Engineers have played a central role in the technological revolution. The demand for skilled software engineers is constantly on a rise as is their salaries. According to AmbitionBox, the average salary for a software engineer in India is 8.5 LPA. And it goes as high as 16 LPA.
In this blog, we will introduce you to the domain of Software Engineering. It refers to the systematic application of standardized engineering approaches to efficiently develop, operate, and maintain software products and applications. This extensive blog covers everything a beginner needs to know about pursuing software engineering in 2024.
These are the topics we are going to discuss in this blog:
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What Is Software Engineering?
Software engineering is the discipline of applying engineering concepts like requirements analysis, software design, software testing, quality control, and sound project management principles to streamline the software development process.
The primary goal is to create software systems that reliably meet business objectives and end user needs. Software engineering also focuses on improving software quality and productivity while reducing costs and time to market. Software engineers and developers leverage many development models and methodologies, like:
- Waterfall model
- Agile, including scrum
- Spiral model
- Rapid application development (RAD)
- Big bang model
These standard frameworks with clearly defined phases help reinforce disciplined software engineering practices across planning, coding, testing, etc., unlike ad hoc efforts.
Adhering to software engineering best practices results in more robust, resilient, and high performance software systems with enhanced security and fewer defects.
What Does Software Mean?
Software refers to a set of programs where specific instructions carry out specific tasks to get the desired output. Some examples of software are Power BI, Microsoft Office, various antivirus software, etc.
- Software is used to automate tasks physically on hardware and virtually on digital systems
- The set of programs on which software is built contains a collection of procedures, routines, instructions, and data.
- The software takes inputs from the user, processes data, and then delivers the desired output.
- The software can act as a final product and as a carrier for other products to be delivered.
- Almost every software comprises three elements, Programs, Documentation, and Licensing.
- Key characteristics of good software are efficiency, reliability, robustness, and maintainability.
Different Types of Software
In today’s technologically advanced society, software is used extensively and is quite significant. We must comprehend the many forms of software to create in-demand applications.
The various types of software are listed below.
- Application Software:
- Application software is built to perform specific tasks.
- High-level languages are used for the development of application software.
- Application software can be of two types –
- Generic application software
- Customized application software
- Application software interacts directly with the users.
- Examples of application software are Microsoft office suite, real-time virtual meeting software, etc.
- System Software:
- System software manages the resources of the system.
- A computer system cannot function without system software.
- Low-level language is used to build such software.
- The best example of system software is operating systems and their peripherals, device drivers, language processors, etc.
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The Purpose of Software Engineering
Software Engineering is mainly concerned with the validation and verification of the to-be-published software, but the domain of Software Engineering has a lot more to offer. Let’s have a look.
- Software Engineering is associated with every domain and sub-domain of computer science, where digital delivery of service is needed.
- Software Engineering helps engineers to create a world where we leverage the power of technology to make lives better.
- Software Engineering and its various sub-domains ensure the quality of the to-be-delivered software.
- Concepts of Software Engineering have helped the associated manpower to lay the foundation for more efficient and optimized software.
- With the help of Software Engineering, the development of larger software was possible efficiently without wastage of valuable resources.
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Attributes of Software Engineering
There are four main attributes of software engineering:
- Maintainability: Easy to change and fix. Good software can be updated and improved without too much work.
- Security: Safe from hackers. Good software keeps your information private and secure from cyber attacks.
- Reliability: Works well over time. Good software reliably does what it’s supposed to do, even as you use it more.
- Scalability: Can grow bigger if needed. Good software can handle more users and data without getting too slow or breaking.
The Importance of Software Engineering in 2024
Here are some key reasons why software engineering concepts and principles continue to gain tremendous significance moving into 2024:
- Exponentially Growing Software Complexity:
Modern software products like AI, ML, IoT, Web 3.0, SaaS, Fintech, etc. are extremely sophisticated. Meticulously following systematic engineering approaches helps tame escalating complexity across vertically and horizontally scaled distributed systems.
