In the world of today, graduates in the field of engineering find it hard to acquire employment due to offshoring. Small to Medium Sized Software Development Companies (SMSDC) prefer offshoring because they cannot use approaches and techniques of Requirements Engineering (RE) without alterations (Ambreen, Ikram, Usman, Niazi, 2018). According to Bursner and Merten, researchers have to pay attention to the methods of Requirements Engineering (RE) or else SMSDCs will waste their time and resources in searching for the objectives of the approaches and the tools which support them (Ambreen, Ikram, Usman, Niazi, 2018).
To find solutions to the challenges, the companies need to improve the methods of the requirement through carrying out extensive research on the subject, promote teamwork, improve management, acquire information on how and where the product was made and promote communication. Karlson carried out research on the challenges of requirements engineering to the Software Development Companies (Tripathi, Klotins, Prikladnicki, Oivo, Pompermaier, Kudakacheril, Gorschek, 2018). This paper discusses the feasibility analysis of the key factors in software development career and compares the entry options.
Key Factors in a software development career
The software development career has been embraced in the world due to the high demand of products of high quality. High-quality products are reliable and function and perform effectively. The companies get to stay ahead of the competition by meeting the expectations of the client. The customer’s needs can be satisfied by producing products of high quality, delivering them on time and at an affordable price. This attracts customers thus leading to an increase in sales and profits. A rise in profits leads to the growth of the organization (Beecham, Baddoo, Hall, Robinson, Sharp, 2009).
The process of software development explains the production of the software to when it reaches the customers (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017).
Figure 1: The Process of Software Development (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017).
Market research: Before the development of a software begins, the organization has to carry out extensive research on the market. Acquiring information on the market involves analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the competition, trends in the market, emerging and growing markets and the need of the product (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017). Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the competition enables the company to come up with a product that is distinct from other. It is clear that customers prefer products that are different from others in the market. A rise in profits leads to the growth of the business and the goals of the company will also be met.
Product development and management: It involves producing a software that would satisfy the needs of the customer. Meeting the expectations of the clients involves, understanding the customer’s needs, having knowledge, skills, and experience on improving the design and performance of the product, understanding the use of the product and projecting on future of the software (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017).
Figure 2: The Employment Outlook of Software Development (Blume, Baecker, Collins, Donohue, 2009).
Furthermore, the high demand for quality products led to the introduction of advanced technology. The emergence of improved technology promoted the training of employees. Trained employees were motivated to perform their duties effectively and efficiently. Through training and teamwork, the employees acquired knowledge, skills, and experience to improve the design and performance of the software and understand the uses of the software. Technology also promotes communication. Through communication, the organization gets to acquire feedback from the customers thus understanding their expectations. The information acquired could be applied to improving the production of the software (Gousios, Zaidman, Storey, Van Deursen, 2015). Finally, technology enables the company to make future projections on the software.
The determination of cost and pricing: Cost and pricing are determined through production, selling and distribution, the competitive prices and the value of the software to the customer (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017). With the introduction of improved technology in the production of the software, the cost of production is reduced. Finally, for the software that the customers value more, it would be the right decision for the company to increase its prices. This would enable the company to increase sales and profits. A rise in returns enables the growth of the business thus achieving the goals of an organization.
Creation of awareness on the software: It involves formulating strategies on how the software gets to the customers. The software could get to the clients through creating a brand that is, positioning, strengthening the relationship between the company and the customers, customizing the software and packaging the software in a way that would attract clients (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017). Positioning involves customers comparing different brands of the software. The brands are compared based on efficiency, cost, and distinctiveness. Customers prefer products that are different from others in the market. Through communication, the organization acquires feedback from the customers (Gousios, Zaidman, Storey, Van Deursen, 2015). The ability to attract customers increases the sales and profits of the company. This leads to the growth of the business thus achieving the goals of the organization.
Figure 3: Levels of Creation of Awareness (Kokar, Endsley, 2012).
Product distribution: It involves market research, product development, and management, determination of cost and pricing, the creation of awareness and the final delivery to the customers (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017). The organization needs to be creative, quick and cost-effective when it comes to distribution of the software. A creative, cost-effective and quick way of delivering the product to the clients satisfies the needs of the customers. This attracts more customers thus leading to increased sales and profits. A rise in returns leads to the growth of the business and enables the organization to achieve its goals.
Selling and supporting the product: It involves acquiring feedback from clients and improving the software (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, Warsta, 2017). The companies are encouraged to let the software developers sell the products. If the need arises on the maintenance or performance of the product, the developer can easily deal with it. The information acquired from customers can also be applied to improving the production of the software.
The advantages of choosing software development as a career are that the pay is good. Research shows that a software developer earns an average of sixty-five thousand dollars to ninety thousand dollars per year depending on the employment level. Second, the skill can be transferred all thanks to the availability of a universal language (Silberschatz, Gagne, Galvin, 2018). The skills for software developers are the same throughout the whole world. It is easy for someone to work in any company and country. All one needs is a computer and an internet connection. Fourth, a career in software development means a person is always learning (Turk, France, Rumpe, 2014). Technology evolves so fast. People are always coming up with new inventions. A software developer always gains knowledge and learns which is never boring. Finally, an individual can be as creative as he wants (Rover, Ullerich, Scheel, Wegter, Whipple, 2014). Software developers use their imaginary sense to come up with new ideas.
Software development career promotes an unhealthy lifestyle. A developer gets to sit all day and eat food freely without weighing its proportions (Akgün, Keskin, Ayar, Okunakol, 2017). This works against both physical and psychological well-being. Secondly, the job requires the brain to work so hard. It may be challenging for a person who is experiencing other issues to think and create solutions. It can result in errors and jeopardize the quality of work. Finally, a software developer is always learning. A developer of today may be tomorrow’s history (Nagarajan, Joseph & Sujatha, 2015). A software developer needs to set aside time to learn on the new technologies and participate in development programs to stay updated.
