7 common misconceptions about software engineering (I wish I knew them earlier)
Despite being around for more than 80 years, software engineering is still an ever-changing sector with many myths and misconceptions about it. Whether it’s portrayed inaccurately in media or misrepresented in conversations, many people, even those entering the field, carry misconceptions about what software engineers actually do.
Let’s set the record straight. Here are 7 common myths about software engineering and what the reality looks like.
Myth 1: The More Engineers You Add, the Faster You Build
Myth: Adding more developers to a project will speed it up - especially if it's behind schedule.
Reality: This seems intuitive, but in practice, it's often counterproductive. This idea was famously debunked by Fred Brooks in his book The Mythical Man-Month. He argues that “adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.”
In a perfect world, a project can be divided perfectly into independent pieces, and the more people you add, the more you scale your project velocity. But that is usually not the case.
As you add more people, there is more communication overhead, resulting in more time talking than doing.
It is the job of engineers and tech leads to understand how to partition a task well. Is it split by frontend/backend? By feature? By product? Are there dependent tasks between each partition?
Myth 2: Software Engineers Work Alone
Myth: It’s a solitary job — perfect for introverts who prefer working independently.
Reality: Modern software development involves all parts of a business.
Software engineers work with designers, product managers, QA testers, DevOps, and other developers to properly create an application from scratch.
Business development, marketing and sales are needed to promote your app so more people can use it.
You’ll work with security engineers to ensure your changes are compliant.
Anything you do as an engineer needs to synergise with your other business functions for it to work.
Myth 3: Once Your App Works, the Job Is Done
Myth: You write a program, it works, and then you move on to the next one.
Reality: In reality, software requires ongoing maintenance and product development.
It really comes down to the question of:
Why are you still coding?
Because bugs surface, user needs change, technology evolves, security vulnerabilities arise, and competitors ship similar or new features. Maintaining and improving code over time is a huge part of the job.
You should never stop innovating. As such, you should never stop coding.
Myth 4: All Software Engineers Are Full-Stack Developers
Myth: Every software engineer can build an app from the ground up — front end, back end, and everything in between.
Reality: People usually assume all software engineers can build anything from scratch. While some are full-stack, many engineers specialise.
You might focus on back-end development, front-end interfaces, mobile apps, DevOps, embedded systems, security, or data engineering. And more recently, web3 development.
There’s room for deep specialisation in this field. There are many advantages to being a master of one, but there are also advantages to being a jack of all trades. This deserves its own blog in its own right.
Myth 5: You Have to Know Every Programming Language
Myth: Great engineers can write in 10+ languages fluently.
Reality: Most engineers master a few languages suited to their domain. More important than memorising syntax is understanding programming fundamentals - problem-solving, data structures, algorithms, and system design, which translate across languages.
I found learning 1 language for web development, 1 language for backend development, and 1 language for mobile development covers most of your basis.
Myth 6: All Software Engineers Make Six Figures (or More)
Myth: As soon as you land a job in software engineering, you're guaranteed a high-paying salary, often over $100K.
Reality: While it's true that software engineering can be a lucrative field, especially at big tech companies or in high-cost-of-living areas, salaries vary widely based on location, experience, company size, and role type.
Entry-level positions, startups, nonprofits, or companies in lower-cost regions may offer more modest pay. Additionally, many engineers spend years building experience before reaching those higher salary brackets.
What’s often overlooked is that high compensation usually comes with high expectations — long hours, on-call rotations, or intense performance cycles. The reality is nuanced, and while the earning potential is real, it’s not uniform or automatic.
At the end of the day, aim to be great at what you do, and the salary is a simple reflection of the value you bring.
Software engineer salary in AU from levels.fyi
Myth 7: You Can Become a Great Engineer Just by Watching Tutorials
Myth: Watch enough coding videos and you’ll be job-ready.
Reality: Tutorials can help you get started, but experience comes from practice.
There are many stories about people taking shortcuts to learn coding in 3 months to become a software engineer.
The reality is that the global labour market is becoming more and more competitive. Many of the concepts and skills you pick up from videos are only surface-level.
This is why real growth happens when you solve real problems, build complete projects, debug failures, and work with others on production-level systems.
Conclusion
Whether you're entering the field or just curious about it, knowing the truth behind these myths can help you appreciate the complexity and creativity involved in building the digital world.
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