daily. |
| Task Variety | 4 | I generally do the same routine tasks daily with some variability. Most variation comes from being on multiple projects. An engineer on the same team for an entire career could do nothing but maintain and update that code. This is not uncommon. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | Aside from the pay, and the past tech revolution, this is a very uncool field filled with geeks and dorks. Most "cool kids" end up in management. The work is boring and definitely not glamorous. There are generally no hot chicks in software. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | The job does offer some flexibility in that the work often does not have to be completed 9-5. One can work from home some of the time. However, meetings and testing require an in office presence. |
| Social Orientation | 2 | Geeks and dorks aren't very socially interesting. The human to human interaction has been replaced by email, text messages, and chat clients. |
Job Title: Product Engineer
Attended: San Francisco State University • San Francisco, CA
Studied Economics (completion in 2006)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/28/2012
"I enjoy working on a project that is core to the success or failure to the company. My time and skills are held in high regard at most of the companies that I have worked for. I also have not had a hard time finding employment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | I went to SFSU without putting too much thought into it. Even though I had previously worked as a developer before entering school, I decided to go into a program that I thought would be more "fun." I was going for a piece of paper and that is what I got out of it. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | Because of the greater supply of software positions out there and a seeming lack of supply of decent developers, I haven't had too much trouble getting raises or bumps in title. |
| Job Security | 10 | I haven't had a hard time finding new employment. Even though I tend to enjoy working for start-ups and the companies are fairly volatile, once I decide it's time to get another job it doesn't take too long to find one. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | I doubt that I will eve5 be able to cross 150,000 / year. I already make considerably more than most people my age but I think that I will be capped lower than somebody in business development. |
| How Stressful | 6 | Whenever a deadline needed to be pushed at my last company my boss used to love saying, "Oh my god, those orphans aren't going to get their heart & lung machines in time!" We made software and it was core to the business, but rarely was there a deadline that couldn't be missed for legit reasons. |
| Task Variety | 3 | The tasks that I work on are generally the same every day. 9/10 days I am a pixel pusher. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | The Matrix and Password Swordfish not withstanding, nobody thinks developers are cool. When people ask what I do, maybe 1 in 10 are actually impressed. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | When necessary I have been allowed to work remotely with little or no supervision. Most employers take no issue allowing for time off when requested as long as projects are completed on schedule. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | I think that most developers work within groups of developers. At most positions I've held we try to be friends. |
Job Title: Continuous Improvement Analyst
Attended: University Of Phoenix • Phoenix, AZ
Studied Software Engineering (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/30/2012
"I enjoy the work, but management is frustrating. They micromanage and redirect work priorities on a whim regardless of the impact on other projects."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | The structure of the program did not allow for in depth development of programming skills. I have a basic understand of several languages, but spent too much personal time trying to improve them. I feel like I'm constantly playing catch up. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | There are a lot of options for promotion. However, I would have to give up programming. |
| Job Security | 10 | My company is doing very well in this economy. My job performance exceeds the company's expectations. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | Starting pay is quite good. Raises and bonuses are very fair as well. |
| How Stressful | 5 | My management doesn't understand what they want or really need. They have unrealistic expectations as to what software can provide with so little staff and such a tiny budget. |
| Task Variety | 3 | I have a set of tasks that must be done daily. However, I may have new projects assigned depending on management interest. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | There are people doing really fun and innovative stuff. I'm not one of them. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | My direct manager feels that employees are only productive when he can look them in the face. We're rarely allowed to work from home. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | Some people are really great. Others hide or are just plain difficult. Most routinely fail to transfer knowledge. |
Job Title: Development Manager
Attended: University Of Manitoba • Winnipeg, ND
Studied Electrical Engineering (completion in 1996)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/29/2012
"I studied Electrical Engineering and hardware, and I ended up doing software development."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | Would have benefited from more industry related experience versus pure academics. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | I've had regular promotions so I think I can do well. As you get more senior there are more people competing for fewer opportunities. |
| Job Security | 5 | 10% or so people are managed out each year from my company. Though I've done very well, tides can change. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | I've made more money than I thought when I left college. Happy with my salary and growth. |
