In 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an annual median salary of $38,370 for medical and clinical laboratory technicians. The BLS also predicted 30% employment growth for these technicians from 2012-2022, which is much faster than average.
Study math. Software engineers sometimes create the mathematical algorithms that allow software to function. Focus on developing and maintaining your math skills in order to do your best once you've obtained a position as a software engineer.
Number one is hiring. We hire engineers with software development ability and proclivity. To SRE, software engineers are people who know enough about programming languages, data structures and algorithms, and performance to be able to write software that is effective. Crucially, while the software may accomplish a task at launch, it also has to be efficient at accomplishing that task even as the task grows.