Software engineering is an ever expanding frontier, full of constant innovation. Over the past decade, the industry’s growth has been skyrocketing globally. In Australia, the industry has grown by an annualised 11.4% since 2015.
Think about it – when was the last time you went an entire day without using some form of software? From listening to your favourite music on Spotify, to playing a round of Overwatch and tapping your debit card to pay for your morning coffee, these everyday tasks wouldn’t be possible without someone creating the software that makes them run.
In an article discussing the future of software engineering, Maryville University noted that, “As businesses of all kinds rely more heavily on computer-driven processes, it’s up to software engineers to design, maintain, and innovate these infrastructures.”
“Software engineer” as a role is a bit of a vague term. What type of software are you engineering, exactly? As more and more industries are implementing innovations in computer, so too are the available options. According to TeachBeacon, the sectors where these innovations could be most implemented include retail, health care, research and development, business, Silicon Valley high-tech, government, and defence.
Due to this variety of sectors, there are plenty of options for applying software skills. If you love videogames, you can become a game programmer; if you have an interest in digital media, you can apply your skills to the field of UX and web design – or if you love tech but don’t want to program, take the lead and consider a role in digital transformation.
One of the hottest fields of software engineering is the increased development of artificial intelligence. While the automation of jobs may cause the displacement of human-workers in certain industries, it also opens the door to completely new roles. These new technologies don’t exist by themselves.
The development of things like self-driving cars or the creation of robotics that have human-level dexterity, could potentially to change the world. These innovations don’t happen without teams of coders, programmers or engineers. They need humans to design, develop and test them – not to mention maintaining them once they’ve been implemented.
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As put by Ken Mazaika, CTO and Co-founder of The Firehose Project, “There are still problems that computers can’t solve efficiently.”
A human centred design is also a key component when it comes to developing new AI, as emotional intelligence doesn’t come naturally to these technologies. According to Eugenia Kuyda, cofounder of the AI powered chatbot Replika, human trainers are necessary when it comes to creating more empathetic AI: “You have to build chatbots in a way that makes people happy and want to achieve their goals. Without a certain amount of empathy, it’s not going to happen.”
If you want to get a start in the field of software engineering, or you’re considering a career change, there’s no better time than the present. Especially in an industry that is constantly evolving and innovating. But how do you make those first steps into this new industry?
Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia currently offers a collection of software engineering-focused degrees, such as a Bachelor Of Software Engineering (Artificial Intelligence) or a Bachelor Of Software Engineering (Game Programming). Alternatively, why not lead the development process and study a Graduate Certificate of Digital Transformation and Creative Intelligence?
Billy Blue have also collaborated with IBM, the current market share leader in AI for the third year running, to help develop these courses. These degrees aim to give you the best possible education when it comes to software development by giving you access to the best possible tools and technology available.
These degrees will help equip you with the tools to understand the current trends of software development, while also preparing you for a future career within the field. In a constantly expanding industry, the possibilities of innovation are endless. What role will you have?