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4.2. Roles and Responsibilities

In tech, job titles can be confusing. The same title might mean different things at different companies, and some roles sound more technical than they are.

This section breaks down the most common job titles you’ll encounter in the world of software and what they actually do—so you can figure out what roles match your interests and skills.

Development Roles​

The roles in this section are primarily focused on writing code and building software.

Software Developer / Engineer​

A software developer or software engineer is a broad title that usually means they write code to build software products. The specific focus can vary widely depending on the team and company.

This is the most generic and common title for people who code.

Software developers/engineers can work on a wide range of projects, from web applications to mobile apps to backend systems. The specific technologies and languages they use will depend on the project and the team's needs. Some developers will focus on front-end (what users see), others on back-end (the behind-the-scenes logic), and some will do both. The title alone rarely tells you exactly what you’ll be working on, so always look at the job description.

"Developer" Vs. "Engineer"?​

Engineer is an accredited title in many countries, and some people feel that it should only be used by those with formal engineering qualifications. In the tech industry, "developer" is often used more broadly to include anyone who writes code, regardless of their educational background.

Having said that, many companies use the terms interchangeably, so you’ll see both titles used for similar roles. The key is to look at the job description and responsibilities rather than just the title.

Frontend Developer​

A frontend developer works on the part of the software that users see and interact with. This usually involves:

  • Designing and coding user interfaces using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • Working with frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular
  • Making sure applications look good and feel smooth to use
  • Collaborating with designers and backend developers

You’ll enjoy this role if you care about visuals, design, and user experience.

Backend Developer​

Backend developers write the logic and infrastructure that power applications behind the scenes. Their work involves:

  • Handling data storage (databases like PostgreSQL or MongoDB)
  • Writing APIs and services that send/receive data
  • Authenticating users, managing permissions, and processing logic
  • Working with server-side languages like Python, Java, Ruby, Go, or Node.js

If you enjoy systems, data modeling, or building out the “brains” of an application, backend work might be your thing.

Fullstack Developer​

A fullstack developer works across both frontend and backend. Depending on the team, this might mean:

  • Building entire features end-to-end (UI to database)
  • Handling both design integration and business logic
  • Juggling frontend tools (React, Tailwind) and backend services (Express.js, Django)

Fullstack roles are great for people who enjoy seeing the whole picture—but they can also be overwhelming if you’re just starting out.

QA Engineer / Test Automation / Software Tester​

Quality Assurance (QA) roles focus on ensuring software works correctly before it's released. They may:

  • Write automated tests (e.g., using tools like Selenium, Cypress, or JUnit)
  • Manually test new features
  • Report bugs and help developers fix them
  • Contribute to build pipelines and CI systems

As an industry trend, many companies are moving towards having developers write their own tests, but dedicated QA roles still exist, they are just less common than they used to be.

Mobile Developer​

A mobile developer specializes in building applications for mobile devices. They typically focus on:

  • Developing apps for iOS (using Swift or Objective-C) or Android (using Java, Kotlin, or Flutter)
  • Understanding mobile-specific design patterns and user experience
  • Optimizing performance for mobile devices

As a trend, the industry is moving towards cross-platform development, so many mobile developers now use frameworks like React Native or Flutter to build apps that work on both iOS and Android. This is leading to a decreasing need in specialized mobile developers.

Web Developer / Web Designer / Webmaster​

These older-sounding titles still pop up sometimes, especially at smaller companies. They often involve:

  • Maintaining and updating websites
  • Writing HTML/CSS/JS for static or simple dynamic pages
  • Possibly handling SEO, hosting, and web analytics

These roles can be a stepping stone into tech, but be careful—some positions might offer limited growth or too much focus on maintenance rather than development.

Data and AI Roles​

The roles in this section focus on working with data, whether it’s analyzing it, building models, or managing data systems.

Data Scientist​

A data scientist uses math, statistics, and programming to analyze data and extract insights. Typical tasks include:

  • Cleaning and transforming data
  • Running experiments and generating reports
  • Building models to make predictions or recommendations
  • Using tools like Python (Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn), SQL, and Jupyter Notebooks

This role is great if you like solving puzzles with data and have strong analytical skills.

Machine Learning Engineer​

While technically under the data umbrella, ML engineers focus more on building and deploying machine learning models. Responsibilities may include:

  • Training models with real-world datasets
  • Optimizing performance and accuracy
  • Integrating ML models into production systems
  • Working with libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or XGBoost

This is a more specialized role, usually requiring knowledge of both software engineering and math/statistics.

Data Engineer​

Data engineers build the systems that move, store, and structure data so it can be used by analysts and data scientists. Their work involves:

  • Creating data pipelines and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes
  • Managing databases and data warehouses
  • Ensuring performance, reliability, and scalability of data systems

This role is the closest to traditional software engineering, but with a focus on data infrastructure rather than application logic.

BI Analyst / BI Developer​

A Business Intelligence (BI) analyst or developer focuses on analyzing business data to help companies make informed decisions. They typically:

  • Create dashboards and reports using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker
  • Write SQL queries to extract and analyze data
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to understand data needs
  • Help identify trends, patterns, and insights from data

If you enjoy working with data but prefer a more business-oriented role, BI might be a good fit.

Operations and Infrastructure Roles​

The roles in this section focus on maintaining and optimizing the systems that run software applications, ensuring they are reliable, scalable, and secure.

DevOps Engineer / Platform Engineer​

DevOps stands for "Developer Operations"—these roles make development and deployment faster, safer, and more reliable. They:

  • Automate build and deployment processes
  • Manage infrastructure (e.g., AWS, Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Monitor system health and performance
  • Enable CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Delivery)

Think of it as building the tools and systems that developers rely on to ship code efficiently.

Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)​

This role focuses on keeping the application running at scale. SREs and infrastructure engineers:

  • Monitor uptime and server reliability
  • Handle outages and design systems to recover gracefully
  • Work on deployment pipelines, load balancing, and system scaling
  • Write code to automate infrastructure tasks

They’re essentially backend developers focused on infrastructure and performance.

Non-Technical Roles​

Product Manager (PM)​

PMs decide what should be built and when. They:

  • Prioritize tasks and features based on user needs and company goals
  • Define product requirements and success metrics
  • Coordinate with designers, developers, and stakeholders
  • Translate business ideas into development tickets

If you're organized, strategic, and enjoy big-picture thinking, product management might be a great fit.

Product Designer / UI & UX Designer​

Product designers focus on how something should look and feel. They:

  • Create wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes
  • Conduct user research and usability testing
  • Collaborate with frontend developers to ensure implementation matches design
  • Use tools like Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD

This role is for creative thinkers who want to shape the user experience without necessarily writing code.

Business Analyst​

A business analyst serves as a bridge between business needs and technical implementation. They often:

  • Gather and document requirements for developers
  • Analyze data to create reports and dashboards
  • Work with stakeholders to identify problems and propose solutions

Some roles lean heavily into communication and planning; others may involve a bit of SQL or scripting.