Perhaps you are already living in Auckland, or residing elsewhere in New Zealand, or even considering a move to Auckland from another country. Whatever your situation, there are many reasons that make Auckland a great place to pursue your career as a software developer.
Our tech sector is booming
Auckland is our largest city, and typically home to the head offices of local and global brands. As technology demands increase within every industry, there are more opportunities for skilled IT professionals to find work. If you’re a software developer, you may be able to find work that doesn’t just leverage your skills, but offers subject matter or an industry that you’re also interested in. Auckland’s known for our innovation in tech and is home to 60% of New Zealand’s top 200 tech companies.
Auckland’s not just a city for the big brands; it’s a great startup environment for entrepreneurs to realize their vision. Many of these startups are software-based which means plenty of new and interesting work for those in that field.
There are employers to suit everyone
Software development in Auckland can be a vastly different experience depending on the type of work you do – and where. Across the region, you’ll find opportunities across iconic New Zealand brands, plenty of small-medium businesses, startups, global giants, NGOs, government agencies and many more. These employers all offer unique experiences with industry, values and the product they offer.
This variety is important for software developers who have a specific environment or situation they thrive in. You might prefer working in a larger organisation with several other like-minded professionals around you to learn from and collaborate with. Or, you might work better in a smaller business where you work closely with everyone including the owner. There’s no right answer for everyone here.
Great pay
While Auckland can be described as an ‘expensive’ place to live, in recent years other parts of the country have caught up (particularly in house prices and cost of groceries). Auckland often comes out ahead in the average salary metric compared with other cities. You may find that some of the best paying roles are based in Auckland due the company’s base being located there, too.
It’s important to note that salaries and hourly rates in the software development (and tech) space fluctuate depending on what’s happening in the market.
Plenty of growth opportunities for a wonderful IT career
Auckland’s a wonderful place to hone and grow your skill set in the software development space. With a rich community of professionals to work and learn alongside, you’re never going to feel like you’re going through the software developer journey alone.
Technology’s ever-evolving nature means that the idea of digital transformation is unlikely to go away anytime soon. Even tech-first businesses will need to navigate changes in platforms, languages and best practices that will demand developers to do this.
The presence of large organisations offers many chances to upskill and progress through these employers to more senior roles. But growth for software developers can also be greatly supported by contracting into project roles where your experience can become more diverse. Then consider all the small businesses and startups where your role will likely go beyond the traditional competencies of a dev and require your creative thinking, business strategy and leadership skills as well.
Lots of talented IT professionals to learn from (and to mentor)
While learning online is an increasingly popular and valuable tool for those in the tech space, there’s no replacement for the collaborative and in-person learning experience by working with others in your discipline. Software developments of any seniority know that learning new things is pretty much inherent in their career. Having the ability to work in larger or more experienced teams of software developers can equip you with new insights as well as technical abilities you can take with you.
The community of developers extends beyond your workplace; with meetups, online communities and simply connecting with others for coffee.
If you want your career to include leadership or simply supporting others to do well in software development, you’ll find no shortage of opportunities here too. Businesses of all sizes depend on their senior tech professionals to help those more junior. In Auckland, you’ll find roles where you work closely with others and either formally or informally have the chance to impart your knowledge on other willing IT professionals. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes to eventually assume a leadership role in tech – from knowing how to frame complexity to staying calm through challenges.
A multicultural tech sector
Auckland’s a truly international city, with our tech workforce a reflection of this. Software developers and other tech professionals come from all over the world to work in the city, raise families and contribute to what makes Auckland such a rich and interesting place to live.
We’re proud of Auckland’s diverse tech sector – it’s not only a reflection of our population, but brings many benefits to employers including different perspectives on business challenges, consideration for a wider range of end users, different experiences from around the world and specific skill sets that may not otherwise exist in the team. This can also improve the business’ performance on the global stage where these perspectives are invaluable to delivering software solutions that meet the needs of users internationally – not just for the NZ market.
A big doorway to the world’s tech scene
Our biggest city is also a critical location with Asia-pacific for companies to work, meet and innovate. As a software developer, you’ll have more exposure to global trends and technologies that are popular overseas.
If you’re looking to potentially go overseas with your work, or transition into New Zealand from another tech hub, Auckland is a logical ‘gateway’. Some tech professionals will end up in Auckland through transferring within a global business, so there’s no better place to be if large organisations feature in your career plans.
Good challenges, good learnings
It wouldn’t be fair to say that Auckland as a whole is a more challenging tech sector to work in – this is entirely dependent on the business and the industry in question.
However, given Auckland’s position as New Zealand’s biggest tech hub, there are plenty of opportunities with employers who have sophisticated technologies and knowledge that demands your tools stay sharp.
Close to excellent education and training opportunities
And if staying sharp demands formal training or qualifications, Auckland’s a brilliant place to learn and improve your skills in software development. Whether it’s the University of Auckland, the Auckland University of Technology’s Software Development Major or smaller training providers, you’ll find ways to learn and level up across the city.
Home of our biggest international airport – ready for those overseas work trips!
Being in the same city as our biggest international airport has a number of benefits. If you’re emigrating from another part of the world to work in Auckland, being near the airport just makes those trips back home slightly shorter and less stressful. If your work ends up involving some overseas travel, Auckland is a great place to work and live. A hop over the ditch and back can be done in a day if you really push it.
Auckland’s a great place to work – and an amazing place to live
It’s not all about work – in fact many move to Auckland or other parts of New Zealand for the lifestyle first and work second. Auckland’s more than just the city with incredible tourist attractions, natural landscape, beautiful beaches, plenty of cultural and sporting events and things for kids to do. While many Aucklanders commute into work, plenty of others live central or work in different areas of the region – not necessarily the CBD. Depending on your employer, you might even have a hybrid working arrangement where you can work from home some of the time.
Talk with Younity Auckland’s team about software development opportunities
Looking for that next role in software development? Our team wants to chat. You can explore our current job opportunities online. We encourage you to also get in touch so we can understand more about the role you’re looking for.
