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Career comparison

Accountant vs. Software engineer

Software engineers earn more: a median of $135,980, $52,300 (63%) above accountants at $83,680.

Software engineers have the stronger outlook: +10% projected growth through 2035, vs. +5%.

Getting in is slower for accountants: about 2.3 years vs. 16 months for someone with a bachelor's in another field.

AccountantSoftware engineer
Median pay$83,680$135,980
Top 10% earn over$144,090$214,670
Growth to 2035+5%+10%
Openings per year115,30095,300
Jobs today1,595,2001,717,800
Typical entry educationBachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
Time to qualify*2.3 years16 months
Training cost*$18K–$55K$0–$21K

* Starting from a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.

Pay

Accountant

$83,68010% earn under $56,020 · middle half $67,020–$109,810 · top 10% over $144,090

Software engineer

$135,98010% earn under $82,460 · middle half $105,210–$171,980 · top 10% over $214,670
Bar: middle 50% of workers. Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Dot: median. BLS OEWS, May 2025, national.

Switching from one to the other

Set your education and current pay. The calculator lays out the path, what it costs, and the year it starts paying off.

AccountantSoftware engineer

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Getting in

Accountant

Entry education
Bachelor's degree
On-the-job training
None
Prior experience
None

Required: CPA exam and license (needed for audit/sign-off roles, not all accounting jobs)

Software engineer

Entry education
Bachelor's degree
On-the-job training
None
Prior experience
None

Required: No license; technical interviews are the gate

What the work is like

AccountantSoftware engineer

Dealing with the public

Rarely
Constantly

Unpleasant or angry people

Rarely
Constantly

Time pressure

Rarely
Constantly

Cost of a mistake

Minor
Severe

Freedom to make decisions

Little
A lot

Repeating the same tasks

Rarely
Constantly

Time sitting

Rarely
Constantly

Time standing

Rarely
Constantly

Accountant: 50% usually work over 40 hours a weekSoftware engineer: 8% usually work over 40 hours a week

Average worker ratings, 1 to 5. O*NET 31.0 work context survey.

Accountant: core tasks

  • Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.
  • Process invoices for payment.
  • Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences.
  • Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements.
  • Prepare adjusting journal entries.

Software engineer: core tasks

  • Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
  • Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
  • Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
  • Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
  • Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.

Skills: what carries over

Both rely on: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning.

New for an accountant moving to software engineer: Programming, Systems Analysis, Technology Design, Systems Evaluation.

New for a software engineer moving to accountant: Writing, Speaking, Mathematics, Monitoring.

Interests (Holland codes): Accountant: Conventional, Enterprising, Investigative. Software engineer: Investigative, Conventional, Realistic.

Outlook to 2035, and AI

Accountant

+5%

about as fast as average · 115,300 openings a year

BLS lists no specific factors, including AI, changing demand for this job.

Software engineer

+10%

faster than average · 95,300 openings a year

BLS lists no specific factors, including AI, changing demand for this job.

Quoted notes: BLS Employment Projections, factors affecting occupational utilization (Table 1.12). Average growth across all jobs: +3.5%.

Questions people ask

Who makes more, an accountant or a software engineer?

Software engineers earn more: a median of $135,980, $52,300 (63%) above accountants at $83,680.

Which has the better job outlook?

Software engineers have the stronger outlook: +10% projected growth through 2035, vs. +5%.

How long does it take to become a software engineer?

For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 16 months, with tuition of roughly $0 to $20,500. Required: No license; technical interviews are the gate.

How long does it take to become an accountant?

For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 2.3 years, with tuition of roughly $18,000 to $55,000. Required: CPA exam and license (needed for audit/sign-off roles, not all accounting jobs).

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