Software developers enter into this career either through education, internship, pursue a specialization, entry-level career opportunities, get certified, attend conferences or earn a graduate degree (Kim, Zimmermann, DeLine & Begel, 2016).
Option 1: Education. To become a software engineer a person needs to complete a formal education. A student is required to either choose learning programs that are modern or traditional. The options are the associate degree which takes about two years, the bachelor’s degree that takes four years and coding boot camp that takes about eight to twelve weeks. An associate degree can provide an individual with entry-level jobs as a software developer. The syllabus focuses on modern methods of software engineering, its principles, and programming language. A bachelor’s degree is preferred by most employers because it widens the syllabus to studying mathematics and computer science. Students gain a better knowledge of software development and they take courses on the application (Kim, Zimmermann, DeLine & Begel, 2016). Coding boot camp is a program for aspiring software developers. It provides students with an impressive learning environment.
Option 2: An internship enables students to acquire skills and experience in software development. Companies may offer an internship to students with degrees which enables them gains skills and experience in certain areas. An internship takes between three to six months in which students are required to work on projects.
Option 3: Pursue a specialization. In software engineering, a student has two options, development of the software system or application of the software systems. Software developers may work on the web, mobile, language or technical development.
Option 4: Pursue entry-level career opportunities. On completion of an associate degree, bachelor’s degree or boot camp, a person can seek entry-level jobs. According to Forbes, software development has been rated as the best entry-level job due to its demand. A person can start with a small job before advancing to the job of his dreams.
Option 5: Get certified. Getting certified is important in the software development career. Software development is technical which means the ability to acquire a certificate shows a person has knowledge, skills, and experience on the field. This increases the competition of a person in the market (Bartley, 2014).
Option 6: Attend a conference. Change is achieved through innovation. This means that a software developer is required to be up to date on the development of new inventions. Through conferences, a person may gain knowledge of new technology, products, and business opportunities.
Option 7: Earn a graduate degree. By earning a graduate degree, a person is eligible for management and leadership position in the organization (Kim, Zimmermann, DeLine & Begel, 2016). Software development entails a lot than the usual development process. A software developer has to apply cost analysis, critical thinking and project management.
Conclusion
Summary and Interpretation of Findings
To sum up, the feasibility analysis of the key factors in software development career and the comparison of the entry options enables an individual to become a good software developer and manager in the organization. The study shows that it is difficult to acquire employment in the field of engineering due to offshoring. Small to Medium Sized Software Development Companies (SMSDC) prefer offshoring because they cannot use approaches and techniques of Requirements Engineering (RE) without alterations. The employees of SMSDCs are always motivated to perform their duties effectively and efficiently but the challenges they face is that they need a lot of time to try out different methods before settling on the best but the time is limited and the resources availed to them are scarce. To find solutions to the challenges, the companies need to improve the methods of the requirement through carrying out extensive research on the subject, promote teamwork, improve management, acquire information on how and where the product was made and promote communication.
Software development career is highly recommended. This is because the key factors in software development career signify the productivity of the product, the advantages, and disadvantages of the career. The software development career has been embraced in the world due to the high demand of products of high quality. High-quality products are reliable and function and perform effectively. The companies get to stay ahead of the competition by meeting the expectations of the client. The customer’s needs can be satisfied by producing products of high quality, delivering them on time and at an affordable price. This attracts customers thus leading to an increase in sales and profits. A rise in profits leads to the growth of the organization. The advantages of choosing the career are that of good pay, the skill is transferable, the developer can work anywhere, and the person is always learning and can be creative as he wants. The disadvantages of the career are that it promotes an unhealthy lifestyle, the job requires the brain to work so hard and the software developer is always working. When it comes to a comparison of entry options, software developers enter into this career either through education, internship, pursue a specialization, entry-level career opportunities, get certified, attend conferences or earn a graduate degree. Therefore, the system is highly recommendable.
References
Abrahamsson, P., Salo, O., Ronkainen, J., & Warsta, J. (2017). Agile software development methods: Review and analysis. arXiv preprint arXiv:1709.08439.
Akgün, A. E., Keskin, H., Ayar, H., & Okunakol, Z. (2017). Knowledge sharing barriers in software development teams: A multiple case study in Turkey. Kybernetes, 46(4), 603-620.
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Blume, L., Baecker, R., Collins, C., & Donohue, A. (2009, July). A communication skills for computer scientists course. In ACM SIGCSE Bulletin (Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 65-69). ACM.
Bartley, T. (2014). Transnational governance and the re?centered state: Sustainability or legality?. Regulation & Governance, 8(1), 93-109.
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Gousios, G., Zaidman, A., Storey, M. A., & Van Deursen, A. (2015, May). Work practices and challenges in pull-based development: the integrator’s perspective. In Proceedings of the 37th International Conference on Software Engineering-Volume 1 (pp. 358-368). IEEE Press.
Kim, M., Zimmermann, T., DeLine, R., & Begel, A. (2016, May). The emerging role of data scientists on software development teams. In Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Software Engineering (pp. 96-107). ACM.
Kokar, M. M., & Endsley, M. R. (2012). Situation awareness and cognitive modeling. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 27(3), 91-96.
Nagarajan, R., Joseph, A. V., & Sujatha, S. (2015). Behavioural aspects of software project management-in-house software development. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 8(S3), 1-9.
Rover, D., Ullerich, C., Scheel, R., Wegter, J., & Whipple, C. (2014, October). Advantages of agile methodologies for software and product development in a capstone design project. In Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2014 IEEE(pp. 1-9). IEEE.
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