In a hurry to get your first job? Are you under pressure from your family and friends to start earning? Don’t worry, the time will come. You don’t have to rush it. In some way or another, if you are studying hard and attending class regularly, then one day your good grades will be rewarded with a better position.
Starting salary for computer engineer is a factor that has to do with the degree and experience of the person. If you are looking for opportunities in the field of computer science, you can start by searching some companies that hire engineers.
A computer engineer is a software engineer who designs and builds computer hardware and software systems. The work involves ensuring that applications, software, and networks function correctly, primarily through the use of programming languages and related tools.
Starting Salary For Computer Engineer Overview
Computer engineers are the backbone of the modern world. From designing computer hardware to developing software and writing code, these engineers are some of the most important people in technology-driven industries.
The average starting salary for a computer engineer is $51,000 per year, but it can vary depending on your experience level, education level, and location.
If you’re looking to become a computer engineer, you may want to consider earning an associate’s degree or certificate at a local community college or technical school before applying for jobs. You could also consider pursuing an online degree program at an accredited university if you want to save time while still learning from top experts in their fields.
What is Computer Engineering?
The term covers a range of intertwined professions. Two general branches would be hardware and software engineering. Network engineering might be considered third. Computer engineers may choose among various degrees, thus forming the exact set of skills they wish to perfect.
There are a great many ways to describe the computer engineering definition, but one of the ways is a professional who has network, systems, and software engineering experience. Computer engineering is also a term that can be used to describe a person who has a background in electrical engineering. People who pride themselves on being computer engineers are proficient in computer science, and they can also be involved in hardware or software development. There are a variety of available degrees for computer engineers, with access to many different IT areas
What does a Computer Engineer do?
So, what does a computer engineer do? That depends on their career of choice. At a glance:
- Software engineers deals with computer programming, smartphone applications, and software development in general.
- Hardware engineers design and maintain physical products.
- Network engineers design and maintain systems and networks.
Regardless of your career of choice, you may expect a good salary. The IT sector is ever-expanding, with new fields of study appearing daily rather than annually (or even less frequently). Both software and hardware professionals are employed by businesses coming from all fields. Every computer engineer may choose the exact type of company to work with – large, small, local, or international, or turn online. Remote software engineering jobs are highly popular not only because they appear convenient. In most cases they don’t differ drastically from those in your local are in terms of working hours and duties. Their main benefit is that they allow for advanced career prospects, international work experience, and the ability to work from home.
Given the full range of degrees that can be accessed for those wishing to become computer engineers, what they do is extremely broad. There is no one answer here, due to the fact that a computer engineer performs tasks pertaining to their specific skillset. Software engineers, for example, dabble in programming and app development compared to the maintenance of computers that hardware engineers perform. On another scale, the network engineers out there design the systems that the hardware engineers maintain. It’s a full circle industry with many different avenues.
The Salary of a Computer Engineer
There is quite a wide spectrum of salaries earned by computer engineers, and this can vary from the area of the industry that they are in, to the experience that they have on the job. Computer engineers with experience have salaries ranging anywhere from $86,000 to $136,000, so it’s really coming down to the type of computer engineer you’re hiring and their expertise. Network engineers have the best options, and while you may not NEED a degree, the better the education, the more of a salary that can be commanded. Engineers can also climb the career ladder in their company, which means more money later on.
As stated above, computer engineers are in high demand. Merely software development jobs are expected to rise 17% until 2024, and hardware engineering jobs are not far behind. With cloud computing and VoIP services expanding at a rapid pace, additional job prospects are certain to follow.
At the moment, hardware engineers earn anywhere from $84,600 to $135,840 per annum, depending on the actual position and years of experience. Median pay of a computer engineer is $102,450 per annum – 106% higher than the average salary in the U.S. New graduates can expect a salary from $61,000 to $76,000. Median pay for software engineers is $102,280 per annum; new graduates can expect to earn $56,856. Median pay of a computer scientist is $103,160 per annum; new graduates can expect to earn $56,800.
These are among the highest starting salaries nationwide, not to mention that computer engineering jobs offer by far best advancement prospects. Network engineers have most options. The profession doesn’t necessarily require a degree, as there are numerous certificates to be obtained. Quite often, it is the company itself that finances such undertakings. Thus, the engineers get to gradually advance to senior positions.
Highest Paying Engineering Degrees
According to Michigan Technical University (MTU), a bachelor’s in computer engineering salary is the highest of all engineering fields. MTU cites an average entry-level salary of $75,376 for computer hardware engineers, with an average annual salary of $126,140. The top 10 percent in the field earn $192,110. For comparison, average annual salaries in other engineering fields were reported as follows:
- Biomedical engineering: $98,340
- Chemical engineering: $114,820
- Civil engineering: $95,440
- Electrical engineering: $105,990
- Environmental engineering: $96,890
- Geospatial science and technology: $72,420
- Mechanical engineering: $95,560
- Surveying engineering: $70,260
