Software Engineering
Software Subjects | Software Engineering Skills | Degrees
The software engineering career is one of the most popular and preferred choice for many students. It also one of the highest financially rewarding career option for the students of Computer Science .
The software engineering is one of fields of studies in computer science which focuses on the design and development of software application programs to meet the organizations needs.
In this article, we will discuss in details all the relevant aspects of software development such as how to become  software engineer , qualification requirements , important skills for the software developer , subjects to study , courses  , salary , demand , software development life cycle ( SDLC ) and other related topics.
Software Developer
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are a beginner and exploring the career options to become a Software Engineer Or Software Developer then you may be looking for answers to the following frequently asked questions.Â
- What Is Software ?
- What are different types of Software ?
- What Is Software Engineering ?
- Software Engineering Definition
- Software Engineering Subjects
- Qualification Requirement To Become Software Developer ?
- What Is The Difference Between Software Engineer And Software Developer ?
- Important skills required to become Software Developer ?
- Software Engineering Job Description
- Best Online Courses For Software Engineering
- What Is Software Development Life Cycle ( SDLC ) ?
- Software Requirements ( Requirements Elicitation)
What Is Software ?
Before we start discussion on Software Engineering , Let us first get familiar with the term software .
The computer system components can be grouped in to two major categories . First , the Hardware components and second the software components .
The software is a computer program written using programming language ( such as C , C++ , Java , Python ) which directs the computer hardware to perform certain tasks as per the program instructions for which the software has been designed.
The hardware components deals with the mechanical and electronics tangible parts of the computer system .
Whereas the intangible software components are computer programs which provides instructions to the hardware components to perform specific operations.
Types Of Software
The software components can be of two types .The first type is  the system software components and the second type is application software .
The system software components are used by the system for the management of computer system itself. The system software components such as device drivers , utility programs are managed by the operating system to communicate with the specific hardware devices.
The second type of software is called the application software .The application software components are computer programs which provides specific functionality to the user .
It works as an interface between the system user and the computer to perform various tasks on the computer system.
The system user performs the necessary tasks on the computer system for which that software application has been designed .
The system software is a special software and its design and development is a specialist job . The system software are mainly developed by the hardware manufacturing companies .
Whereas, the application software are designed and developed by the software companies either as product or as service.
The software developers and programmers are hired in large numbers every year by the software firms.Â
And therefore , the focus of all software engineering courses being offered by the universities is to train the candidates for design and development of application software to meet the ever increasing industry demand.
The software engineering is the branch of computer science that deals with the design and development of software application to solve a specific problem. The software engineering is a part of applied computer science .
The software engineer is also alternately referred as software developer but the two roles slightly differ. However, in the job market both means the same .
The software engineer work on the software development project as a part of the software development team .
Difference Between Software Engineer And Software Developer
Software Engineer
A software engineer is relatively paid better as compared to  software developer because by virtue of his engineering degree qualification irrespective of the stream.
The software engineer is expected to bring value to the over all software development process because of expertise in engineering technology .
In actual practice , one might find many software developers with engineering background but not all software developers are software engineer.
However this distinction is not a industry norm and the employer company can use any other job title but  essentially performing a role of a software developer.
Software Developer
The software developer The software developer has expertise and technical skills to implements the computer science and related technology to develop the software applications .
The software developer has necessary expertise and knowledge of entire software development process which also alternately referred as software development life cycle ( SDLC ).
The software developer on the other hand brings value to the overall software development process in terms of their contribution during requirements elicitation stage .
The requirement elicitation is one of the most crucial step in the initial phase of the development process to map the client’s needs.
Software Engineering
Software Development Life Cycle ( SDLC )
What Is Software Development Life Cycle ?
Software Programmer
The computer programmer is a programming language expert and work on the   most of the coding assignments related to the project program writing work.
The computer programmer generally works on a specific module or a part of the module to write the program code which is a part of overall software development project .
The computer programmer can develop the required expertise for a role of a software developer Or Software Engineer depending upon the years of experience .
It is quite common to find many employers recruiting senior programmers essentially performing the role of a software developer.
Software Engineering Definition
The Software engineering can be defined as  the process of analyzing and mapping the user needs ( User Requirements ) and then building the software using a specific technology .
The software development process involves planning , designing, developing ( Using programming language ) and testing a software application that meets end user needs.
The software engineering is the application of engineering principles for software development.
The term  software engineering is used in the context of  larger and more complex software systems that are designed and developed to provide the critical support systems for managing the business operations and other critical organization functions.
Software Engineering Subjects
The software engineering continues to be one of most popular course for international students studying in the US. The student has plenty of options to choose from.
Most universities and private institutions in US offer various courses for software engineering . Some of the common subjects for software Engineering courses include :
Computer Science Fundamentals
How To Become Software Developer ?
Education Requirements
In order to qualify  for the position of a software engineer Or software developer , most employers prefer candidates with bachelors degree in software engineering , software technology , computer science or any such related degree.
The students without any professional degree but with good knowledge base can also apply for a software developer position .
In many cases you will come across candidates working for top notch technology companies such as Google without a formal degree.
In such cases the candidate’s experience and the performance in the technical interview matters the most .
The software engineering  skills are the important for Software Engineer Or Software Developer in order to effectively perform a leadership role in a software development project .
Some of the most important professional skills necessary for a Software Engineer Or Software developer include professional qualifications , Programming Expertise , Team management skills , Mathematical and Analytical skills , Planning And Execution skills and high degree of Creativity.Â
- Professional Qualification And Certification.
- Programming And Coding Skills.
- Problem Solving Skills And Logical Thinking .
- Team Management Skills .
- Training And Coaching Skills .
- High Degree Of Creativity
- Planning And Execution Skills
- Project Management Skills
- Expertise In Automation Tools
- Expertise In Best Coding Practices
The software application are designed and developed to help the companies to manage the business more efficiently .
As a software developer you will be working on various software projects and playing a key role in the design and development of software applications.
As a software developer your job includes activities such as analyzing and mapping requirements , developing the software application based on these requirements , installation of software system , testing  and maintenance of software systems.
Depending upon the scope of the project , your skill set and the role assigned , you may be required to perform various activities related to the project work including the actual coding that is writing the program code.Â
The software development project typically goes through different phases from planning phase till is completion. As a software developer you may be required to perform the activities depending upon your experience and skill set.
Some of these activities might include :Â
- Understanding Clients Business Systems .
- Understanding Clients Business Processes.
- Improving Existing Business Systems.
- Analyzing Needs For All Stakeholders
- Analyzing And Mapping Users’ Requirements.
- Drafting Final Software System Specifications.
- Designing And Developing New Software .
- Testing Newly Developed Software.
- Installing New Software on Client Systems.
- Imparting Training To Operate New Software.
- Drafting System User Manuals.
- Software Maintenance Tasks .
In software engineering , the process of analyzing and identifying the software requirements  in terms of the functionality which a software application must provide.
The software application is designed based on these requirements and must satisfy its intended purpose.
The process followed by the software design team to get these software requirements is called as requirements elicitation .
The requirements elicitation process is one of the most important and crucial process which is carried out by the software design team during the initial phase of any software project .
The software applications are designed and developed to meet the specific needs of the business .
For example a bank must have a software to manage and record all the financial transactions by the customers OR a hotel must have a software to manage the customer bookings online .
And therefore it is important for a software developer to first understand , analyze  and map the exact requirements to support the business operations .
The software designers extensively interact with all the stake holders during the requirements elicitation stage .
In order to successfully and accurately identify the software requirements , the software development team carries out following activities :
- Defining the broad objectives of the software system.
- Design team must extensively interact with all the stack holders.
- To finalize and document the Requirements specification for the software system.
- Design team must verify and validate the software requirements.
- Software Requirements Management.
The software development life cycle is a process that defines the various steps involved in the planning and execution of any software development project . The software development project typically involves number of steps .
The  SDLC defines the framework and the software design methodology for the design and development of software application .
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