Software Developer Job Kit

CAREERS

2023

withSTEM JOB KIT ™

software developer Industry insights, tips and advice to help kickstart your career with computers

Real-world IT starts here.

Kimberly Valenny’s passion for equal opportunity in the tech industry began in high school, after looking around her IT class and noticing she was the only female in the room.

After school she went on to study a QUT double degree in Information Technology and Creative Industries, majoring in Computer Science and Interaction Design. It was here she had the opportunity to further advocate for female representation in IT, becoming

QUT IT

CRICOS No: 00213J TEQSA Provider ID PRV12079 Australian University

president of the Women in Technology student club and hosting the regular ‘Women in STEM Industry Night’.

Now a Graduate Front End Developer at Deloitte Digital, Kimberly credits her QUT ‘STEM tribe’ for arming her with the confidence and support to pave her own path in the historically male-dominated tech industry.

FOREWORD

h c e t e h t e t a e r C of tomorrow

science peta wyeth Computerty Dean, researcher and Depu , QUT Faculty of Science

science is essentia l for add ressing some of the critical ch allenges we fac e as a societ y – and sof tware development is a key role in this field.

Th at’s why I’m excited to sha re this Job Kit with you, and I hope it wi ll inspire you to ex plore fur ther the exc iting world of computer science and the opportu nit ies available to you as a sof tware developer.

Software solutions QUT / SHUTTERSTOCK

phd (computer science), university of queensland

i believe computer science is essential for addressing some of the critical challenges we face as a society”

s taken me into the world More recent ly, my job ha tion and leadership, of academic administra e as Deputy Dean of the including my current rol T. This has given me a lot Facult y of Science at QU with students, educators of experience in working exciting and inspiring and researchers to create s. educational environment cou rag ing the next en ut abo ate on I am pa ssi and leaders in computer generation of thi nkers I bel ieve computer science and technology.

Peta Wyeth Computer science resear cher and Deputy Dean, Faculty of Science, QUT

bachelor of informa technology, universtion ity of queensland

S

the technology oftware developers make s on our we use every day, like app we use on our smartphones, programs h in our cars. computer and even the tec ter rk bet and make our They help make things wo . Over the following lives easier and more fun at it takes to become a pages, you’ll discover wh opportunities available, software developer, the s. meet real-life role model the day-to-day tasks and ng rki wo d studying an I have spent many years e. My main area enc sci ter pu in the field of com omputer interaction, of expertise is in human-c g technology more which is all about makin ible. I have also had user-friendly and access with lots of experts, the opportunity to work pers, to address realelo including software dev world problems.

professor, qut

head of school, scho ol of computer science, qu t

deputy dean, facult y of science, qut

r as a software developer could ree ca A e? ur fut e th e ap sh d e technology an way to building a bright futur ur Want to be at the forefront of yo on ll we be l u’l yo , nd ma high de be just the ticket! With skills in

Check out CareerswithSTEM.com for more insights, information, inspiration and advice about Software Developer careers!

3

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

DEEP DIVE

… e d o c e h t k c a r C ...on software developer careers! Here’s everything you need to know to get started

G

e to ood news! It’s a great tim per. elo dev are become a softw ng, mi boo is ry ust The tech ind ion iss mm Co ills Sk l na with the Natio e rol s thi in se rea inc 27% projecting a h The Tec between 2021 and 2027. has big o als a ali str Au of Council ing to employment goals. It’s aim people n llio have a massive 1.2 mi 0.

203 by s employed in tech job o an als is t en pm Software develo ve ha u yo if eer car awesome STEM t tha st ere int or on another passi with. That’s you’d like to combine it needed to because developers are s in all create progra ms and app , finance, ail ret kinds of indust ries – ence, def , ing healt h, ma nufactur Meers e uis Lo – d. space and beyon

Pick your path Did you know there are differ ent types of software develop er s, all with different focuses?

Good to know

Front-end developers

e If you want to be a softwar developer, you’ll need to be across the following: ✔ Programming languages ✔ Data structures and algorithms

SHUTTERSTOCK

✔ Version control tools ✔ Databases ✔ Testing processes ✔ Debugging ✔ Operating systems ✔ Cloud computing

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

They specialise in building the parts of programs and apps that users see and interact with.

wdown Language lo ow

d to k n velopers nee Software de ra m m in g la n guages d if ferent progn create (or code) so they ca are fou r d apps. Here prog ra ms an to get a hand le on: popu la r ones

. Java 1. P y thon 2 t 3. JavaScrip 4. C #

Backend developers

Build and maintain the parts the users don’t see – think databases, networking and security.

