Harmony Science Academy High

School


Computer Software Engineer Research Paper



Michelle Lazaro
11B
8/24/2014
Technical Design
Mr. Cepeda


The career that so far interests me the most would be one in the computer sciences, I have
been leaning towards something to do with computers when I think of types of engineering, I do
not see myself out engineering chemicals or refining petroleum. Aerospace seems interesting but
I just do not see it as my type. Mechanical Engineering also appeals to me but I do not want to
only invent things that may not be of use. There is also going to be an increase in the amount of
people who will be needed in this career in the future.
To become a computer software engineer one must first graduate high school and get into
a college, that much is obvious, but then what? Well many of the schools that focus on these
types of carreers usually have plans for the students to follow. I know that UTD has a computer
science Plan for those students who wish to pursue this career. My friend Alan he is going to
start school there this monday and I wish him the best. I am actually following in his footsteps,
but not completely because I am going to take my own path after school. Usually to get a job in
the field all one needs is a bachelors in software engineering, this can be earned by taking online
classes at school like the ITT technical institute, or the Kaplan university. Or in any university
that offers it. Austin and San Antonio are areas with some great schools with programs in
engineering. Other degrees and qualifications include A masters and a strong understanding of
common delivery and communication technologies including HTTP, SSL, SMTP, UDP, TCP/IP,
RMI.
So lets say you have a degree, now what? Well you apply for jobs, some good places to
start off would be in Austin. At the moment there is a company called RoverMetrics looking for
a Software Engineer with experience in Python and C+ languages for enterprise solution
software. That does not seem like a bad job for any engineer. Larger companies like Best Buy
also hires numerous amounts of engineers, those who have more trouble finding jobs, to do
product testing for them. Most of the larger name companies do need engineers who have more
experience anywhere from 4-8 years of experience to hire them. Ms. Williams (Mr. Williamss
wife) works as an engineer for Texas Instruments and I have to say that I am impressed with that
job. I wish I had talked to her more about her career but I do know that she moved up from
product design and testing to Management. She is an inspiration to me because I know that it is
possible for a woman to have a very successful career in the field of engineering. For most this is
intimidating because the field of engineering is mainly dominated by men. A software engineer
could really get a job anywhere, even in Disney World. Engineers work everywhere, from
amusement parks like Six Flags and Disney World to Government services like the FBI.
The salary for a computer software engineer is pretty good pay. In the year 2012 on
average the engineer made around $93,350 per year and $44.88 per hour. This career also has an
expected growth rate of 22% which is much faster than average from the years 2012-2022. By
the time I graduate from high school in 2016 Over 1.1 million computer software engineers in
total are expected to be employed in the field. However, by that time any jobs that interest me
now may not be available by the time I do have my degree because there will be new technology
and different jobs because of these changes.
I have actually already started taking steps and planning my career. Although I am not
completely sure that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, I am sure that I do not want
to do anything in the medical or culinary field, Engineering is for me, I just need to find out what
type. I have narrowed down the long list of types down to a type in computer science thanks to
all of the projects I have done in my engineering class and clubs like the cyber patriots. Those
are the things that I enjoy. As a highschool student I am taking dual credit classes to gain college
credit. I am also taking Calculus and I am planning on getting a good score on my AP test (lots
of studying) so that when I go to a College/University I already have proof that I have taken and
passed the class so that I can advance maybe a year or two. I know it will be a lot of work,
especially since I already want to start taking classes. In a few months I will be taking an online
course called Introduction to Computer Science and Programing where I will be learning C++
and Java. This may or may not be the career for me but this is what I am going with because all I
know for now is that this is what interests me.

















Sources
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technology/software-developers.htm>.
"Majors - Computer Software Engineering." Big Future. College Board, n.d. Web. 24
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"Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Jobs." Software Engineer. Software Engineer, n.d. Web.
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software-engineer>.
"Staff Engineer, Product Testing Job." Best Buy, 7 Aug. 2014. Web. 24 Aug. 2014.
<http://www.bestbuy-jobs.com/job/Richfield-Staff-Engineer%2C-Product-Testing-Job-
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