What are the Pros and Cons of having a Career in Software Engineering?

Most of the computer science engineering students look forward to joining the software industry because it offers job flexibility, lucrative career options, and tremendous growth. There are many MNCs and startups that hire software engineers as programmers & developers and manual & automation testers. The mechanical, electrical, civil and electronics & communication engineers are also giving preference to the software industry. Lack of job opportunities in the core industries is one of the main reasons behind this scenario.

Why the Software Industry has become the Center of Attraction for Engineers?

Software as a service or SaaS has become an integral part of every business activity. For example – top companies like Netflix, Expedia, Slack, Nokia, etc use the Amazon Web Services to reach out to its customers. There are companies that develop in-house software that is used for internal operations (later the in-house software is released for commercial use). Mobile application is another branch of the software industry that requires high-quality developers and coders for the development and maintenance of mobile apps. Due to all these reasons, the demand for software engineers is rising every day and engineers from every branch are also trying to get into the software industry to support the need of the rising demand. Apart from mainstream software jobs, the software industry also needs engineers in the support department to troubleshoot the problems of the customers.

What are the pros of becoming a Software Engineer?

Since many are choosing the software industry to make a career, there must be some really interesting pros that support their decision. Let’s read some of these pros.

1. High Demand – Good software engineers find jobs. There is a need for software engineers in the domains of development, testing, and support. Every company has a requirement for a team of software engineers who could develop, maintain, test and support software. Working in such company helps an individual to learn and grow and in turn, they make remarkable progress as a software developer.

2. Ultimate Satisfaction – Engineers are creators and software engineers create unique software that is used by many. If you become a professional software engineer, you will feel happy each time when you will see your software working.

3. Money Factor – Software engineers are good money makers. The more they work and gather experience, the more they earn in the future.

4. Work as Freelancers – Software engineers have the opportunity to work as freelancers. They also have the option to work for a company at remote positions.

5. Business Opportunities – One of the best reasons to enter the software industry is to become an entrepreneur. Software engineers have a chance of starting their own SaaS companies. There are no extra costs for starting a software company. The only requirement for software developers to start a company is a good computer.

6. Opportunities to Work Abroad – Software engineers get the chance to work abroad. Countries like the USA, UK, Switzerland, German, France, Japan, and Canada hire software engineers based on their requirement.

What are the cons of becoming a Software Engineer?

Of course, there are cons in software engineering as too much of good things is bad. Let’s read some of the cons of software engineering.

1. Lifelong Learning – As they say the whole life is designed for learning, which is actually true for software engineers. They cannot stop learning new programming languages. The frequency of learning has to be high too.

2. Converse in Between Work – These days software engineers cannot sit and work in front of a computer for the entire work time. They need to attend calls of the clients and listen to their requests and clear their doubts. This might create a lapse in concentration. Software engineers need to stay prepared for that.

3. Getting Stuck – If you don’t learn new technology, you will not be able to progress an inch in your career. So, there is a high possibility of staying stuck in the same position for years.

4. No Breaks on Weekends – To finish projects on time, software engineers often work for 18-20 hours a day and even on weekends. This can be hectic for few. So staying fit is one way to remove lethargy. But still, it’s a stressful situation to be in.

5. High Competition – Software industry is highly competitive. You need to work hard and be determined to stay focused on your work. Otherwise, you will face trouble at work.

6. No Social Activity – High pressure at work will take away your family, friends and social connections from you. You will have no time to meet them even to say hello!