Software Developer
Also advertised as: application developer, application programmer, application software developer, applications engineer, Apprentice Developer, Backend Developer
Writes, tests and maintains the code behind applications and systems.
What the job involves
Software developers turn requirements into working software. You write and review code, fix defects, write tests and work in a team using version control and agile ceremonies. Bootcamps, apprenticeships and self-taught portfolios are all accepted routes alongside degrees.
Typical responsibilities
- Write and review application code
- Design solutions with the team
- Write automated tests
- Fix defects and improve performance
- Deploy and support what you build
Common employers
- Software companies
- Banks
- Government digital services
- Consultancies
- Startups
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£28,000 – £35,000 a year
With experience
£50,000 – £75,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours
Working environment
Office or fully remote
Remote working
remote
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Programming
- Version control
- Testing
- Debugging
- Collaboration
- System design
Transferable skills you may already have
- Logical problem solving
- Self-teaching
- Attention to detail
Requirements employers ask for
- Programming
- Version control
- Testing
- Debugging
- Collaboration
- System design
- No formal qualification required; demonstrable code expected
- ICT debugging tools
- identify customer requirements
- engineering processes
- create flowchart diagram
- develop software prototype
- provide technical documentation
- use software design patterns
- analyse software specifications
- integrated development environment software
- define technical requirements
- develop automated migration methods
- computer programming
Useful but not essential
- Logical problem solving
- Self-teaching
- Attention to detail
- Level 4 Software Developer apprenticeship
- Computer science degree
- Cloud certifications
- migrate existing data
- use object-oriented programming
- Java (computer programming)
- Perl
- use automatic programming
- TypeScript
- World Wide Web Consortium standards
- Puppet (tools for software configuration management)
Helpful qualifications
- Level 4 Software Developer apprenticeship
- Computer science degree
- Cloud certifications
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Software Developer (Level 4)
- Digital and Technology Solutions Professional (Level 6)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Computer science
- Related subject: Software engineering
- Related subject: Maths
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Developer
next
Tech Lead
next
Software Architect
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Strong pay and remote options
- Portfolio can replace a degree
- Skills transfer internationally
What people find hard
- Continuous learning required
- Entry level is competitive
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a software developer?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. preferred
- How much does a software developer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £28,000 to £35,000 a year, rising towards £75,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Logical problem solving, Self-teaching, Attention to detail.
Related careers
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Fixes technology problems for staff or customers, from logins to hardware faults.
Systems Administrator
Keeps servers, networks and business systems running day to day.
Site Reliability Engineer
Applies software engineering to keep large systems reliable at scale.
QA/Test Engineer
Finds defects and verifies that software works before it reaches users.
Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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