Software Engineering Jobs

Pakistan sat quietly as it watched it’s Indian neighbors quickly ascended to become the IT outsourcing capitol of the world, however, they were paying attention. Using the same Indian business model, the Pakistani business and economic development community has achieved major successes in carving out their own piece of the lucrative offshore IT outsourcing business. In the global outsourcing market, dominance is hard to achieve for the long haul. As lower wage employees develop highly sought after skills, the cost of retaining these employees leaves companies at an economic disadvantage.

Based on the pure economics of the two countries, it is evident that Pakistani IT companies will outpace Indian companies in the coming years, based on several factors:

India has a developed IT sourcing infrastructure, with established professionals demanding increased salaries. Increased labor expenses for outsourcing solutions makes companies less competitive, unless the output is exceedingly exceptional.

Pakistan has a huge community of émigrés with experience in technology. And like India, it has a culture that values education and hard work. Pakistan, like India, has a large number of English speaking residents.

Pakistan predicts a 45% annual growth in coming years. Although Pakistan IT exports represent only 11% of what India exports, Pakistan is quickly closing the gaps on the lucrative software application development market.

Gartner, in its recent report ‘Analysis of Pakistan as an Offshore Service Location’ said the major factor behind the progressing status of Pakistan is the lower salaries and better infrastructure advantages than other offshore destinations. “The salaries of IT professionals in Pakistan are approximately 30% lower than those in India, while telecommunication costs are also lower as compared to any other offshore locations, which make Pakistan an attractive outsourcing destination.”

The Pakistan government is fully committed to the Pakistani IT initiatives…”According to Gartner research report, government of Pakistan has devised a comprehensive national IT policy, designed to encourage the private sector. In order to drive development, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) plans to construct new IT parks in major cities while 750,000 square feet of space in PSEB-designated parks has already been leased to IT companies.”

I have received several requests about what to expect during the interview process for a software engineering position. Based on my experience, the interview process typically occurs in three phases. So don’t be surprised that this may seem like a lengthy process, it is.

The first interview is normally conducted by human resources or a general staff person filter through resumes. During this initial contact, the interviewer is looking for basic information. Questions will include:

• How did you hear about this position? This is where they determine what career marketing strategy they are using really works, i.e., Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, Dice.com, corporate website, friend, etc.
• Are you willing to relocate? Although there was an initial push for telecommuter hires, it appears more jobs are being filled which require the new hire to report to a physical office location. So much for modern technology. More jobs are being moved to lower overhead locations. They need to know before they waste further resources, if you are serious about moving to the middle of nowhere for this job.
• Can you work in the United States? Of course, this question is specific to American readers, but they need to know you work status.
• How soon can you start? Be honest on this one. Don’t be too eager to take a job, when you have to tie up a lot of loose ends in relocating. They will expect something in excess of two weeks. You will have to consider selling your house or getting out of a lease, moving your lifetime collection of whatever, informing your current employer and completing any task you are currently working on for them. I believe 4 weeks is a minimum response in most cases.

The second interview will be conducted by someone with a technical background. At this point, you has expressed interest in a position and have shown a willingness to relocate to their facility. Now comes the part where they try to determine if you will be an asset to them or a good fit for their team dynamics. Here are some questions you are likely to hear:

• What is your current job title? Although you may not currently hold a software engineering job title, there is still hope of landing a software engineering position. The interviewer is trying to make sense from the skills you put down on your resume versus what skills are required of your current job position.
• Do you have any experience with team-based work environments? You may think this is a simple type of question to be asked, however, many people do not have to interact with other individuals to complete work tasks. As a software engineer, you will be required to interface with other team members, usually on a daily basis. Team work is not for everyone. If you have the type of personality that makes team-based work or decisions difficult, you should be honest with yourself. Otherwise, you may land a position you regret taking.
• Are you willing to relocate? Yes, this question was asked in the first interview. The prospective company needs to know you intention for inquiring for this position. Companies receive a ton of applications from a variety of sources with many people applying just to test the market. Again, be honest about your willingness to relocate.
• What type of programming experience do you have? Some companies may be in need of a language specific applicant, others may not. Be honest about your abilities, highlight your attributes and state your limitations.

