Software Developers
15-1252.00
Bright Outlook Updated 2025

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, DevOps Engineer (Development Operations Engineer), Infrastructure Engineer, Software Architect, Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, Software Engineer, Systems Engineer

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
  • Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
  • Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
  • Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
  • Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.
  • Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.
  • Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
  • Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design.
  • Determine system performance standards.
  • Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance.
  • Confer with data processing or project managers to obtain information on limitations or capabilities for data processing projects.
  • Monitor functioning of equipment to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications.
  • Coordinate installation of software system.
  • Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel.
  • Supervise and assign work to programmers, designers, technologists, technicians, or other engineering or scientific personnel.
  • Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, or security needs to determine hardware configuration.
  • Train users to use new or modified equipment.
Find occupations related to multiple tasks

Technology Skills

  • Access software — Citrix cloud computing software; PuTTY
  • Administration software — Software distribution management software
  • Analytical or scientific software — IBM SPSS Statistics Hot technology ; SAS Hot technology ; TensorFlow Hot technology ; The MathWorks MATLAB Hot technology ; 6 more
  • Application server software — Atlassian Bitbucket Hot technology ; GitLab Hot technology ; Kubernetes In-Demand Hot technology ; Red Hat OpenShift Hot technology ; 7 more
  • Authentication server software — Single sign-on SSO
  • Backup or archival software — Backup and archival software; Veritas NetBackup
  • Business intelligence and data analysis software — Alteryx software Hot technology ; IBM Cognos Impromptu; Microsoft Power BI Hot technology ; Tableau Hot technology ; 3 more
  • Cloud-based data access and sharing software — Dropbox; Google Drive; Platform as a service PaaS; Slack Hot technology
  • Cloud-based management software — Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation Hot technology ; IBM WebSphere MQ Hot technology ; Oracle Cloud software Hot technology ; Splunk Enterprise Hot technology ; 2 more
  • Clustering software — VMware
  • Communications server software — IBM Domino
  • Computer based training software — Moodle
  • Configuration management software — Chef Hot technology ; IBM Terraform In-Demand Hot technology ; Perforce Helix software; Puppet Hot technology ; 6 more
  • Content workflow software — Atlassian JIRA In-Demand Hot technology ; Emerald Software Group Emerald Green Office
  • Customer relationship management CRM software — Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge; Oracle Eloqua; Salesforce software Hot technology
  • Data base management system software — Amazon DynamoDB Hot technology ; Oracle Database Hot technology ; Oracle PL/SQL Hot technology ; Redis Hot technology ; 21 more
  • Data base reporting software — Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS Hot technology ; Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer; SAP Business Intelligence; SAP Crystal Reports; 3 more
  • Data base user interface and query software — Airtable; Blackboard software; GraphQL Hot technology ; PyTorch Hot technology ; 15 more
  • Data mining software — Google Analytics Hot technology
  • Desktop communications software — Skype
  • Desktop publishing software — Adobe InDesign Hot technology ; Microsoft Publisher
  • Development environment software — Apache Kafka In-Demand Hot technology ; Apache Maven Hot technology ; Oracle Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition J2EE Hot technology ; Oracle SQL Developer Hot technology ; 62 more
  • Device drivers or system software — Microsoft DirectX
  • Document management software — Adobe Acrobat Hot technology ; Document management system software; Microsoft SharePoint Hot technology
  • Electronic mail software — Google Gmail; IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook Hot technology
  • Enterprise application integration software — Extensible markup language XML Hot technology ; IBM InfoSphere DataStage; Jenkins CI In-Demand Hot technology ; Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS Hot technology ; 5 more
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software — Microsoft Dynamics Hot technology ; Oracle PeopleSoft Hot technology ; SAP ERP Hot technology ; Workday software Hot technology ; 9 more
  • Enterprise system management software — IBM Power Systems software
  • Expert system software — Ansible software Hot technology
  • File versioning software — Apache Subversion SVN Hot technology ; Git In-Demand Hot technology ; Version control software
  • Filesystem software — File server software
  • Financial analysis software — Delphi Technology; Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
  • Graphical user interface development software — Figma Hot technology ; Graphical user interface GUI builder software; Graphical user interface GUI design software; Salesforce Visualforce
  • Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Creative Cloud software Hot technology ; Adobe Illustrator Hot technology ; JamBoard; Trimble SketchUp Pro Hot technology ; 4 more
  • Information retrieval or search software — Apache Avro; LexisNexis
  • Instant messaging software — Blink; GroupMe
