Software Engineer: Choose an educational path

 When thinking about becoming a programmer, there are two main educational paths you can take: getting a college degree or completing an alternative training program. Before you decide which way to go, you will need to think about your goals and future career path.


Let’s look at the first time that involves getting a college degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. Computer science is the most common field for the budding software engineer, as it is available in most schools and trains students in the sets of skills needed to be an effective software engineer.


Certain schools may have a major, minor, or specialized software engineering program. These programs will focus more intensively on the engineering skills you need to develop before entering the field of software engineering. If you are still researching colleges, we recommend that you look at programs that offer some kind of specialization in software engineering.


If you’re wondering how to become a software engineer without a degree - or if it’s even possible - here’s the deal: getting a degree in computer science isn’t the only way to get a job as a software engineer. Many companies will not require you to have a computer science degree as long as you have training and experience in the most important skills in the field for a software engineer. There are even some companies that do not require a college degree for their software engineers!


This means that the second option is an alternative training program instead of going to college or in addition to a college degree. For example, some universities (such as George Washington University and Rutgers University) offer eight to twelve weeks of programming courses that are considered "coding for coding." These bootcams are rigorous, practical, and extremely challenging, but many companies recognize them as an acceptable way to show that you are developing the skills needed to get started as a beginner software engineer. You will often leave these bootcams with a certificate ... but you will not earn a fully developed college degree.


These programs usually require class meetings, assignments, instructor meetings, and a final course project. They can also focus on professionalization, including helping students network with local companies, create resumes, find job opportunities, and prepare for job interviews.

Usually, companies hire IT Specialists to solve technical problems, such as computer systems, software, hardware, networks, cloud platforms, etc. 

But not all of these "bootcamp" programs are the same. There are some software engineer training programs that you definitely should not rely on for employment assistance. Some for-profit companies only offer online-style programming courses that are labeled bootcamps, but aren't really rigorous or respected enough to help you get a software engineering job. Look out for these predatory programs! Make sure the program you join has proven results, is accredited, and / or is affiliated with a nonprofit university.

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