Job Kit: Software Engineer

CAREERS

JOB KIT

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SOFTWARE Engineer Insights, information and advice on careers with computers

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FOREWORD

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ething that lectronic poetry isn’t som nd when mi to es com ally would usu are engineering, people think about softw technology to use to but to me the ability m. for solve problems is an art e. It may be a cliché, but That wasn’t always the cas ght myself nted to be a rock star. I tau when I was young, I wa ool, sch d. When I finished high guitar and formed a ban with red tou sical aspirations and I continued with my mu s wa it is, th tru e The Angels. Th the likes of AC/DC and no s wa re the d lise rea y o quickl exciting and fun, but I als longevity to it. an Global started when I beg The genesis of WiseTech ustry. ind cs isti log and t in the freigh working with computers ve think about how goods mo Most people don’t really o a shop ect to be able to walk int exp t around the world, we jus e Th le. ilab ava e what we want or browse online and hav years ny ma d rte sta I en plex, and wh process is extremely com for m roo paper. Paper meant more ago, it was still done via e. tim d ste wa duplication, mistakes and lot of h very little money but a From my basement, wit the on k too I and s two friend determination and drive, ry by ust ind cs isti log and t freigh challenge to improve the process the ution that would make developing a software sol centralised and paperless. t my entry later, I’m proud to say tha Now, just over 25 years a global has allowed me to build into software engineering 00 15,0 n ntries with more tha business spanning 150 cou , ple peo d nte re than 2000 tale logistic customers and mo gists. olo hn tec and ers ine tware eng including hundreds of sof

Richard White CEO and Founder, WiseTech Global

if you think you have the drive and passion to advance your potential and push your abilities, then software engineering might be the career for you”

Through our software we ’re helping businesses sea mlessly move goods, we’re innova ting every single day, and we’re reducing environmental impact by optimising and automating the transport processes in the supply chain.

Being a great software eng ineer is more than achiev ing outstanding academic res ults. It’s a combination of curiosity, tenacity, passion and res ilience. A great software engineer asks a lot of questions and is driven by the possibilit y of solving problems. They look at new ways of doing things, think outside of box and push boundaries.

If you want to change the world one innovation at time, if you think you have the drive and passion to adv ance your potential and push your abilities, then software eng ineering might be the career for you .

I hope this Job Kit gives you more insights into wh at being a software engineer involv es. And maybe one day soon, I’ll get to meet you in one of our offices around the world .

Richard White CEO and Founder, WiseT ech

WISETECH GLOBAL / SHUTTERSTOCK

The art of software engineering

Global

Check out Ca for more insights, inreerswithSTEM.com advice about softwformation, inspiration and are engineering ca reers!

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SOFTWARE ENGINEER

DEEP DIVE

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Get the skil

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il l you’ll in g? It’s a sk Hea rd of cod ware en gi neer. So use as a soft problem solv in g, is desi gn in g, g, docu menti n g, collaboratin testin g. If you’re d debu gg in g an g and want to be nodd in g alon en you cou ld be th chal len ged, e en gi neer a softwar g. in the mak in

101 There’s nothing soft about the software engineering world. Check out why this piece of the computer science pie could mean a sweet future career for you…

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hin k being a software en gineer means you’re the person who sits behind the grey ‘settings’ icon on compu ter s, smartphones and iPads everywhere, waiting to send an ‘update’ alert on the reg ? Wrong. It’s way more lik e being Iron Man himself, Mr Tony Sta rk: creating, inventing, tes ting and building awesome new tech behind the scenes to ma ke the world an easier place to function in.

Computers are part of eve ryt hing we do, they’re everywhere and they con nect everyone. Software engineers are a huge part of compu ter life. They basica lly do all the jobs from early development , project planning and wr iting code that ma kes computers run , to fixing problems when they don’t work efficiently an d keeping computer pro grams up-todate with all the current info.

So, if you like solving pro blems, designing cool dig ita l concepts, being creative, working in a team (hello Avengers!), writing code, testing ou t programs (over and ov er), then you need to keep reading. Ta ke a seat. We’ll wait… Pippa Duffy

se!

Cheque plea bs we love

want to do jo Su re, we al l nate about – but you’ve io ss pa s a software and are y the bi lls. A ld get to si x pa to t go so u al u r income co g en gi neer, yo $100K plus) depend in ’s at u h yo ry st du fi gu res (t in ce and the on ex perien in (f inance pays more k or w to for choose ation sector than the educ but you ca n example) – somewhere rn expect to ea $54K to n ee tw be r. $115K a yea

WISETECH GLOBAL

ech Global for eT is W t ou k ec h C engine… ative One for your search opportunities. They’re all over innov ch te g software engineerin ftware solutions, the latest top-notch development and song employees to grow and succeed, and supporti s are huge. so the opportunitie CAREERSwithSTEM.com

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true or false?

