Software Developer
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
Builds and maintains applications and services. Portfolio and demonstrable project work now weigh more heavily than the degree itself in hiring.
- Route in
- Earliest entry: Certificate. Also entered at: Certificate, Undergraduate. Direct entry. 4 courses lead here
- Entry pay
- ₹12,000 – ₹30,000 / monthly Any experience
- Where you work
- IT services companies, Startups, Corporate IT departments, Government departments and PSUs
What this role is
Understand the role
Builds and maintains applications and services. Portfolio and demonstrable project work now weigh more heavily than the degree itself in hiring.
How people get in
Getting in
Earliest entry point. Certificate level.
Other levels people enter from. Certificate, Undergraduate.
Where people work
Outlook
IT services companies, Startups, Corporate IT departments, Government departments and PSUs.
Indicative starting salary
Understand the role
12,000 - 30,000 per month at entry level.
This is an indicative range, not a quote. Actual pay varies with employer, city, sector and the specific role.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Class 12 with Mathematics Required
Mathematics is required for most computing degrees and genuinely useful afterwards.
BCA, B.Sc Computer Science, or B.Tech Required
Three to four years. Be clear-eyed: the large service companies recruit on degree plus aptitude test and will not consider you without a degree. Product companies and startups will, if the work is there.
Learn to program properly, outside the syllabus Required
One language deeply, plus data structures, algorithms, version control and a database. Most Indian computing degrees do not produce employable programmers on their own, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.
Build and ship real projects Required
Three or four working applications, on GitHub, that someone other than you can run. Outside the service companies this portfolio is what actually gets you hired.
Get your first developer job Required
Service company, product company or startup. Service companies train and pay less; product companies pay more and expect you to arrive able. Both are legitimate starts.
Specialise, then senior and lead Optional
Backend, frontend, mobile, data or infrastructure. Promotion after the third year runs on system design ability, not on how many languages you list.
Courses that lead here
4 mapped routes into this career.
What it pays
Indicative bands.
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Any experience | ₹12,000 – ₹30,000 / monthly | Varies by employer |
These are ranges, not offers. Pay varies by city, employer size, sector and your own skill more than by job title. Treat the band as the shape of the market, not as a number you can hold anyone to.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Software Developer?
The earliest entry point is certificate level. People also enter from: Certificate, Undergraduate.
Where does a Software Developer usually work?
IT services companies, Startups, Corporate IT departments, Government departments and PSUs.
What does a Software Developer earn to start?
12,000 - 30,000 per month is a typical entry-level range. Pay varies with employer, city and sector.
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.