The third phase of the interview process will likely come in the form of a skills test. This interview is prefaced on the fact that you have the requisite background they seek, and your willingness to work where the job is. The test may come in a face to face format, or many companies are using a proctored test format. For those unfamiliar with a proctored test format, essentially it requires that a neutral party is present to administer the test and to verify that time restraints are met and no reference materials are used. The proctored test can be given at a local library or university. The prospective company will handle the logistics of this arrangement and to see the test is delivered and received. Listed below are some links in reference to what to expect on the attitude test:

• Interview questions for tech companies
  
• Preparing for a Software Engineering Interview
• Microsoft Interview Questions

The economics of software development details just how difficult the field of software engineering can be. Despite all the successes of software applications development, many projects never get off the ground for a variety of reasons. Listed below is a snapshot of the outcome of software development projects.

Approximately 50% of all software projects are canceled by users who change their minds, whether or not the software engineers would have succeeded.

Approximately 25% of all software projects are unable to be delivered, due to requirement changes, lack of time or resources, or other reasons.

Approximately 25% of all software projects are delivered successfully.

Maintenance: Most (70% or more) software engineering effort over the total lifetime of a system goes into maintenance and upgrades.

Delivery: In the course of taking a large software project from conception to end user acceptance (and actual use) the cost of developing the software will typically range from 20-30% of the total. Other activities (documentation, Training infrastructure, Support infrastructure, Deployment and Network design, etc) account for the other 70-80%.

This explains why free software is not a major economic threat to commercial software. The cost of commercial software is only 20-30% of the cost to the company. If the commercial software comes with any guarantees about support or maintenance, it easily covers the cost. Most of the cost of software for a company or organization is in training, deployment, and support. (wikipedia)

The field of software engineering is one of the fastest growing job sectors in today’s economy. The demand for software engineers far exceeds the number of available software engineers. Listed below are some of the top schools for software engineering.

Top Schools for Computer Software Engineering (Source: U.S. News, www.usnews.com):

• 1. Florida Institute of Technology-

This institute has an average freshmen retention rate of 77% as reported by U.S. News. -Undergraduate Student Body: 2,319, Faculty to Student Ratio: 1:13, Tuition Costs: $25,150; Average High School GPA of Incoming Freshmen: 3.6; Test Scores of Incoming Freshmen: ACT: More than 40% had scores 24-29, SAT: More than 30% had scores 1200-1299. For more information, try www.fit.edu.

• 2. Michigan Technological University-

This university has a rich history, founded in 1885. -Undergraduate Student Body: 5,709, Faculty to Student Ratio: 1:11, Tuition Costs: In-State: $8,194, Out-of-State: $19,384; Average High School GPA of Incoming Freshmen: 3.5; Test Scores of Incoming Freshmen: ACT: More than 50% had scores 24-29, SAT: More than 30% had scores 1200-1299. For more information, try www.mtu.edu.

• 3. Milwaukee School of Engineering-

This school offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. -Undergraduate Student Body: 2,089, Faculty to Student Ratio: 1:11, Tuition Costs: $25,095; Average High School GPA of Incoming Freshmen: 3.5; Test Scores of Incoming Freshmen: ACT: More than 50% had scores 24-29, SAT: More than 30% had scores 1000-1099. For more information, try www.msoe.edu.

The field of software engineering can be very rewarding and lucrative, if you possess the right skill set. In today’s market, the demanding nature of the software engineer job requires the potential candidate to not only be an exceptional programmer, but also be able to effective communicate with team members, project managers and end users. Listed below is a great job description of a software engineer.

