This career is expected to grow 32 percent—much faster than average—through 2018.

The number of computer software engineers will grow by 295,200, one of the largest employment increases of any occupation. These jobs will be divided between applications software engineering (about 175,000) and systems software engineering (about 120,000).

The growth will come from the fact that businesses need to continually create, adopt and integrate new technologies in order to stay competitive.

Growth will be driven by increases in networking, Internet/web usage, mobile technologies, wireless networks and handhelds, all of which require people to write software so that these technologies work together properly.

In 2008, computer software engineers who wrote applications enjoyed an average salary of $85,430, while software engineers who worked on systems earned an average salary of $92,430. The middle 50 percent of applications engineers made between $67,790 and $104,870, while the middle 50 percent of systems engineers brought in $73,200 to $113,960.

Computer software engineers design, develop, test and evaluate the software that makes computers work.

Software engineers build many types of software, including computer games or word processing and business applications. They also build networks, operating systems and compilers, some of the more fundamental building blocks of the computing world.

There are two large categories of software engineers. Computer applications software engineers analyze users’ needs and design, construct and maintain general computer applications software, such as the programs you run on your computer at home and work. Computer systems software engineers coordinate the construction, maintenance and expansion of an organization’s computer systems.

About 80 percent of computer software engineers have at least a bachelor’s degree. Most applications developers have studied computer science or software engineering. Most systems engineers have studied computer science or computer information science.

Some complex jobs require graduate degrees. Employers of computer security specialists, a rapidly growing area of this field, prefer candidates who have graduate degrees in areas like engineering, mathematics and systems design.

Licensing: Many vendors in this field offer certification on their products but these certifications are rarely sufficient and frequently not necessary for employment.

Entering the Field: Large computer and consulting firms sometimes hire inexperienced college graduates and train them in intensive programs. The top jobs will go to those who have earned bachelor’s degrees in software engineering. Earning an associate degree in computer science can lay the foundation for bachelor's degree study.

Career Changers: You should have a bachelor’s degree in some area combined with hands-on experience in computer science, software engineering or computer information science. Those who already have an applied technology background in areas such as electronics will most easily make the transition. If you can get hands-on experience with computer programming in your current position, this will enable you to more easily enter this fast-growing career.

Those who earn graduate certificates or master’s degrees in software or applications engineering will experience wide-open career opportunities and excellent salaries.