How to Become a Software Developer

To carve out a successful career, you need to be clear on where you’re going. Do you see yourself scoring a software engineer job at a huge tech company like Google? Or working freelance as a web developer? Being clear on your career goals as a junior developer will set you up for long-term success.

You should also figure out whether you want to work as a back-end, front-end or full-stack developer so that you can start building the most appropriate skills for the position.

To get into software development, you’ll want to know your way around a handful of programming languages. Remember that complete mastery of every major language is not needed. In fact, once you thoroughly understand a particular language or stack, it’s fairly easy to pick up another one. You should therefore be looking to learn the fundamentals of programming, which you can then apply to your further learning. When choosing your first programming language to pick up, consider a popular one like Python, Javascript, CSS, PHP or Ruby.

There are a few different types of development that you can choose to pursue. This includes web development, DevOps, mobile application development, and technical stack. Explore a few different ones to figure out which one might be your calling, and hone in on this one to increase your employability and value.

While a degree isn’t necessary to enter software development, certifications are always a good idea to help you become a more competitive candidate. Employers want to see that you are constantly refining your skills and are up-to-date with the relevant software applications, operating systems, and programming languages. You can choose to get certified directly from a technology vendor like Microsoft or Cisco, an education provider, or a professional organisation.

Next, you’ll need some practical experience to back up your theoretical learning. Internships, coding bootcamps, hackathons and web development meetups are all great avenues, allowing you to put your skills to use in real-world scenarios. Building your own projects is also a fantastic way of flexing your newfound talents, as is contributing to open source.

Software development is a collaborative industry, meaning it’s important to network and consistently learn from your peers. Conferences are a great way of staying on top of the latest products, technologies and business practices, while hackathons allow you to keep your skills fresh with other like-minded people. Who knows, you might even come across a recruiter at these events!

Now that you’ve built the relevant skills and experience for a career as a software developer, it’s time to start preparing for the job application and interview processes. Fine-tune your resume, cover letter, and online presence (namely LinkedIn, GitHub, and your portfolio site). Then, all you need to do is ace your job interview!