how to become software engineer without degree

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How to become a Software Engineer without a degree

With an average salary of over $106,000, a career as a Software Engineer is an attractive option. In addition to the pay, software engineering is a valuable service that presents a stimulating challenge — and it can be a lot of fun. But can you become a Software Engineer without a degree? The answer is definitely yes.

Like many tech careers, your skills and professionalism have more weight than a piece of paper with a degree on it. If you can learn what you need to bring to the table and deliver, you can qualify for many Software Engineer jobs.

If you’re wondering whether being a Software Engineer is the job for you and what you need to succeed, read on. We’ll share what a Software Engineer does, the skills needed, how to write your resume, and what you can do to build your software engineer portfolio.

What does a Software Engineer do?
A Software Engineer develops software and systems for organizations. The range of solutions a Software Engineer designs is huge: from video games to operating systems to web applications and more.

In addition to writing the code and building solutions, a Software Engineer has to work with various people who have a vested interest in the success of the solution. These may include managers, executives, and other team members. A Software Engineer may also interact with end-users or focus groups that represent their needs.

At the end of the day, a Software Engineer’s job is all about designing software to solve problems. And the job market for Software Engineers promises to be strong for many years to come as the number of challenges that businesses face continues to grow. This is true regardless of the kind of Software Engineer you want to become.

For example, a Full-Stack Engineer designs everything needed for an application to work, including the entire front-end and back-end. But, you can choose to specialize in front-end or back-end development. Our Full-Stack, Front-End, and Back-End software development Career Paths are good places to begin your journey as a Software Engineer.

Xavier, a Software Engineer, outlines much of what’s involved in the video below:

He sums up software engineering this way: “At the end of the day, we’re all trying to solve different problems with code.”

What technical skills does a Software Engineer need?
A Software Engineer’s toolbox is built on specific technical skills to create solutions and address challenges the team and the organization face. A Software Engineer needs to have or develop the following skills:

Programming language skills. The languages the engineer knows may vary based on the type of software engineering they do. But these are central to their success. You can explore various types of programming languages in our course catalog.
Source control. Source control is used to help you manage and store your code. There are tools, like Git and Github, that make it easier to manage your code.
Database creation and management. Databases store the data that applications use to serve end-users. Knowing how to make and program databases, using languages like SQL, will help a Software Engineer produce more complete solutions.
Operating system management and control. While many Software Engineers will never have to build an operating system, it’s good to understand how different operating systems work. This knowledge will help you design solutions that use the operating system’s resources without inadvertently introducing vulnerabilities to the application, the computer, or the network it’s connected to.
Microsoft Excel. Excel is a useful tool for tracking how a project is progressing and creating reports that outline the success or challenges of an application. It often plays a key role in reporting results to decision-makers and other stakeholders as well.
Text editor. While it may seem more important to understand how to write code, text editor skills shouldn’t be overlooked. With many text editors, you can use keyboard shortcuts to make the entry and editing processes faster and more accurate. There are plenty of text editors you can familiarize yourself with, such as Notepad++, Atom, Visual Code, and others.
Basic networking. In today’s cloud-heavy business environment, networks are essential in facilitating communication between people and systems and the deployment of software solutions. Many Software Engineers will have to understand how a client-server model works, which involves a server that hosts an application, making it available for multiple computers that are connected to its network.
What soft skills should a Software Engineer have?
Soft skills are those skills that, while not necessarily involved in coding, are still essential to the process of designing, producing, and presenting solutions. In many cases, soft skills involve interacting with others on your team or other stakeholders.

Xavier mentions several soft skills involved in the day-to-day lives of developers. He notes that although people often think a Software Engineer spends all day writing code, they have to do a lot more. For example, he says, “You are reviewing other peoples’ code, you’re meeting with other people to talk about how to do things… and you’re relying on other people a lot to do your job.” All of this requires a full set of soft skills.

