The field of information technology offers plenty of career opportunities for aspiring candidates. As the job title suggests, computer programmers are responsible for writing programs for computers. The programmer performs their task under the supervision of the computer software engineer. The major work responsibility of these professionals is to develop instructions to be used by computers to operate. In addition, they also see to it that computers operate appropriately well. They fix problems that may arise during running a variety of computer programs. To prepare yourself for this career and become successful, you need to be well informed of the job description, roles and responsibilities, educational qualification required, certification requirements, job skills, career prospects and employment opportunities that await you in this occupation.

 

Job Description
Computer programs are specially written codes in computer languages that instruct computers what function to perform. Programmers are responsible for writing these programs, which can be of different types. Depending on their complexity, programs can take from a few hours to a couple of years to complete. Programmers work in a team while working on complex programs. With the ongoing technical advancement, the roles of computer programs have also evolved a lot.

 

Programmers work in close contact with computer software engineers. They perform their duties according to the specification provided by software engineers. Programmers use different computer languages to write the codes. Many programmers have expertise in one major language while there are many others who are well versed with more than one computer languages. Their roles and responsibilities may be specified depending on the language they know.

 

In addition to writing fresh programming codes, programmers may also modify existing codes and programs. While doing this task, they add comments into the codes to inform others of the changes they make. After that coding has been completed, computer programmers run these programs and check them for errors. They test the programs many times to ensure the latter is completely error-free and functions appropriately well.

 

Depending on their task specialization, programmers can be classified into applications programmers and systems programmers. The job duty of application programmers is to modify programs to fulfill specific purposes. On the other hand, systems programmers are responsible for working with the computer networking and operating systems. While creating customized software, software development programmers work in close contact with other specialists.

 

Educational Qualification & Training
A bachelor's degree in computer science, computer programming or information systems is the standard educational requirement to become a computer programmer. Many candidates kick-start their career in this field with an associate's degree in computer science (or a related field) or a two-year computer programming degree. There are several vocational schools and technical colleges across the United States offering degree courses and certification in these areas of information technology. Candidates are advised to go through the detailed coursework of these training programs before getting enrolled.

 

Job Skills
Apart from having a computer science or programming degree, candidates should also possess some essential job skills to become successful in their careers. Strong logical thinking and analytical skills are essential to make the most of your career. Candidates also need to have a lot of patience, creative skills, problem solving skills, technical skills, effective communication etc. Being well versed with object-oriented languages like C++ and Java highly pays for candidates aspiring to make a successful programming career. At the same time, programmers constantly need to keep themselves abreast of the latest technology advancements and trends.

 

Job Outlook
Though the projected job growth for computer programming jobs is at an equal rate with other occupations, candidates with advanced degree, educational qualification and extensive experience will have no dearth of employment opportunities. As new technologies continue to evolve, companies will hire more and more programmers to adapt to new computer systems and computer languages.

 

Annual Salary
Salaries of computer programmers vary depending on specialization areas, work experience and the type of employer. The annual salary of these programming professionals ranges between $35,000 and $100,000. In the year 2007, programmers earned a median annual salary of around $68,080.

 

Technologies continue to become more and more advanced. And with this increases the demand for software engineers to develop new computer software systems. Computers and the IT industry has impacted the world strongly and computers have become a part and parcel of our daily lives. The burgeoning field of information technology offers excellent career opportunities for software engineers. Major job responsibilities of these engineers include designing, development and testing of a wide range of a wide range of software applications to be used by computers. To make a successful career in this occupation, you need to be well informed of the job description, nature of work, educational qualification and training requirements and career prospects in software engineering.

 

Job Description
Software engineers are formally educated and trained to design, develop and test a wide variety of computer software programs. These programs are used by computers for carrying out multiple applications. Advancement in computer technologies keeps these engineers on their toes. Usually, these engineers work in a team to complete a project. These professionals are specially trained in a variety of technologies to perform their task efficiently.

 

These engineers are well versed with advanced computer programming languages like C, C++ and Java among others. Using these languages, they create software programs for various purposes. Besides designing and development, engineers are also proficient in the use of a range of troubleshooting methods to make computer programs work appropriately.

 

Software programs come in all shapes and sizes. There are different software programs for computer operating systems, network systems and compilers among others. Using different languages, engineers create coding for programs and check them line by line to ensure they perform the desired operations appropriately. During the entire software development process, engineers also come across various technical problems that they identify and fix.

 

Broadly speaking the field offers two career paths. Candidates can either choose to become a computer applications software engineer or a computer systems software engineer. Those who choose the former career are involved in the analysis of specific user requirements. They design computer application software. On the other hand, a career as a systems software engineer involves working on the coordination aspect of multiple computer systems in an organization.

 

Educational Qualification & Training Requirements
To make a career in this occupation, candidates should possess a bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering or any other relevant field. Those who aspire to become a systems software engineer should have a bachelor's degree with concentration on computer information systems or software engineering. Internships and co-op programs should be completed by candidates to enhance their chances of landing jobs. Through these training programs, students can acquire both theoretical knowledge and working experience to establish a successful career.

 

The continued advancement in this field leads to the creation of new technologies. Due to this reason, employers also prefer candidates who possess advanced skills and keep abreast of the changes taking place in the occupation, so as to acquire new skills and enhance their knowledge. It is advisable for candidates to get involved in continuing education and be an active participant at professional development seminars. These technology seminars are organized by employers, software vendors and academic institutions.

 

Employment Facts
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, software engineers occupied around 675,000 jobs in the year 2002. Out of these, around 394,000 jobs were occupied by computer applications software engineers while systems software engineers held around 281,000 jobs in the United States.

 

Job Outlook
Job prospects are best for engineers who possess advanced computer science and software engineering degree and extensive work experience. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that around 324,000 jobs will be added in this field by the year 2016. A majority of these jobs will be for applications software engineers. By the year 2016, more than 1.1 million computer software engineers will be employed by the IT industry.

 

Annual Salary
A career in software engineering is truly a highly paid one. Salaries of engineers will vary depending on the nature and size of the employer and work experience they carry. As the per the BLS reports, the average annual salary of computer applications software engineers was $85,660 in the year 2007. In the very year, systems software engineers earned a median annual salary of around $90,780.