Full-stack developers

Someone who can work on the front-end and backend of a program or app.

Mobile developers

Make apps for mobile platform s like

Android and iOS.

panies Australian tech com mind when you’re Keep these employers inar development looking for a job in softw e

a Atlassian • Afterpay • Canv es • Xero Gilmour Space Technologi

4

Mythsfrombficutiosn tandeundcover

W hat is a so ft w developer? are Soft

separate fact ware careers the real deal on soft

ware develo behind the co pers are the people mputer prog rams and mobile and web apps yo u use every single day. T hey design, build, test, upgrade and maintain so ftware to meet their co mpany or cl ient’s needs, and m ake sure everything is running efficiently.

#1 “You need to be a maths genius to be a software developer.”

Not at all! Having a good general knowledge of maths is enough and will help you in the problem-solving par t of the job.

#2

“Learning to code is extremely difficult.”

It’s no harder than learning any other skill. It just takes time and practice to master it. Plus, there are heaps of free coding reso urces online to help you out.

#3 “Software developers work alone in dark rooms.”

They usually work in teams including other devs, business analysts, product owners, project managers, UX designers, etc.

are #4 de“Tveheloponerly thidoesng isa sowrftw ite code.”

Soft(ware) skills

Sure that takes up par t of the ir day, but they also need to attend meeting s, troubleshoot problems, write suppor t doc umentation, and brainstorm new ideas with coworkers.

Sure, you’ll need lots of ch skills in your toolkit, but te following are also super the important in a software developer role: ✓ Attention to detail ✓ good Communication ✓ Critical thinking ✓ Problem solving ✓ Time management ✓ Teamwork

Pay day

job site Accord in g to erage sa la ry av e th , u Seek.com.a e developer for a softwar from ra n ges

$90,000 to $110,000 5

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

REAL PEOPLE

IT gr aduate, HUB24

e r a w t f o s o t s k From spar

the better you work together, the better outcome for everyonethe ” CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Matt has also enjoyed using machine learning to transcribe audio files and detect different speakers during a conversation.

“In the end you could open a web page, upload a file, and receive back a perfect script of the conversation with timestamps for when each speaker started and stopped talking,” he says.

Matt believes there are lots of career opportunities emerging in software development, especially in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“It is fast growing and I’m sure it will have plenty of excitement this decade.”

If you’re keen on being a software developer, Matt recommends working on your teamwork skills.

“It’s almost impossible for one person to do the work of a whole team so the better you work together, the better the outcome for everyone,” he says. – Louise Meers

6

Electrical tradesma n in residential and min ing

matt grant it graduate

Certificate III in Electrotechnology

A

king as an fter high school, Mat t was wor bulb moment: t electrician when he had a ligh he was doing as a ving he realised the problem-sol puter science! com in eer car tradie was bet ter suited to a logy helor of Information Techno Matt went on to study a Bac like s, and says specific unit (Computer Science) at QUT red him Sof tware Development, stee and es Programming Principl his ing Dur eer. car a development as in the direction of soft ware ship, olar Sch s tion lica App d the Agility time at QUT, he was awarde that ip with HUB24 – a company which kickstar ted an internsh . financial services industry provides tech solutions for the an Mat t is now working there as That internship paid off and the to s ture work, he adds new fea IT graduate. In his day-to-day web a currently rebuilding company’s products, and is couple of smaller apps. a into it application, dividing out us to improve our apps with “This will make it easier for s. lain exp ers,” he worrying about affecting oth

Bachelor of Informa tion hnology (Computer Science)Tec , QUT

Agility Applications Scholarship

intern, HUB24

A career change into software development scored Matt Grant his scholarship, internship and now a full-time graduate gig

A day in the life of a…

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER It ain’t all PCs and Python – the life of a software developer is a little more varied (and creative)

ding start building and cothe s on early! get your hand lable many resources avaiou p” online or start a gr

One of the coolest thing s about Emily’s role as a full-time Cloud Architec t is the variety of projects she gets to work on. She spends 9ish to 5ish solvin g major software issues – and is currently working on a tech-heavy capstone project while honing her communication and cus tomer-liaison skills.

“I enjoy the problem-solvin g aspects [of my job] and being able to think creati vely,” she says. “The coo lest part is being able to learn something new every day .”

