What Types of Programming Jobs Can I Get After I Complete a Bootcamp?

There are many different types of programming jobs available today, from full stack developer to software engineer or DevOps specialist, or something in between.

When The Sydney Morning Herald drew up a list of the top ten in-demand professions based on the Government’s Skills Priority List, data on job vacancies and projected growth in employment over the next five years it’s no surprise that software and applications programmers made the top ten, alongside registered nurses, electricians and civil engineering professionals. Programmers have become as indispensable as teachers and tradies – although the pay for programmers is much better.

What follows is a brief outline of five types of coding jobs that a trained full stack developer could expect to walk into. Although one of the reasons many people choose a career in tech is the variety of work available, and with the many opportunities out there this list only just scratches the surface.

5 Types of Programming Jobs

1. Frontend Developer

Frontend development is the type of programming job often recommended for more creative, right-brain thinkers – but this isn’t always the case. Because frontend developers will deal mainly with the parts of the website, software program or application that an end user sees, they may be visual thinkers, or someone empathetic who enjoys working more directly with clients to meet their expectations.

Frontend developers will work with presentation languages, such as HTML and CSS, as well as JavaScript.

Sara Fishburn graduated from Coder Academy’s Accelerated Web Development Bootcamp in 2021, and shortly afterwards found herself working as a frontend developer at Code Nation.

“I didn’t do an internship, as the partnerships team organised an interview for me with a company that offered me a job straight out,” Sara says. “I now work as a frontend developer for Code Nation, a company who creates websites for progressive organisations. Before Coder Academy, I was working full-time in a call centre.”

“Web development has changed my entire life. My job is fully remote with flexible hours so my days are spent doing my work on my terms with little stress. My work life balance is great and I have so many more opportunities to learn and grow.”

Job satisfaction is high for frontend developers, according to SEEK. Job growth is also strong, with 30 per cent expected job growth between 2020 and 2025. And the typical salary in Australia is currently sitting at $120,000 annually.

2. Backend Developer

Backend developers work with databases, APIs and server-side functions. There are many programming languages that they could be called upon to work in, depending on the type of coding job that they are doing.

Some typical languages a backend developer might be familiar with include Python, Ruby, C#, Java, PHP and SQL. And although JavaScript was developed for use as a frontend language, its versatility often sees it used in backend development as well.

Ihab Bou Hassan graduated from Coder Academy in 2021, and is now working as a backend developer for NetEngine.

“Before joining Coder Academy, I took different career paths,” Ihab says.

“Food, cars and technology are the three things I’ve always wanted to be part of in my career. After working in the food and auto industries, I decided to complete the trilogy and focus on tech. It wasn’t easy for a father of two to go back to class, but the teaching methodology and the support Coder Academy provides the students makes things easier. From Coder Academy, I went to join the Scout Talent Group at NetEngine. It is tough to switch careers after years of experience because I had to start fresh, but my love for technology, can-do attitude, and support from my peers and colleagues at my workplace makes it easier.”

SEEK paints a rosy picture when it comes to future opportunities and career expectations for backend developers. The typical Australian salary ranges from $115,000 to $135,000, and job growth is expected to increase by 30 per cent between 2020 and 2025.

3. Full Stack Developer

One of the most sought-after types of programming jobs would have to be the full stack developer. Their ability to perform backend and frontend roles, and to oversee teams who work in the frontend or the backend will mean these professionals are always in high demand for a wide variety of coding jobs.

Junior full stack developers can find work as adaptable generalists, while more senior full stack developers can specialise as needed to manage particular projects.

To build websites, software and applications, full stack developers generally have a good understanding of different tech stacks, frameworks, languages, tools and libraries.

Caleb Leung is a Coder Academy graduate who completed his business degree, and worked in retail and HR before deciding to make the switch to software development. Now, Caleb is a full stack software developer at rostering and attendance company Tanda.

So what does he think of his career switch?

“There’s great career optimism, you do rewarding work, it’s a high potential job, you make really great friends along the way, and every day at work you’re always thinking, so there’s no boring day at work,” Caleb says.

“That snap decision became one of the best ones I’ve made in my life. Coder Academy really sort of opened up the software industry because I didn’t really know about it at the time.”

“You can build anything when it comes to tech.”

“I fix bugs, I build new features, I work really closely with other non-engineering people within Tanda to solve problems.”

“It doesn’t feel like work every day.”

While having engaging work is reward enough for many, you may be interested to hear about full stack developer salaries where you live.

Although the industry is trending towards offering more remote work, salary expectations for full stack developers do still seem tied to location. If we look at a full stack developer salary in Sydney, for example, we see an average of $138,000 per year, which is above the Australian average of $122,000 per year, but below the $229,000 offered to Canberra full stack developers, according to Indeed.

4. Software Engineer

Software engineers are responsible for designing, developing and maintaining software systems. Many tech workers may switch back and forth between web development roles and software engineering roles, as there is actually a lot of overlap between these two types of programming jobs, and some companies may simply use the titles to distinguish between levels of skill and seniority, or to describe the work involved in a particular role.

People are often surprised to hear how well career changers suit tech roles, bringing their previous skills and life experience with them, and software developers are no different. Soft skills are a surprisingly important part of the job, as is a commitment to continual learning, as different languages and tech stacks will be required for different roles.

Louise Flanagan is a Coder Academy graduate who worked in various industries, including marketing and travel, before completing our Web Development Bootcamp and completing an internship that turned into a junior developer role at Future Friendly. Now Louise is working as a software engineer for Atlassian.

“So for those who don’t know, Atlassian make tools like Jira, Confluence, Trello and Bitbucket,” Louise says. “That’s just to name a few though. When I was researching them before my interview I discovered they have, like 5,000 apps in their marketplace, which is crazy. I think there are over 9,000 people across offices in seven countries, so it’s a huge team compared to what I was doing previously. I’m specifically on a frontend team. I work with about 16 engineers directly, and they range from intern, all the way to senior architect, so, yeah, all different levels of experience and background.”

“I don’t want to downplay it, but honestly, I feel like ‘software engineer’ is just a title. What I’m doing now is not all that different to what I did at Future Friendly in my first role. It is slightly different, but regardless, you learn on the job. There is always going to be something that you don’t understand.”

If you’re searching for the type of programming job that offers security, then you might consider software engineering. According to Labour Market Insights, the unemployment rate for software and applications programmers is below average, while median full-time earnings sit at $2,208 per week, or roughly $115,000 annually.

5. DevOps Engineer

A DevOps (development–operations) engineer is responsible for building, testing and releasing new software. They oversee both the development side, and the day-to-day operational side, which means a DevOps engineer might find themselves managing a team, or specialising in certain processes within the pipeline, including cloud deployment, server capabilities or security.

Paul Kukiel is a senior solutions architect at AWS Enterprise. During an industry panel discussion with Coder Academy, he talked about the different roles a DevOps engineer might fill.

“You’re combining the skills that are required as a developer, as a programmer, with what’s required to be able to host and run and operate that service, combining those two things together is DevOps,” Paul says. “You develop it, and then you operationalise it and look after it.”

“A DevOps role can be significantly different depending on the organisation that you’re working in. So if you were to work within a smaller organisation, so when I’ve worked in smaller organisations, there was a lot more ownership. You didn’t have the time to be a specialist in one area.”

SEEK lists the average annual salary for a DevOps engineer in Australia as ranging between $130,000 and $150,000.