How to Become a Software Engineer in Australia With Salary Guide
Are you tech-savvy? Do you have what it takes to produce diverse application software through the use of computer languages?
If so, then being a Software Engineer might be where your dream career lies.
Software development is a highly sought-after professional skill that involves the development, testing, designing, and maintenance of application software.
In this blog, you will get all the necessary information you need on how to become a Software Engineer in Australia.
Overview of Software Engineering in Australia
Software Engineers, also known as software developers, are professional personnel who are tasked with the duty of developing, testing, designing, and maintaining application software.
This software can range from simple mobile and desktop applications to high-class international online platform applications.
There are over 30,000 Software Engineers now employed in Australia, and there is still a great demand for these professionals in various industries.
Size of the industry
There are now over 30,000 of these highly skilled professionals in the Australian workforce.
Statistics have shown that this profession has a massive projected job growth of 27.0% in the next 5 years, making this a perfect career path to go into.
Popular locations
A massive 91% of the software-developing workforce in Australia lives in the capital cities, compared to the all jobs average of 62%.
New South Wales and Victoria have a large ratio of employment compared to their population sizes.
Here below is a percentage of Software Engineers in different areas of Australia, broken down by state and territory.
- New South Wales: 41.7%
- Victoria 30.1%
- Southern Australia 5.1%
- Queensland 12.4%
- Western Australia 5.9%
- Australian Capital Territory 4.0%
- Northern Territory 0.2%.
- Tasmania 0.6%
This is why it is necessary to consider a potential career path when choosing a city to study. Click here to find out how to choose a city to study in Australia.
Industries where Software Engineers are needed
The professional, scientific, and technical industries employ 56.3% of the software engineering workforce, which is the largest share of all their employers.
Other industries account for the remaining 43.7% of the workforce.
These industries include:
- Financial and insurance 9.7%
- Manufacturing 4.5%
- Information and Telecommunication 6.9%
- Other industries: 19.3%
Hours of work
In Australia, about 92% of the software development workforce works full-time.
This is 26% above the all-jobs average of 66%. Full-time workers work about 42 hours a week, which is like the average of all jobs at 44 hours a week.
Age
The average age of Software Engineers is 36 years, which is lower than the all-job average age of 40 years. A large share of workers, around 92%, are in the age bracket of 35 to 44 years.
Gender
With over 30,000 software Engineers employed in Australia, women account for 12% of the entire workforce, which is 36% below the all-jobs average for women (48%), while men account for 88% of the entire workforce.
What are some of the skills required to become a Software Engineer in Australia?
Becoming a software Engineer requires a mixture of both communicative and technical skills.
Here are some essential skills you need to have to be a qualified software Engineer in Australia.
- Systems Evaluation
- Operation Analyis
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Programming
- Computer Science
- Coding
- Project Management
- Problem-Solving
- Flexible
What are the tasks and duties of a Software Engineer in Australia?
The tasks and duties of a Software Engineer can vary from developing software applications to communicating with the board and other team members about the project updates.
Here are some of the tasks and duties performed by a software engineer:
- Manage execution, coordinate tests, and notice the start of the framework to approve execution.
- Use methods like examining, modelling, and organised investigation, along with bookkeeping standards, to guarantee the arrangement is proficient, practical, and monetarily doable.
- Talk with the board and clients to decide the requirements of the framework.
- Foster propositions and methodologies for programming plan exercises.
- Give exhortation, direction, and skill to take care of issues with plans or tasks.
- Provide pricing and proposals for software purchases and updates.
- keep up with and overhaul programs.
- Run tests to make sure projects and PC frameworks are working appropriately.
- Provides guidance, direction, and expertise in developing recommendations and methodologies for programming plan exercises, such as monetary assessments and costs for recommending programming purchases and updates.
How much does a Software Engineer earn?
The earnings of a software Engineer typically depend on the experience, specialisation, and qualifications of the professional.