One myth about being a software engineer is that you have to score big in maths and science at school. test how much you know about software engineers: Only men are software engineers

#1

While Tony Stark may be a guy, women make up almost 15% (and rising!) of the Aussie software engineering force – and there’s a big push to increase that number, because more diverse software engineering teams mean better products for everyone.

#3

You have to sit at a computer all day

#2

Stand up desks are a thing and you get to go to fun meetings in cool places, with other people – and sometimes get to sit on beanbags – so it’s not always just you and your screen (although that is a big part of the job).

u need to know You’ll learn everything yoare engineer at school about becoming a softw

ething newer, faster nge – Every. Single. Day. Som Things in the CS scene cha the job is that you’re development RN so part of and more efficient is being g. always learning and adaptin

#5

You have to test your own code

#6

Yes, yes you do. It’s a major part of software engineering. Think, create, make, run, test, run again, maintain. Now, say it with us…

A software engineer is a software developer

Software engineers are exactly that – engineers who create software using engineering principles. They provide specific functions through each stage of development and make sure they create code that works. A software developer isn’t an engineer. They work with the client to develop the overall concept of what programs need to be built.

You have to learn another to be a software enginee language r

Don’t worry, meetings and emails won’t suddenly be in a foreign language (unless you get a job overseas! ) – but you will need to know, understand and be flue nt in the latest programming languages like Java, PHP, SQL , C# and C++.

Career slam dunk software

(sort of!)

Hit up these big tech employers currently in the want ads:

d world, In our super-connecte ught after than ever so re engineers are mo

Qantas • Amazon Google • Accenture Macquarie Uni • Cisco Commonwealth Bank WiseTech Global

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SHUTTERSTOCK

#4

usinesses everywhere rely on software. With more mobile, digital and smart everything keeping us connected, industries from retail to hospitality, banking to building, teaching to transport need customised systems to pay bills and employees; invoice contractors; track customer habits; order stock; manage projects; run internal documenting systems (the list goes on and on) and they need software engineers to build ’em, test ’em, maintain ’em, fix ’em and keep ’em running.

The technology sector is particularly buzzing with new in-demand roles in areas such as web, mobile, voice development, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR). The demand for people with tech skills, specifically in software engineering, is sky rocketing. According to a recent report* nine out of 15 of the most advertised jobs are for software engineers – that’s expected to rise by more than 20% in the next decade.

* STARTUPAUS, 2018

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REAL PEOPLE

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Software Developer, WiseTech Global

Team Leader, WiseTech Global

Coder at heart

Bachelor of Engineering (Software Engineering), UTS

Associate Software Developer, WiseTech Global

A self-starter who loves to code, Jacob Dunk found his dream job in software engineering

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acob has been trying to teach the arcade game Snake to play itself. Using a machine learning algorithm, he had his computer running several hundred thousands of games a second. “By the time it hit 20,000-30,000 games, it might have eaten a couple of apples,” he says. “I’m starting to see the limitations of neural networks, which is good. I wanted to know what it can and can’t do.”

Growing up, Jacob dreamed of being an inventor and self-taught experiments like this are what have helped him build his career. After enrolling in a software engineering degree at the University of Technology, Sydney, Jacob landed his first job just a year later after winning a university coding competition sponsored by WiseTech Global – where he now works as a software engineer.

Jacob is still studying part-time, but largely relies on self-education to learn new skills. “I’ll find a new interesting topic or area of software, like data science, and try and build something to help me understand the basics,” he says.

WiseTech makes software for the global logistics industry, but Jacob enjoys working behind the scenes on tools that

I enjoy fixing problem s and finding solutions th at make everyone’s day better”

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Aussi WiseTech Globa l is an UTS graduate by d de un Fo ! ry success sto 94, it’s now a globa l Richard Wh ite in 19 off ices worldwide powerhouse with 60 ployees. WiseTech em 00 20 and more than s log istics for the technology ma na ge ink sh ips, trucks world’s tra nsport – th are platforms tw sof eir and pla nes. Th oducts help people move pr sa fely, legally and eff iciently all arou nd the world.

help other software engineers and developers in the company. “I really like the projects that are less user-facing and more developer-facing,” he says. “We do a lot of development tools internally.”

Jacob also loves to teach others. After starting at WiseTech as an associate developer, he soon joined the mentoring program so he could help new starters find their feet.

“As a mentor you help people, especially interns, with the onboarding process,” he explains. “If they have a question, they come to you first and from there you can direct them to the right person.”

He was recently promoted to a team leader position, which he says is like mentoring on a bigger scale. “I’m helping people schedule their work and break down problems,” he says. While Jacob says the new role means less coding “which is a bit sad”, his role is flexible and he can combine work from home with work at the office focused on his team.

