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How to become a Software Engineer

Becoming a Software Engineer is an in-demand career path. It requires deep expertise in Software Engineering and a strong network to carry you along. Here are some resources to help you on your journey.

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Why should you become a 
Software Engineer?

Software Engineer

Demand for experts in Software Engineering is growing rapidly. Companies are looking for people with deep expertise in the field of Software Engineering to help them build their products and services.

As a result, Software Engineers are in high demand and command high salaries. According to leading sources, the median salary for a Software Engineer is $140,000 and a senior Software Engineer can earn up to $160,000. Even entry-level positions can command great salaries.

No wonder that interest in a career in Software Engineering is growing rapidly. Explore the resources below to learn more about how to become a Software Engineer.

Table of Contents

Best books to build Software Engineering understanding.

A well-written and thorough book can be an amazing path to build deeper understanding and also act as a handbook as you discover the internet's vast resources.

These are our and our experts top picks to get started building career-relevant skills.

Pragmatic Programmer

At least today, code is our door to building algorithms and complex Machine Learning systems. If you want to invest in becoming a more proficient Machine Learning professional faster, investing in code skills is the way to do so.

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Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems

Data is at the center of many challenges in system design today. Difficult issues need to be figured out, such as scalability, consistency, reliability, efficiency, and maintainability. In addition, we have an overwhelming variety of tools, including relational databases, NoSQL datastores, stream or batch processors, and message brokers. What are the right choices for your application? How do …

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Building a Career in Software: A Comprehensive Guide to Success in the Software Industry

Software engineering education has a problem: universities and bootcamps teach aspiring engineers to write code, but they leave graduates to teach themselves the countless supporting tools required to thrive in real software companies. Building a Career in Software is the solution, a comprehensive guide to the essential skills that instructors don't need and professionals never think to teach:…

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Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track

At most technology companies, you'll reach Senior software engineer, the career level for software engineers, in five to eight years. At the career level, your company's career ladder won't require that you work towards the next promotion; being promoted further is an exception rather than expected. This is also when many engineers are first given an opportunity to move into engineering manage…

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Clean Code

Even bad code can function. But if code isn’t clean, it can bring a development organization to its knees. Every year, countless hours and significant resources are lost because of poorly written code. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Noted software expert Robert C. Martin, presents a revolutionary paradigm with Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Martin, who has helped …

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The Mythical Man-Month

Few books on software project management have been as influential and timeless as The Mythical Man-Month. With a blend of software engineering facts and thought-provoking opinions, Fred Brooks offers insight for anyone managing complex projects. These essays draw from his experience as project manager for the IBM System/360 computer family and then for OS/360, its massive software system. Now,…

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Courses to deepen your Software Engineering skills.

These days, courses are no longer a sequence of videos. They are usually accompanied by projects and a learning community, keeping you accountable and on the path.

Our experts recommend these courses, from free selections to paid programs.

API in C#: The Best Practices of Design and Implementation

This course is aimed at all the C# developers, from beginners to seniors. Topics which are covered in the course are relevant for all kinds of C# developers since all developers design and implement APIs. The topics complexity is very different. There are plenty of very simple topics, and at the sa…
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Professional Software Developer Certification

This professional competency certification requires successful completion of Certificates of Proficiency in the following four key knowledge areas: Software Engineering Requirements, Software Engineering Design, Software Engineering Construction, Software Engineering Testing and the successful comp…
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Software Engineering

This course is for anyone who wants to learn software and its processes or Who is interested in computer science and for everyone who is enrolled in the computer science field This course is going to help students in their academic as well as competitive examinations. I have made the use of illustr…
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Automation Test Engineer

This automation test engineer training program is designed to provide you with a complete knowledge of software testing technologies such as Selenium Web Driver, TestNG, Maven, AutoIT, Selenium Grid, Appium, and Docker to help you build a robust testing framework.
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Get help with your learning journey

Learning through online courses can be challenging. Get 1:1 guidance from an experienced mentor who can help you stay accountable and answer your questions along the way.
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Software Engineering Bootcamp

Over nine months you’ll learn job-ready full-stack skills. You’ll work through smaller projects and assessments that reinforce your learnings of front-end and back-end development. Plus, you’ll learn to collaborate with generative AI and code smarter, faster with a new AI learning unit.
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CSSLP – Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional

Earning the globally recognized CSSLP secure software development certification is a proven way to build your career and better incorporate security practices into each phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). CSSLP certification recognizes leading application security skills. It shows e…
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Get the guidance you need to become a Software Engineer

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Only 1 Spot Left

Frank Banks 🇺🇸

Serial Entrepreneur & Software Engineer | Ex-Zynga Lead Systems Engineer at 25+ Years Building Software Products & Startups
5.0 (11)

Hi! My motto is think different and build things. I coded my first web software in the mid-90s and had my first successful exit in 1998. I’ve spent my entire career building software products, for my startups and others, including a stint as one of the first Lead Systems Engineers …
Business & Management Startups Lean Startup Software Engineering Product Development Bootstrapping Fundraising
$140 / month
Only 2 Spot Left

Sina Dibay 🇺🇸

Staff Software Engineer at Meta
5.0 (5)

Meet Moe, residing in San Francisco and currently serving as a Staff Software Engineer at Meta. With over 14 years of experience in the software industry spanning startups and corporations, I have nurtured teams and conducted over 120 interviews within Salesforce and Meta over the past decade. In addition to …
Engineering & Data Software Engineering Distributed Systems Microservices AWS Career Growth Cloud Computing
$360 / month
Only 4 Spot Left

Clarence Chan 🇨🇦

Senior Software Engineer at Meta
5.0 (1)

Hey there, I'm a senior software engineer who has worked at some of the largest technology companies in the world. I've had the chance to go from a fresh-new grad to a seasoned senior engineer who now leads projects across different stacks, cross functional groups and business objectives. I've mentored …
Engineering & Data Team Lead Leadership Software Engineering Engineering FAANG Interview
$220 / month
Only 1 Spot Left

Roger Chen 🇺🇸

Software Engineer at Meta
5.0 (42)

I am currently a tech lead at Meta. My area is platform infrastructure that integrates ML models and serves products including Facebook, Instagram and Oculus. My daily role is to support engineers and managers in the organization with planning, hiring, design review, and XFN collaboration. I have 10 years of …
Engineering & Data Full Stack Backend Machine Learning Career System Design Mock Interviews
$290 / month

Andrii Latyshev 🇵🇱

Senior Software Engineer
5.0 (37)

👋 For nearly 10 years, I've been helping developers of all levels improve their technical skills, overcome fears of challenging tasks, and confidently climb the career ladder. My 5.0-star rating from 36 students on this platform alone proves I’m pretty good at it. 🔥Why should you choose me? Throughout my …
Engineering & Data Java Microservices Spring Architecture Micronaut Hibernate
$180 / month
Only 1 Spot Left

Abhishek Koserwal 🇮🇳

Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat
4.8 (5)

Hello, I'm Abhishek Koserwal, a Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat and a dedicated mentor ready to guide you on your career journey. Whether you're just starting as a software engineer or trying to identify your best career path, I'm here to help you succeed. Designing your career: Together, we'll …
Engineering & Data Career Devops System Design Backend Software Engineering Architecture
$120 / month

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The Software Engineering must-reads you shouldn't miss.

Key articles and posts of industry experts can help you get a better picture of what you are getting into.

In our opinion, these are some must-reads you really shouldn't miss.

70 JavaScript Interview Questions

A collection of 70 real-world JS interview questions, as collected by a full-stack developer in the space. Crucial to go through these as a job hunter and make sure you pass the next interview with flying colors!

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Popular Python Interview Questions

Scheduling your first Python Interview or the first one after a while? Preparing for a Python Coding test? This collection of Python Interview questions should help you getting up to speed.

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Most Essential Coding Interview Questions

On the way to your first coding interview? This is a collection of some of the most common coding, algorithm and engineering questions. Your perfect preparation for your interview!

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Tips from the Software Engineering blog

Learn more about Software Engineering with our expert advice.

From AI Assembly Lines to Orchestrators: Two New Paths Emerging in Software Engineering?

A few months ago, Klarna’s CTO said that AI was already doing the work of mid-level engineers. Shopify and Meta echoed that sentiment. The message was clear: software development is changing fast. However, the more interesting question isn’t whether AI will replace engineers. It’s how it’s reconfiguring the role, and what kind of engineers we’ll need in the future. Because something strange is happening: code quality is being standardized, velocity is skyrocketing, and the core value of the software engineer is shifting. We’re no longer in the age of craftsmanship. We might be entering the age of the AI assembly line.

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    "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

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    "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

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    "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."

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