Types of Software Engineers—Exploring Diverse Roles in Software Development

A software engineer uses engineering principles to create software for use in many different industries or applications. Similar to a software developer, you can work on creating, designing, programming, and testing software to solve a problem for your company or customer. The main difference between a software developer and a software engineer is that as an engineer, you can go beyond creating an application and use your skills in large, enterprise-wide solutions. You can also use your skills to build the hardware infrastructure needed to create software applications. 

Explore different roles you can take as a software engineer, including front-end, back-end, full-stack, DevOps, quality assurance (QA), machine learning, game development, and security.

Software engineer job outlook 

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the category of software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers will grow from 2023 to 2033 by 17 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations of 4 percent [1]. Within that category, the agency also offers a more specific job growth rate for software developers (18 percent) and quality analysts and testers (17 percent). This represents approximately 140,100 job openings every year.

Types of software engineers

The field of software engineering is broad, with many areas within the category for professionals to specialize in. Discover eight software engineer specializations, what you can expect to do in the role, and the average salary you can expect in the US. 

*All annual base salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of December 2024 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

Front-end engineer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $117,484

As a front-end engineer, you can work on the design side, or client side, of a development project. This is the part of the website the user interacts with. In this role, you may work on designing the look and feel of the software as well as determining how users can use the project and interact with the elements of your design. For example, this could include things like links, buttons, and images. 

Back-end engineer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $110,956 

The counterpart of a front-end engineer is a back-end engineer. In this role, you can work on the back end, or server side, of a development project. This includes the databases, servers, data storage, authentication, and security your development project needs to function properly. In addition to the infrastructure of the software program, you may also work on testing, debugging, and maintaining projects after initial development is complete. 

Full-stack engineer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $92,501

A full-stack engineer straddles the line between a back-end and a front-end engineer. In this role, you can develop skills to work on both the front and back end, allowing you to play a versatile role in a development team as needed. Although the exact duties you perform may depend on the company you work for and the size of your team, you may work to design and develop the client side of a website, work on the infrastructure and server side, and test and monitor software once completed. 

DevOps engineer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $109,652

This software engineer specialization is an information technology generalist position where you may have the chance to work on many different development tasks related to the development and operation of the software. This could include building and deploying code, maintaining servers, maintaining systems like storage, and working across siloed teams during the development process. Within a DevOps team, you can find more room to specialize as this work is usually split among several professionals who can include people like a release manager, a security engineer, someone in quality assurance, and an automation position. 

QA engineer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $92,588

As a quality assurance engineer, you can be responsible for making sure that the development projects you work on are of high quality, functional, and meet the client’s expectations. Like other software positions, the exact duties you perform depend on the size of your team, but some of the responsibilities you may have include developing test scenarios, tracking and hunting bugs, planning test schedules, providing feedback to developers, and reviewing documentation to ensure the software or development project is compliant. 

Machine learning engineer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $123,385

As a software developer specializing in machine learning, you can create programs that use machine learning to solve a problem or meet your client’s needs. Some of the responsibilities you may have in this role include working with clients to understand what they need the machine learning program to do, developing machine learning apps using programming languages, and testing and troubleshooting issues with your program as they arise. 

Game developer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $91,658

As a game developer, you can be a software engineer who specializes in video games. In this role, you are likely to work with a designer who supplies the visual elements like characters, settings, and items you need for your game. You can work on the coding and the back end of the game, often using multiple programming languages to create different game elements and functionality. 

Security engineer

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $137,658

As a security engineer, you could be responsible for developing security protocols, looking for ways to improve security, performing upgrades to your software projects, and responding to and coordinating the response to security incidents. Like other areas of software development, your exact duties depend on the project and the size of your team, but you could be a security specialist assessing the development project for ways you could make it more secure for your users and company.

Where do software engineers work?

As a software engineer, you can choose to work on projects in different industries and in small or large development teams. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industries that hire the most software developers are [2]: 

• Computer systems design and related services: 32 percent

• Software publishers: 10 percent 

• Finance and insurance: 10 percent

• Manufacturing: 9 percent 

• Management of companies and enterprises: 5 percent 

Learn more about types of software engineering on Coursera

As a software engineer, you have a lot of options for specializing in one area of development over another. No matter what role you want, you can find courses to help you meet your career goals on Coursera. For example, if you want to become a front-end designer, consider the IBM Front-End Developer Professional Certificate, which can help you become job-ready in as little as four months. If you’d rather choose the back-end or become a full-stack developer, you can find choices for those careers as well: Consider the Meta Back-End Developer Professional Certificate or the IBM Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate to help you begin.