While he enjoys the management side of his role, Jacob says he will always be a coder at heart.

“I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with efficiency,” he says. “I enjoy fixing problems and finding solutions that make everyone’s day a little bit better.” - Chloe Walker

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WISETECH GLOBAL / SHUTTERSTOCK

obal?

W hat’s WiseTech Gl e tech

R E E N I G N E E R A SOFTW WiseTech Global software en gineer Alina Sherbakov gives us the low-down on he r average 9-5

age,” says Alina, who ode is like a secret langu ech Global ’s Master is currently part of WiseT who ma ke sure the data Data Management team, y to use. is the best quality and eas available to their clients y engineer because it’s a ver “I wanted to be a software of t ou ing “You can create someth creative field,” she says. puter com a is ites me. All you need nothing, and that idea exc u.” yo to on, and the rest is up and an internet connecti

IT Security Risk and Governance Administration Assistant, TAL

“C

y look like for So what does a typical da for us : Alina? She breaks it down 7am g routine is short. I

Procurement Analyst Intern, Coco-Cola Amatil

so my mornin I’m not a morning person, get to the company shuttle bus to on hop n the catch the train, . fee cof a for KeepCup the office. Then I grab my

9am

my at work, so I check in with We have a mentor program g. goin mentee and see how he’s

9: 30am

of the download the latest version I boot up my computer and rd and boa k n I open my team’s wor code we’re working on. The s. It’s sion mis m to be done. I call the look at the tasks that need . day what to do for the fun because you get to pick

10 :30am

a d in the kitchen, so I’ll grab WiseTech provides lots of foo of ition pos the nge cha . Then I might snack and make some tea up a bit! my sit-stand desk to mix it

Bachelor of IT, UTS

11:45am

re eting to run through what we’ Our team has a stand-up me ing. hav re s we’ working on and any problem

12 :30pm

, which is I’ll eat lunch in the kitchen If I’m not going to the gym everyone. a great place to catch up with

1:30pm WISETECH GLOBAL / SHUTTERSTOCK

Intern/Associate Software Developer/Software Developer, WiseTech Global

… a f o e f li e h t in y A da

a test the first thing to do is create I’m starting a new task, so then e, cod the ks. Next, I’ll write that will show if my code wor test it.

I wanted to be a software engineer because it’s a very creative field. You can create something out of nothing, and that idea excites me”

3:30pm

ed before it’s deployed. My All of our code is peer-review him. review, so I run through it with mentee has some code to

5:30pm

nds, ce class with one of my frie After work I might go to a dan er. favourite ramen joint for dinn and then we head out to our

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Choose t is caree r if yh > A re in o u…

t a nd techerested in crea tin nolog y t hat help g tools > L o ve m people at h s a n d cod in g > Have g o o d at t e ntion to > A r e cr deta il eative a well in t nd work ea m s > Like le a r n in g new th in gs

Electives checklist

Choosing high school electives?

These subjects will set you on the right path to a career in software engineering ✔ Maths ✔ Engineering Studies ✔ Design and Technology ✔ Computing studies

Movie marathon

Get the job!

een Looking for your next scr r you to se the Add n? sio ses watch later playlist.

Feeling inspired? Find out how to get a career in software engineering – starting now

Get the edge is important but Sure, technical knowhow difference. the all these skills will make Teamwork tware engineers Despite the stereotypes, sof alone in a dark aren’t hunched over screens rse teams ! dive in room – they usually work Creativity to code if you can’t What’s the point of learning wonderful? use it to create something Communications your work to different people.

You’ll need to communicate take every opportunity Practice makes perfect, so licly. to read, write and speak pub

SHUTTERSTOCK

Empathy put nology means being able to Solving problems with tech hy. You pat em es – also known as yourself in other people’s sho body ing erv obs , g a good listener can nurture empathy by bein . ent em judg and suspending language, being reflective Time Management by e to work on that – start now Struggle with deadlines? Tim es. niqu time management tech building solid routines and

Snowden (2016) If you’re fascinated by cybersecurity and the ethics movie around digital privacy, this a great will make you think and be conversation starter!

Imitation Game (2014) based on the life of This award-winning film is computer famous mathematician and red side scientist, Alan Turing – con her’ of ‘fat the by many to be science. er put com n moder Hidden Figures (2016) is based on the Set in the 1960s, this movie black female incredible true story of the at NASA during mathematicians who worked the Space Race.

Get basic tech skills Software engineers are great self-starters.

Check out these opportunities to skill-up while you’re still at school:

> scratch.mit.edu is a simple, free block coding program to get the basics > Grasshopper is a coding app for beginners: grasshopper.codes > There are hundreds of hours of coding activities at code.org/learn > Join a code club or start your own. Check out codeclubau.org

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This edition was published on 4 June 2020.