A career in software engineering requires continuous learning and development, which can open the door for professionals who are self-taught. Explore alternative pathways for entering the software engineering field.
A software engineering career offers great pay, challenging work and high demand for skilled professionals. But do you need a computer science degree to break into this field? Absolutely not!
Many aspiring software engineers are deterred by the time and cost of a 4-year degree. However, it’s completely possible to launch a successful software engineering career without a CS degree if you gain coding skills, build a portfolio and showcase relevant experience.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the key steps to becoming a software engineer without a formal degree.
What Does a Software Engineer Do?
Software engineers design, develop and maintain software applications and systems. They utilize programming languages and tools to create solutions that meet business or user needs.
Day-to-day work varies by industry and specialization, but can include
- Coding front-end interfaces and back-end logic
- Integrating software components and third-party programs
- Debugging and troubleshooting applications
- Refining algorithms and interfaces to optimize performance
- Collaborating with product managers and designers
- Documenting development processes
Software engineers may focus on areas like web development, mobile apps, operating systems, databases, games, networks, artificial intelligence and more.
Key Skills Needed to Become a Software Engineer
While a degree shows formal training, many of the essential software engineering competencies are learned on the job Key abilities include
Technical Skills
- Proficiency in programming languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, C++, etc.
- Experience with operating systems like Windows, Linux and macOS
- Understanding of core computer science concepts like data structures and algorithms
- Ability to design and normalize databases
- Version control systems such as Git and GitHub
- Web protocols like HTTP, DNS, SSL/TLS and REST APIs
- Debugging, testing and documenting code
Soft Skills
- Communication skills to collaborate cross-functionally
- Analytical thinking and problem solving
- Attention to detail and patience
- Time management and project planning
- Ability to accept feedback and learn from mistakes
- Passion for technology and coding
How to Start Learning Software Engineering Skills
You can start picking up software engineering abilities through the following self-directed learning channels:
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Online coding courses – Choose beginner-friendly courses from sites like Codecademy to learn in-demand languages like Python, JavaScript and Java.
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Coding bootcamps – These intensive training programs teach full-stack development skills and career prep in 3-6 months.
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Books and documentation – Work through programming books and official language docs at your own pace.
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Youtube tutorials – Find an endless supply of free “how-to” coding videos.
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Solving coding challenges – Practice by tackling problems on sites like CodeSignal, HackerRank and Project Euler.
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Building personal projects – Create your own apps, sites and programs to sharpen your skills.
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Contributing to open source – Make improvements to public codebases on GitHub to gain experience.
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Attending hackathons – Rapidly develop prototypes and make connections at these focused coding events.
How to Get Software Engineering Experience Without a Degree
In addition to technical abilities, companies want candidates with proven experience applying software skills. Here are some ways to build your resume without formal employment:
- Complete in-depth personal coding projects to showcase on your portfolio.
- Take on freelance work by networking, advertising services or leveraging freelance sites.
- Volunteer to help nonprofits, community programs and open source projects.
- Launch an app or SaaS product as an indie developer or with friends.
- Do 1-3 month coding internships at startups hungry for talent.
- Join a development bootcamp with an internship or job guarantee.
Any experience where you solve real problems and interface with users is valuable. With persistence, you can assemble enough projects and experience to qualify for junior developer roles.
How to Create a Software Engineering Resume Without a Degree
Your resume is where you can shine regardless of education background. Emphasize skills, projects and measurable achievements over academics.
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Highlight technical skills in a dedicated section near the top. Call out specific languages, frameworks, tools and methodologies you have experience with.
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Feature projects that demonstrate relevant abilities for the role. Explain your specific contributions and technical implementation details.
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Quantify achievements like users, downloads, performance improvements or revenue generated.
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List soft skills like communication, time management and teamwork. Use examples of these in action when describing experience.
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Incorporate keywords from the job description so your resume matches what hiring managers are looking for.
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Optimize for applicant tracking systems by following standard resume structure without fancy formatting.
Tips for Acing the Software Engineer Interview Without a Degree
Interviews are your chance to prove your hands-on coding abilities. Brush up on fundamental data structures and algorithms which commonly come up.
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Practice whiteboard coding by working through sample problems on sites like LeetCode. Verbalize your thought process as you code.
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Prepare to discuss projects from your portfolio in detail. Be ready to outline technical implementation, challenges you overcame, and key learnings.
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Ask clarifying questions if presented with an ambiguous technical challenge. Communication skills are vital.
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Think out loud during coding challenges to convey your analytical approach. Interviewers want to see your thought process.
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Admit when you don’t know something rather than trying to fake it. Then follow up by showing how you would research the answer.
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If you forget syntax details, describe the overall logic and structure. You can reference docs to fill in specifics.
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Ask insightful questions about the company’s tech stack, engineering culture and product roadmap to show engagement.
Continuing Your Software Engineering Education
While not required, a degree remains one of the best ways to develop software engineering mastery. After getting started in the field, consider pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science part-time or online. Many employers offer tuition assistance as well.
