How To Become A Software Engineer

Software Engineer Salary

If you are going to spend thousands of dollars in getting a software engineering degree then you will surely be asking what level computer software engineer salaries are. The answer to this question can be complex however and is based on not only the employer you have but also the type computer software engineer that you are trained to be. There are at least 15 subfields in software engineering and the salaries range from $65,000 a year to over $100,000 a year. The below chart will give readers a better idea of the job growth in the industry over the last several years.

Along with there being a salary difference between companies and subfields there are even major differences if your degree is based on specialization in particular languages. For instance, a C++ software engineer will be making about $82,000, while a Java software engineer will earn about $87,000 and a Senior Java Software Engineer will earn nearly $100,000 per year and a junior software engineer, a fresh graduate, can expect to earn a bit less than $60,000 per year.

This means that the salaries you can expect to receive will be based on many different factors. In today´s job market, while software engineering is one of the fastest growing industries in the market place, graduating engineers may not be able pick and choose from the top paying companies in the world. The competition for places at companies like Microsoft and Google is extreme and only the top graduates, all students with 4.0 GPAs can even think about employment with these companies. In most cases new graduates will end up working with small independent software development companies and cannot expect to be purchasing a new Mercedes Benz for several years.

The best way to increase your salary potential in the software engineering field is to broaden your knowledge base by taking a wider range of classes. Even students specializing in one language paradigm, such as Java, C++ or Perl should have a good working knowledge of all of the major languages used in today´s programming environment. Including studies in computer repair, with A+ Certification, IT, with N+ Certification, and even web design will greatly increase your marketability.  These additional skills offer the prospective employer more flexibility when they hire you simply because you are able to move from area to area with little or no extra training.

In conclusion, computer software engineer salaries depend on a large variety of factors but students can have a large effect on how high their salary, simply in the choices of classes and maintaining high grades.