Explore career options in software engineering
Here you can find information on career options and pathways in the field of software engineering.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Software engineering is a dynamic field that involves the design, development and maintenance of software systems, contributing to software solutions that drive innovation and efficiency.
Graduates in software engineering have access to a broad range of career options, with demand for their skills growing due to the digital transformation of industries. Software engineers design, write and implement the software programs and systems for computers and other electronic devices.
Software engineering also involves researching, designing, developing, and testing operating systems-level software, compilers and network distribution software for medical, industrial, military, communications, aerospace, business, scientific and general computing applications.
Current trends emphasise cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and data science, offering additional pathways in these cutting-edge fields. Employment outcomes are generally strong, with competitive salaries and opportunities for growth, as businesses across sectors continue to seek experts in software development, automation, and tech-driven innovation.
Career fields
- ICT technical support roles
- Manufacturing
- Software and applications programming
- Project management
- Telecommunications
- Government – federal or state
- Navigation
- Automation
- Industrial, mechanical or production engineering
- Mining sector
- Avionics
- Financial sector
- Robotics
- Defence
- Computer design
- Consultancy services
Employment roles
- Software engineer
- Applications design engineer
- CAD programmer
- Control engineer
- Software design engineer
- Software systems engineer
- Remote support engineer
- Aerospace software engineer
- Software test engineer
- Avionics engineer
- Software application engineer
- Embedded engineer
Occupation snapshot
Employed
55,200
Future demand
Very strong
Weekly earnings
$2,012
Part-time share
8%
This data is based on the occupation profile for software engineers retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia website and YourCareer website August 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Australian Defence Force recruitment
- Adzuna software engineering vacancies
- Engineerjobs.com.au
- Hays engineering jobs
- Local government Queensland jobs
- New South Wales government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Seek software engineering vacancies
- Boeing
Notable alumnus: Thomas Ireland
Thomas Ireland, a Griffith University Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) graduate, is a Software Engineer at Gilmour Space Technologies. His fascination with how things work began in childhood, leading him to pursue a career in engineering. At Gilmour, he transitioned from Avionics Engineer to Software Engineer, contributing to the development of the 'Eris Orbital Rocket’.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Engineers Australia
- Australian Computer Society
- Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers
- Alternative Technology Association
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to fostering quality education and a more equitable and just society, where everyone has a chance to thrive while fostering partnerships for the goals.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.