Important Dates
- Submissions Due: 13 December 2022
- Publication: September/October 2023
For the practicing software engineer, it is the best of times, and it is the worst of times. Software engineering is one of the most in-demand professions in the economy, and the rising acceptance of remote work is opening up even more opportunities for software engineers for whom relocation is not an option. With the increasing adoption of a “technical track” at companies, there are now opportunities available for engineers who wish to advance their career without transitioning to management. At the same time, since the pandemic there have been more and more stories about hiring freezes and layoffs at tech companies. While remote is more frequently an option, the centers of gravity continue to be technical hubs such as Silicon Valley, reducing opportunities for those outside of those hubs. In addition we continue to hear stories about burnout, with people choosing to leave software engineering altogether. And, while not a recent phenomenon, the software engineering interview process continues to be a source of anxiety and frustration for candidates.
This special issue aims to cover a broad range of topics related to achieving a fulfilling career as a software engineer, across the entire career lifecycle, from obtaining that first job in the field to senior-level advancement. We aim to showcase data in identifying or overcoming challenges in developing software engineering careers as well as practices and approaches that have worked in different organizations which hire software engineers.
We invite contributions relating but not limited to:
- getting a software engineering job: the application and interview process
- transitioning into software engineering from other areas of study or professional practice
- advancement on the technical track: software engineering work at the staff+ levels
- working as a software engineer outside of major tech hubs
- working as a software engineer outside of the tech industry
- The tradeoffs of working as a contractor versus being a full-time employee
- in-person versus remote careers
- the role of age on career in computing
- the role of diversity and inclusion on career in computing
- how to cope effectively with the large amount of change in the industry over the long term
- why people choose to remain or leave the field
- technical track vs management track
- mentorship/education on career in computing
- transitioning from manager back to an individual contributor (IC)
- how to deal with increased specialization in industry and switch into a new specialty
- the rise of the generalist engineer versus the old paradigm of specializing in particular areas
- how to effectively navigate working in a large company
- software-engineering adjacent career paths (e.g., DevRel, SRE, Product Manager, Technical Project Manager, QA, Security, Technical Writer)
- dealing with burnout
- job titles and compensation
Submission Guidelines
For author information and guidelines on submission criteria, please visit the Software’s Author Information page. Please submit papers through the ScholarOne system, and be sure to select the special issue name. Manuscripts should not be published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere. Please submit only full papers intended for review, not abstracts, to the ScholarOne portal.
Questions?
Please contact the guest editors at sw5-23@computer.org.
Guest Editors:
- Lorin Hochstein, Netflix, USA
- Rafael Prikladnicki, PUCRS, Brazil
- Filippo Lanubile, University of Bari, Italy
- Laura Nolan, Stanza Systems, Ireland