| How Stressful | 10 | High pressure to beat the competition. Impossible timelines, lots of coordination required. |
| Task Variety | 8 | There's a lot of emergency things to deal with. This covers organizational and technical fronts. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | My product has a marketing budget of $100M plus, so there is good general awareness of it. The tech we work on is cutting edge. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I've switched major product areas multiple times. This has enabled me to stay ahead of the curve and be promoted, and engaged with the major tech advancements in my area. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I need to interact with large swaths of groups to be effective. Not really social, though relationships are needed. |
Job Title: Software Development Engineer
Attended: University Of South Florida • Tampa, FL
Studied Management Information Systems (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/31/2012
"The pay is rather good for the time I put in. I am always learning and getting to "play" with new technologies. I am getting paid to do two of my favorite things: learn and experiment with computers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | Very little of the major has to do with real life skills that the graduate can use on the job. It is mostly unrelated, general business classes like marketing and accounting. A past employer actually told me they started avoiding candidates with MIS degrees and only considered me due to my experience. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | As my company grows and tries to do so in a lean and agile way in response to the economy, they must also grow their software development department to support the growth of the company. Custom software helps the company to not hire as many employees in other departments, thereby helping to increase profits. |
| Job Security | 10 | The field has definitely bounced back from the recession and is growing quickly. Any company that has survived the recession and is in good shape financially needs more software engineers than they currently have. Software engineers help companies to save money by automating business processes, which is great in the recession economy. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | I don't know of many other careers with as broad of a salary range as software development. A graduate fresh out of college may start in the $30k range while I have seen many job posting in the $120-$150k range for software architects and team leads. |
| How Stressful | 7 | Weeks can get very busy with normal deadlines crossing unexpected custom requests. Sometimes overtime is required, but everything is generally manageable and achievable. |
| Task Variety | 10 | Working at a company with around 65 employees means that I have a steady queue of planned projects that I can switch between throughout the day. To keep me on my toes, there are also plenty of emergency bug fixes, custom requests, and new features that I also get to work on. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | Some people will always consider you the "computer nerd." However, most of my coworkers are amazed by how much I help them with the software I write. My friends are also impressed by my abilities, making this a very "cool" career. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Jobs are found mostly around major cities or metropolitan areas. Smaller cities offer almost no job prospects. Working from home is an option a few days per month. The schedule is 40 hours per week with exact hours flexible. Career options and specializations are limitless. In short, not the perfect job, but it's close. |
| Social Orientation | 9 | I am constantly collaborating on requests and projects with the rest of the software engineering team. I am also constantly working with employees throughout the company who are the stakeholders in the projects I am working on. There is also adequate time for non-business socialization throughout the day. |
Job Title: Senior Software Engineer
Attended: University Of California, Irvine • Irvine, CA
Studied Information And Computer Science (completion in 2003)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 2/29/2012
"I like programming an application. I like to see it produce useful results."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | It is ranked 34th for my program. I would consider that as average. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | There are not many positions in the technical chain. I can go up the managerial chain, but I'm not interested. |
| Job Security | 8 | The company is doing well and always needs programmers. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | There is good potential for high salaries. But it can never beat, say, owning a high profit business. |
| How Stressful | 2 | Usually not too many critical deadlines. Flexible schedule and the ability to work from home helps. |
| Task Variety | 4 | Not much variation - it's the same programming. But once in a while the application changes, so there is some change. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | People think programmers are smart, but it's not very high paying. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | I can work from home. There are lots of software companies in the area. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | We work on projects in groups, which promotes business interactions. We usually go to lunch together promoting social interactions. We also have company picnics and outings. |
Job Title: Software Architect
Attended: Louisiana Tech University • Ruston, LA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1993)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 2/29/2012
