What is software engineering about/like?

I am interested in doing some form of engineering, and I was quite interested in software engineering. I was wondering could anyone give me details on what it involves, what sort of apprenticeships exist and any additional info??

Cheers :smile:

Reply 1

kaythanksbye

I work as a software engineer right now (Thinking of going back to university though, hence I'm here). Software engineering is a pretty good job, though it has good and bad aspects.

So, software engineering ranges from writing computer programs to autopilot army drones, to the interactivity behind websites like this one.

I'm not sure how much you know - where I should pitch my explanations, so apologies if this is a bit simple. A computer program is like a really detailed recipe that a computer can understand that tells it how to do a task.
Clearly, in order to write a recipe like that, you need to have a deep understanding of computers, but also the task.

Semi fictitious example -
I was writing a computer program the other day to help route convoys around scary areas of dangerous countries, so part of my work involved talking to experts from the army about what they would do manually planning a mission - avoid areas with bad traffic, lots of recent terrorist activity, narrow roads, etc.
Then the next bit was writing a program that did that stuff. A lot of common tasks - like showing a map on a screen, are already programmed. As you get better at programming, you get quicker at understanding these pre-written pieces, and sowing them together into something new.
You also get better at writing programs that don't crash, and are easy to change a bit later (e.g. when you show it to a user, and they say danger areas should be yellow, not red). Part of this comes down to following processes and working in a disciplined way, but part of it is a sort of intuitive skill that you pick up, like drawing.

So, what I'm explaining above, is that part of the problem is talking to people, getting a whole bunch of different users to agree what the program should do. Part of it is working with other programmers to make sure your bits work together. And part of it is the solitary task of actually writing the program. You usually spend 10-50% of your week talking, and 90-50% actually programming.

Good stuff -
* Generally, software people are treated pretty well by employers. You tend to get good money, often flexi time, and are generally treated as human by your boss.
* If you are working on important projects, you can get a lot of satisfaction out of your work
Bad stuff -
* Every project goes slightly wrong. I have been on many projects at several companies, and they all found unique ways of going wrong. Younger programmers often get really stressed out by this, but eventually you get used to it.
*Sometimes, you need to work long hours, and there is a culture of not getting paid for overtime at most places. When projects are good, people usually work 8 hours a day, but when they go bad they might work a lot longer, maybe 12 hours a day for a week or so, and not get paid. But if you have to work at the weekend, you usually get paid for that. Very much worse in finance software.
*Some people just don't seem to get programming. Generally, if you hate math, you may not like programming (though I hated math at school and am pretty good). Go have a go, try to learn in your free time, and get an idea if you like it.

Options for apprenticeships -

I know that BAE and Siemens offer apprenticeship schemes. If you went for either of these, you would work some of the week, and train (day release) some of the time.
The company might well ask you to move to a main site, and might even put you in dorm accommodation with other apprentices. Or not.

I wasn't an apprentice, but I know many of the senior company bosses at both those companies, and many senior engineers (i.e. rich people with lots of status) were, so I don't think you would be at any disadvantage doing an apprenticeship rather than going to university say.

I advise you to do a software engineering apprenticeship as opposed to an IT support one if possible, because the long term prospects are much better and more flexible. IT security is a big growth area at the moment, and you might find an apprenticeship there good.

Reply 2

kaythanksbye

Just to be clear - there are loads of companies that offer apprenticeships in software. I mentioned BAE and Siemens because I know the programs there are good (particularly BAE) but they might not appeal to you as companies. And they are very... engineeringy - you might prefer something more buisnessy.

Anyway, if I can give any more info, let me know!

Reply 3

Tillybop

Original post by kaythanksbye

Thank you so much for all of that information it's exactly what I am looking for.

I don't have a great deal of knowledge so everything you provided really helped. I do maths at alevel and I enjoy it, which will be a bonus. I also do physics and biology.

I have done basic coding and stuff before and if I practice loads I'll probably be better at it.

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