Career outlook for software engineer
Figures and forecasts for roles at the same level, which require similar skills and qualifications.
Average UK salary
£44,720
Currently employed in Scotland
26,100
Average UK salary
£44,720
Currently employed in Scotland
26,100
"LMI for All" supplies our salary and employment status information. "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures.
Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.
What's it like?
Software engineers create, maintain, test and improve information systems to meet the needs of a business. In this job, you could work in a digital or technical team, developing and building computer system software and programs.
You’d need to have a firm knowledge of programming languages, computer operating systems and software development. There are a wide variety of types of software that you might work on, like computer games, operating systems, websites or business applications.
Work with clients to find out what their needs are to make a plan. Then you could design, develop and test the software to make sure it meets those needs. You'd work collaboratively within a team to see a plan through from start to finish.
What you might do:
- Come up with solutions to fix or improve software
- Deploy new or update existing programs
- Maintain and support systems once they’ve been deployed
- Write or modify computer code
- Attend technical design progress meetings
- Develop quality assurance procedures
- Produce and update records of development processes and changes
- Carry out system testing and quality checks before launching new or updated systems
Working conditions
Hours
Environment
Travel
UK employment status
Full-time
87%
Part-time
4%
Self employed
9%
Top skills
Here are some of the skills needed for this job. Sign in to see how your skills match up.
- Adaptability
- Working with technology
- Written communication
- Creative
- Problem solving
- Researching
- Attention to detail
- Developing a plan
- Making decisions
- Analysing
Skills Explorer
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To understand more, have a look at What are my skills?
Our Skills Explorer tool will help you understand what skills you have and match them to jobs that might suit you.
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Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you’ll need.
Foundation Apprenticeships
Choosing a Foundation Apprenticeship as one of your subjects in S5 and S6 can help you get a head start with this type of job.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification (the same level as a Higher) plus valuable work placement experience and skills you can't learn in a classroom.
Interested? Find out what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
Qualifications
You can develop the necessary skills for this role through a variety of routes.
Many software engineers will have studied at HND or degree level in the following subjects:
- Information technology
- Computing – software development
- Software engineering
- Computer science
- Applied computing
Employers will consider graduates from non-computing subjects if they are able to demonstrate essential technical knowledge. There are also postgraduate IT conversion courses available to graduates who need to strengthen their technical skills.
Useful subjects
Many colleges and universities will have required subjects that you must have for entry. They might also highlight additional subjects that they would value. Have a look at individual institutions websites for specific entry information.
Useful subjects would be:
- Physics
- Computer science
- Graphic design
Helpful to have
Not all employers list specific qualification requirements but they might ask for relevant (usually work based) experience that demonstrates a range of transferable skills.
You would also need to demonstrate an up to date knowledge of software and programming developments.
Related industries