Communication
Communicating — whether you’re absorbing the ideas of others or presenting your own — is pivotal to the success of a Software Engineer. A good communicator knows how to listen to the needs and ideas of others and incorporate what they learn into their solutions.

Communication also plays a central role in conveying the effectiveness of your solution to managers and executives. Whether presentations or chats across a table, these discussions need to take place to make it easy for the stakeholder to understand what’s going on. And a good Software Engineer needs to be able to get their ideas across in a way that makes sense to people who don’t have a technical background.

As Xavier points out, a Software Engineer has to work with “a Product Manager, a Data Scientist,” and others — all of whom “work together to build something for the user.”

Patience
Despite processing times that can take only nanoseconds, the overall software development life cycle is often very time-consuming. Developing the soft skill of patience will help you:

Get along with team members. They may take an hour to do something you could do in 30 minutes, but, with patience, you can focus on the value of their solution instead of how long it took to create it.
Avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. It’s easy to forget the value of being patient with yourself as a Software Engineer, particularly because you may have worked hard to get faster at some elements of your craft. Still, realizing that some things simply cannot be rushed can significantly benefit the end result.
Work with slower systems. Testing and rollout can often take a long time. You may have a super-fast set up at home or may be coming from a company with a system that’s far faster than what you find in front of you. With patience, you can adjust to different operating speeds without getting frustrated.
Empathy
Empathizing involves putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. It’s different from sympathy, which involves merely understanding how someone else feels. So, an empathetic person can feel the emotions of others and imagine how their challenges impact them on a personal level.

With empathy, you can understand why an executive feels pressure from stockholders to get a solution ready before the next fiscal year begins. You can also understand the feelings of someone else on the team who put in a lot of time and effort — only to have their solution fail, perhaps multiple times.

You can also use empathy to understand the daily concerns and struggles your end-users are facing. This helps you better design your solutions as you focus on solving problems that will make their lives easier. Xavier explains it well as he notes that, “When writing code, you’re actually solving real problems in the world.” Understanding the emotional motivators at the core of these problems requires empathy.

How to write a Software Engineer resume
Your Software Engineer resume, especially if you’re just getting started, doesn’t have to list a long history of jobs, and it certainly doesn’t have to have a computer science degree at the top. The purpose of your resume is to clearly present the qualities and skills you have that will bring value to the organization you’re applying to.

So, it’s important to use verbs that convey the essential things you’ve done — either while working for another company or on personal projects. Some of the verbs to consider using include:

Collaborated
Designed
Modified
Implemented
Determined
Led
Addressed
Resolved
These kinds of verbs should begin the descriptions of what you have done in the past.

Further, you will want to ensure the following elements are included in your technical resume:

Technical skills
Certificates you’ve earned
Courses and training you’ve completed
Awards you’ve received
Any volunteer experience you have, particularly if it incorporates technology or teaching others technical skills
Personal projects you’ve done or are currently working on that exemplify skills your employer may be interested in
Languages you can speak and/or write
How to interview for a Software Engineer position
The process of interviewing for a Software Engineer position will invariably involve answering questions about what you will bring to the company and those designed to test your technical skills. In many cases, you may have multiple interviews, and one may be primarily focused on observing how you solve a problem presented by the interviewer. This is referred to as a whiteboard interview, and during your presentation, you write out your solution on a whiteboard — live, in front of your audience. Here are some things to keep in mind during the various phases of the Software Engineer interview process.

Prepare to answer questions about what drives you
You may be asked why you enjoy being a Software Engineer. It would be best to answer this honestly, but be sure to highlight intrinsic motivations, such as the thrill of solving problems or helping people and organizations. You don’t want only to mention things such as salary, other opportunities it may make available (such as becoming a CIO), or being able to create your own schedule at times if you work from home. While these are all understandable reasons, they can change, depending on circumstances, and may come across as self-serving.