"While I tried a number of areas in the field and struggled to find my proper fit, I am now primarily a SQL developer and love the work. The economy has limited the options for financial advancement, with companies regularly turning to H1B visa holders at much lower salaries than were being offered just a few years ago. Currently I love my work, but I'm not "very satisfied" because I haven't seen a gain in compensation in several years."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | At the time, Louisiana Tech was focused far more on EE and the newest technology was not readily available. Most programming classes focused on languages hardly ever seen today outside of specialized industries (COBOL, Fortran, etc). |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | Much of the advanced expertise I have comes from reading the latest techniques (such as the "Thinking in Sets" series of SQL books), so I am more prepared for complex tasks and managing larger projects. With previous experience managing teams and even large groups, it is also possible to advance into many areas of management. |
| Job Security | 8 | My exact job is always in question with the ebbs and flows of the business that employs me, but I am confident in my skills so I have no doubt that I could find another job near the same compensation quickly. With that said, my expertise is important to the business, and with my track record, the only way I'd lose my job is if the company closed completely. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | In the early 2000s, my salary and benefits exceeded $100,000 for the first time. While the current economy has held back increases, I do believe that will turn around as my skills are still in high demand. |
| How Stressful | 7 | The data of an organization is an extremely important asset. The code I write could greatly enhance the effectiveness of the business (speeding up a report with new SQL, for example), or hinder even basic operations (failing to understand the impact of changes in code). |
| Task Variety | 7 | Most of my work is patching existing code. I am exposed to all areas of the current enterprise system and frequently work on multiple codebases in a single day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | The type of work I do isn't something that most people would know about or understand, especially in relation to the compensation. I think it might be interesting to other programmers or SQL DBAs looking to program. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I code when I get "in the zone" so there are many mornings where I have created work remotely and implemented it into the test environment overnight. This effort is noticed and the freedom to come and go (or stay home) is readily offered. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | My role requires gathering information and planning projects. Working with other managers and line employees on a daily basis means regular social interaction. |
Job Title: Lead Software Engineer
Attended: American University • Washington, DC
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1984)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/1/2012
"I think I would say it would be totally perfect if it weren't for the age discrimination. The whole image of software developer is young for some reason."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | American University is not MIT. In spite of this I worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with people from UC Berkley, Caltech and MIT. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | I started as a senior engineer because of my MS. At one point I was promoted to principal developer. I never wanted to be a manager. |
| Job Security | 1 | I am a really old programmer. I feel my days are numbered. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | As a contractor I earn about $90,000. I don't get any benefits. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Usually average, but sometimes extremely stressful. At one point I was working 14 hour days and was never compensated. |
| Task Variety | 10 | Tasks are different everyday as progress is being made. Design or development moves from one module to the next. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | It's cool to be creative. It's cool to invent how things are going to work. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | I was never allowed to work at home. I could always come in when I wanted as long as I worked enough hours. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | Varies from one company to the next. I usually go out to lunch on Friday with a friend. |
Job Title: Senior Software Engineer
Attended: University Of North Florida • Jacksonville, FL
Studied Accounting Information Systems (completion in 1999)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/2/2012
"The job requires a lot of hours be put in and constant studying to stay up on the latest technology. This can take a toll on you and your personal life."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | It was ok. I did not really get a good sense of what I would be doing in the real-world from the classes. Classes I took as electives were a bit better, but still not accurate. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 1 | None, we are basically at a level and stay there and have not had a pay raise in about 4 years. We are given assignments by either the VP, manager, PM or a lead developer. |
| Job Security | 2 | At the company I am with, you can be let go at anytime for any reason, especially if you are not working a ton of hours or in with the crowd. |
| Earnings Potential | 5 | Not having had a pay raise in a 4 years, I am stuck, but in the early days I did get raises and the money was good. |
| How Stressful | 9 | The knowledge that you can be fired at any moment for the least little thing and that they expect you to work all the time makes it stressful. Also, the company doesn't seem to have a defined plan, so you are always in the dark. |
| Task Variety | 8 | The company doesn't seem to have a plan, so one minute you are doing something and next a task is given to the you deemed high priority, so you have to multitask a lot. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | Building website apps for an insurance company is not the most glamorous job. In addition, I'm not using the latest technology. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | Currently I telecommute, so this is the only reason I stay at the job as it gives me time to see the family, even if it is a quick hello and back to work. |
