Software Engineering

What is Software Engineering

The study of software engineering focuses on how software is built, tested and quality is assured for proper usage in all kinds of industries, from finance to education to healthcare to shopping. Software engineering deals with all aspects of software production and maintenance to obtain efficient and reliable machines.

Technology has swiftly evolved especially in the past 40 years, only making humanity more and more dependable on it. Its utilization has just multifariously increased in recent times. The software of a computer controls the critical functions of various technologies. The meadow of software engineering has mushroomed in almost all industries since its humble beginnings in the mid-1940s.

Software has risen from the gamut of the technology world showcasing a variety of opportunities in mankind's daily life, starting from mathematical calculations to Artificial Intelligence. But with growth comes new unsolved complications in its smooth functioning only to be resolved by smart software engineering professionals.

Software engineering branch is expected to have tremendous growth in the upcoming years. It is truly a specialized subdivision of Computer Science. To pursue software engineering career path, one must either get a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science after 12th standard or get a Bachelor in Computer Applications (BCA) degree from an esteemed institute. B.Tech. is a 4-year (8-semester course) and BCA is a 3-year course. 

Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Software Engineering

The Candidates applying for the examination should ensure that they fulfil all eligibility conditions for admission who wish to pursue software engineering course, be it at graduation or postgraduate level. The admissibility to this field is similar to the standard mentioned for any other engineering course.

Criteria for undergraduates in B.Tech Course:

• Applicants must have passed 10+2 or any equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry, mathematics as compulsory subjects from a recognized board.

• At least 60% marks in 10+2 to take admission is mandatory for pursuing B.Tech /B.E. in software engineering or diploma courses in the same. 

• A valid passing scorecard of any of the required entrance exams is compulsory for admission in undergraduate, diploma, postgraduate and doctoral programs.

 Criteria for undergraduates in BCA course

• Candidates need to possess their High School Examination scorecard or equivalent diploma degree with mathematics as their main subject in the qualifying exam.

• The candidate needs to score a minimum of 50% marks to meet the eligibility criteria. 

Criteria for Post-Graduation

• Candidates must have a passing certificate of graduation level with a minimum aggregate of 50% in software engineering.

• Candidates need to meet the cut off mark to qualify the particular entrance test and get admission. 

Entrance Exam for Software Engineering

Common Entrance exams for which a student can appear to pursue software engineering at graduation and post-graduation level are mentioned below:

Entrance Exams 

Joint Entrance Exam Advanced (JEE Advanced)- It is an all India examination which provides undergraduates to pursue engineering in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IITs). The top 2.5 lakh scorers of JEE Main are eligible for advanced. Its form is available in December or January. It is conducted once every year, and a maximum of two attempts are allowed. 

Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test (BITSAT) - An online entrance exam conducted by the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, for admissions to undergraduate engineering courses at its three campuses located at Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad. 

Undergraduate Engineering Entrance Exam (UGEE) - The Undergraduate Engineering Entrance Examination is conducted by the International Institute of Information, Hyderabad followed by an interview. It is conducted once every year.                                                                       

For BCA, some colleges conduct their national level examination every year. Some of them are mentioned below:

• KIIT-JEE: Kalinga Institute  of Industrial Technology Joint entrance exam

• IPU CET: Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test

• IUET: Integral University Entrance Test

• BVP BUMAT: Bharati Vidyapeeth University Management Aptitude Test 

The entrance exam for post-graduation: 

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) - It is a national online examination conducted jointly by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and IITs for seeking admission to Postgraduate programs (Masters and Doctor) and other government scholarships subjecting to criteria of admitting institute. It is conducted once a year, and a candidate can attempt as many times as he/she wants. 

Required Skillset for Software Engineering

Headhunters of a company looking for skills on one's resume gauging performance in a job. Hard skills are taught, through courses, or in previous work experience. Hard skills required to be a successful software engineer are: 

• Proficient in languages – C, C++, JAVA

• Proficient in SQL, Python, R

• Good knowledge in Computer-Aided Engineering tools.

• Debugging and problem-solving skills

Soft skills are interpersonal skills or desirable personality traits that revolve around the characteristic of the employee.

• Communication – Clear communication with all colleagues, including non-technical for the smooth functioning of work is a requirement. 

• Curiosity – Always ready to acquire and pick up more and more knowledge. This will make one more capable and efficient.

• Open-mind and Adaptable - It's important that a developer keeps up with technological advances and familiarize quickly with the evolution.

• Creativity – knowledge is the fuel to innovation and one must be creative to figure out different possible ways  to different problems

• Empathy - Working in a team can be stressful but having a bit of empathy and seeing the problems from your teammate's shoes would help expand your viewpoint.