- Dynamic Business and Technical Landscapes
Iterative protocols like CI/CD pipelines, DevOps, incremental agile delivery, etc. allow seamlessly adapting products to rapidly changing market trends, customer expectations, and emerging technologies through continuous updates.
- Demand for More Reliability and Quality
Software engineering best practices promote design modularity, standardized coding techniques, requirement traceability, extensive integration testing, and infrastructure monitoring, leading to robust and resilient systems. This minimizes critical production defects and resultant downtimes.
- Need to Improve Productivity
Concepts like object-oriented and functional programming facilitate the reuse of components. Practices like test automation, having teams working using collaboration tools also boost productivity.
- Preventing Time and Cost Overruns
Applying verification techniques early on helps surface bugs in the initial phases, preventing costly issues. Defined processes and phases also reduce repetitive and wasteful efforts across coding, testing, etc., leading to faster output.
In a nutshell, software engineering is pivotal for efficiently building, enhancing and maintaining intricate mission-critical software applications in 2024, powering digital transformation and driving growth.
An average software engineer’s daily responsibilities could be:
- Creating and managing software programs or systems
- Assessing and putting new software to the test
- Software speed and scalability optimization
- Composing and evaluating code Verifying platform interoperability
- Establishing and upholding IT guidelines inside a system
- Preserving IT system documentation
- Distributing updates for software
- Working together with data scientists, senior systems architects, and development teams
- Consulting with stakeholders such as engineers, security experts, and clients
- Suggesting updates to current systems and applications
- Introducing stakeholders and internal customers to new features
Go through our Software Engineering and Computer Science blog to get your confusion clear between them.
Key Principles of Software Engineering
Software engineering lays down several key principles that serve as foundational tenets and guiding standards for developing high-quality software systems:
Modularity refers to logically breaking down software functions into discrete, independent modules with clearly defined interfaces and roles.
Abstraction emphasizes exposing only the essential details of modules while hiding internal complexities and implementation aspects.
Encapsulation complements abstraction by binding code blocks and data into a single logical entity and preventing external direct access to inner workings. This package provides functionality while managing complexity.
The principle of reusability stresses the importance of making software components generic with configurable options so they can be reused easily across multiple projects and organizations without reinventing the wheel.
Design patterns represent architecturally standardized template solutions for commonly occurring software design problems.
Maintainability requires designing software to simplify diagnostics and updates to code, infrastructure, and frameworks by various people over time.
A comprehensive, multi-layer testing mentality focusing on both functional and non-functional attributes is pivotal to engineering robust systems. Unit testing, integration testing, performance testing, etc., coupled with early test automation, allows for finding maximum issues before production.
Overview of Popular Software Development Life Cycle Models
Following are the most widely adopted software development life cycle (SDLC) models. Software engineers and technical leads implement them based on specific project characteristics, team skills, etc. include:
The waterfall model is sequential in nature, with distinct, isolated phases for gathering requirements, software design, coding, testing, and finally deployment. Simple to manage but lacks flexibility to change scope midway.
Pros: Easy to understand and implement, clearly defined milestones, and well documented.
Cons: Limited flexibility, hard to make changes, no working software until later stages
Agile focuses on an iterative approach, with continuous customer and user feedback driving incremental enhancements. Greatly improves satisfaction, but governance protocols are minimal.
Pros: Embraces changing requirements, quicker time to market, and enhanced stakeholder engagement.
Cons: Hard to define full scope upfront, low emphasis on documentation, challenging team coordination.
Understand the Difference between Agile and Scrum
The spiral model focuses on a repetitive series of development cycles, with detailed risk assessment happening at each phase along with prototyping and testing. It helps identify and mitigate uncertainties early, but at high costs.
Pros: Regular risk analysis, scope for incorporating changes, and early capability delivery.
Cons: Very complex, demands specialized expertise, and expensive.
True to its name, the big bang model focuses on quick development with minimal planning. Coding happens rapidly without structured processes, and testing is left until the end. Best for small projects or rapid prototyping experiments.
