10 Best Software Engineering Careers in 2024

We bet you agree that software engineering is one of the highest-paying jobs in the world. But is it the ONLY highest-paying job in the computer field? NO!

Since you are here, it’s evident you’re either a software engineer or looking to become one. There are numerous career options in software engineering that give similar pay, help you harness your talent, and save your interests, simultaneously.

With this blog, you will get introduced to the best careers in software engineering. We would also be understanding the best software engineering career paths and salary so that you know, you’re never out of good options while pursuing this field.

Top Software Engineering Career Opportunities

Holding a B.Tech. or certification in software engineering doesn’t mean that you need to stick to it throughout your life. The best part about it is that you can venture into numerous alternate software engineering careers, while you draw from your existing knowledge and experience.

Following are the best in-demand software engineering career opportunities and their average salaries in India:

1. Full Stack Developer (₹ 2-16 LPA)
2. Machine Learning Engineer (₹ 3-21 LPA)
3. Game Developer (₹ 1.2-12 LPA )
4. DevOps Engineer (₹ 4-16 LPA)
5. Mobile App Developer (₹ 1.7-12 LPA)
6. Cloud Engineer (₹ 2.9-13 LPA)
7. Engineering Manager (₹ 7.6-72.2 LPA)
8. Quality Assurance Engineer (₹ 2.9-11 LPA)
9. Chief Technology Officer (₹ 4.8 LPA- 1.2 Crores PA)
10. Cybersecurity Engineer (₹ 3.0-16 LPA)

Most of these jobs are extremely future-proof and are closely related to the software engineering field. To pursue these courses, software engineering experience, and a computer science degree are almost prerequisites.

Now that you know the top alternative career paths for software engineering, let’s explore each of them in depth along with their respective salaries.

Before diving into the next section, ensure you’re solid on full-stack development essentials like front-end frameworks, back-end technologies, and database management. If you are looking for a detailed Full Stack Development career program, you can join GUVI’s Full Stack Development Course with Placement Assistance. You will be able to master the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) and build real-life projects.

Additionally, if you want to explore JavaScript through a self-paced course, try GUVI’s JavaScript certification course.

1. Full Stack Developer

Software engineers can easily start an illustrious career in full-stack development. It is one of the best careers in software engineering as your knowledge of various programming languages, understanding of memory storage, and internal functioning would come in very handy as a full-stack developer.

As a full-stack developer, your primary responsibility would be to develop both the front-end and back-end codes of the website or application. You would need to build databases, servers, client-side web architecture, and user experience along with code optimizations for different devices.

Average full stack developer salary: ₹ 5.6 LPA or ₹ 42,162 – ₹ 43,295/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 2-16 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

2. Machine Learning Engineer

Machine learning engineering is a great career option for software engineering as it utilizes a lot of concepts like data storage, database management, memory allocation, etc. from it along with languages like Python, Java, R, etc.

The primary responsibilities of machine learning engineers revolve around training computer models to process data automatically to draw conclusions on their own. They extensively work with data professionals to help specify algorithms to automate data processes to be used in developing AI models, and intelligent electronics and draw analytics from large data sets.

Average machine learning engineers salary: ₹ 6.5 LPA or ₹ 50,013 – ₹ 51,194/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 3-21 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

3. Game Developer

Game development is a rapidly growing field in modern times. Not only does this sound cool, but it’s also one of the best careers in software engineering.

As a video game developer, your responsibilities would be to develop the game engines and the entire code base of the game, its character functions, levels, etc. in collaboration with the game design team.

Average game developer salary: ₹ 4.3 LPA or ₹ 31,907 – ₹ 33,193/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 1.2-12 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

4. DevOps Engineer

DevOps engineering is a unique blend of development and operations roles in the IT world. When you’re working as a DevOps engineer, it’s your work to ensure that the IT systems of the organization are up and running well.

You need to develop systems and ensure timely code updates after analyzing feedback. You also work with the operations department to ensure the processes are implemented smoothly.

Average DevOps engineer salary: ₹ 6.5 LPA or ₹ 49,416 – ₹ 50,583/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 4-16 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

5. Mobile App Developer

We all are surrounded by a mammoth number of mobile applications for literally every application. Now, a mobile app developer is among the best software engineering careers in modern times.

The main responsibilities of a mobile app developer are to conceptualize, code, design, and implement a mobile application while focussing on its UI/UX. You would also need to create applications for Android or iOS environments.

