Expert: Leigh Ishikawa - 3/23/2008

Question
Hi. Can you tell me what type of skills and education someone would need if they want to become a software designer? What types of people do well in this career? Also, where are most of the jobs located? Are there any in New York? Thanks!

Answer
If you are talking about someone who is actually going to design a software, that is a role that is given to those who have experience and proven themselves in the industry.

This is not something you can not go 'buy'.  It's years of experience and referrals that gets them into an organization.

People who do well in this type of role have in depth personal knowledge of various components, and are able to step back and look at the big picture from business point of view and see how it all fits together.

But if all you are talking about is designing the interface piece (GUI), then a human factors is most likely the major you want to get.

-L