Pros: Very fast paced start, flexible emerging requirements, and learning oriented.
Cons: Difficult to test and debug, lacks processes and visibility, and scope may balloon.
While all models have their situational pros and cons, most real-world production software efforts leverage hybrid approaches, taking cues from multiple methodologies.
Understand the Difference between Agile and Waterfall Model
Software Program vs Software Product
Software programs and software products are often confused with each other. Lets look at their differences in details.
| Software Program | Software Product |
| Program is the instructions that are given to the computer to perform a certain task. | Software product is the final operational software that is obtained after many iterative processes. |
| Software program is just one part of the total software product. | Software products consist of software programs, documentations, licensing, etc. |
Applications of Software Engineering
Software is widely utilized in a variety of industries, including healthcare, banking, education, defense, and stock markets. Engineers develop industry and application-specific software for diverse clients.
- Web and Networking Software:
- It is a type of software that acts as a connection interface between computer systems and cloud storage.
- It includes the software needed to manage the network and its peripherals associated with a computer system.
- Languages like PHP, HTML, etc are used to develop Networking Software.
- The best example of Networking Software is the World Wide Web.
- Embedded Software:
- This type of software is directly embedded into the hardware of devices.
- Embedded Software is used where an integrating interface is needed between a computer system and a non-computer device.
- Embedded Software is used in the field of medicine, aviation, automotive, etc.
- Reservation Software:
- A Reservation System is generally used to save, retrieve, and complete transactions for activities like air travel, automobile rentals, hotel stays, and others.
- Even though they aren’t usually connected to the main system, they offer access to bookings for buses and trains.
- In the hospitality sector, this software is utilized to transmit computerized information to users, facilitate reservations, and guarantee that facilities are not overbooked.
- Business Software:
- The most popular type of software falls under this category, which supports business applications.
- Examples include accounting, banking, medical, education, the stock market, and software for inventory management.
- Education and Entertainment-associated Software:
- Software for education and entertainment offers educational organizations, particularly those who work with young children, a potent tool.
- A few examples are computer games, instructional games, translation software, mapping software, and many more.
- Utility Software:
- Utility Software help maintain the functionality of a computer system and differ from other software in terms of size, expense, and complexity.
- Examples include speech recognition software, compression applications, and antivirus software.
- Science and Research-related Software:
- Software for science and engineering is used to carry out enterprise-specific tasks.
- Such software is created utilizing formulas, methodologies, and concepts relevant to the application in question.
- MATLAB, AUTOCAD, PSPICE, ORCAD, etc. are examples of this type of software.
Also, check out our blog on What is SCM in Software Engineering?
Advantages of Software Engineering
Leveraging software engineering methodologies and best practices for developing software provides many tangible benefits:
- Improved Quality
Software engineering standards like requirement sign-offs, peer code reviews, and continuous testing focus heavily on quality across project lifecycles. This maximizes software stability, security, and reliability for customers.
- Enhanced Productivity
Definitions around roles, interfaces, using proven templates, etc. streamline collaboration, helping teams build software faster. Automation and allowing parallel, independent progress in chunks also boost productivity.
- Lower Costs
Investing in quality assurance upfront lowers costly production issues later. Modularity facilitates reuse, further enhancing ROI. Following sequential milestones also prevents wasteful efforts due to a lack of visibility.
- Faster Delivery
Having predictable systems with distinct specifications, frozen requirements, etc. prevents changing priorities from impacting timelines. Reusability also accelerates cycle times, allowing innovation to focus on new capabilities.
- Improved Project Visibility
Models like waterfall, V, and versions/sprints in agile enable better project planning, clearly tracking progress and milestone adherence through execution metrics and artifacts.
- Higher User Satisfaction
Continuously eliciting user feedback, iterative validations, short releases, etc. help build capabilities that closely align with evolving consumer needs and preferences, translating to better experiences.
These software engineering benefits collectively result in developing software effectively and delivering maximum business value from investments.
