Software Engineer
Also known as: Programmer, Software Developer, Coder, SWE
Design, build, and maintain software applications and systems used by millions of people.
Salary Range
The highest-paid specialization or seniority level for software engineers.
About 1 in 1,250 reaches this level
About 4.4M software engineers in the US; only ~3,000-5,000 hold Distinguished Engineer titles at $1M+ total comp.
Salary data based on 2025 BLS, Glassdoor, and industry reports. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.
How to Become One
This career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Here are the top colleges for it:
AI Risk Assessment
AI coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, Devin) now handle much of the work traditionally assigned to junior engineers. Anthropic's Economic Index found computer programming has the highest observed AI exposure of any measured occupation at 75% task coverage — and a 14% drop in job-finding rates for workers aged 22-25 in highly exposed occupations. Stanford research found employment for developers aged 22-25 declined ~20% from its 2022 peak. The overall market still has demand, but the entry point has dramatically narrowed.
Ratings reflect a 10-year outlook based on 2025-2026 research, weighted toward entry-level impact. Individual outcomes will vary.
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