You may also be asked questions about what drives you to work for that particular company. You can highlight things such as:

How your specific skill set can be useful for addressing a challenge the company is facing
How you were inspired by a product, service, or innovation the company produced in the past
How an element of the company’s culture, philosophy, or driving principles align with your sensibilities
Answering these questions correctly will require a good amount of research. You can often find most, if not all, of what you need on the company’s website and other resources online.

Practice and prepare for any presentations or whiteboard interviews
Presenting your work in front of people assigned to judge it can be nerve-wracking. The best way to shed some nerves and deliver a compelling presentation is to get lots of practice ahead of time.

In the case of a whiteboard interview, it’s unlikely that you’ll know the question ahead of time. So, when you practice for this type of interview, it’s helpful to set up your presentation environment by testing out the technology and getting the right lighting.

Also, during the whiteboard interview, remember to:

Ask plenty of questions to clarify the requirements or to buy yourself some time to think and calm down.
Write down all elements of your solutions and talk through them as you proceed, so your audience can fully understand.
If you forget an element of syntax, write something in its place.
Try not to say, “I don’t know.” Instead, you can say you don’t recall or that you would be happy to research the answer and report back.
In some interviews, you may get the chance to present work you’ve done in the past or specific elements of your portfolio. While practicing for this, remember to:

Go through the presentation multiple times, specifically addressing areas that feel weak or thin.
Use good lighting that prevents unnecessary shadowing on your face.
Maintain interactive eye contact with the section of the screen where your audience’s faces will be; don’t bury your head in your notes.
Use gestures as you speak. They convey enthusiasm and personal investment in what you’re talking about.
Smile. It will relax both you and your audience.
We have courses specifically designed to help you perform your best during the interview process. As a Software Engineer, you can check out the following:

Pass the Technical Interview with Java
Pass the Technical Interview with Python
Pass the Technical Interview with JavaScript
Technical Interview Practice with Python
Technical Interview Practice with Java
Technical Interview Practice with JavaScript
Building a Software Engineer portfolio
To build your Software Engineer portfolio, you’ll want to prioritize examples of your work that clearly convey your strengths that will be useful in the position you’re applying for. So, let’s say you’re applying to be a Front-End Engineer, you’ll want to position work you’ve done on user interface design higher in your portfolio than data analyst work. While your portfolio should still include some of the more tangential work you’ve done, you want someone skimming it to easily find what they’re looking for within a few moments.

Here are some other guidelines that will help your portfolio shine:

Research the requirements of the role you’re applying to and cherry-pick samples that pertain to the job
Make sure your portfolio is easy to read and navigate
Use plenty of images and avoid long blocks of text
Thoroughly explain charts and graphs. The reader shouldn’t have to scroll back up a few paragraphs to understand one of your visual elements.
Invest in your own web URL, such as one that incorporates some or all of your name
Ensure your contact information is right at the top. You can have a “Contact Me” page as well.
How long does it take to become a Software Engineer?
The time it takes to become a Software Engineer will vary depending on your circumstances. But, in general, you’ll learn the coding languages and technologies you need to engineer solutions. Then, you’ll start adding to your portfolio of work — even if that means taking on small or one-off jobs — just to build up your portfolio. The time it takes often depends on how much time you have in your schedule to learn the skills you’ll need and then build your portfolio.

With our courses, you can obtain the skills you need and develop your portfolio at the same time. As you interact with teachers and fellow students, you get real-life experience you can use while searching for your first software engineering job and for many years into the future. Start learning with us today for free.

How To Become a Software Engineer Without a Degree in 2022
Kindra CooperKindra Cooper | 10 minute read | November 23, 2021
How To Become a Software Engineer Without Degree
In this article
Do You Need a Degree To Be a Software Engineer?
How To Become a Software Engineer Without a Degre
Resources To Help You Become a Software Engineer Without a Degree
What if You’re Considering a Degree?
FAQs About Becoming a Software Engineer Without a Degree
As the tech industry has continued to boom in recent years, creating exciting jobs that are often coupled with lucrative salaries, it’s no surprise that a growing number of people are making career changes to get in on the action.