  • Internet directory services software — Microsoft Active Directory Hot technology
  • Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software — Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
  • Map creation software — ESRI ArcGIS software Hot technology
  • Metadata management software — Informatica software Hot technology ; Quest Erwin Data Modeler; Talend Data Fabric
  • Network conferencing software — LogMeIn GoToWebinar
  • Network monitoring software — Nagios; Wireshark
  • Network operation system software — IBM z/OS operating systems
  • Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software — Firewall software; Virtual private networking VPN software
  • Object or component oriented development software — Apache Spark Hot technology ; jQuery Hot technology ; Scala Hot technology ; TypeScript In-Demand Hot technology ; 34 more
  • Object oriented data base management software — Hibernate ORM Hot technology ; PostgreSQL In-Demand Hot technology
  • Office suite software — LibreOffice; Microsoft Office software Hot technology
  • Operating system software — Apple iOS Hot technology ; Google Android Hot technology ; Microsoft Windows Server Hot technology ; UNIX Shell Hot technology ; 21 more
  • Platform interconnectivity software — Migration software
  • Portal server software — Apache HTTP Server
  • Presentation software — Google Slides; Microsoft PowerPoint Hot technology
  • Process mapping and design software — Microsoft Visio Hot technology
  • Program testing software — Hewlett Packard LoadRunner; JUnit Hot technology ; Selenium Hot technology ; SonarQube; 21 more
  • Project management software — Atlassian Confluence Hot technology ; Microsoft Team Foundation Server Hot technology ; Microsoft Teams Hot technology ; Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Hot technology ; 1 more
  • Requirements analysis and system architecture software — IBM Rational RequisitePro; Requirements management software; Unified modeling language UML
  • Sales and marketing software — Marketo Marketing Automation Hot technology
  • Spreadsheet software — Google Sheets Hot technology ; Microsoft Excel Hot technology
  • Storage networking software — Amazon Simple Storage Service S3 Hot technology ; Storage area network SAN software
  • Switch or router software — Border Gateway Protocol BGP Hot technology
  • Transaction security and virus protection software — Encryption software; McAfee; NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
  • Transaction server software — Customer information control system CICS; IBM Middleware; Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS); Object Management Group Object Request Broker; 1 more
  • Video conferencing software — Cisco Webex Hot technology ; Google Meet; LogMeIn GoToMeeting; Zoom Hot technology ; 1 more
  • Video creation and editing software — Adobe After Effects Hot technology ; Flipgrid; Screencastify; YouTube; 1 more
  • Web page creation and editing software — Adobe Dreamweaver; Google Sites; Social media sites; WordPress Hot technology ; 1 more
  • Web platform development software — Bootstrap Hot technology ; Eclipse Jersey Hot technology ; React In-Demand Hot technology ; Vue.js Hot technology ; 31 more
  • Word processing software — 3M Post-it App; Google Docs Hot technology ; Microsoft OneNote; Microsoft Word Hot technology ; 1 more
Hot technology
Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.
In demand
In Demand skills are frequently included in employer job postings for this occupation.

Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.

Detailed Work Activities

Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities

Work Context

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
Find certifications nationwide
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.

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Programming — Writing computer programs for various purposes.
  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Technology Design — Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
  • Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
  • Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Knowledge

  • Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 85%
     
    Bachelor’s degree required
  • 5%
     
    Associate’s degree required
  • 5%
     
    Master’s degree required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Interests

Interest code: ICR
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Work Styles

  • Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  • Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  • Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  • Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  • Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  • Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  • Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
  • Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  • Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  • Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  • Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  • Self-Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  • Leadership — Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2024)
$63.98 hourly, $133,080 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2024)
1,693,800 employees
Projected growth (2024-2034)
Much faster than average (7% or higher)
Projected job openings (2024-2034)
115,200
State trends
Top industries (2024)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data and 2024-2034 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2024-2034). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

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.

National Associations
Regional Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions