1. What's a software engineer?
γβ¨ "Software engineer" defined
γπ What do software engineers do?
γπ What are the different types of software engineers?
2. Would I like the work?
γπΌ What software engineers do day-to-day
γπ How happy are software engineers with the job?
γπ What type of people thrive?
γπ Pros
γπ Cons
γπ Impact
3. Would I like the life?
γβοΈ Work-life balance
γπ€ΈββοΈ Flexibility
γπ€ The people
γβ¬οΈ Your managers
γπ§ Values alignment
γπ«π½ Diversity
γβ Job stability
4. What's in it for me?
γπ± Learning & development
γπ Job outlook
γπ΅ Pay
γπ Career progression
γπ Exit options
5. Where can I find internships?
Imagine telling your smart speaker to play your favorite song. In this interaction, you give a command, and the speaker understands and acts on it.
Software engineers do something similar. They're essentially pros at "telling" computers what to do β just with instructions that are a lot more detailed than the ones we give our smart devices!
These instructions, called code, are written in specific programming languages that computers can understand. Software engineers translate complex problems into these step-by-step instructions, allowing computers to perform intricate tasks and bring our ideas to life.
Software engineers use their technical expertise to solve real-world problems. To better understand this, let's take the example of Prosple β your friendly internship platform.
Here at Prosple, we noticed a problem. When students (like you) hunt for internships: either you're stuck with limited options from your school, or you're lost in the endless sea of Google searches. It hit us β why not create a single place where every internship you could want is just a click away?Β
To clear the fog, we decided to build a website with a smart, easy-to-use search tool that allows you to find internships by industry, location, and their field of study. We wanted to make the search process as simple as flipping through a magazine.
Our tech team got to work, coding a clean, user-friendly interface. They made sure the search tool was up and running without a hitch, conducting tests with real students to get their thumbs-up. The focus was on ensuring the website was intuitive, fast, and responsive.
Upon launch, we kept an ear to the ground, eager to hear what students thought. Feedback was golden, leading to tweaks like adding a feature for students to save their favorite internships and get notified about similar opportunities.
Listening to student suggestions, Prosple continually updated the search tool, making it even easier to use. We added more filters, like the ability to search for internshipsΒ that accept international student.
It's a good idea to get a feel for what kinds of software engineering you're interested in through internships. Here are some common roles to give you an idea.
Front-end engineer: They design and build the interactive elements you see and use on websites and apps. Think buttons, menus, and anything you can click on!Β
Back-end engineer: They work behind the scenes, creating the logic and data storage that makes websites and apps function. They handle things like databases, servers, and the core functionality.
Full-stack engineer: These versatile engineers can handle both front-end and back-end development, making them valuable all-rounders who can see a project through from start to finish.
DevOps engineer: After code gets written, it can't just be released. It needs to be tested and monitored after release to make sure the new code isn't breaking stuff. DevOps engineers are like the bridge between coders and the final app.Β
Desktop or enterprise applications developer: These engineers build software applications that run on individual computers (desktop) or are used by large organizations (enterprise). They might develop productivity tools, accounting software, or other business-oriented applications.
Embedded applications or devices developer: These engineers create software for devices where the software is hidden within the hardware. They might work on smartwatches, medical devices, or industrial control systems.
Data engineer: In today's data-driven world, data engineers are crucial. They build and maintain the systems that collect, store, and analyze large amounts of data. They're like data wranglers, making information usable for data scientists and other applications.
Game developer: If you love video games, this could be your dream job! Game developers design and build all the software that makes games work, from graphics and physics to artificial intelligence and gameplay mechanics.
Site reliability engineer (SRE): These engineers are responsible for ensuring the reliability and scalability of websites and internet applications. They use automation and coding to monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain large software systems.
Coming soon!
You can find plenty of internships on Prosple. We have a vast selection of internships curated for students like you. Just filter 'til you find the right fit!