Do you dream of becoming a software engineer? Are you considering starting a software engineer career but are wondering whether it is worth it? Every job has its pros and cons, and software engineering is no different.
The pros of being a software engineer include getting paid well, being respected, having the freedom to work from home, and being able to start your own business. However, the downsides include feeling stressed, overworking yourself, and sitting for hours, but there are ways to mitigate the cons.
In this article, we will go over the pros and cons of being a software engineer in greater depth. Read on if you want to find out whether being a software engineer would be worth it for you.
Pros of Being a Software Engineer
Let’s first start with the advantages and benefits of being a software engineer.
It Pays Well
This should not be your main reason for becoming a software engineer. Being a software engineer requires dedication and passion, so you should only consider a software engineering career if you truly have a passion for software engineering. However, it is indeed true that you can make good money by being a software engineer.
According to LinkedIn, software engineers make $95,000 a year on average. That’s almost a six-figure income. Considering that the average median income in the United States currently stands at $48,672, the average software engineer makes almost double the median income in the US.
Software Engineers Are Respected
Software engineers are usually respected for what they do. After all, becoming a software engineer is not easy. It requires a lot of skill and talent and landing a good job, or even an internship is not easy either. People respect software engineers for being hard-working, intelligent, talented, skilled, and dedicated.
You Have More Freedom
Software engineers can usually work from anywhere, as they don’t have to be in a specific location to get work done. While some job positions may require you to be physically present somewhere, many others may allow you to work remotely. If you can work remotely, you can have a more flexible schedule and spend more time with your family.
Not only that, but you may even be able to move to another town, city, state, or country and find remote work as a software engineer. In short, being a software engineer gives you a certain amount of freedom that you can not get from many other jobs.
You Can Start Your Own Business
If you know your stuff, you can start working on your own side hustle project. You can start your own business or develop new software that businesses can use. Being a software engineer not only allows you to land a great job working for a company but also gives you the ability to become an entrepreneur.
You Develop Important Skills
As a software developer, you will get a chance to develop your thinking skills, as well as your problem-solving skills. You may end up working with a team, which will help you develop your teamwork skills and your ability to work with others and resolve differences.
You may also do some work alone, which will force you to develop your independence and allow you to figure out how to resolve problems and come up with solutions by yourself.
Finally, you will develop your patience skills and learn how to deal with stress. Regardless of which project you are working on, you may encounter unexpected delays, bugs, and other problems that can be frustrating. You will learn how to be patient, deal with unexpected obstacles, and deal with stress.
In a nutshell: Being a software engineer has many perks, including a high salary, respect, the ability to work remotely, the ability to start your own business, and the opportunity to develop important skills.
Cons of Being a Software Engineer
Although being a software engineer comes with many perks, there are also some disadvantages that you might want to know about, which we will discuss in this section.
There’s a Lot of Sitting Involved
Being a software engineer means you will probably end up sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time. This is not a problem that is specific to software engineering, as many desk jobs require the same amount of sitting. The advantage of being a software engineer is that if you are working from home, you can take breaks to walk around and stretch.
In addition, you can get a standing desk, so you don’t have to deal with the negative effects of sitting for hours on end.
If you sit for long hours on end, you may have to deal with back pain, bad posture, and weight gain.
Some People Have High Expectations
If you are doing projects for businesses, you may find that some of them have unrealistic expectations in terms of what you can do and the time frame necessary for completing the project. Business owners may just not understand what is involved in working on a project and the number of obstacles and unexpected bugs that can come up.
You May Feel Lonely
If you are a software engineer, especially if you are working from home, you may feel lonely at times. You can’t really talk to your friends about your work, as nobody will really understand what you do, how you do it, and what your work is really about.
The Competition Is Fierce
We mentioned that landing a good job is not that easy, and that is because there is such fierce competition. Because of all the advantages that come with being a software engineer, you are not the only one who wants to try to be one. As such, you will really have to prove your worth if you want to make your chances of finding a good job better. You will need a thick skin to deal with the rejections.
It Is Stressful
Dealing with a lot of projects and deadlines that you have to make even as unexpected bugs come up can be stressful. Whether you are working alone or trying to make things work with team members who have somewhat different ideas than you on how to do things, being a software engineer can be stressful. You will have to find ways to deal with the stress, have some fun, and enjoy your life.
The Learning Curve Never Goes Away
There will always be a learning curve as a software engineer. You will always have to be conducting self study to improve your skills and expand your knowledge if you want to move ahead in your career and succeed as a software engineer.
You May Feel Overworked
You may need to put a lot of hours into your work if you want to meet deadlines and be successful. This is not even counting the hours you will put in self study. You may feel like you do not have enough free time, but the feeling of accomplishment may make up for that.
Here is a great video that discusses the pros and cons of being a software engineer:
Conclusion
What do you think? After reading this article, do you still think that being a software engineer is worth it for you? Do you have what it takes to become a successful software engineer?
Most software engineers have a real passion for software engineering, and that is what drives them to become software engineers despite the hard work and dedication involved. In addition, there is no denying that the benefits of being a software engineer can outweigh the cons, especially if it is something that you enjoy doing.