Software Engineer
What the work is
Designs, develops, modifies, documents, tests and maintains software applications and systems using programming languages and development tools.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Designs and implements software architectures to solve complex technical issues in alignment with specified requirements
- Writes, tests and debugs code to ensure functionality, efficiency and adherence to quality accredited standards
- Performs code reviews and optimises algorithms to ensure software quality, maintainability and adherence to best practices
- Implements and manages software development processes and tools
- Identifies, assesses and mitigates potential risks throughout software development
- Collaborates with cross-functional teams to integrate software solutions within broader system infrastructures
- Documents software designs, workflows and user manuals to guide stakeholders and end-users
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a product team at a fictional online grocery delivery company, with developers, a designer and a product manager. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- You solve a problem that had the whole team stuck, and you wrote less code than anyone expected
- A release goes out smoothly and the customers never know it happened
- A newer colleague you helped writes their first good piece of code
Hard days
- The site slows down at the worst possible moment, on the busiest night of the week
- A feature everyone wanted is built, and then nobody wants to use it
- Code you wrote two years ago turns out to be the cause of a bug today
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 273333, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.