Software Engineer Jobs: What You Do, What You Earn, and Which AI Degree Fits

Software engineer jobs are some of the most common technical jobs in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts software engineers with software developers, and reports a May 2025 median wage of $135,980. The typical entry degree is a bachelor’s in computer and information technology or a related field, so an AI degree fits when it teaches you to build software, not only to study models.

What Do Software Engineers Do?

A software engineer builds and maintains the programs other people use. That could be a phone app, a hospital scheduling system, a payment service or the code behind a recommendation feature.

BLS describes the work in three parts:

• Analyze users’ needs, then design and develop software to meet those needs.
• Design each piece of an application or system and plan how the pieces will work together.
• Make sure a program keeps functioning normally through software maintenance and testing.

BLS uses the title software developers for this occupation. Employers say software engineer, software developer or just engineer, and the federal data treats them as one job.

What Does a Typical Day Look Like?

Most of the day is not writing brand-new code. It is reading existing code, fixing something that broke, reviewing a teammate’s changes and working out how a new request fits into a system that already runs.

You will also spend real time talking. Someone has to ask the people who use the product what is wrong, and someone has to explain to a manager why a change takes three weeks and not three days.

That is the honest downside of the job. Much of the work is maintenance and testing, and it is less glamorous than the demo you built in school. People who like finishing things and fixing things tend to do well.

Where Does AI Fit Into Software Engineer Jobs?

AI shows up in software engineering in two ways. Some engineers build features that run on machine learning models, such as search, recommendations or text tools. Others use AI tools to help write and check their own code.

The first group is where an AI degree matters. A model that works in a notebook is not a product until an engineer connects it to a system, tests it and keeps it running.

If that is the work you want, you are looking for an AI engineering degree, not a research degree. Our online AI engineering degrees ranking groups programs by that focus.

Which AI Degree Level Do Employers Expect?

BLS lists a bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology or a related field as the typical entry education. It does not list a master’s as required. So the bachelor’s is the level to plan around, and a master’s is a way to change fields or go deeper.

Here is how the levels line up with the job.

Bachelor’s degree. This is the level BLS names. Online bachelor’s programs in AI exist, and our bachelor’s ranking lists them with cost per credit and transfer limits. Two of them are engineering-focused: Western Governors University’s online BS in AI Engineering and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s BS in Applied Artificial Intelligence.

Master’s degree. This is the route if you already have a bachelor’s and want to move into software. Look for engineering and software titles, such as Boston University’s online MS in Software Engineering for Artificial Intelligence, Penn State’s Master of Artificial Intelligence, AI Engineering Option and the University of Illinois Chicago’s MEng in AI and Machine Learning. Browse them all in our online master’s ranking.

Certificate. A short graduate certificate can add AI skills to an engineering background. Brandeis offers a Software Engineering with Artificial Intelligence master’s certificate and Carnegie Mellon offers a graduate certificate in AI engineering fundamentals.

What Do the Engineering Programs Actually Teach?

Programs label themselves differently, so read the details, not the title.

Boston University’s software engineering master’s lists a two-term capstone project and a mix of on-demand content and weekly live sessions. It asks for a bachelor’s with relevant coursework in computer science, software engineering, data science or engineering, or work experience in one of those fields. The GRE is not required.

Western Governors University’s BS in AI Engineering ends with an applied capstone where you design, validate and deploy an AI-enabled system. It is competency-based and charges $4,200 per six-month term.

Brandeis expects introductory Python or Java coursework or equivalent experience before its software engineering certificate. Ask every program the same question: will I finish with a project I can show an employer?

What Skills and Tools Do You Need?

Employers vary, and no federal list says which tools you must know. These are the skills that show up again and again in software work.

• A main language. Python, Java and JavaScript are common starting points. Learn one well before you collect others.
• Data structures and algorithms. Interviews often test them, and they help you write code that does not slow to a crawl.
• Version control. Git is how teams share and review changes.
• Databases and SQL. Most applications store data somewhere.
• Testing. Writing code that checks your code is part of the job BLS describes.
• Cloud basics. Many teams deploy to a cloud provider, so knowing how that works helps.

For AI features, add Python libraries for machine learning and some comfort with how models are trained and served. A good engineering program covers these as practice, not trivia.

How Do You Get Hired as a Software Engineer?

There is no single path, but this order works for most people.

