As technology advances and becomes more integrated in our everyday lives, the job markets associated with it grow. One section of the technology job market that has blown up is software engineering. With its high pay, job security, and available work locations, it’s no wonder it’s becoming more popular. Even though the amount of people pursuing software engineering is on the rise, there are still more jobs than there are qualified people to fill the positions. At Red Dog Media we are always looking for top talent to join the team. It’s definitely a challenge though as we have to compete with other top companies to get the highest quality employees. Our competitive pay and benefits keep us ahead of the curve though. At Red Dog Media we believe that providing the best workplace available is key to hiring the best employees in a competitive job market.
Since we are living in the Digital Age, it’s no surprise that jobs around technology are increasing at an alarming rate. Enrico Moretti, author of The New Geography of Jobs, states that, “in the past 20 years, software jobs have grown by over 500%. And in the past decade, internet jobs have increased over 600%.” Because of this, software engineering is listed as one of the fastest growing occupations and is projected to have a growth rate of 30% from 2016-2026. This is much higher than the average for all occupations and employers will need to respond to the increasing demand for workers.
Software engineering can be a lucrative career without requiring years upon years of schooling. The median pay in 2016 was $102,280 per year and the typical entry-level education required is a Bachelor’s degree. That is about twice that of the median salary in the US which is $46,440. The starting pay for a software engineer is also high as an entry level software engineer has an average base pay of $88,863. Jon Bischke, The CEO of Entelo, had this to say about the subject, “There’s never been a better time to be a software engineer. There are more high-growth companies looking for top engineering talent than ever before, and there are nowhere near enough qualified candidates to fill all of their open roles. Because of this, companies are forced to pay a premium (and that’s putting it lightly) to acquire the top talent that is out there.” With the demand for software engineers rising this salary premium is bound to stay high.
Due to the size of the job market, job security is much higher and the level of unemployment is very low. The overall current unemployment rate is 4.5% while the tech industry faces an unemployment rate of 2.5%. In regards to job creation, this field is doing much better than the overall US average. Jon Bischke also said, that “when you combine this with record tech growth and revenues over the last ten years, there aren’t enough qualified software engineers to fill all of the jobs being created by such a boom. Just ask any recruiter! While the number of college students majoring in CS has been growing, it hasn’t been fast enough to keep up with the growth of (and caused by) these software and cloud-based businesses.” As society evolves, having job security is a must. With how the future of software engineering is being projected, it’s obvious why people are flocking to it.
If you wanted to have job as a software engineer back in the day you had to live and work in Silicon Valley, but not anymore. Jobs in software engineering are now spread across the country. This is because startup companies are now able to be formed wherever its founder decides to settle down. Software engineering jobs are also starting to pop up at companies that are not directly related to technology. This is because technology is becoming more integrated in all job sectors, which makes companies need their own engineers to maintain websites and proprietary programs. The internet has also allowed for a different option, working remotely. It is no longer necessary for an employee to go to a designated office to work or even live in the same city or state as their coworkers. This work style has allowed this job submarket to prosper as location is no longer a hurdle when it comes to hiring the right candidate.
At Red Dog Media, we are always trying to find qualified engineers to hire but due to the state of the job market that can be a difficult task. There are a surplus of jobs but not enough people to work them. This requires our company to stand out from the crowd. We find that the best way to do this is by providing a top of the line workplace that employees enjoy. We offer competitive compensation packages along with some nice benefits as well. These benefits include gourmet, chef prepared food, flexible hours, unmetered vacation, and a 401k with employer matching (100% immediate vesting) to name a few. We are always pushing ourselves to provide the best for our employees and believe it’s one of the reasons why we are able to assemble a team of top quality engineers in such a competitive job market for employers.
As technology becomes more pervasive in society, there will continue to be a need for skilled software engineers. We at Red Dog Media will continue to find work benefits for our employees that help us build the best team possible.
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