Software Developers
15-1252.00
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.
Sample of reported job titles: Application Developer, Application Integration Engineer, Developer, Infrastructure Engineer, Network Engineer, Software Architect, Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer, Systems Engineer
Occupation-Specific Information
Tasks
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Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.
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Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
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Confer with data processing or project managers to obtain information on limitations or capabilities for data processing projects.
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Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
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Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance.
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Coordinate installation of software system.
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Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design.
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Determine system performance standards.
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Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
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Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
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Monitor functioning of equipment to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications.
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Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, or security needs to determine hardware configuration.
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Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.
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Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, or humidity in area of system installation.
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Specify power supply requirements and configuration.
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Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
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Supervise and assign work to programmers, designers, technologists, technicians, or other engineering or scientific personnel.
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Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel.
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Train users to use new or modified equipment.
Technology Skills
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Access software — Citrix cloud computing software; PuTTY
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Administration software — Software distribution management software
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Analytical or scientific software — IBM SPSS Statistics ; Minitab; SAS ; The MathWorks MATLAB ; 5 more
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Application server software — Atlassian Bitbucket ; GitLab ; Kubernetes ; Red Hat OpenShift ; 7 more
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Authentication server software — Single sign-on SSO
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Backup or archival software — Backup and archival software; Veritas NetBackup
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Business intelligence and data analysis software — Alteryx software ; IBM Cognos Impromptu; Microsoft Power BI ; Tableau ; 3 more
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Cloud-based data access and sharing software — Dropbox; Google Drive; Microsoft SharePoint ; Slack ; 1 more
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Cloud-based management software — Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation ; IBM WebSphere; IBM WebSphere MQ; Splunk Enterprise ; 1 more
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Clustering software — VMware
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Communications server software — IBM Domino
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Computer based training software — Moodle
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Data base management system software — Amazon DynamoDB ; Elasticsearch ; Oracle Database ; Redis ; 21 more
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Data base reporting software — Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS ; Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer; SAP Business Intelligence; SAP Crystal Reports; 3 more
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Data base user interface and query software — Airtable; Apache Hive ; Blackboard software; GraphQL ; 14 more
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Desktop communications software — Skype
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Development environment software — Apache Kafka ; Apache Maven ; Oracle Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition J2EE ; Oracle SQL Developer ; 62 more
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Device drivers or system software — Microsoft DirectX
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Enterprise application integration software — Atlassian Bamboo ; Extensible markup language XML ; Jenkins CI ; Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS ; 5 more
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Enterprise resource planning ERP software — Microsoft Dynamics ; Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; Oracle PeopleSoft ; SAP software ; 7 more
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Enterprise system management software — IBM Power Systems software
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Filesystem software — File server software
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Financial analysis software — Delphi Technology; Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
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Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Creative Cloud software ; Adobe Illustrator ; JamBoard; Trimble SketchUp Pro ; 4 more
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Information retrieval or search software — Apache Avro; LexisNexis
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Instant messaging software — Blink; GroupMe
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Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software — Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
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Network conferencing software — LogMeIn GoToWebinar
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Network monitoring software — Nagios; Wireshark
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Network operation system software — IBM z/OS operating systems
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Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software — Firewall software; Virtual private networking VPN software
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Object or component oriented development software — Apache Spark ; Objective C ; Scala ; TypeScript ; 34 more
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Operating system software — Apple iOS ; Google Android ; Microsoft Windows Server ; UNIX Shell ; 21 more
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Platform interconnectivity software — Migration software
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Portal server software — Apache HTTP Server
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Project management software — Atlassian Confluence ; Microsoft Team Foundation Server ; Microsoft Teams ; Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management ; 1 more
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Requirements analysis and system architecture software — IBM Rational RequisitePro; Requirements management software; Unified modeling language UML
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Transaction security and virus protection software — Encryption software; McAfee; NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
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Transaction server software — Customer information control system CICS; IBM Middleware; Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS); Object Management Group Object Request Broker; 1 more
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Video creation and editing software — Adobe After Effects ; Flipgrid; Screencastify; YouTube; 1 more
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Web page creation and editing software — Adobe Dreamweaver; Google Sites; LinkedIn ; WordPress ; 1 more
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Occupational Requirements
Detailed Work Activities
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Analyze project data to determine specifications or requirements.
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Modify software programs to improve performance.
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Supervise information technology personnel.
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Apply mathematical principles or statistical approaches to solve problems in scientific or applied fields.
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Assess database performance.
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Assign duties or work schedules to employees.
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Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
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Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues.
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Communicate project information to others.
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Coordinate software or hardware installation.
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Design software applications.
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Develop performance metrics or standards related to information technology.
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Develop testing routines or procedures.
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Document technical specifications or requirements.
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Identify information technology project resource requirements.
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Manage information technology projects or system activities.
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Monitor computer system performance to ensure proper operation.
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Prepare data for analysis.
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Provide recommendations to others about computer hardware.
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Provide technical support for software maintenance or use.
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Teach others to use computer equipment or hardware.
Experience Requirements
Job Zone
- Title
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Related Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Job Training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
- Job Zone Examples
- Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, conservation scientists, art directors, and cost estimators.
- SVP Range
- (7.0 to < 8.0)
Training & Credentials
- State training
- Local training
- Certifications
- State licenses
Apprenticeship Opportunities
Example apprenticeship titles for this occupation:
- Application Developer
- Commercial Drone Software Developer
Specific title(s) listed above are vetted by industry and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for use in a Registered Apprenticeship Program.
Worker Characteristics
Interests
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Investigative — Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
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Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
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Realistic — Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
Workforce Characteristics
Wages & Employment Trends
- Median wages (2022)
- $61.18 hourly, $127,260 annual
- State wages
- Local wages
- Employment (2022)
- 1,594,500 employees
- Projected growth (2022-2032)
- Much faster than average (9% or higher)
- Projected job openings (2022-2032)
- 136,300
- State trends
- Top industries (2022)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 wage data external site and 2022-2032 employment projections external site. “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2022-2032). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Job Openings on the Web
- State job openings
- Local job openings
More Information
Related Occupations
Professional Associations
Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
- Association for Computing Machinery external site
- Association for Information Science and Technology external site
- Association for Information Systems external site
- Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence external site
- Association for Women in Computing external site
- BCS, The Charted Institute for IT external site
- Computer Graphics Society external site
- Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility external site
- Computing Research Association external site
- IEEE Computer Society external site
- Information Processing Society of Japan external site
- Interaction Design Association external site
- International Association for Computer Information Systems external site
- International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology external site
- International Association of Engineers external site
- International Game Developers Association external site
- Internet Society external site
- National Center for Women and Information Technology external site
- National Society of Black Engineers external site
- Open Worldwide Application Security Project external site
- Python Software Foundation external site
- Rocky Mountain Oracle Users Group external site
- Society of Digital Agencies external site
- Software and Information Industry Association external site
- The Institution of Engineering and Technology external site
- User Experience Professionals Association International external site
- World Wide Web Consortium external site
Regional Associations
- Midwest Association for Information Systems external site
- Southern Association for Information Systems external site