Software development is constantly changing as technology advances, companies grow, and automation becomes more prevalent in society. What was common practice for a software developer in 2015 is out of practice now.

The purpose of this article, then, is to:

  • Define a software developer and their primary responsibilities
  • Look back at how software development has changed
  • What to expect working as a software developer in 2022
  • How to launch a career in software development

What is a software developer? 

A software developer is, simply put, a person who creates computer software. This can vary from creating and developing applications for mobile devices and desktop devices to working on operating systems and more underlying software. Software developers typically work with computer programmers to complete projects, from the developer coming up with the design of the application, to the programmer then writing the code. 

Sofware developers have many different career responsibilities, and they will vary from job to job. Generally, software developers talk to the client about what they want the function of the application to be, design and plan how each application will work together, and pass the project to computer programmers to write the code. They also debug software and ensure that the applications they create continue to run smoothly by suggesting specific security measures. In addition to the hard skills of software development, there are soft skills that most developers find useful to have. Some of these skills include communication, working as a unit of a team, and the ability to lead a meeting.

A brief history of software development

The very first piece of software was written by Tom Kilburn in 1948 (Yost 2018). The software was written on a computer he built, the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine, and the function of the software was to solve the greatest divisor of 2 to the power of 18. It took the software 52 minutes. With how quickly technology seems to progress now, it’s amazing to think that it was first developed just over 70 years ago, with software that moved much slower. While the first piece of software was written in 1948, the first high-level programming language emerged in 1957: Fortran. Other different programming languages which defined software development were created over the next couple of decades. 

Software development really took off with the introduction of the personal computer. Apple and IBM both released their first personal computers in the late 70’s and early 80’s. During this time, more software applications were developed, namely signification applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. With the 90’s came open-source software, the Linux kernel, and the release of Java. 

The release of mobile smartphones brought software development into its present state. With Apple’s release of the first iPhone in 2007, developing mobile applications became a booming practice. As of 2020, there were 8.9 million mobile applications globally, and that number only grows every day (Koetsier 2020). 

Working as a software developer in 2022

So, what does work as a software developer look like in 2022? There are three trends that the industry anticipates seeing in the next year. 

  1. Developer environments moving to the cloud – While software projects become more intricate, so does the onboarding process of a software developer onto the job. Many hardware takes days to install on a developer computer, and then they must adapt to using the hardware necessary to complete the project. In 2022, the industry expects to see developers move to the cloud and away from hardware practices. In August of 2021, Microsoft released GitHub Codespaces, which offers full development environments that can be used on a web browser. Similarly, Amazon uses AWS Cloud9 so their developers can write, edit, and run their code in the cloud. 
  2. Introducing and changing jobs to ensure project productivity – The industry predicts that toolchains will become more widely used by companies in 2022. Developers use toolchains to help streamline their workload and automate some of the processes. As development becomes more complex, ensuring productivity is vital and toolchains, especially DevOps toolchains, will help with that.
  3. Adapting to a new normal – It is becoming increasingly apparent that the remote work that started during the COVID-19 pandemic will become permanent. A study by Stanford showed that working remotely from home increased productivity by 13% (2021). With statistics like that, it’s easy to see why companies are pushing for employees to work remotely. In addition to saving office costs, it allows developers to work from whatever space makes them the most comfortable. The industry doesn’t expect companies to move their employees back into the office space in 2022. 

Launching a software development career

In the last five years, many tech giants announced they no longer require a computer science degree in order to work for them. This announcement opened the door for many different candidates to join the software development field. While it’s not necessary to have a degree to start a career in software development, it is necessary to choose a pathway to enter the career. There are a few different ways to do this:

  1. Choose the field you want to work in and learn the language – There are many different programming languages, and you don’t need to know how to use all of them. Instead, you should decide what type of development you want to pursue and learn the language that is most used in that design. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to learn languages such as Java, C#, and Python, but each job requires different skills. You can take many courses which will train you in these languages and prepare you to sit for certifications in different programming languages. 
  2. Learn responsive web design – Responsive web design is a good skill to have, and not one that every software developer has. Responsive web design aims to make web pages adapt to whatever device they’re displayed on, and is the reason many websites work similarly on your desktop as they do on your smartphone. If you’re interested in front-end software development, this is a valuable skill to have.
  3. Work on your soft skills – Believe it or not, software development doesn’t only rely on hard skills. You will still have to bring certain soft skills to prospective jobs, such as communication skills, the ability to solve problems independently, working with a team, and some sort of creativity. Even as work shifts to a mainly remote environment, all of these skills are integral to being a part of a company. 
  4. Look into an apprenticeship – As the tech industry looks for ways to recruit new talent and close the tech skills gap, tech apprenticeships are becoming more popular. Apprenticeships are a great way to get the training you need while simultaneously working, and you can potentially secure a job after the apprenticeship is over.

WOZ U

WOZ U offers hands-on training to create full-stack web applications using front-end, back-end, and database development. In addition to the training program, eligible candidates can apply for the Woz Registered Apprenticeship Program and train for a career in software development while working within different apprenticeship opportunities. To learn more about training for software developer skills with WOZ U and one of our partners, click here. 

References 

Koetsier, John. “There Are Now 8.9 Million Mobile Apps, And China is 40% Of Mobile App

Spending.” 28, Feb. 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2020/02/28/there- are-now-89-million-mobile-apps-and-china-is-40-of-mobile-app-spending/? sh=23f0816d21dd

N.A. “Surprising Working From Home Productivity Statistics.” 2, June

2021. https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/ 

Yost, Michah. “A Brief History of Software Development.” Medium. 25, Jan.

2018. https://medium.com/@micahyost/a-brief-history-of-software-development- f67a6e6ddae0