Want to pursue Software Engineering as a mainstream career? Check out our blog on Full Stack Developer Interview Questions for Freshers.
Software Engineering Skills in Demand for 2024
Here are some software engineering skills that will be highly sought-after in 2024:
- Cloud Computing: Experience with platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP for hosting, automation, and delivery
- Agile: Knowledge spanning agile values, scrum, lean development, and DevOps
- CI/CD: Expertise with continuous integration and continuous delivery tools and concepts
- Containers: Hands-on with Docker, Kubernetes, and microservices orchestration
- Data Engineering: Big data, analytics, pipeline development and business intelligence
- Cybersecurity: Ensuring data and infrastructure security by adhering to standards like ISO, OWASP, etc.
- UI/UX: Design thinking, usability analysis, and modern UI technologies like React, Angular, etc.
- IoT: Building smart connected products leveraging sensors, embedded devices, and edge analytics
- AI/ML: Working understanding to develop/deploy machine learning models at scale
- AR/VR: Creating immersive and interactive experiences using these breakthrough extended reality technologies
These in-demand skills, coupled with fundamental software engineering competencies, will equip aspiring professionals for long and rewarding technology careers in 2024.
Salary Trends for Software Engineering in 2024
The salary of a Software Engineer keeps increasing with time and experience due to the high demand for experienced engineers.
| Job Role | Average Salary in India | Average Salary in the USA |
| Software Engineer | Minimum –₹2.8 LPA | Minimum – 74,882 USD |
| Average – ₹8.5 LPA | Average – 119,623 USD |
| Highest – ₹15.7 LPA | Highest – 191,097 USD |
Sources: AmbitionBox, Indeed
Software Engineering Career Guide 2024
Let’s look at some of the top software engineering job profiles that will be in high demand in 2024:
- Software Architect: Translate client business needs into a high-level technical architecture spanning infrastructure, hardware, software, data, and security while optimizing for performance, scalability, and other attributes.
- Software Developer: Use programming languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, etc. along with libraries and frameworks to build, test, and deploy system components and enhance functionality. Focus on code quality, adherence, and collaboration.
- QA Analyst: Develop a software test strategy covering functional, non-functional parameters, etc. Execute manual and automated test cases to identify software bugs and issues before production release while ensuring optimal quality.
- DevOps Engineer: Responsible for continuous code releases, version control, CI/CD integration, test automation, and optimizing cloud IT infrastructure for faster and more efficient software delivery.
- Product Manager: Drive overall product vision by leveraging market analysis, user research, and internal feedback. Manage product roadmaps, lifecycles and generate requirements for the engineering team.
- Data Engineer: Develop and maintain data pipeline architectures for collecting, storing, processing, and analyzing data at scale using SQL, noSQL stores, etc. Ensure optimal data quality, security, and accessibility.
- Security Engineer: Mitigate evolving cyber threats proactively through tools, protocols, access policies, etc. spanning infrastructure, networks, applications, devices, and data. Define security plans aligning with risk management objectives.
Future of Software Engineering
With the advent of Artificial Intelligence technology, programming has become easier. This does not mean that the need for software engineers will reduce, instead consider AI as a tool that drastically improves productivity.
So the coming era is going to be a great opportunity for software engineers and developers to be creative and work with 10x, maybe 100x productivity. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Tabnine and GitHub Copilot are state of the art tools that can be used to increase efficiency exponentially.
Think of it this way that as engineers become more productive, their need spreads across industries. The demand for software engineers will only grow in the coming years.
Conclusion
Software engineering plays a pivotal role in conceptualizing, building, testing, and maintaining virtually every facet of complex business software. These systems power digital transformation, enabling organizations to gain critical competitive advantages. Leveraging the latest developments in cloud, containers, scalable microservices, etc. along with strong software engineering foundations, is key to building cutting edge products in 2024.
If you want to start your career in the field of software engineering you can opt for Advanced Certification in Software Engineering and Application Development from Electronics & ICT Academy, IIT Guwahati.
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