Her advice to budding dev elopers? “Start building and coding early! Get you r hands on the many resources available onlin e or even start a group in your school,” she says. – Cassi e Steel

1pm

erage work Here’s what an av ight look like: day for Emily m 9am logging into my

After a break, I continue the work I was doing in the morning either on developing projects, AWS certifications or theory stud y.

2pm

day by I usually start my ssages to catch up on me ck Sla d emails an s! from my colleague

I need a brain break, so I hea d out with colleagues or to the kitchen for a quick snack or walk.

3pm

10am

S Tech U r our upcoming AW I then do work fo I’m s , or on any project capstone project rvices. se S’ re about AW building to learn mo

The afternoons are usually tim e for me to complete whatever I was working on ear lier in the day, if I don’t have any catch-ups with colleagues.

12pm

Bachelor of Creative Industries (screen content production) / Bachelor of IT (Computer Science), QUT

KPMG, Research Developer

Programming party

Developer, Accenture

I

f you’re sold on a next-gen tech role, getting skilled up in software developm ent is a seriously smart career move. You can lan d a job creating platform s for clients across almost every industry – Healt h!

Tech! Retail! Education!

– and with the widening skill gap, there’s no shortage of jobs.

For QU T graduate Emily Chang, a double degree in Creative Industries (Sc reen Content Production ) and IT (Computer Scien ce) encouraged her to be equal parts creative and analy tical.

While at uni she worked in the tax team at KPMG , then as a developer at Ac centure, and was eventu ally recruited – via LinkedIn DMs – to a graduate role at tech giants Amazon We b Ser vices (AWS).

“The resources and sup port AWS invests into graduates has made AW S a stand-out role for me ,” she says. “The goa l is for us to be well equipped with the knowledge and skills to start working direct ly wi th customers and partners .”

Cloud Architect, AWS

emily chang Cloud architect

agues t with some colle I usually head ou e. ar the offic and grab lunch ne

7

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Get the job!

Ready to tackle a career as a software developer? Start he re.

Teach yourself king while on Want to learn algorithmic thin hon while the bus? Teach yourself Pyt digital resources ing ow foll The ? watching TV free. are all available online – for ions StackOverflow: Keen on opin

from

verflow is a question like-minded techy folk? StackO s. Ask a question, and mer gram and answer site for pro a total bible for both the community will answer – beginners and experts.

Netflix and up-skill

Start streaming these tech-b ased TV shows before you become a software dev eloper for real:

Zoey’s Extraordinar

y Playlist: Cool tech meets musical drama? Sign us up. The stor yline of this series is pretty quirky and not exactly scientific, but the main character? A total gun comput er programmer working at a tech firm in San Francisco. Watch if tech + tunes is your jam.

Devs: The plot to this show – Sof tware developers who are buil ding their own alternate reality – is far from the real-life, but suc h a cool (and creepy) concept. Total proof that developers are creative geniuses!

Mr

Robot: If cyber security is your thing, Mr Robot is for you. The main character is a software develop er by day and an ethical hacker by night.

ore kickstarting a -fol y-to low guide on tech degree! Scratch is an eas games and animations. creating interactive stories, form for fun – and Share with others on the plat feedback – too!

Scratch: Learn to code, even bef

code with your CS First by Google: Learn to the

! Play around with classmates – or on your own vities or bring your own one- to two-hour multi-day acti For older students, stories to life using Scratch. ls where you can build Google also has applied CS skil Android games.

Fill your feed WORDS: CASSIE STEEL / PICS: SHUTTERSTOCK

Double tap these socials to fill your feed with career inspo: TikTok: @QUTrealworld

Follow QUT for event covera ge, campus tours and chats with real-life stud ents. Take note of anything shared from their IT department – the behind-the-scenes stuf f will get you pumped for studying tech at uni.

Instagram: ​​@Atlassian

ecklist Electives ch l electives?

Follow local tech giant Atlassia n for industry news, job opportunities and epic employee profiles. Look into their grad gigs too!

h schoo Choosi n g h ig ts w il l set you on ec bj su e in T hes th to a ca reer the ri ght pa velopment. de software aths stud ies ✔ M ✔ Computer n g stud ies ✔ En gi neeri ✔ Desig n & tech nolog y

LinkedIn Get on it!

Make sure you hit up LinkedIn when hunting down role models, internships and top employers. Search by disciplin e, position, uni or name. Set on getting into tech? Create a profile before applying for you r first grad gig.

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This edition was published on 16 March 2023.