Software engineer

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 a good knowledge of programming languages, computer operating systems and software development.

You could work with computer games, fintech (financial technology) operating systems, websites or business applications. If you like to aim for the stars, you could even write code for rockets and spacecraft.

Working with clients, you’d find out what their needs are to make a plan. Then you’d design, develop and test the software to make sure it meets those needs. You’d collaborate with others in 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 after deployment 
  • 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