| Social Orientation | 1 | Working all of the time from home doesn't afford me much opportunity to meet people or even go out. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: Boston University Metropolitan College • Boston, MA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2000)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/1/2012
"The work is creative, interesting, and well paid. There is sort of a problem you eventually have to negotiate where as you age in the profession, there is a natural tendency to either super specialize or turn to management, neither of which is particularly appealing."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Attending the MET college at BU is a great way to advance your CS career (particularly if you were not a CS major as an undergrad). The instruction is generally very good, although there are occasional adjuncts that are knowledgeable but not good lecturers. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | There are lots of opportunities to move around between companies and take on more responsibility within my own. It's not necessarily the case that a job title change will accompany the new role, however. |
| Job Security | 9 | There have been downturns in the industry, but I have never heard of a skilled colleague being out of work for very long. Right now finding quality new hires is the most important part of my boss' job. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | As a software engineer, the base pay is already pretty good. There is also always the possibility of hitting the startup equity lottery. |
| How Stressful | 5 | The pace of the industry can be fast, and successes and failures can be very visible, which can be stressful. I have valued places which have a sense of work/life balance, so I have avoided that by and large. |
| Task Variety | 8 | The work is similar, but the problems are different every day. The majority of the things you build (as opposed to re-use) have never been built before, and designing these sorts of things is exactly what's great about this job. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | The dot-com bubble went a long way to making programming something that more than just nerds did. Depending on the visibility of the site/product/company you work for, people can get very excited to hear about your work. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Software is a very easy job to do from anywhere, and tools in common use make it very easy to collaborate remote colleagues. Members of my team regularly work from home as needed. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | The biggest problem in software is actually communication - making sure you understand what people want you to build, and making sure that different pieces come together right. I'm constantly in communication with the members of my team and others in the organization. Additionally, the place that I work at makes a point to create opportunities for social interaction outside of the normal course of work as a part of managing the work/life balance. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: Worcester Polytechnic Institute • Worcester, MA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2006)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I am satisfied when working on new projects and figuring out new ways to solve problems. I don't enjoy fixing TR's and bugs in other people's codes."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I gained a lot of knowledge while at WPI, and found the course content to be well rounded. My biggest problem while at WPI was the lack of English speaking TA's, which made it a little more difficult. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | In my job it is typically experienced based promotions. As long as you are doing a satisfactory job, you will get promoted at regular intervals. Usually every 3-4 years you will be up for a promotion. |
| Job Security | 9 | Currently, software developers are in high demand and my company treats developers well to retain staff. I believe it will stay this way for awhile until the market becomes flooded. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | When starting out, my earning potential was on par with most developers. I've found growth can be fast if you work hard and get recognized as a valuable member of a team. Software engineering definitely has a higher earning potential than other types of engineering fields, such as Test Engineering. |
| How Stressful | 6 | Most days are not very stressful. The only stressful times are when a customer has a hard deadline that is difficult to meet. These times increase the stress and hours worked immensely. |
| Task Variety | 5 | I find tasks are typically the same for a couple weeks then change as projects wrap up. This provides the opportunity to work on something new every couple weeks which is beneficial if your current project is not very interesting. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | Writing web interfaces is not very cool or glamorous. It's a job and it's a good job, but it's far from cool. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | My work is very flexible and I can work from home on most projects. There are also opportunities to try different types of programming projects and languages. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | We have meetings to discuss customer requirements and deadlines which provides a level of social interaction. Other than this, there isn't a lot of social interaction unless people are asking for help. |
Job Title: Software Test Engineer
Attended: Suffolk County Community College • Riverhead, NY
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I am only a programming test engineer. I program test scenarios and I run them over a program. I am looking forward to advance into a junior developer for mobile apps."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | They taught me a little bit of everything, but not a lot about one thing. I believe it needs to have more advanced technologies, such as iOS and Android development classes. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | There are a lot of opportunities for developers. I have about a year of testing experience and there are open positions almost all the time. |