Average mobile app developer salary: ₹ 4.4 LPA or ₹ 32,655 – ₹ 33,929/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 1.7-12 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

6. Cloud Engineer

We all are extensively reliant on Cloud technologies today. It is an extensive part of most apps we use today. Hence, becoming a cloud engineer could be the next good step in your software engineering career.

A cloud engineer’s responsibilities include coding cloud architecture, and designing and implementing them for your organization. They also transfer the existing applications to the cloud and build cloud storage to safeguard important data.

Average cloud engineer salary: ₹ 5.3 LPA or ₹ 40,004 – ₹ 41,169/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 2.9-13 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

7. Engineering Manager

Typically, the task of an engineering manager is to manage multiple teams of engineers and oversee various projects from beginning to end. They also have to manage the finances and ensure the best allocation of resources.

In terms of career path and salary, engineering manager is one of the highest-paying software engineering jobs in India.

Average engineering manager salary: ₹ 27.0 LPA or ₹ 1,68,832 – ₹ 1,75,329/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 7.6-72.2 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

8. Quality Assurance Engineer

A quality assurance engineer is very crucial for any product-based company. To be a quality assurance engineer, you must have extensive software engineering knowledge as a prerequisite. As a result, quality assurance engineering is among the most common software engineering career paths today.

As a quality assurance engineer, you would need to work on testing new software before its launch. Your responsibility would be to create new tests that would help identify problems or errors in the functioning, designing, or deployment of the software.

Average quality assurance engineer salary: ₹ 3.9 LPA or ₹ 28,874 – ₹ 30,230/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 2.9-11 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

9. Chief Technology Officer

A chief technology officer is probably the highest-ranking career in the software engineering field. It is a managerial and highly decisive role in the software field.

Majorly, a chief technology officer’s role, as the name suggests, is to preside over the technological resources of the organization and ensure they are optimized for the growth of the organization. They would also manage the maintenance and quality of the tech aspects of the company and drive the company’s technological growth.

Average chief technology officer salary: ₹ 30.0 LPA or ₹ 1,85,069 – ₹ 1,92,300/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around ₹ 4.8 Lakhs to ₹ 1.02 Crores. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

10. Cybersecurity Engineer

Cybersecurity engineering has been among the top jobs in software engineering. In today’s day and age when digital assets are any organization’s biggest power, the demand for a cybersecurity engineer has increased manifolds.

Your role as a cybersecurity engineer would mainly revolve around protecting your organization’s systems, servers, and software from potential cyber threats like malware, viruses, hacking, and other forms of cybercrime.

Average cybersecurity engineer salary: ₹ 6.0 LPA or ₹ 45,597 – ₹ 46,678/month

An average full-stack developer in India earns around Rs 3.0-16 LPA. It greatly varies with the location, company, experience, and skills of the individual.

Future Demand of Software Engineering in India

The future scope of software engineering is only widening and it’s not going to down any soon. With new software domains like blockchain, artificial intelligence, data engineering, AR/VR, gaming, and machine learning emerging rapidly, the demand for skilled software engineering is going to rise vigorously in the coming years.

There are various reasons why software engineering is future-proof. More companies and businesses are moving online, requiring better creation of software applications. Software engineering is a comprehensive tech job that requires individuals to work on tech projects from inception to testing and deployment. The time demands more software engineers to build and keep up with the new technologies.

As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, software engineering, and related jobs are going to grow by 25% from 2021-31. As per LinkedIn Emerging Jobs Report 2020, there was tremendous annual growth in many software engineering jobs like robotics engineer (40%), AI engineer (74%), data scientist (37%), full-stack engineer (35%), cybersecurity specialist (30%), Cloud Engineer (27%).

All this indicates a golden future for software engineering in India as well. The job complexity and the need for more professional, better-skilled software engineers are rising side-by-side.

*Salary Credits: AmbitionBox

Final Words

I hope you were able to find the best career options in software engineering with this blog. Learning software engineering is not easy. This makes you a crucial asset for any organization you work for.

There are a bunch of software engineering careers that you can take. You just need to break out of your comfort zone and start exploring to find your true calling. The future scope of software engineering is glowing given how valued they are in building crucial technologies to drive innovation.

If you found this resource useful, do check out our other resources. Also, feel free to reach out to us directly for any tech career advice that might need. We’re here to help!

Kickstart your Full Stack Development journey by enrolling in GUVI’s certified Full Stack Development Course with Placement Assistance where you will master the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) and build interesting real-life projects. This program is crafted by our team of experts to help you upskill and assist you in placements.

Alternatively, if you want to explore JavaScript through a self-paced course, try GUVI’s JavaScript course.

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