Becoming a Software Engineer - Pros and Cons

I have been a software engineer for almost a decade; I had almost forgotten how I got here. When I was in my senior year of high school, I was not sure what career to choose. I must admit that I felt very insecure. I had doubts about the future and did not believe in myself.

That was then. Thirteen years later, I'm glad I decided to major in Computer Science. It wasn't easy, but it is a very rewarding career. Regardless of its benefits, there are some things I do not like about software engineering. Before discussing the negative things about this career, let's talk about the positive ones.

The Pros of Software Engineering

1. You make good money. This is true about any of the engineering jobs. There are other professions, which I think are very honorable, but people that work in them get paid so little. For example, teachers' salaries are not in par with the great work that they do.

2. The job is perfect for people that love computers. This may seem obvious, but it must be stated. This is a profession that pays well, and yet, most software engineers do not have to deal with the customers directly.

3. You can freelance. Not every software engineer can do this, but good programmers can choose to freelance; they work at home, work on projects posted on the Internet, and get paid. Check out websites like Elance.com and RentACoder.com.

The Cons of Software Engineering

As promised, I am also going to talk about the disadvantages. These points, however, can be said about many jobs. After some time working in the field you start to see these things:

1. It is hard to change jobs. There is a lot of competition. Right after college, I had several interviews and had different kinds of offers. Now, if I look for a job, I'm expected to have more experience and knowledge in certain technologies. Many jobs require knowledge in very specific technologies, such as programming languages, operating systems, hardware, and databases, among other things. Not everyone has all those specific skills. Looking into the classifieds will show you what I mean.