Software Development White Paper

SOFTWARE
DEVELOPERS
Keoni Harrison
September 2019 University of Idaho
Career Overview: Software Developer
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………
….3
METHODOLOGY……………………………………………….….….….….…
…....3
RESULTS………………………………………………………………………...
3-6
Job Description……………………………………………………...3-4
Education Requirements……………………………………………..4-
5
Skills.….….….….….….….….….….….….….…..…………..………...5
Work
Environment………………...……...….......……..…….….….…..5
Salaries………………………………….….….….….…………..…5-6
Job Prospects ……………………………………..…………………..6
CONCLUSION……………………………………………….….….….….……
…..6
WORKS
CITED…………………………………………………………….....…….7
Page 2
Introduction
This document presents software development information as a career overview, as well
as education requirements, work environment, salary, and employment and career
prospects.
Methodology
Information gathered for this paper was gathered from Career One Stop and the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. The data from these sites is reliable, and the statistical data therein has
been clipped and compiled into an online notebook called evernote. The data was then
categorized and formatted into this document.
Results
Job Description
Software developers are those that create applications and programs for computers or other
devices and the operating systems therein. These operating systems, as well as network
control systems are also developed by software engineers.
They will often do the following:
● Develop software that meets a specific user’s needs.

● Design applications and system’s individual portions, and how those cooperate
together.
● Maintain programs and systems, and the functionality thereof.
Software Developers analyze a user’s needs for performance, security, and functionality.
Thes take this data and lead the development of a program. They design it, and then have
Page 3
the programmers code it. They must also ensure that the program works as the user expects.
If it doesn’t, they go back and make design tweaks. Once released, they may continue to
release updates. While they often leave the coding to programmers, they may do it
themselves.
There are two types of software developers: application focused, and systems focused.
application software developers design and create custom software that will be sold to the
general public. System software developers on the other hand, develop operating systems,
or network systems in comparison.
Education Requirements
Computer science, software engineering, or other related fields are usually studied, with
bachelor’s degrees, though computer science is most common because it is the most
enveloping. Internships during college are coming and any classes pertaining to software
are helpful. Some businesses require
master’s degree.
Software developers need to have

knowledge in the industry in which
they are building for. They need to
understand the software needs of
those industries to specialized
applications that can operate as
needed. They will also often have programming knowledge often gained in school. As
technology progresses, so must the knowledge of software developers to compensate.
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As can be seen by the above chart, those with a bachelor’s degree comprise most of the job
market, while master’s degree come in second at 30%.
Skills and Abilities

All the following skills are needed to fulfill the requirements of the job. They must analyze
user needs, develop systems, communicate issues and work with the consumer, as well as
coworkers, solve any issues, and ensure that every detail is exact.
● Analytical Skills
● Communication Skills
● Creativity
● Detail Oriented
● Interpersonal Skills
● Problem Solving Skills
Work Environment
For the most part, software development is a collaborative process, where they may work
with other developers, and do work with programmers. However, this is not always the
case, and some may even work at home, where it is a single person working alone.
Salaries
In regards to median average wage,
and the top ten percent of wages,
both Idaho and Illinois fall behind
the US national average. Though
Illinois isn’t quite as far behind,
Idaho is much farther behind. Idaho
is still much farther behind in the
low ten percent compared to the US
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average, but in this regard Illinois seems to be slightly higher, contrary to the higher
percentile
Job Prospects
As can be seen in the following graph, Idaho is expected to see a slight decrease in the
amount of jobs over the next ten years, while Illinois
sees a fair increase. The national average also sees a
large increase, and it can be reasonably deduced that
the increase will be even larger, and exponential,
when taking into consideration the growing
technological market.
Conclusion
Software development is a growing field, and the more technology advances, the more
necessary software developers become necessary to keep up with this growing industry.
It is a field with the potential for a stable salary, and good work environment.
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3 Job Growth Comparison
Page 6
WORKS CITED
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,
Software Developers, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-
information-technology/software-developers.htm (visited September 04, 2019).
“CareerOneStop.” CareerOneStop, 21 Mar. 2017,
www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Careers/Occupations/occupation-
profile.aspx?keyword=Software%2BDevelopers%2C%2BApplications&onet
code=15113200&location=UNITED%2BSTATES.
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SOFTWARE

They will often do the following:

● Develop software that meets a specific user’s needs.

Software developers need to have

Skills and Abilities

Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3 Job Growth Comparison

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