There are many different career paths that you can choose from. One of them is the information technology field by being a software engineer or a programmer. While people sometimes use the terms differently, here I will treat both terms as synonymous and will use them interchangeably.
It’s true that the trend toward software engineering as a career is no longer as strong as it was in the mid to late 90s in the midst of the dot-com boom. But it’s still a promising field to enter. In fact, there is now a hot ecosystem of new startups that look similar to those in the dot-com era. The difference is now the situation is more mature. Outside of that, many companies still treat IT as a strategic asset that requires special attention.
So, all in all, software engineering is still attractive. But, of course, it’s not for everyone. Not everyone will find being a programmer is their dream job.
Anyway, let’s see the job prospect of being a software engineer or programmer.
First of all, you can join a major company if you want to. Many companies are constantly looking for new IT talent for their IT departments. Since IT is something that can give them competitive advantage, many companies invest significant amount of money in IT, including for hiring talent. So, if you can prove yourself to be a good talent, chance is it won’t be difficult for you to get a good job.
Next, you can create your own company. You don’t need a lot of fund to do this. You can simply bootstrap a company by using your own savings if you want to. How is it possible? Because nowadays it costs much less to start a business than before. You can start one with less than one thousand dollars on the Internet. That’s why you don’t need to have millions of dollars to start your own business.
You can also be a consultant or freelancer if you want to. There are many companies out there that decide to rely on outside talents for their IT needs. You can tap into this market by offering your talent and expertise. Of course, it helps to already have a strong portfolio because your prospects will definitely look at it before deciding to hire you.
So, as you can see, there are many things you can do by being a software engineer or programmer. The job prospect is good.