| Job Security | 8 | It is somewhat secure. I am doing a good job, but people change test engineering positions very often. I am looking forward to advancing soon. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | The potential is unlimited. It depends on the experience and time on the job and expertise. Average starting salary is about $70,000 and after 3 years it goes up to $120,000. |
| How Stressful | 10 | It's extremely stressful. Most of the tasks are important and involve a lot of responsibility. I also have to work at a very tight schedule and over 40 hours/week. |
| Task Variety | 9 | There's a lot of variety. Tasks change every day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 4 | I wouldn't say that testing is too "cool." I'd rather be a big shot project manager. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | It is extremely flexible. You can choose to do whatever you please. Computer Science is a very broad field - you can do developing, mobile apps, testing, project management, software management, and web development. You can do freelance jobs, part-time, full-time - the opportunities are endless. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | Social interaction is not on a high level. Most of the time I do my assigned tasks, and report to the supervisor. We have weekly or biweekly meetings to report on progress. Other than that, I don't do too much social interaction. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: UC Riverside • Riverside, CA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I love to problem solve. Computer programming/my job lets me do that."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Professors were knowledgeable in their field. Projects were interesting and relevant. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | Getting promoted means becoming lead software engineer, which is tough without a lot of experience and time put in. |
| Job Security | 7 | The digital age is here to stay. People who can create in this new digital landscape are in high demand. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | The starting salary for programmers is fairly high. You will hit a ceiling fairly soon afterwards, though. |
| How Stressful | 4 | Work is fairly stress-free, that is with the exception of crunch-time. |
| Task Variety | 4 | While the problems you tackle each day might differ, the actual task of programming rarely changes. It is what you're paid to do, after all. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | More and more people are using the internet, gadgets, and software. Positions at companies that work on software that many use on a daily basis (like Facebook and Google) are considered fairly prestigious now. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Work schedule is fairly flexible hours-wise. Working from home is a real possibility given the nature of the work. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | Not much in the way of required social interactions. There are meetings and group brainstorms. |
Job Title: Senior Software Development Engineer
Attended: Boston University • Boston, MA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2005)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/4/2012
"I enjoy the challenges of solving problems and meeting business requirements through computer programming. However, I thought there would be more room for innovation in my career; working for a corporation makes "innovation" a buzzword that is rarely fulfilled."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I was delighted with Boston University's master's degree program in computer science. Virtually every course I took had immediate practical application in my work. (The only exception was Applied Mathematics.) |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | The only real career path seems to be based on number of years at work. Every few years, another artificial step (junior, senior, staff) is achieved. |
| Job Security | 7 | After a few years in corporate IT, it has become clear that there is no such thing as job security. Entire teams have been eliminated with little or no advanced warning. At the same time, some groups remain in place simply because it would be so expensive to replace legacy technologies. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | When my older colleagues began their careers, computer programming seemed like a goldmine. Today, it seems a fairly middle-of-the-road opportunity in terms of earnings. |
| How Stressful | 5 | I imagine that computer programming is stressful if you're supporting life-or-death activities, like medical or aeronautic applications. Frankly, though, in financial and corporate systems, it's no more stressful than anyone else's job. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Some days are the same as others, particularly as monthly financial cycles repeat. Meanwhile, occasionally there are exceptions -- usually when something goes wrong. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | I would guess that computer programmers who work on gaming have a cool career. Not so much for computer programmers in corporate and business areas. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | One advantage of a computer programming career is its flexibility in workspace location and time. I feel like I could work anywhere I want. The downside to time flexibility is the unspoken assumption that I am available 24/7. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Although I gave this a low rating for social interaction, this is a pleasant benefit of the job for me and many of my colleagues. I enjoy the meditative element of being able to work without human interaction much of the time. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: Purdue University • West Lafayette, IN
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/4/2012
