Software engineering comprises the entire range of activities used to design and develop software.

Software engineering as a career

80,000 Hours' in-depth profile rates software engineering a "sometimes recommended" career.^[1] The profile finds that a software engineer's most promising path to impact involves doing direct work on AI safety or in highly impactful organizations, and that the value of this work is likely higher than via earning to give. A career in software engineering can also be a good way to gain career capital.