Computer Hardware Engineer vs Software Developer: Which Field Is Better?

Dimension	Computer Hardware Engineer	Software Developer
Median pay	$155,020	$133,080
Projected growth (2024–34)	7.3%	15.8%
Annual openings	4,700	115,200
2024 employment	76,800	1,693,800
2034 projected employment	82,400	1,961,400
Self-employed share	1.1%	1.6%
Typical entry education	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
Related work experience	None	None
On-the-job training	None	None

Dimension

Computer Hardware Engineer

Software Developer

Median pay

$155,020

$133,080

Projected growth (2024–34)

7.3%

15.8%

Annual openings

4,700

115,200

2024 employment

76,800

1,693,800

2034 projected employment

82,400

1,961,400

Self-employed share

1.1%

1.6%

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Computer Hardware Engineer: main tradeoff

Very high pay and semiconductor/AI infrastructure tailwinds, but a much smaller labor market than software.

Software Developer: main tradeoff

Strong long-term economics, but entry-level work is being reshaped faster than the occupation overall.

Which should you choose?

Computer Hardware Engineer has the higher national median pay in the BLS data. Software Developer has the higher projected 2024–2034 growth rate. The larger decision is whether you prefer the training path, work style, and occupation-specific tradeoffs of Computer Hardware Engineer or Software Developer.