"The job pays very well and has great benefits, including flexible hours, an on-site health clinic, cafeteria, and gym. However, the field is entirely dominated by males and it can be very isolating."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | The coursework involved excessive amounts of programming, so it prepared me well for such a career. There didn't seem to be many opportunities for research or other kinds of work with the faculty, however. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | I was promoted from associate SE to full SE within a year. From there I can become a senior SE, technical lead, team lead, architect, etc. Promotions are usually granted in an annual performance review, but occasionally one can move up when a position is vacated. |
| Job Security | 10 | Software isn't going anywhere. My company has doubled in size within the last two years and the growth doesn't appear to be stopping. Outsourcing isn't even an issue because all the best programmers are in the US. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | Starting salary is very high and raises of up to 5% every year are available, plus an extra 5% for a promotion. Big companies or companies in major metropolitan areas pay even more. |
| How Stressful | 6 | Due dates and deadlines constantly hang over my head. I am unable to forget about my work when I go home and constantly must decide whether I should continue working after hours in order to finish tasks. |
| Task Variety | 3 | Tasks are mostly the same: continue working on your current task, move onto the next, rinse and repeat. Occasionally, some customer support cases require some input from you. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 1 | There's nothing glamorous about sitting alone in an office/cubicle all day staring at a computer screen. No one outside of software really understands what it is you do anyway. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I can work from home whenever I want and set my own hours as long as I'm present (or call into) meetings. There are plenty of jobs everywhere in the country in many different industries. If I wanted, I could go into telephony, high-frequency trading, cyber-security, or any other number of fields. |
| Social Orientation | 2 | Virtually no interaction. I could go days without any contact with coworkers if it weren't for the 15 minute status update meetings every other day. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee • Milwaukee, WI
Studied Biomedical For Undergrad, Then Electrical For Masters (completion in 2013)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/4/2012
"The pace and stress of the job leads to dissatisfaction, but the pay is good. The fun of learning and coming to understand aspects of programming and participating in a large team towards a common goal is nice. Being able to program is powerful, and jobs aren't scarce."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | My college history has been mixed going into programming, but it provided me with many opportunities to discover it. Programming is a continuous learning experience, so college is good at pointing one in the general direction and providing a foundation rather than a working skill-set. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | If I perform well on visible projects, I'm confident I'll get promoted to various levels of 'engineer.' However, the economy again has slowed the flow of careers in general: there's little room to move into a new position, and the experienced programmers are waiting to retire. |
| Job Security | 4 | My company makes high-end programs, and the economy is generally poor enough that fewer customers are willing to pay the premium. As a result, my job security isn't comparable to what it may have been in the 90's. However, the skills that come with being a programmer are exceptionally transferrable - though I have yet to be forced to seek out alternate employment. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Computer programming isn't going to rocket me into the capitalist class anytime soon, but it came with a great starting salary and security through its ubiquity. The transferability of the skills I've learned indirectly increases my overall earning potential by reducing the chances that I'll be out of work with out-dated skills. |
| How Stressful | 6 | Deadlines and management induce a fair amount of stress from time to time. The monotonous nature of some job elements can be stressful. The looming spectre of the next layoff also is stressful. |
| Task Variety | 3 | My tasks are very similar day to day - to the point that a large portion of my job is creating automated systems to accomplish tasks I've mastered. The lack of creativity in my job is reflected in the mathematical rigor that allows it to be done quickly and leads to significant results in the form of a finished product (or deliverable). |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | Almost nothing is cool about my job. It involves math, writing, and the best job that can be done should literally look as boring as possible. At least professionally, there is little room for creativity. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | At my current company, I can come and go freely, wear blue jeans, etc., so in that sense there is much flexibility. In the broader job sense, I feel confident that I could take my skills to a number of different locations nearby - providing an added level of flexibility. (Even the schedules for releasing products I work on appear to have an ungodly degree of flexibility built in.) |
| Social Orientation | 5 | There's socialization at work, and at times it's even encouraged. I enjoy working and chatting with my teammates about everything to brewing beer to hacking game systems. There could, however, definitely be more social activity if the technical elements of the job were removed. |
Job Title: Velocity Software Engineer
Attended: Indiana University • Bloomington, IN
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"I really enjoy the constant challenge of developing health care solutions that benefit hospitals. The technology is ever-changing and I enjoy helping others and making the healthcare system more efficient."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | IU was a great school. The professors and staff created an excellent academic community. I enjoyed the CS program, including its many courses and applications. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | Cerner is a very dynamic workplace. They constantly have room for promotion and people are always shifting around. They provide many opportunities to discover what you want to do while working there. |
