Software Engineer career path

There are many directions your Software Engineer career path could take. Let's take a closer look at different paths, job titles, and tactics to help you advance your career.

In addition to your Software Engineer career path, you’ll want to consider what types of roles to pursue. Software engineering is broad, but you can narrow it down by looking at common job titles, their responsibilities, and average salaries.

Front End Engineers are responsible for planning, building, and implementing the user interface. It is also known as the front end, the part of a site or application that users interact with and see. At a minimum, Front End Engineers must learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Those that excel in the role have an eye for design and like to develop and improve user experiences.

According to Indeed, Front End Engineers can earn anywhere from $84,000 to $160,000, with an average salary of around $102,549.

Back End Engineers cover everything behind the scenes that makes an application work. It’s known as the back end. Back End Engineers use a mix of programming languages that may include Java, Golang, Elixir, Python, C++, and more.

Their responsibilities may include developing, testing, and maintaining APIs, algorithms, databases, or new features. Strengthening soft skills like collaboration and problem-solving can help junior-level Back End Engineers advance to senior roles.

The salary for a Back End Engineer ranges from a low of $80,000 to $190,000, with the average falling around $127,000.

A Full Stack Developer combines the skills of a Front End and Back End Engineer into one role. It is more of a generalist role that requires a combination of front and back end experience. Full Stack Engineers might design, build, or maintain user interfaces and UX features or APIs and databases.

They are responsible for developing and maintaining an application. Full Stack Developers earn $103,408 on average and around $161,000 on the high-end.

Mobile App Developers are similar to Full Stack Developers since they need to cover both the front and back ends within an app. They usually learn languages like Java and Swift to create applications that will work on a range of systems (iOS and Android) and devices (phones and tablets).

Mobile App Developers earn anywhere from $55,000 to over $131,000. The average salary is around $85,451.

Data Engineers design, build, and optimize how companies gather, store, and serve data. The role combines data science with development. The salary range for a Data Engineer starts around $83,000 to $218,000, with an average salary of $135,139.

Security Engineers keep a company’s data and systems safe. They plan network and hardware updates, implement and monitor an application’s security, test for exploits, and respond to security incidents when they happen. According to Salary.com estimates, the salary for Cyber Security Engineers ranges from around $132,000 to $161,000. The average salary is $145,000.

Game Developers build games that people can access and play from multiple devices—computers, game consoles, smartphones, tablets, etc. Due to its flexibility, most game developers learn C++, but it depends on the specific role and requirements. Game Developers may design characters and levels, create engaging game mechanics, write a story, and even test the game. The average salary for Game Developers is $92,816, but it can range between $56,000 to $151,000.

There are three types of Software Engineer career paths to consider—Individual Contributor (IC), Management or Team Lead, and Freelance. Let’s look at these paths and how they all fit together.

Most Software Engineers start their careers as individual contributors (IC). However, IC roles aren’t always entry-level. Those that thrive as individual contributors love to dive into hands-on projects. They prefer writing code, building the nuts and bolts of projects, and improving technical processes, rather than managing people.

As Software Engineers gain more experience, they may move to a people management role. As a manager, Software Engineers spend less time writing code. Rather than focusing on completing individual tasks or building their own expertise, they foster growth in others. They lead teams of engineers, collaborate with other departments, and oversee projects from end to end.

Freelancers don’t have a traditional Software Engineer career path because they aren’t employees of an organization. Instead, they work with companies on a per-project basis.

Freelancers have a lot of freedom in how they work but they don’t have traditional advancement opportunities like promotions and raises. Software Engineers can freelance at any point in their careers. However, if they have a portfolio of clients that can vouch for their experience and quality, it may be easier to land projects. It can also help to attract higher-paying clients.

Most Software Engineers start their career as an Individual Contributor, writing code in an entry-level role. Then, after building about three to five years of experience, they move up to a more senior-level or management position. Yet, everyone’s path may vary, so don’t fret if yours differs from what’s listed here. Let’s dive into what a Software Engineer career path may look like.

Junior Software Engineers are entry-level roles. They write code, build systems, and perform other hands-on engineering tasks. Honing soft skills like communication and collaboration can also open up opportunities to move from a junior to a senior-level, management role.

