A Software Engineer is an engineer specializing in the creation of software. Find out everything you need to know about this profession, and about the role of DevOps engineer!
Every day, like millions of other people, you consult web pages, use mobile applications and PC software.
All these modern tools occupy a central place in our modern societies. They are based on thousands of lines of code written by professionals: software engineers.
What is software engineering?
Software Engineering is the process of designing, building, testing, deploying and maintaining software products, complex computer systems and other tools.
To achieve this, Software Engineers use engineering methods, computing principles and programming languages.
They may write code for operating systems, networks, enterprise applications, websites or video games.
The aim is to produce solutions that meet the needs of both the companies they work for and end users.
What is a Software Engineer?
On a day-to-day basis, the software engineer performs a number of tasks. First, they analyze user needs and requirements, and seek to understand how they use the software.
He organizes these needs into different categories, in order to implement user suggestions and feedback.
Using programming languages, he designs and builds applications and systems. The aim is to create software that is easy to use, accessible, reliable, efficient and secure.
The Software Engineer’s role also includes testing, debugging, maintaining and troubleshooting existing software.
They also optimize code to maximize performance, quality, speed and scalability.
At the same time, this expert also creates documentation and technical specifications tracing the entire process, in order to share his findings and solutions with other team members.
Finally, he/she consults with the heads of the various departments and presents updates and new functionalities to the company’s managers and customers.
However, beyond these general responsibilities, a Software Engineer’s missions depend on his or her specialization.
Software engineer specializations
Software engineering is a very diverse field, so a Software Engineer can specialize in a wide variety of areas. Here are just a few examples.
Front-end web development involves designing, building and testing the user experience (UX), the user interface (UI), and the various parts of websites and applications with which users interact. Languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and their libraries are used.
Conversely, back-end or server-side web development involves building and maintaining the parts of the website or web application that users don’t see.
This includes databases, authentication systems, user request processing and APIs (application programming interfaces).
Full-stack web development covers the entire front-end and back-end development cycle for websites and applications, from start to finish.
With the rise of smartphones and tablets, many software engineers have specialized in developing mobile applications for iOS and Android.
On the other hand, some focus on the development of desktop applications. Many Software Engineers also work in the field of video game development for PC, console, mobile or even web browsers.
Faced with the explosion of cybercrime, many engineers are specializing in the development of cybersecurity solutions to protect applications against malware and other attacks.
The democratization of cloud computing is also leading Software Engineers to focus on developing services for platforms such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
Finally, a large number of software engineers are taking the DevOps route: a methodology based on the unification of software development and operation. Software engineering is a very diverse field, so a Software Engineer can specialize in a wide variety of areas. Here are just a few examples.
Front-end web development involves designing, building and testing the user experience (UX), the user interface (UI), and the various parts of websites and applications with which users interact. Languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and their libraries are used.
Conversely, back-end or server-side web development involves building and maintaining the parts of the website or web application that users don’t see.
This includes databases, authentication systems, user request processing and APIs (application programming interfaces).
Full-stack web development covers the entire front-end and back-end development cycle for websites and applications, from start to finish.
With the rise of smartphones and tablets, many software engineers have specialized in developing mobile applications for iOS and Android.
On the other hand, some focus on the development of desktop applications. Many Software Engineers also work in the field of video game development for PC, console, mobile or even web browsers.
Faced with the explosion of cybercrime, many engineers are specializing in the development of cybersecurity solutions to protect applications against malware and other attacks.
The democratization of cloud computing is also leading Software Engineers to focus on developing services for platforms such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
Finally, a large number of software engineers are taking the DevOps route: a methodology based on the unification of software development and operation. These are the DevOps Engineers.
What is a DevOps Engineer?
A DevOps Engineer is a software engineer who works in a DevOps environment, integrating development and operations roles in the building and release of software.
The development team is responsible for writing the code for an application or feature based on user requirements, while the operations team deploys the code and fixes bugs.
Traditionally, these two teams worked separately. The DevOps approach unifies them to improve software quality and delivery speed.
The DevOps engineer plays a dual role. He not only writes the code, but also provides operational support.
This ensures that the new software runs directly on the various operating systems and platforms, to deliver a product that meets user requirements more quickly.
A DevOps Engineer uses cloud-native technologies to develop applications in the form of microservices in containers, which are easily portable and reusable.
DevOps Engineer vs Software Engineer: what are the differences?
Software engineers and DevOps engineers both work to create software that meets users’ needs.
However, there are important differences between the two professions. The Software Engineer is only involved in the development phase, while the DevOps Engineer oversees the entire software development lifecycle.
In addition to the Software Engineer’s tasks, he or she also performs operational tasks such as monitoring the software after deployment and correcting any bugs.
Another difference is in the way they work. A Software Engineer adopts a traditional development method, whereby a development team receives feedback late in the process.
As a result, improvements and fixes are also delivered later. DevOps accelerates this process through continuous communication. DevOps Engineers can therefore resolve problems and deploy updates much more quickly.
In terms of skills, the DevOps Engineer role requires a wider variety of abilities beyond computer code and databases.
This expert must also master process automation, cloud-native development and collaboration tools. They are also responsible for the deployment process.
Why become a Software Engineer?
Software engineering is an excellent career choice if you want to keep learning new things as technology evolves and new tools emerge.
It’s also an ideal profession if you enjoy solving complex problems using your logic and creativity.
This expertise is in high demand in the corporate world. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of job offers is expected to increase by 25% per year until 2031.
Many industries need software engineers. These include government agencies, NGOs, startups, consulting firms, educational institutions, finance and healthcare organizations, and retail and entertainment companies.
Given this high demand, the salaries on offer are generally high. In France, according to Glassdoor, a Software Engineer earns an average of €40,000 a year.
Given their greater responsibilities and skills, DevOps Engineers also earn higher salaries. In France, their average annual salary exceeds 45,000 euros.
What’s more, a career in software engineering offers great flexibility, since it’s possible to work remotely, with flexible hours and a good work-life balance.
Conclusion
Digital technology is at the heart of modern society, and the role of Software Engineer will continue to grow in importance. It’s a job for the future.
DevOps is now one of the development methods most widely used by companies. Choosing to specialize as a DevOps engineer is therefore an excellent choice.
To acquire all the skills you need, you can choose our DevOps Engineer course, created in partnership with AWS.
You’ll learn to master development tools, databases, CI/CD and automation solutions, monitoring software and Amazon Web Services DevOps Cloud services.
At the end of the course, you’ll be able to validate the French Ministry of Labor’s Titre Professionnel: “DevOps System Administrator”, obtain a Formation Continue Panthéon Sorbonne certification, and receive the AWS Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA) certification.
This course is run entirely by distance learning, and can be completed in an 11-week bootcamp, a 9-month continuing education program or a 1-year sandwich course.
