Software Engineers Career Path - Salary and Promotion
Last Updated :
26 Jul, 2025
With so many leaps and bounds in technological growth, different doors of opportunities are opening wherein you can explore your area of interest and make a career. We are all very familiar with the fact that when we talk about Software Engineers, one thing that comes to our mind is a handsome salary. Yes, they are the highest-paid professionals, and this profession is going to experience a 22% increase in job opportunities in the coming years. According to research, there are more than 26.9 million software developers in the world, and this count is going to increase day by day.
Also, Software Engineers have a placement rate of 93.5% witnessing a 120% increase in salary. With all these benefits, everyone dreams to be a Software Engineer. Software Engineer has an amazing career path wherein after achieving technical and interpersonal skills, you're promoted to senior-level engineers and the journey continues.
The road to the career path in the Software Engineering profession and understanding the skills needed to become one.
Exposure in Software Engineers Career Path
1. Junior Software Engineer (0-5 years)
This is the initial phase of your software engineering career and is an entry-level position for every software developer to grow in this domain. As a fresher, you'll be asked to have 0-5 years of experience. In this phase, you'll be working as SDE I and later on promoted to SDE II, and SDE III based on the skills and experience gained. You'll be asked to develop real-life software based on the client's requirements. As a junior software engineer, you'll be working under a team lead who'll guide you towards developing software. Based on your work performance and the skills you've acquired during this phase, you'll be promoted to Senior Software Engineer.
The average salary as a junior software engineer varies as per the company:
- Facebook Pays 80+ LPA on an Average
- Amazon Pays 30+ LPA on an Average
- Google Pays 20+ LPA on an Average
Skills Junior Software Engineer must have:
- A bachelor's degree (which is also optional in some companies)
- Data Structure and Algorithms
- Basic understanding of programming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
- Knowledge of Operating Systems and DBMS and etc.
2. Senior Software Engineer (4-6 years)
After gaining the required experience and skills, you're promoted to senior software engineer. You need to have 4-6 years of experience and be proficient enough to solve real-life tech problems. Till this time, you would have mastered SDLC (Software Development LifeCycle). At this stage, you're capable enough to lead a team and you're asked to do so i.e., train junior engineers and lead a team. Slowly, you'll also be asked to get introduced to the project budgets, etc.
The average salary as a senior software engineer varies as per the company:
- Facebook Pays 79 LPA on an Average
- Amazon Pays 61 LPA on an Average
- Google Pays 50 LPA on an Average
Skills Senior Software Engineer must have:
- Professional in Programming
- Data Structure and Algorithms
- Capable to Solve Complex Problems
- Clear with SDLC (Software Development LifeCycle)
- Understand Business Needs and etc.
3. Principal Software Engineer (6-10 years)
You'll be now promoted to Principal Software Engineer once you have gained skills and have over 6-10 years of experience in the development domain. You are asked to build and develop technical projects at a high scale. In this phase, you're ready to have complete knowledge of System Design. You're asked to lead a group of teams and also give your individual contribution to the projects. The main objective of a principal software engineer is to take care of the software and clear all the doubts of junior engineers.
The average salary as a principal software engineer varies as per the company:
- Facebook Pays 200 LPA on an Average
- Amazon Pays 100 LPA on an Average
- Google Pays 70 LPA on an Average
Once, you have completed 10+ years in this domain, the next step is making a choice wherein you'll be asked to choose whether you want to continue as an engineer (give individual contribution) or go into management. If you're opting for an individual contribution, you'll be working as an engineer, and hence, there are designated roles given to you. Else, for management roles, there are different positions given.
Below given positions can be chosen if you want to go to the management level after completing 10+ years of experience as a Principal Software Engineer.
A. Engineer Manager (10+ years)
If you see yourself as someone who can manage teams and work for the development of an organization taking forward the technology, then this position is meant for you. You need to have more than 10 years of experience in the development domain. In this position, you'll be asked to lead a group of teams and handle projects for the development of an organization. You are responsible for handling the technical team and also taking care of the budget of a project. You no longer need to work on code instead guide your juniors, oversee high-level technical processes and report to stakeholders.
The average salary as an Engineer Manager varies as per the company:
- Facebook Pays 100 LPA on an Average
- Amazon Pays 78 LPA on an Average
- Google Pays 65 LPA on an Average
B. VP (Vice-President) Engineering (15+ years)
Vice-President Engineer (VP Engineer) has over 10-15 years of experience in leading technical projects and a team. Once, you get into management, you need to be responsible for the organization's growth. The major difference between a manager and a VP is that VP may oversee the work of other managers i.e., managers directly report to the VPs. VPs report directly to the CTOs and are held responsible to hire, fire, and supervising managers. It's not mandatory for every company to have a VP, some of them also directly employ CTOs (Chief Technology Officers) which is the next role in the managerial domain.
The average salary as VP of Engineering varies as per the company:
- Facebook Pays 320 LPA on an Average
- Amazon Pays 110 LPA on an Average
- Google Pays 99 LPA on an Average
C. Chief Technology Officer (10-15+ years)
The Chief Technology Officer, who's the head of the organization should have more than 10-15 years of experience. He/She has the highest level/position in the company. Everyone, including managers or VPs report to CTO. CTOs are also responsible for developing technical policies and updating changes in them. Also, CTOs work on the company's profits or revenue by meeting technological needs. Several R&Ds are performed by CTOs and they work them to improve technical services provided by the company.
The average salary as Chief Technology Officer varies as per the company:
- Facebook Pays 300 LPA on an Average
- Amazon Pays 100 LPA on an Average
- Google Pays 75 LPA on an Average
Moving forward, if you're the one who is keen to learn more about technology and want to deep dive into it, here are the three levels (individual contributors) you can achieve after gaining skills and experience. Let's have a look at each one of them.
A. Distinguished Engineering (6-10+ years)
Distinguished Engineer has over 6-10 years of experience. A developer who has outstanding technical skills and has worked on various large-scale projects can become a distinguished engineer. They are individual contributors who report directly to VP or CTO. After gaining all the skills of a principal software engineer, you're here to get deep knowledge of technology. To help the organization in running smoothly, distinguished engineers build excellent technical products. Generally, large organizations have the role of distinguished engineers who take their space and time to build technical products and expertise to grow the company.
B. Fellow (10-15+ years)
A fellow in engineering is one who has more than 10-15 years of experience in the tech field. He has a senior role in the company whose contribution has a significant impact on the growth of the company. This role has the highest level of experience and contribution done by you to engineering. Big companies tend to offer this role where fellows get highly paid and have broader responsibilities. He/She is the one who takes responsibility for the growth of the organization and handles large-scale technical projects.
The average salary of a Fellow in engineering varies as per the company. Also, they are paid more than that distinguished engineers.
C. Senior Fellow (20+ years)
A senior fellow is someone who has more than 20 years of experience. You are held responsible to lead the team and also acting as an individual contributor to the project. You should a deep knowledge of programming, SDLC, and DSA, and has expertise in technical concepts. Senior Fellow is one of the most senior ranks one could get in the engineering domain.
The average salary of a Senior Fellow in engineering varies as per the company. Also, they are paid more than their fellow engineers.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, software engineering offers a highly rewarding and structured career path, starting from junior roles to top leadership or expert-level positions. With strong demand, high salaries, and a 93.5% placement rate, it's one of the most sought-after professions today. As you gain experience and skills, you can either move into management roles like Engineering Manager or CTO, or continue as a technical expert with roles like Distinguished Engineer or Senior Fellow. Whether you prefer leading teams or building innovative tech solutions, this field opens multiple doors for long-term growth and success.
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