While some of those transitioning into the tech workforce already have a background in software engineering or hold a relevant college degree, a growing contingent is starting from scratch, enrolling in specific training programs or bootcamps to shore up their skills and prepare them for a new career. And it’s working. Course Report has found that when it comes to return on investment, coding bootcamps “require less time, less money, and offer nearly equal earnings when compared to a CS degree.” Hiring managers at some of the world’s top tech companies have also stressed the importance of a candidate’s skill and attitude over the school listed on their CV.

All of this is to say that whether you’re new to the workforce or ready to make a mid-career leap, there are paths into software engineering that don’t require a college degree. The following guide offers key strategies for ensuring you have all the necessary skills to do the job and stand out from a competitive hiring pool.

Do You Need a Degree To Be a Software Engineer?
Do You Need a Degree To Be a Software Engineer
The short answer is no, you do not need a degree to be a software engineer. Although a complex and highly technical profession, the skill of software engineering can be self-taught or learned through any number of comprehensive bootcamps or online courses. And, as far as hiring managers are concerned, it makes little difference whether a job candidate learned to code from a four-year computer science degree or a nine-month software engineering bootcamp. Many industry professionals from the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, and Margaret Hamilton were self-taught, and there is no shortage of bootcamp success stories.
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 — in other words, their capstone projects remain prototypes, so they might not have real-world experience in developing and testing complete solutions. Bootcamps and online courses, meanwhile, are geared toward making graduates workforce-ready.

How To Become a Software Engineer Without a Degre
software engineer without degree
Becoming a software engineer requires a significant time investment, and gaining a competitive edge through portfolio projects or certifications can take even longer. But if you’re willing to put in the work, it can lead to a rewarding career.
Perfect Your Prerequisites
Software engineering is a highly technical profession that requires in-depth knowledge of web development tools and platforms, programming languages, and server- and client-side technology. When developing your software engineering skills, but sure to familiarize yourself with the following:
Containers. Containers allow software engineers to optimize for multiple operating systems. Containers bundle the software that engineers develop into virtual packages that can speak to a variety of different operating systems. Proficiency in either Docker or Kubernetes is an increasingly sought-after skill in the software engineering world.
Cloud platforms. As tech continues to shift towards big data, software engineers continue to hone their skills in cloud platforms such as AWS (Amazon Web Services) and GCP (Google Cloud Platform). Cloud platforms allow companies and products to scale and require software engineers to have experience working with cloud-native applications. Products or platforms that promote strengths in data science, artificial intelligence, or machine learning all utilize cloud platforms.
Version control tools (Github). When a software engineer writes code, they store it in a platform called a “source-control.” If teams of software engineers are all writing code for the same product or application, version control tools allow them to collaborate without interfering with each other’s work. Github is overwhelmingly popular and is the best version control tool for software engineering beginners.
Refine Your Coding Skills
Refine Your Coding Skills
All software engineers need to be proficient in one or more of the following programming languages.
Python. Currently one of the most popular programming languages in the world, Python allows software engineers a common and open-source language to use for general-purpose programming. Python offers a dynamic feature set that is portable across a variety of operating systems. Python also has automatic memory management – this means that software engineers don’t have to keep manual tabs on memory management. Python is one of the most key skills for software engineers today.
Javascript. Another general-purpose programming language, Java has nearly a two-decade run of being a foundational object-oriented language and one of the most important skills for software engineers to know. Java is particularly trusted by software engineers due to its strength in security. Also platform-agnostic, Java enables software engineers a reliably safe and design-friendly language that can find them jobs almost anywhere.
SQL. More than 30 years old now, SQL is one of the most
widespread database languages. Software engineers typically aren’t responsible for maintaining or organizing databases, but they do need to understand how to navigate databases so that they can build programs that speak to them.
Ruby. Developed originally in 2011, Ruby is another object-oriented language that software engineers utilize to build web applications at a high pace. Often, Ruby is paired with the Ruby on Rails framework. Open-sourced as well, Ruby also utilizes automatic memory management (or “garbage collection”) to support multiple programming paradigms or features.
Practice With Coding Projects
If you don’t have work experience, this section is the most important part of your resume. Projects can be anything programming-related, be it a Python script, Java program, webpage, or mobile app. Don’t just list the technologies and languages you know; show how you’ve used them. Assuming you’re submitting an electronic copy of your resume, embed hyperlinks to each project within your resume.
Select projects that show a variety of skills, such as using standard frameworks/libraries, understanding full-stack development, creating mobile apps, and setting up a development environment.