Junior Developers' responsibilities may include:

Those that have been in the industry for more than four or five years may transition to a Senior Software Engineer role. Senior Software Engineers work on more complex problems. They usually fall in the Individual Contributor category, but they may mentor other engineers or lead development projects.

Senior Software Engineer responsibilities include:

Some believe that career advancement means moving into a people management role. However, moving up in the Software Engineer career path doesn’t always require people management.

Many companies offer Software Engineers two options to advance—managing people or building their technical expertise.

Principal Engineers fall into the latter category. They are Software Engineers that have extensive on-the-job experience. They usually have deep, technical expertise in one or two areas. Although they may not manage people, they still need to have soft skills and collaborate with others within an organization. They may also train and mentor junior engineers on their team.

Examples of job responsibilities for Principal Engineers include:

Engineering Managers fall into the people management category more than Principal Engineers. Although Engineering Managers also need technical experience, they focus more on managing a team of engineers day-to-day.

They help build big-picture roadmaps and strategies for projects and lead their engineering team to execute deliverables on time.

Because they focus more on people management, Engineering Managers also have direct reports. These are junior to senior-level engineers that report directly to Engineering Managers for performance reviews and career development.

Examples of Engineering Manager responsibilities include:

The VP of Engineering is a senior-level, management position. They don’t write much code for projects but they lead and grow several teams that do.

A VP of engineering is responsible for multiple teams and projects and their progress. Their technical skills help them properly manage and supervise projects from a high level. They also have a direct hand in the hiring process.

VP of engineering responsibilities may include:

Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) are in charge of everything technical in a company, including engineering and many other departments. They may oversee engineers, technical project management, data science, Development Operations (DevOps), and research and development (R&D) teams.

As C-suite executives, CTOs also have a mind for business. They map technical initiatives back to business goals, identifying opportunities to improve KPIs with technology solutions.

In addition to technical skills, CTOs need communication and leadership soft skills. They regularly meet with other C-level executives, company stakeholders, and senior members of various departments.

CTO responsibilities vary depending on the size of an organization. Early startup CTOs are more hands-on than enterprise CTOs, especially when it comes to product development.

Some CTO job responsibilities may include:

Moving up in the Software Engineer career path takes more than honing coding skills or stacking up years of work experience. If you’re an aspiring or current Software Engineer, these tips can help you advance your career.

About 80% of open roles are filled through connections(opens new window) or employee referrals. If you’re not networking, then you’re missing out on career opportunities that you won’t find online. This is even more true for senior and executive roles where companies are looking for particular skills and experiences. Networking with others in your field can also help you learn more about the companies and roles you want to pursue.

There are many communities for Software Engineers to connect. Multiverse’s Software Engineering apprentices get access to our online community where they connect and learn from their peers. We also host events to facilitate networking among apprentices, alumni, and thought leaders.

Other examples of communities and networking events include:

Upskilling, or learning new skills, can help you gain the skills you need to move up in your career. However, be intentional about what you learn.

Look at the job description for roles you want to advance to. They will list the skills, experiences, and qualifications that you’ll need to know, so build your learning around it. Broadening your horizons opens more doors to you, and targeting the skills of the job you want can be a big help when interviewing later.

Software Engineer interviews usually have a question-and-answer part and a technical assessment that may include coding tests, quizzes, or projects. To help prepare for interviews, research the company and practice your answers.

Multiverse apprentices can schedule coaching or interview preparation before they interview for job placements. Big Interview(opens new window) is another resource that has mock interviews with sample questions and answers organized by industry.

The technical assessment can be harder to prepare for, but the best way is to practice your coding skills with mock challenges. HackerRank(opens new window) and LeetCode(opens new window) offer free coding challenges for technical interview preparation.

If you want to take more of a management role in the future, show your soft skills by finding opportunities to collaborate within the engineering team and other departments. Showing initiative and eagerness to take on more can paint you in a good light among your peers and help you develop hard and soft skills.

It’s never too late to start your Software Engineering career. Multiverse’s Software Engineering program is completely free and you can get a paid job placement. Unlike traditional college, you don’t miss anytime out of the workforce. Instead, you get to build up your years of work experience (and advancement potential) while getting paid to learn on the job. Learn how Multiverse can help you start and advance in your career(opens new window) with interview prep, on-the-job learning, and coaching.