On average, a software Engineer’s full-time earnings are $2,396 per week, which is much higher than all jobs’ average pay of $1,593. The average hourly pay for software Engineers is $60.19, which is higher than all jobs’ hourly pay of $41.
Essential Steps to Become a Software Engineer in Australia
Here is a step-by-step procedure to become a software Engineer in Australia.
Step 1: Acquiring a Degree in Software Engineering
To work as a Software Engineer or engineer in Australia, you have to get your bachelor’s degree, certifications, and qualifications in software engineering from an accredited college or recognised tertiary training institute.
If you want to further specialise in your field after receiving your bachelor’s degree, you can apply for a master’s postgraduate degree.
- Bachelor of Software Engineering
You must have finished high school and taken the courses required by your chosen institution to enrol in the Software Engineering undergraduate program at a recognised Australian university.
But before attempting to enrol in a university institution in Australia, you must first fulfil several conditions, which include:
- Completion of Grade 12 or equivalent.
- An English proficiency exam with the band score required by the target institution (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE). (Students from non-English speaking nations should use this.)
- The majority of colleges have certain admissions criteria.
You can learn about other requirements here.
Once you’ve met all the requirements, you’ll be able to enrol in a recognised post-secondary institution to study software development.
A full-time bachelor’s degree program lasts between 3 and 4 years, depending on the tertiary training institution. Students gain both academic and practical knowledge during this time.
The average cost to acquire a bachelor’s degree in software engineering in Australia ranges from AUD 37,000 to 49,000 per year.
- Master of Software Engineering
You can pursue a master’s degree after earning a bachelor’s degree in software engineering or a closely related field.
A master’s degree in software engineering requires two to three years of full-time study, which provides specialisation in this field of study.
Some fundamental prerequisites must also be satisfied if you wish to apply for a master’s degree in software engineering in Australia.
- Excellent CGPA (3.0 and above)
- An English proficiency exam with a band score that the planned institution of study accepts (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.).
- A bachelor’s degree certificate in software engineering or any closely related course.
The average tuition fee to get a master’s degree in software engineering in Australia ranges from AUD 38,000 to 42,000 per year.
Step 2: Go for Practical Training
It is always advisable to go for practical training while still in university to gain work experience before graduating.
This will increase your chances of being hired by industries or companies, as well as make you stand out in the crowd.
You can look for internships in different organisations that can help you to acquire practical skills in the industry.
If you can’t find internships, then you should try to create a portfolio with side projects. You can either do it voluntarily for organisations or you can create your own as a side hustle.
Step 3: Join an association related to engineering or computer studies
You can also join associations related to the engineering and computer fields. There are many associations to join in Australia, but here are some you can join.
- The Australian Computer Society (ACS)
- The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA)
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
- IEEE Computer Society (ICS)
An annual fee that ranges from $72 to $374 (incl GST) is required to join these associations.
Step 4: Get certifications
If you really want to level up your career in software engineering, then you will need to keep updating your skills using professional development programs.
As the software industry evolves with every new update, you will need to keep your self up to date with new changes, so ideally you should continue to undertake short courses and certifications in the field.
Some of the popular providers of these certifications include:
- Microsoft
- AWS
- Oracle
What are some of the popular institutions to study Software Engineering in Australia?
Here are some popular institutions to study software development in Australia:
- The University of New South Wales.
- The University of Melbourne.
- Monash University.
- Australian National University.
- The University of Sydney.
- The University of Queensland.
- The University of Western Australia.
- Deakin University.
The future growth of software development careers in Australia
Software development is a constantly evolving profession with massive growth projected up to 2026, making it a solid career path.
There are various areas of software development, which means different territories to cover, vast areas of specialisation, and various tools to use.
Most software Engineers become freelancers and are not tied down to a single client, which means more profit and experience.
This profession should be studied with passion, a strong desire and persistence for success, and the ability to evolve and grow.
And that’s everything you need to know about becoming a software Engineer in Australia. Let us know which profession to cover next in the comment section below.
