Software Developers have many options to branch out into non-coding careers, even as they leverage their technical experience and knowledge.

Given the broad scope of software development applications, semi-technical and technical-adjacent positions are available in all industry sectors. Here's a look at a few such positions in diverse fields.

Technical Adjacent Alternatives

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Coders who'd like to keep working in the technology field but want a change in their work responsibilities can explore alternative technical options like:

1. Technical Recruiter

In addition to traditional recruitment knowledge and duties like sourcing talent, conducting interviews, etc., Technical Recruiters are subject-matter experts who can verify a potential candidate's knowledge, education, and experience via technical interviews, tests, and other measures. They're primarily responsible for hiring positions in software development.

2. Technical Trainer

Experienced coders can train new recruits, team leads, and other software developers in the languages and platforms they've aced. This role can also entail some mentoring duties. It's like taking on a teacher's role, but in a technical environment with highly trained and qualified students.

3. Technical Writer

Technical writing jobs entail writing white papers, research papers, SDK documents, API documentation, test schedules, user guides, project plans, business standards, high-level design documents, and general writing for a niche technically sound audience.

4. Technical Support (High-End)

High-end technical support involves troubleshooting for employees in software development and adjacent fields like online operations, applications development, maintenance, etc. It requires knowledge of cloud services installation and management, remote applications, online workspaces, database platforms, etc.

Managerial Career Paths

Concept Illustration for Project Management mentioning various skills required for Project Management.

After a certain number of years in coding, you can move further onto senior developer positions or branch out into managerial roles. Here are a few you can explore:

5. Product Manager

Product Managers oversee the entire process of managing the software development life cycle, from the planning to the launching stage and everything in between. It's a leadership role that requires financial, planning, and product ownership and rallies developer teams to execute the client's vision.

6. Project Manager

Project management in software engineering entails leading technical and non-technical teams to achieve technical goals. Project management begins with a Statement of Work. It involves liaising with all stakeholders and individual contributors, procuring resources, troubleshooting everyday problems, and keeping track of the budget, timeline, and resources until project completion.

7. Enterprise Software Manager

Engineers with in-depth knowledge of database management systems like Oracle, Salesforce, etc., can branch out into this role that requires hands-on management of enterprise software handling teams, their day-to-day operations, database upkeep, etc. You'll also be interfacing with various stakeholders and departments using the enterprise software.

Data Science

Data Analysis Panels on a Laptop Screen

Data science is the process of data analysis using scientific methods, algorithms, and manipulating database management systems to file, store, sort, analyze, and draw insights from the data.

Software engineers can bring their coding experience, structured approach to handling data, and logical expertise to these roles. Most positions in this field require low coding and offer the most lucrative jobs in the technology field.

8. Database Manager

Database management requires creating, installing, configuring, and managing unique databases for clients and corporates. Database managers know the ins and outs of the systems they work with and are responsible for their security, proper functioning, and troubleshooting.

9. Data Analyst

Data Analysts use data and study it in context along with trends and social cues to provide business advice and solutions to industries, media organizations, social media platforms, and more. Converting learnings and insights into actionable solutions and effectively communicating the findings to solve emerging and existing problems is a Data Analyst's forte.

10. R&D Engineer

Like every other field, software technology also requires research and development to advance its output. R&D Engineers are responsible for conceptualizing these research projects, leading them, coming up with theories and guiding principles, creating experiments, prototypes, and models to advance their understanding of the subject, and turning results into new concepts, products, services, and insights in the field of technology.

Sales & Marketing

Man presenting on stage at a tech conference. Product Evangelism by cofounder Karri Saarinen.

Sales and marketing and software development might belong to diverse verticals, but industries have been combining the two to give traditional marketing a technical boost. Here are a few sales and marketing roles you can pursue with a background in software development:

11. Sales & Marketing Engineer

This isn't a core sales or marketing role as much as it's about assisting and advising the people in these roles. Sales and marketing engineers help salespeople, marketing folks, advertising professionals, managers, and clients understand the ins and outs of a software product or service, its technical aspects, and so on.

They also provide technical assistance in realizing marketing goals in addition to data collection, collation, and analyses. Technical Marketing Manager, Product Marketing Engineer, and Sales Engineer are a few terms used to advertise these positions.

12. Product Evangelist

Product Evangelism is akin to promoting a particular product to the general public, businesses, or teams within a corporation. Sound technical knowledge of specific software, a new programming language, or a database system is handy when trying to drive broader adoption.

It's different from traditional marketing in that the Evangelist's expertise, knowledge, experience, and body of work are what the audience bases their purchase on. Typical examples of this role include Mobile Apps Evangelist, Educational Services Evangelist, etc.

13. Developer Advocate

Experienced software developers can leverage their expertise and knowledge in particular areas of coding or a product or service, say Amazon Workspaces, and teach other developers the best way to use it. Your superior knowledge helps augment the entire community's understanding and usage of this product once you start sharing your process, methodologies, insights, and more.

Developer Advocate's roles are usually product/service/language-based, e.g., AWS Developer Advocate, PHP Developer Advocate, etc.

Leverage Your Coding Experience

Software Development is an intense career, even if it comes with more perks than most other STEM careers. It begins with a graduate's degree in computer science engineering or similar disciplines, learning to code in high-level programming languages, and staying ahead of the curve by acing additional programming languages, newer database platforms, and so on.

The choice to move on to a different role is optional, but staying on top of the latest developments in software programming is not.