How to Become a Software Engineer if You Don't Have a Computer Science Degree

Technology

How to Become  a Software Engineer if You Don't Have a Computer Science Degree.

There isn't just one way to become an engineer anymore. These days you can attend a bootcamp, teach yourself, get a degree, or get an internship. I attend a bootcamp but I Still had to teach myself during it and just figure things out. 

My firs company hired me as an apprentice on a trial basis, After I Proved myself, they hired me as a full-time engineer. I'm now a  published author with one of the biggest engineering publishing companies  in the world. 

Meanwhile, my sister offered to work for free at a company for the first few weeks, just to prove she could do the work. This just goes to show that there are so many paths open to anyone willing to work hard and learn.

If you didn't get a CS degree, that's fine! There are so many other paths to becoming a software engineer. Let's look at a few of them here. 

Bootcamps

A legitimate bootcamp is a great investment in your career. When I graduated from college, I felt a little lost on what I wanted to do next.

I'd always loved coding but had never purchased it. My aunt knew that I was trying to figure out What I should do for my first real career steps, besides internships and part-time jobs in college, and sent me an email about coding bootcamps. This absolutely saved me. 

I had never even heard of a coding bootcamp before. I immediately starting doing a ton of research. It just seemed too good to be true. I read blog post from every single that had been to the bootcamp that I could find online. I read any review I could find. I started emailing students that attended the bootcamp and begging them to answer a few questions.

After I did my Research, I decided to apply to Dev  bootcamp. I was so nervous when I got in. I didn't have the money at the time so I had to take a loan from my parents. I couldn't even find a reasonably priced apartment in San Francisco, so I was Sleeping on a bunk bed with a roommate in a crowded house that had the vibe of Ron Weasley's house but without the magic.

It was the best thing I had ever done.

Fast Forward fiver year's and I'm a senior Software Engineer. I Speak at conferences all the time, Iv'e worked at big public companies such as Eventbrite and Pandora. I've been interviewed  for newspaper and television several times. I've been paid to consult at cutting edge companies, and I'm a published in the world. A coding bootcamp completely changed my life.

But it didn't work out for everyone that attend with me. I out started  out with 50-60 students in my cohort. By the time we graduated, about ten graduated with us. Some had staying behind a cohort to learn a little more. Some dropped out early, While they got a significant refund.

Otherwise decided that engineering wasn't for them partway thought the program when the financial loss was high. Other were asked o leave because they couldn't keep up.

A coding bootcamp in one of the largest pruchases you'll make in you'r life. Do your search. Many horror stories exist online of people who paid $10-20k only to find out the bootcamp was a scam or the teachers were inadequate.

A good bootcamp will start with an online phase first. where you'll learn from your home. It will teach  you the basics concepts of programming so that when you to the onsite portion of the program, you can focus on the tougher engineering with teacher around to answer your questions.

Make sure that you find a program that ask has a phase focused on the interviewing prep and that supplies you with a career team. This was one of the most beneficial parts of  my bootcamp. I got my first engineering job because the bootcamp helped me write out my linkedIn and make my profile stand out. My first company actually found me on linkedin -- I didn't even have to apply.

If you do decide to research coding bootcamp. I recommended you start with the following. Bootcamps: Hack Reactor, App Academy, and Hack bright.

Self-Learning   

If you have the time and can manage your own time well, this  option might be a great fit. It's definitely the toughest choice because you will need to keep to a schedule and stay motivated.

It's important to set goals to keep yourself on track. I recommend starting out with free resources before you commit to a more expensive paid course online. Try the free Code Camp responsive web design course to start out.

Once you've completed a few online coursed, start challenging yourself. Don't just keep following tutorials. Try to build something of your own.

Pick an idea that you're really excited about. If you're really passionate about what you're building, you'll be motivated to keep going. Do yo have any fun website ideas or command line projects you could try to build? Start small but keep increasing the complexity in your projects for you portfolio .