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Early Career Software Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Deepinfra

Software Engineer, Early Career

Palo Alto, CA

$140K - $150K/yr

Software Engineer, Early Career DeepInfra is looking for early-career Software Engineers (0-2 years of experience, including internships) to join our team. You'll work closely with our experienced ...

anduril

2026 Early Career Software Engineer

Seattle, WA

$115K - $135K/yr

2026 Early Career Software Engineer Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the ...

Viasat

Software Engineer, Early Career

Boston, MA · On-site

They are looking for an Early Career Software Engineer to guide AI models in transforming legacy codebases, focusing on refactoring, documentation, and performance optimization. Responsibilities ...

Viasat

Software Engineer, Early Career

Boston, MA · On-site

They are looking for an Early Career Software Engineer to guide AI models in transforming legacy codebases, focusing on refactoring, documentation, and performance optimization. Responsibilities ...

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All JobsEarly Career Software Engineer Jobs

Early Career Software Engineer information

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$63.5K

$147.5K

$205.5K

How much do early career software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for early career software engineer in the United States is $147,524.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $120,000.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Early Career Software Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Early Career Software Engineer, you need a solid grounding in programming languages (such as Python, Java, or JavaScript), computer science fundamentals, and a relevant degree or coding bootcamp certification. Familiarity with version control systems like Git, collaborative development platforms, and common frameworks or databases is usually expected. Strong problem-solving abilities, effective communication, and a collaborative mindset are soft skills that help you excel in team environments. These skills ensure you can contribute to complex projects, adapt to evolving technologies, and work productively within development teams.

What does an Early Career Software Engineer do?

An Early Career Software Engineer is typically responsible for designing, developing, testing, and maintaining software applications under the guidance of more senior engineers. They often work as part of a team, contribute to code reviews, debug issues, and learn new technologies relevant to their projects. This role is ideal for recent graduates or those with a few years of experience, as it provides opportunities to build technical skills and gain exposure to the software development lifecycle.

What are some typical challenges faced by early career software engineers during their first year on the job?

Early career software engineers often encounter challenges such as adapting to new codebases, learning company-specific development processes, and effectively collaborating within multidisciplinary teams. It's common to feel overwhelmed by unfamiliar technologies or the pace of Agile development cycles. However, seeking mentorship, proactively asking questions, and participating in code reviews can greatly accelerate your learning and integration into the team.
What cities are hiring for Early Career Software Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Early Career Software Engineer job openings:
What states have the most Early Career Software Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Early Career Software Engineer jobs include:
Infographic showing various Early Career Software Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 7% As Needed, 79% Full Time, and 14% Part Time. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,524 per year, or $70.9 per hour.
Early Career Software Engineer - Applied AI

Early Career Software Engineer - Applied AI

Wonderschool

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$100K - $120K/yr

Full-time

Medical, PTO

Posted 16 days ago

Job description

About Wonderschool
Wonderschool is harnessing the power of technology to provide comprehensive support to childcare providers operating out of their homes as well as in the government and non-profit sectors. Our products enable childcare providers to create high-quality environments and meet the demands of their business, while also helping parents in need of childcare solutions through the creation of an accessible marketplace.
We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Early Career Software Engineer to join our team. As the Early Career Software Engineer, you will play a crucial role in leading our software development initiatives, working with a talented team to create innovative solutions. Your expertise in delivery of high-quality software will be essential in driving the development of our cutting-edge applications.
Role Overview
We are seeking an Early Career Software Engineer with an interest in applied AI to join our growing team. This is a unique opportunity to work in a fast-paced, purpose-driven environment where you can apply your technical skills to create meaningful impact in the childcare ecosystem. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to build scalable, AI-driven solutions that empower childcare providers and improve parent experiences. This position is on site in our San Francisco office, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to allow for collaboration.
Key Responsibilities
  • Design, develop, and maintain robust software solutions with a focus on integrating AI capabilities.
  • Collaborate with product managers, designers, and engineers to define requirements and implement innovative features.
  • Design and Development of AI Agents: Build modular, task-specific AI agents capable of natural language understanding, dialogue management, and action execution using frameworks such as LangChain or Rasa.
  • Debug and troubleshoot technical issues to ensure platform stability.
  • Stay current with emerging technologies and best practices in software engineering and AI.

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
  • Strong foundation in programming languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript).
  • Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).
  • Basic understanding of cloud platforms like Google Cloud Platform and AWS.
  • Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a collaborative, in-person environment.

Nice-to-Have Skills
  • Strong understanding of machine learning principles, including model development, evaluation, and deployment for real-world applications.
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Pipelines: Design and deploy RAG pipelines by integrating retrievers with generative models to enable contextual, real-time responses using vectorized knowledge bases.
  • Continuous Learning: Incorporate user feedback loops and data augmentation techniques to iteratively improve the performance and relevance of AI agents and RAG pipelines.

What We Offer
  • Compensation: Expected salary range is $100K-$120K annually, based on experience and location.
  • Health Benefits: 100% coverage for employee premiums and 80% for dependents.
  • Wellness: Flexible PTO, mental wellness days, and reimbursements for wellness initiatives.
  • Parental Leave: Competitive policies eligible after six months of employment.
  • Work Environment: 3-5 Days in our SF Office in Downtown in SF with lunch covered.

Wonderschool's mission is to ensure every child has access to child care that helps them realize their potential. We are doing this by building a suite of tools to support passionate early care and education professionals to start and run quality and sustainable child care programs. Our tools allow providers to easily manage their students, parents, and school all from one dashboard. Our community allows providers to seek advice, support, and a sense of belonging with a group of like-minded peers.
For parents, our marketplace allows parents to easily search for schools, schedule visits, enroll their children, and make payments.
The first five years of a child's life are critical for nurturing brain development for success in school and beyond. All children deserve access to a care situation that will allow them to grow into healthy, lifelong learners. By leading a revolution where all children are able to get access to an environment to develop these skills, we can create drastic changes to neighborhoods and societies as a whole.

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