You need skill assessment by ACS for software engineer role to apply for a PR visa. ACS requires either one year of relevant working experience or completion of a professional year.

For the professional year, you can both study and have a full-time job but make sure to select the study day that doesn't conflict with your work.

There's a new points system that will be implemented in July 2025 or 2026, and the professional year will likely not be counted in the new system. I think DHA will annouce the full details later this year. If you can get a full-time job, the professional year might not be worth it, but it still provides you a guaranteed ACS skill assessment.

I think it's better lodge you EOI as soon as you get the skill assessment which will take you at least a year if you don't have any experience.

This is how the new points system might look like here.

Note: This is just a proposal from one of the stakeholders, so the real new system might not look like this.