How to become a programmer or software development professional

Official title: Programmers and software development professionals

Also called: Programmer, Ai programmer, It programmer, Web programmer, Software author, Game programmer, Software writer, Software analyst, Games programmer, Software designer, Software engineer, Analyst-programmer

Programmers and software development professionals design, develop, test, implement and maintain software systems on a range of platforms in order to meet the specifications and business objectives of the information system; they also design and develop specialist software e.g. for computer games.

Main tasks

• Examines existing software and determines requirements for new/modified systems in the light of business needs
• Undertakes feasibility study to design software solutions
• Writes and codes individual programs according to specifications
• Develops user interfaces
• Tests and corrects software programs
• Writes code for specialist programming for computer games, (for example, artificial intelligence, 3D engine development)
• Implements and evaluates the software
• Plans and maintains database structures

How to become one

Entrants usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification, although entry with other academic qualifications and/or significant relevant experience is possible. There is a variety of vocational, professional and postgraduate qualifications available.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): DevOps engineer (level 4). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0825.
• Apprenticeship (England): High integrity software engineer (level 6). England. Typically 48 months. Skills England standard ST0013.
• Apprenticeship (England): Software developer (level 4). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0116.
• Apprenticeship (England): Software development technician (level 3). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0128.
• University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £56,914 a year The middle half earn £42,289 to £75,794.
• About 496,300 people work in this job now, and about 551,400 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)

Related jobs

• IT project managers
• IT managers
• IT business analysts, architects and systems designers
• Cyber security professionals
• IT quality and testing professionals
• IT network professionals

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Questions people ask

How do I become a programmer or software development professional?

Entrants usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification, although entry with other academic qualifications and/or significant relevant experience is possible. There is a variety of vocational, professional and postgraduate qualifications available.

How much does a programmer or software development professional earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £56,914 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £42,289 to £75,794.

Is a programmer or software development professional a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 496,300 to about 551,400 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a programmer or software development professional?

Usually. 79% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.