| Job Security | 10 | Every industry today needs programmers to develop their solutions and websites. I feel that I will always be able to find a position. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | Since the programming industry is on the rise, I see my earnings potential as very high. The nice thing about this field is that I can tailor it to be what I love. Any industry needs programmers and people who understand technology, so I feel my earnings potential is fairly high. |
| How Stressful | 9 | Cerner requires that you work hard, so, at times, it can be very stressful with deadlines, reviews, etc. That being said, they offer many things like yoga, sports, and exercise equipment to help you unwind. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Despite some daily tasks, every day at Cerner is a new experience. My team is constantly working on new solutions which requires fast throughput and hard deadlines. The projects are rarely copies of another and I feel I'm doing something different everyday. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | I have always loved software development and using technology to solve today's problems. In addition, working with health care providers to revolutionize the American health care system is very "cool" in my mind. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Cerner allows me to work from home and basically make my own schedule. However, they have a work hard, play hard philosophy and expect a high quality of work in exchange for flexibility. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | Despite the stereotype that programmers are anti-social, there is a very social environment inside Cerner and in their leisure programs as well. There are many leagues to join for various sports that require social interaction. Not to mention all the groups you work in. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: University Of Texas At Dallas • Richardson, TX
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"The starting salary is great, enough to put food on the table and then some. Also, my job is exciting and challenging."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | The University of Texas at Dallas has a very strong computer science program. It is a good combination of theory and practicality, and the relationship with Texas Instruments is a bonus. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | Promotion has a lot to do with teamwork and leadership skills instead of technical skills. There are many opportunities to get promoted through hard work. |
| Job Security | 10 | Computer science is a growing field with very high demand. If I get fired, I will get hired from another company quickly. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | Although the starting salary is high, it is hard to really earn a lot of money, even with experience. |
| How Stressful | 3 | Usually there is not too much to do during an average work day. This changes when a project's due date is coming close or there is a bug or malfunction. |
| Task Variety | 3 | Relatively speaking, my daily activities do not really change. I am on a computer or in a conference room all day. The problems and challenges do change. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 4 | Being a software engineer is nerdy enough. The upside is the money factor, which makes it more cool. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I have only worked from 9-5, but I can work from home which is a plus. Usually I have a lot of free time, and it's easy to take vacation days. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Me and my colleagues get along well enough. It is important to have good communication skills for the job. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: Brigham Young University • Provo, UT
Studied Computer Engineering (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"It's rewarding but difficult work. The salary is sufficient for me and my wife. I like the challenge of solving puzzles and coordinating with others."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | BYU is mostly known for their business school. I had originally intended to double major and get a business degree, but I eventually dropped that plan. They're a solid school otherwise. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | There are a lot of code monkeys, and very few managers. Skills for coding don't necessarily translate well into managerial roles. My bosses would rather give small raises than promotions. |
| Job Security | 5 | I'm totally expendable, but I've given them no reason to fire me. Our project is huge and long-term, and it's much easier to keep me around. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | It pays well for an entry-level position, but there's very little chance of getting ahead. You'd need to make some pretty drastic changes, or start your own business. |
| How Stressful | 7 | Deadlines are terrible things. I had to roll out a project this morning, and someone had turned the entire front-end hot pink. I have no idea what they were thinking. |
| Task Variety | 3 | I'm basically typing all day every day. What I'm typing and why may vary, but it remains basically the same. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | It seems really cool at first, but in fact you just spend a lot of time in front of a computer. It's kinda dull after a while. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | I can work from home, work part time, work nights and take days off, and pretty much set my own schedule as long as the work gets done. There are dozens of specialty fields if I want to go back to school for a post-grad degree. Computers are kinda essential to all parts of society, so there's always some job available. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | All the code monkeys are buddies. We talk pretty much constantly, as someone's usually working odd hours and needs advice. We go out to eat as an office pretty often, too. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: IPFW (Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne) • Fort Wayne, IN