Many software developers use their GitHub profile as both a portfolio and a place where they practice coding projects because it shows potential hiring managers all of the open-source projects you’ve contributed to as well as projects you’ve started. Your dashboard indicates at-a-glance how often you commit code and how popular your code is. Consequently, GitHub is one of the first destinations hiring managers go to evaluate a candidate’s web presence.

When it comes to optimizing your GitHub profile, consistent activity on the site is a key factor. Your profile lists your contributions to repositories with a color-coded heat map broken down by month and year. Each individual contribution needn’t be major — it could be a bug fix, feature suggestion, or commit message — but you should make sure you create proper documentation each time. Remember, a good coder also knows how to write documentation for other humans to engage with their code.

When you create your own project, a well-written ReadMe file is one of the most important parts of a good repository. It tells people:

What the code is for
How to build/install the code
How to contribute to the project
When you contribute to an open-source project, write a detailed commit message to explain why you changed the code. This helps a recruiter assess how well you’ll work on a team.

The subject line should describe what was changed in 50 characters or less. Also, include a short annotation about the type of commit, such as a big fix, feature, change to the documentation and so on.
The body should give a more detailed description of the change. This should typically be 72 characters per line to ensure that the message fits into a terminal window when using Git on the command line.
Network or Find a Mentor
software engineer without degree – Network or Find a Mentor
One of the most common ways in which software engineers learn about job opportunities is through word-of-mouth and referrals. Because of this, it’s important to build out a network of industry mentors and peers who, in addition to sharing job news, can also offer professional guidance. If you’re currently enrolled in a bootcamp or online course, make the most of the support network of mentors and career counselors available to you. If you’re working for an organization, proactively reach out to software engineers and managers within the company.
Build a Portfolio
software engineer without degree – Build a Portfolio
Start working on building different applications that showcase your software engineering skills. Think about the kind of position you’d like to hold within a company. Your portfolio should contain a variety of applications to let interviewers see that you can back up the skills highlighted in your resume.
‌Expand beyond the projects you built for school or through a bootcamp. Talk about how your work on different projects impacted your desire to continue pursuing software engineering. Create projects that highlight your innovation and ability to develop solutions that can benefit companies where you wish to apply.

Consider Related Jobs
Taking a related job or internship can be a great way to gain exposure and experience with the problems and skills a software engineer deals with. For example, internships often offer candidates rotations across different departments, giving interns a chance to work on a variety of projects alongside industry professionals. Alternatively, working as a front-end or backend developer can bolster an individual’s programming skills, develop their understanding of design, and build their experience with working on teams.
Practice Your Interview Skills
software engineer without degree – Practice Your Interview Skills
The software engineer hiring process typically involves a portfolio, cover letters, and references. Many organizations also use interview loops to measure a candidate’s talent and qualification for a role, which can involve technical interviews, tests that involve writing algorithms, a coding interview, and a series of questions designed to reveal a candidate’s values.
Many of the interview questions — both technical and behavioral — can be challenging, which it’s why it’s important to prepare as best you can. Many former candidates have shared commonly asked interview questions, mentors and bootcamp instructors can help students workshop their answers, and whether you’re interviewing in person or remotely, read up on the best practices that will ensure a smooth and successful interview.

