Software development is the process of designing and creating new software products and computer programs. Many people pursue careers in software development because they can often offer flexible work opportunities and competitive salaries. If you’re interested in working as a software developer, it can be helpful to learn about the different entry-level jobs you can take to prepare for your career. In this article, we consider what the requirements are to start a software development career and explore eight entry-level jobs in the industry, including their job duties and average salaries.
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What are the requirements for an entry-level software developer job?
While many jobs in software development provide candidates with training while on the job, there are a few requirements that most entry-level positions ask candidates to complete. The most common requirement for entry-level jobs in software development is typically a bachelor’s degree in computer science. This is because computer science programs can teach candidates about the key concepts they usually need as software developers, such as designing software systems and writing code.
Another requirement that these jobs can ask for is knowledge of particular computer programming languages. The languages that a developer might have to be familiar with can vary greatly depending on the job title they apply for and the projects they work on, so it can be helpful to research which types of programming languages a job uses before applying for it.
8 entry-level jobs in software development
Here are eight entry-level jobs you can pursue in software development:
1. Web Editor
National average salary: $34,124 per year
Primary duties: A web editor reviews the written content featured on websites and applications to ensure it’s accurate. Their job can involve reading the text on an application closely to look for spelling or grammar errors, checking the facts that a website or application presents for accuracy, and using search engine optimization to verify that a website appears online. Most web editors have a strong understanding of computer programming and software development that they can use when editing content that focuses on technical subjects.
2. Junior software engineer
National average salary: $38,540 per year
Primary duties: A junior software engineer helps a development team to design and produce new software products. Junior software engineers can write code at the request of higher-level developers, conduct troubleshooting and bug fixes on software during the testing stage, and help developers adjust previously written code for new purposes. A junior software engineer can also work closely with a higher-level software developer to observe them during work and learn about more technical aspects of the job.
3. Technical support specialist
National average salary: $47,525 per year
Primary duties: A technical support specialist helps users who need assistance setting up or using software and other computer products. Technical support specialists can guide customers through the installation process for new software or applications, perform troubleshooting when a user experiences challenges to determine what errors they might need to fix, and recommend new products to users who might benefit from updating their software or hardware. A technical support specialist can also send instructional materials, like technical documents or user manuals, to users who request additional resources.
4. Quality assurance tester
National average salary: $50,806 per year
Primary duties: A quality assurance tester performs assessments on new software and applications to ensure they’re ready to launch. Quality assurance testers can have responsibilities like creating tests at the start of the development process that they can use later and repeatedly running tests on completed applications to make sure they perform the desired functions. A quality assurance tester also typically frequently reviews the design specifications and expectations of each product they test so they know what to pay attention to while testing.
5. Junior developer
National average salary: $65,340 per year
Primary duties: A junior developer takes part in all stages of software development and often works under the direction of a senior developer. Their job can involve learning a company’s codebase to access pre-written code, writing new lines of code for programs that are currently in development, and performing specific tasks at the request of the development team. Junior developers can also collect feedback from users about the efficiency of the programs they help create to use in future projects.
6. Entry-level developer
National average salary: $73,861 per year
Primary duties: An entry-level developer performs basic software development tasks that can contribute to the production of new software and applications. Entry-level developers can write lines of single-thread code to give specific functions to pieces of software, design algorithms that can help automate certain development processes, and test the lines of code that they and fellow developers create. Many entry-level developers spend much of their time at work performing troubleshooting and debugging newly written code to ensure new software is ready to launch.
7. Entry-level Java developer
National average salary: $74,923 per year
Primary duties: An entry-level Java developer helps teams produce new applications and software using specific programming languages. Entry-level Java developers can have many responsibilities, such as using the Java programming language to write new code, testing the code they create to ensure it functions, and designing applications for internet and intranet platforms. An entry-level Java developer can also take part in producing the instructional materials that companies can provide to users when they purchase new software.
8. Software test engineer
National average salary: $91,160 per year
Primary duties: A software test engineer develops and conducts tests on new software and applications to evaluate their performance. Software test engineers can review the conditions of a piece of software to develop a test, building new automation tests that they can run to assess an application’s performance and identify any bugs that appear during the testing process. A software test engineer can also sometimes help find solutions to the bugs they notice by adjusting code or other elements of a project.
I hope you find this article helpful.
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