1. Pick your starting point. If you have no degree, a bachelor’s is the level BLS names. If you have a degree in another field, look at an engineering master’s or a certificate.
2. Choose an accredited program. Check the school’s accreditation on its own site before you enroll.
3. Build projects as you go. A capstone helps, but a few small projects of your own show initiative and give you something to talk about.
4. Get an internship or contribution. Some programs help with this. Brandeis and Boston University both point to hands-on project work, and Tennessee lists for-credit internships.
5. Practice interviews. Expect coding questions and a conversation about how you would design a system.
6. Apply broadly at first. Your first job matters less than getting one where someone reviews your code.

Be patient. Entry-level searches can take months, and a degree does not guarantee an offer.

How Much Do Software Engineers Make?

The BLS May 2025 national median wage for software developers is $135,980 a year, or $65.38 an hour. The mean is $148,100.

The spread is wide. The 10th percentile is $82,460, the 25th is $105,210, the 75th is $171,980 and the 90th is $214,670. BLS counted 1,687,890 workers in this occupation.

State matters a lot. By annual mean wage, the top-paying states are California at $186,770, Washington at $171,040, New York at $163,820, Massachusetts at $161,730 and Maryland at $151,560. The largest job markets are California, Texas, New York, Washington and Virginia.

For the full breakdown, see our software engineer salary page.

What Is the Job Outlook?

BLS projects 10 percent employment growth for software developers from 2025 to 2035, which it describes as much faster than the average for all occupations. It expects about 185,400 more jobs over that period and about 106,100 openings a year.

BLS publishes two job counts for this occupation. The wage survey counted 1,687,890 workers in May 2025, and the projections start from a base of 1,905,400 jobs. They come from different BLS programs, so use the first for pay and the second for growth.

Openings include people who leave the field, not only new jobs. Projections are estimates, and BLS revises them each cycle.

Can You Do This Job Remotely?

Some engineers work remotely. Pay is reported by state, so location still matters.

Employers set their own remote policies, and some adjust pay by where you live. Check each posting before you assume a number.

The degree can be remote even if the job is not. Many online AI programs run on weekly deadlines or on-demand lectures, which suits people who work full time. Some programs add on-campus requirements, so confirm that before you apply.

Are Online AI Degrees Respected for Software Jobs?

BLS describes the typical entry education by field, not by where classes meet. Employers also care about what you can build and explain, so keep a record of your work.

That is why program details matter. A capstone, a team project or an internship gives you something concrete to show. A program that only lists lectures gives you less.

Our program pages list each school’s own admission rules, capstone and format. Compare those before you compare names. If you are moving from another field, our list for career changers highlights programs that accept applicants without a computer science degree.

What Are the Downsides?

Three things are worth knowing.

First, entry-level searches can be slow. The openings figure includes people leaving the field, and many postings ask for experience. Plan for a search that takes months.

Second, the tools change. Course titles and frameworks get revised often. A degree gives you foundations that last longer than any tool, but you will keep learning on the job.

Third, an AI degree is not the only route. Many engineers hold computer science degrees, and BLS names that field as the typical entry. Our comparison of an AI degree and a computer science degree walks through the tradeoff.

If you want the AI-specific version of this job, read how to become an AI engineer and compare it with our overview of artificial intelligence careers.

How Is a Software Engineer Different From an AI Engineer?

The titles overlap, and employers use them loosely. In plain terms, a software engineer builds the whole product, and an AI engineer builds the parts that depend on a trained model.

An AI engineer still writes ordinary software. Data has to move in and out, the model has to be called reliably, and something has to catch failures. That is why a software engineering foundation carries over so well.

If you are not sure which title you want, start with the software base. It keeps both doors open, and you can add machine learning coursework later through a certificate or a master’s.

What Should You Do Next?

Write down what you hold today, the job you want and the date you want to be working. Those three lines narrow the list fast.

Then open the ranking that matches your starting point and read the program pages for two or three schools. Look at the admission rules, the total cost and what you build at the end. Email the admissions office with any question the page leaves open.

How Do You Pick a Program?

Ask four questions.

1. What do I hold now? A bachelor’s in another field points to a master’s or certificate. No degree points to a bachelor’s.
2. How do I want to pay? Some programs charge per credit, and others charge per term. Compare the total, not only the rate.
3. How much time do I have? Part-time study stretches the timeline. Competency-based programs let you finish faster.
4. What will I have built when I finish? Pick the program with the clearest capstone or project work.

Then compare programs on our rankings for AI engineering degrees, bachelor’s programs and master’s programs.