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What are the qualifications and things I need to do in order to become a Software Engineer?
A high school student that has interest in the job.
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3 answers
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Connor’s Answer
Hi Andy!
When it comes to Software Engineering, there are a lot of things you can do.
First thing is first you can get a degree, preferably in Computer Science. Depending on the school, the degree program will give you experience in various programming languages and teach various techniques so you can see what you like. Once you see what you like, then you can pursue it further by taking classes that are focused on what you like (for example if you like web development you can take web-based classes).
The other thing you can do is spend time really learning about and mastering what you enjoy. YouTube has tons of courses to get started, and there are various certifications and other programs you can partake to further your knowledge. Often times, during the interview they are looking to see if you know the material. They want to see that you know a language or technique. They do not always care how you got the knowledge, but that you have it.
You can also freelance some work or create a portfolio of some of your projects. The options are really endless!
When it comes to Software Engineering, there are a lot of things you can do.
First thing is first you can get a degree, preferably in Computer Science. Depending on the school, the degree program will give you experience in various programming languages and teach various techniques so you can see what you like. Once you see what you like, then you can pursue it further by taking classes that are focused on what you like (for example if you like web development you can take web-based classes).
The other thing you can do is spend time really learning about and mastering what you enjoy. YouTube has tons of courses to get started, and there are various certifications and other programs you can partake to further your knowledge. Often times, during the interview they are looking to see if you know the material. They want to see that you know a language or technique. They do not always care how you got the knowledge, but that you have it.
You can also freelance some work or create a portfolio of some of your projects. The options are really endless!
Updated
Craig’s Answer
Hi Andy!
Software engineering is a very broad field but in general it's good to have a college degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science or Software Development. Dependong on your state/country different colleges may offer different courses in this area.
There are many other qualifications that can help you become a software engineer too depending on which area you'd like to work in. Companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, and many others offer industry recognized certifications for specializing in their areas like networking, cloud, IoT, etc.
Agile methology is very popular these days for developing software products and becoming a certified scrum master would be very beneficial.
This is a very broad overview to get you started. There are many more depending on what you would like to specialize in such as Oracle and Spring certifiecations for Java developers.
Dont worry about trying to have them all before finding your first job, you can work towards many of these as part of continuous upskilling in your future career.
Regards,
Craig.
Software engineering is a very broad field but in general it's good to have a college degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science or Software Development. Dependong on your state/country different colleges may offer different courses in this area.
There are many other qualifications that can help you become a software engineer too depending on which area you'd like to work in. Companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, and many others offer industry recognized certifications for specializing in their areas like networking, cloud, IoT, etc.
Agile methology is very popular these days for developing software products and becoming a certified scrum master would be very beneficial.
This is a very broad overview to get you started. There are many more depending on what you would like to specialize in such as Oracle and Spring certifiecations for Java developers.
Dont worry about trying to have them all before finding your first job, you can work towards many of these as part of continuous upskilling in your future career.
Regards,
Craig.
Updated
Heather’s Answer
Hi Andy, great question!
One misconception I had when I first discovered the field of software engineering is that there's only one career path in software engineering. However, there's actually a lot of different paths you can take when it comes to software engineering. You could become a Web Developer, a UX designer, a UX researcher, a project manager, a Front-end or Back-end developer, a quality assurance tester, and even more! There's definitely room for moving around within these fields, so I would suggest taking some time to think about what might be interesting to you.
Generally speaking, to become a software engineer, I think there's a few things that can really take you far in your career. First, knowing at least one programming language very well. There are TONS of programming languages, and it's impossible to be good at all of them. However, if you know just one programming language really well, it will be much easier for you to learn other programming languages as you need. I would suggest looking at Python as a beginning language, because it's a little easier to understand compared to a language like C. In addition to knowing some programming, I think it's important to be good at working in a team. Software engineering is all about collaboration and teamwork, so being able to work well with others is very important. Above all though, being curious and willing to learn is by far one of the most helpful things in software engineering. Software engineering is constantly changing - new programming languages become available, new programming techniques are revealed, new technologies are released all the time! That's why being willing to learn new things and staying curious is so incredibly important. This will take you very far in software engineering.
Software engineering is an exciting field, but don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed by everything that you could possibly learn related to software engineering. You got this!
One misconception I had when I first discovered the field of software engineering is that there's only one career path in software engineering. However, there's actually a lot of different paths you can take when it comes to software engineering. You could become a Web Developer, a UX designer, a UX researcher, a project manager, a Front-end or Back-end developer, a quality assurance tester, and even more! There's definitely room for moving around within these fields, so I would suggest taking some time to think about what might be interesting to you.
Generally speaking, to become a software engineer, I think there's a few things that can really take you far in your career. First, knowing at least one programming language very well. There are TONS of programming languages, and it's impossible to be good at all of them. However, if you know just one programming language really well, it will be much easier for you to learn other programming languages as you need. I would suggest looking at Python as a beginning language, because it's a little easier to understand compared to a language like C. In addition to knowing some programming, I think it's important to be good at working in a team. Software engineering is all about collaboration and teamwork, so being able to work well with others is very important. Above all though, being curious and willing to learn is by far one of the most helpful things in software engineering. Software engineering is constantly changing - new programming languages become available, new programming techniques are revealed, new technologies are released all the time! That's why being willing to learn new things and staying curious is so incredibly important. This will take you very far in software engineering.
Software engineering is an exciting field, but don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed by everything that you could possibly learn related to software engineering. You got this!