The explosive impact of computers and information technology on our everyday lives has generated a need to design and develop new computer software systems and to incorporate new technologies into a rapidly growing range of applications. The tasks performed by workers known as computer software engineers evolve quickly, reflecting new areas of specialization or changes in technology, as well as the preferences and practices of employers. Computer software engineers apply the principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that enable computers to perform their many applications.

Software engineers working in applications or systems development analyze users’ needs and design, construct, test, and maintain computer applications software or systems. Software engineers can be involved in the design and development of many types of software, including software for operating systems and network distribution, and compilers, which convert programs for execution on a computer. In programming, or coding, software engineers instruct a computer, line by line, how to perform a function. They also solve technical problems that arise. Software engineers must possess strong programming skills, but are more concerned with developing algorithms and analyzing and solving programming problems than with actually writing code. (A separate statement on computer programmers appears elsewhere in the Handbook.)

Computer applications software engineers analyze users’ needs and design, construct, and maintain general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. These workers use different programming languages, depending on the purpose of the program. The programming languages most often used are C, C++, and Java, with Fortran and COBOL used less commonly. Some software engineers develop both packaged systems and systems software or create customized applications.

Computer systems software engineers coordinate the construction and maintenance of a company’s computer systems and plan their future growth. Working with the company, they coordinate each department’s computer needs—ordering, inventory, billing, and payroll recordkeeping, for example—and make suggestions about its technical direction. They also might set up the company’s intranets—networks that link computers within the organization and ease communication among the various departments.

Systems software engineers work for companies that configure, implement, and install complete computer systems. These workers may be members of the marketing or sales staff, serving as the primary technical resource for sales workers and customers. They also may be involved in product sales and in providing their customers with continuing technical support. Since the selling of complex computer systems often requires substantial customization for the purchaser’s organization, software engineers help to explain the requirements necessary for installing and operating the new system in the purchaser’s computing environment. In addition, systems software engineers are responsible for ensuring security across the systems they are configuring.

Computer software engineers often work as part of a team that designs new hardware, software, and systems. A core team may comprise engineering, marketing, manufacturing, and design people, who work together until the product is released. (courtesy of bls.gov)

The software engineering job outlook is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations from 2004 to 2014. To view computer software engineering jobs in more detail, explosive employment opportunities will be seen in computer system design, embedded software engineering jobs and related services industry. With the software industry beginning to mature, however, and with routine software engineering work being increasingly outsourced overseas, job growth accelerate as rapidly as the previous decade.
However, there is still numerous postings for entry level software engineering jobs, software test engineer jobs, medical software engineer jobs, among the software engineering job titles.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual earnings jobs in software engineering who worked full time in May 2004 were about $74,980. The middle 50 percent earned between $59,130 and $92,130. The bottom 10 percent earned less than $46,520, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $113,830. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of computer applications software engineers in May 2004 were as follows:

Software publishers $79,930
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services 78,460
Computer systems design and related services 76,910
Management of companies and enterprises 70,520
Insurance carriers 68,440

Median annual earnings of computer systems software engineers who worked full time in May 2004 were about $79,740. The middle 50 percent earned between $63,150 and $98,220. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $50,420, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $118,350. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of computer systems software engineers in May 2004 are as follows:
Scientific research and development services $91,390
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing 87,800
Software publishers 83,670
Computer systems design and related services 79,950
Wired telecommunications carriers 74,370

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, starting salary offers for graduates with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering averaged $52,464 in 2005; offers for those with a master’s degree averaged $60,354. Starting salary offers for graduates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science averaged $50,820.

According to Robert Half International, starting salaries for software engineers in software development ranged from $63,250 to $92,750 in 2005. For network engineers, starting salaries in 2005 ranged from $61,250 to $88,250.

Recent software engineer/developer/programmer wages data compiled by Payscale.com in 2007, shows the following software engineering salary numbers:
Less than 1 year $55,031
1 - 4 years $59,129
5 - 9 years $71,474
10 - 19 years $80,187
20 years + $86,472