This investment will pay dividends in terms of strengthening your technical abilities and opening up senior software engineering roles.
Launching a Software Engineering Career Without a Degree
Though challenging, it’s completely possible to break into software engineering without a computer science degree. Gain in-demand coding skills, accumulate real-world experience, showcase your abilities, and prove yourself hungry to learn.
With perseverance and top-notch coding chops, you can land that first software engineering job. Once there, your performance will quickly overshadow any concerns about formal education.
Ready to start learning? Check out our interactive coding courses and bootcamps to begin mastering software engineering fundamentals today. The tech industry needs people like you!
How to become a software engineer without a degree
Becoming a self-taught software engineer wonât happen overnight. Before you land your first software engineer job, it can take months or years to learn all of the necessary skills, like programming languages, tools, and API design.
Here are five steps you can take to pursue a career as a software engineer without entering a formal computer science degree program. Keep in mind there are many pathways to consider, this is just one.Â
From JavaScript to Python, there are several programming languages to choose from when learning computer science. Common entry-level programming languages for software engineers include:
- Java: high-level, open-source programming language to create applications that run in browsers and virtual machines.
- JavaScript: text-based scripting language that makes webpages interactive (e.g. animations, audio functionality, carousels, etc.).
- Python: high-level programming language often used by data scientists and business analysts.
Ultimately, the language you pick should be relevant to your career goals. For example, if you want to be a front-end web developer, youâll want to make sure that you learn JavaScript fundamentals and backend programming.
Alternatively, learners interested in game or app development might want to learn Java, a programming language that is used often in enterprise software applications.
Beginners may want to learn Python to build a solid foundation in programming concepts. Pythons simplicity, readability, strong community support, and wide range of applications make it a popular choice for beginners who want to embark on their coding journey without feeling overwhelmed.
Once youâve mastered one or two programming languages, the next step is to learn about data structures and algorithms.Â
Data structures improve the efficiency of storing, fetching, and organizing data. Algorithms, which you can think of as sets of operations and instructions, are applied to data structures to get a desired output. Itâs important to learn about algorithms and data structures because you will be expected to use them in the field and tech companies often have questions about them in their coding interviews.
If you lack professional experience, learn about GitHub and use its features to your advantage with an online portfolio.
With a platform like GitHub, you can contribute to open-source projects as a way to work with other developers, refine your technical abilities, and showcase your skills. Some tips for keeping your GitHub profile impressive include:
- Organize your repositories: Use clear names and descriptions. Include a README file in each repository, detailing what the project does, how to run it, and any other relevant information.
- Clean your code and add documentation: Add comments and documentation to explain your thought process and implementation. This not only helps others understand your work but also demonstrates your ability to write maintainable code.
- Participate in coding challenges: Solve problems and build projects within a constrained time frame. These experiences can demonstrate your ability to work under pressure and quickly develop functional prototypes.
- Work on group projects: Showcase your teamwork and communication skills by working with other developers on a project. This could also be a good opportunity to network.
A coding interview allows potential employers and recruiters to evaluate your technical skills and problem-solving ability. One effective way of preparing for a technical interview is to practice solving technical questions using resources like LeetCode , which crowdsources thousands of interview questions. Another pathway could be to learn coding techniques with online short courses or boot camps.
If youâre interviewing for a role with a specialization, you should also review concepts and frameworks related to that specific technology or stack.Â
Lastly, it might help to have a partner to help you learn interview techniques. This will help you practice explaining your thought process when solving problems.
There are many avenues of study available to learn software engineering. From enrolling in a coding boot camp to obtaining a course certificate, only you know which is the best path for you.
What does a software engineer do?
A software engineer is responsible for designing, developing, testing, and maintaining software applications and systems.
This dynamic and ever-evolving discipline combines technical skills like programming with problem-solving abilities to create efficient and reliable solutions for real-world challenges. As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, software engineering remains a field of lifelong learning.
How I Became a Software Engineer Without a Degree
Can you become a software engineer without a degree?
The good news is you can become a software engineer without a degree. In fact, it’s not uncommon for bootcamp graduates and self-taught individuals to have an advantage over recent college graduates—several hiring managers have said that fresh graduates lack skill in writing production-ready code.
How do I become a software engineer?
They typically work for software engineering firms, large corporations or production companies to help with product development. Typically, those who want to work as software engineers pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree in either software engineering, computer systems engineering or computer science.
Is a software engineer a good job?
Tech specifically can seem unapproachable when you’re not familiar with the field. Working as a software engineer is an interesting job. It generally has a high salary and great benefits. It’s not necessary to get a degree at university to break into the field, as long as you have demonstrable skills.
Do you need a computer science degree to become a software engineer?
You don’t need a computer science degree to become a software engineer or software developer, but completing a short course or qualification can boost your chances of getting a job. There are two ways you could go about this. Your first option is an intensive software engineering bootcamp.