Work Towards the Job You Want
software engineer without degree – Work Towards the Job You Want
Similar to considering related jobs, your first job in software engineering might not be the one you want. That said, there is immense value in getting a foot in the door and making lateral moves toward your dream job. For example, if you get your start in web design, you can strengthen your technical skills in front end development, learning skills such as CSS, HTML, and Java, which will ultimately be useful in a software engineering role. Alternatively, if you get your start in data science or analytics, the knowledge you develop on data structures, databases, and coding languages such as SQL will make you a stronger software engineer. Every technical and soft skill you gain can bring you closer to the job you want.
Resources To Help You Become a Software Engineer Without a Degree
Whether you’re looking to teach yourself software engineering skills, are a recent college graduate looking for hands-on experience with projects, or you’ve finished a coding bootcamp and are looking for ways to practice your new skills, there are many free resources at your disposal.
CodingBat. CodingBat is a free site of live coding problems using Java and Python. Users don’t have to download or install any software, get immediate in-browser feedback, and can practice writing live code to address short problem statements.
Try.GitHub.io. A free resource to help you learn Git. If you already understand basic Git commands, this guide will help you understand more challenging concepts such as branch, revert, merge, cherry-pick, rebase, and more.
Free Code Camp. A nonprofit repository of tutorials, Free Code Camp offers free lessons in HTML, CSS, Java, SQL, and Python. Students can access coding challenges, interact with an online community, and pair up with other students to work on projects.
Learn Git Branching. Offering both a visual and interactive way to learn Git, Learn Git Branching includes step-by-step demonstrations of powerful Git features, challenging levels, and a sandbox.
LearnPython.org. As the name suggests, LearnPython.org helps students learn Python through tutorials and interactive coding challenges. The website also has counterparts for other programming languages, such as Java, SQL, Perl, Ruby, PHP, and HTML.
What if You’re Considering a Degree?
What if You’re Considering a Degree
If you want to pursue a college degree on your path to becoming a software engineer, below are some degree options to consider.
Degree Paths To Consider
People working in software engineering often hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science. However, a degree in a related field such as mathematics, engineering, physics, or information technology can also offer a path to a software engineering career.

While the average software engineer holds a bachelor’s degree, many also hold a master’s degree in a relevant field. Those who work in more advanced areas of software engineering, such as machine learning and neural networks, might also hold PhDs.

FAQs About Becoming a Software Engineer Without a Degree
FAQ
Still have questions about pursuing software engineering without a degree? Check out our answers below to frequently asked questions.
What Percent of Software Engineers Don’t Have a Degree?
A 2018 survey of software engineers by Overstack Flow found that 27% do not hold any type of college degree. Of all respondents, 86.7% said they had taught themselves programming languages, tools, and frameworks without taking a formal course.

Can I Call Myself an Engineer Without a Degree?
In short, yes. Many software engineers don’t have a college degree in a relevant field (or, in some cases, don’t have a degree at all). What matters to organizations is that a software engineer possesses the relevant technical and soft skills needed to do the job.

What’s a Good Degree To Pursue To Become a Software Engineer?
A bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field such as IT, mathematics, physics, or engineering can help prepare individuals for a career in software engineering.

Ready to switch careers to software engineering?

Springboard offers a comprehensive software engineering bootcamp. You’ll work with a one-on-one mentor to learn key aspects of front-end web development, back-end web development, databases, and data structures and algorithms. Modules include learning resources, practice exercises, projects, and career-related coursework.

Check out Springboard’s Software Engineering Career Track to see if you qualify.

Not quite ready to dive into a software engineering bootcamp?

How can I become a software engineer without a degree?
How to become a software engineer without a degree
Review what you already know about software engineering. …
Enroll in a software engineering certification course. …
Get a job in IT or tech support to aid your learning. …
Take additional certification courses for different programming languages.

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