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/6/2012
"Where I live, there aren't as many jobs available for software engineers as there might be in larger cities like Chicago, New York, or some of the technological hotspots. There is work to be found, but much of it isn't very exciting or lucrative."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | I think IPFW's Computer Science program is heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, I feel it is still in the early stages of building a great program, and as such it doesn't offer the opportunities for learning and experimentation that some more prestigious schools may have. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | Like I mentioned, I am self-employed. I'm already the king of my own little castle; whether that is worth anything is entirely up to my ability to attract and satisfy clients. | |
| Job Security | 3 | I am currently self-employed; what else is there to say? As long as I choose not to work in an office I'm at the mercy of my marketing skills, which fortunately have served me well so far. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | My earnings potential depends a great deal on how hard I want to work to attract clients and how hard I want to work to satisfy them. Basically, it is almost entirely dependent on my own priorities and work ethic. |
| How Stressful | 8 | I'm either working a lot or not getting much money. Add in difficult clients or the occasional client who has a hard time paying me in a timely fashion, and I end up with a fair amount of stress. |
| Task Variety | 6 | Each client has different needs, so every project has a different set of goals. Of course, the range in variation between one project to the next isn't great--at the end of the day it's still just a bunch of websites or iPhone apps. Still, it allows some freedom in deciding what I want to do on any given day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I mostly do website and apps for local businesses. Considering that there aren't a whole lot of businesses around with much of a "wow" factor, I guess my career doesn't hold a lot of glamor right now. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Since I act as my own boss I can manage myself however I see fit. If I want to take a week off I can; if I want to work 80 hour weeks I can. Of course, I'm still at the mercy of the market, which dictates to a large degree what I can and can't get away with. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | I meet with people outside my "office" all the time to discuss new projects or to network. Also, since I can set my own schedule I can easily take an extended lunch to meet with friends, family, or my wife during the course of the day. |
Job Title: Engineer
Attended: Suffolk County Community College • Selden, NY
Studied Computers (completion in 1997)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 3/6/2012
"I really enjoy the work and I find it interesting. I wish it paid more, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | The school's program was thorough but a little out of date. It did have small class sizes. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | Promotions are a little tight right now. I think it will better in the future. |
| Job Security | 8 | Programmers are in demand. There are a lot of them, so pay is not as high as I would like. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | It can be competitive sometimes. Recently times have been a little tougher. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Deadlines are always stressful. Problems pop up unexpectedly and need to be addressed immediately. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Projects can last for weeks. Tasks can be repetitive on a day to day basis. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | I think it is associated with being a "nerd." But it is also very modern and associated with the latest trends. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | I can work flexible hours and I can work at home as well. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | I work alone on projects most of the time. I also work at home sometimes. |
Job Title: Software Engineer
Attended: MIT • Cambridge, MA
Studied Electrical Engineering And Computer Science (completion in 2005)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/12/2012
"I am satisfied with my career because I solve interesting problems at work. It also pays pretty well."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | MIT is world known for its CS program. Going to such a highly rated university certainly made it very easy for me to step into this industry. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | There's a lot of room to grow in my particular career. There are bigger and more interesting problems to solve, and I can take on managerial roles. |
| Job Security | 8 | The software industry was not hit as hard as the rest of the economy in the 2007 economic crisis. So I feel that we are somewhat safe in terms of job security in these hard economic times. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | The sky's the limit. People have made billions working in the software industry. |
| How Stressful | 8 | My industry is very fast paced. This means before we ship a software, we often work really long hours. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Depending on what particular problem we are trying to solve, we get to do different tasks. Therefore, the job is somewhat varied from day to day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | I think my career is really cool. However, I have heard some people say we are nerdy. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | We have flextime, so I can set my own hours. Additionally, no one in my company cares how often I take time off as long as I do everything that is on my plate. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | I work a lot with my team. However, I wish I had more of a customer facing role, which would be more social. |
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