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How can a beginner start a career in Software Engineering and what are the most valuable skills to learn first?
Any advice would be helpful
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11 answers
Stefana Muller
VP, Software Engineering
1
Answer
Babylon, New York
Updated
Stefana’s Answer
Beyond coding fundamentals, the biggest missing link for beginners is learning how software is actually built in team environments.
- Work like a engineering team from Day 1. Don't just write local scripts.
- Track your project with Git, open Pull Requests, write commit messages, and host your work on GitHub. Understanding version control early bridges the gap between "coding student" and "hireable developer."
- Learn to collaborate with AI agents: Most engineering teams are adopting agentic workflows with tools like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode. Beginners shouldn't ignore these and at the same time, they shouldn't let AI do all the thinking either. Practice using agents as pair programmers: ask them to review your code, explain complex errors, or draft tests, while ensuring you understand every line that gets merged.
Having hands-on experience and a clear opinion on which AI tool fits your workflow best will make you stand out immediately in technical interviews.
Create a github account
Track your learnings on git in a readme file - this will teach you how to use it.
Use 1 or more ai coding agents to learn the difference between them.
- Work like a engineering team from Day 1. Don't just write local scripts.
- Track your project with Git, open Pull Requests, write commit messages, and host your work on GitHub. Understanding version control early bridges the gap between "coding student" and "hireable developer."
- Learn to collaborate with AI agents: Most engineering teams are adopting agentic workflows with tools like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode. Beginners shouldn't ignore these and at the same time, they shouldn't let AI do all the thinking either. Practice using agents as pair programmers: ask them to review your code, explain complex errors, or draft tests, while ensuring you understand every line that gets merged.
Having hands-on experience and a clear opinion on which AI tool fits your workflow best will make you stand out immediately in technical interviews.
Stefana recommends the following next steps:
Rebecca Tang
Banking
2732
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for yoyr question. I am glad to know you have interest in software engineering.
Below are my suggestions :
1. Pick some simple programming to learn. There are plenty of resources online. Start doing coding.
2. Attend information sessions hosts by computer science or software engineering department colleges and find out entry criteria
3. Select relevant courses in high school and work hard to meet the entry criteria
4. Explore interm opportunities working in software engineering
Hope this helps! Good luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Below are my suggestions :
1. Pick some simple programming to learn. There are plenty of resources online. Start doing coding.
2. Attend information sessions hosts by computer science or software engineering department colleges and find out entry criteria
3. Select relevant courses in high school and work hard to meet the entry criteria
4. Explore interm opportunities working in software engineering
Hope this helps! Good luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Dhara Bhavsar
Software Engineer
2
Answers
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Updated
Dhara’s Answer
To start a career in Software Engineering, especially with the rise of AI, you should actively integrate AI into your learning process. First, decide what kind of applications you want to build. Learn the basics of software engineering, including core concepts and programming languages. As you learn, use AI tools to help build, test, and maintain your applications.
Explore different coding styles and find what works best for you. Focus on how AI can help you achieve your goals and improve your skills in programming and coding best practices.
Explore different coding styles and find what works best for you. Focus on how AI can help you achieve your goals and improve your skills in programming and coding best practices.
Jeyanthi Jeyaram
Software Engineering
3
Answers
San Ramon, California
Updated
Jeyanthi’s Answer
Pick one language. Build something broken. Fix it. Repeat.
Three things that matter most:
Git — learn it before anything else
Projects — two real ones beat ten certificates
Debugging — this is the job
Don't wait until you feel ready. Ship something ugly. Improve it.
The best engineers aren't the ones who know the most — they're the ones who get unstuck fastest.
Three things that matter most:
Git — learn it before anything else
Projects — two real ones beat ten certificates
Debugging — this is the job
Don't wait until you feel ready. Ship something ugly. Improve it.
The best engineers aren't the ones who know the most — they're the ones who get unstuck fastest.
Nidhi Ramoliya
2
Answers
Updated
Nidhi’s Answer
I would recommend beginners start with programming languages like Java, JavaScript, and PHP.
You should also focus on problem-solving skills by practicing on coding websites.
Building small projects and gaining hands-on experience can help you to develop skills and prepare for a career in software engineering.
You should also focus on problem-solving skills by practicing on coding websites.
Building small projects and gaining hands-on experience can help you to develop skills and prepare for a career in software engineering.
Kyle Frizol
2
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kyle’s Answer
Hello - Great question. My recommendation would be to first align with the core skillset for the roles that you are interested in. Then, from there, begin to expose yourself to formal training, certificate programs, Youtube videos, online coding challenges and academies, and overall work on projects for your portfolio, you will slowly gather the knowledge and experience needed.
Ultimately, when aligning with the industry in question, you will find job listing that reflect the skills needed. This is your north star!
Ultimately, when aligning with the industry in question, you will find job listing that reflect the skills needed. This is your north star!
Sarah oommen
Software Architect
4
Answers
Albertson, New York
Updated
Sarah’s Answer
Focus on these key areas, no matter your career path, as strong communication is essential everywhere:
Problem-Solving & Logical Thinking: Learn to break big problems into smaller, manageable steps. This skill is more important than just memorizing details.
Data Structures & Algorithms: Understanding these basics helps you create efficient code and improve performance.
Communication: Being able to explain your technical choices clearly and work well with others is crucial in any job.
Problem-Solving & Logical Thinking: Learn to break big problems into smaller, manageable steps. This skill is more important than just memorizing details.
Data Structures & Algorithms: Understanding these basics helps you create efficient code and improve performance.
Communication: Being able to explain your technical choices clearly and work well with others is crucial in any job.
Oshin Mundada
Software Engineer
1
Answer
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Oshin’s Answer
Hello,
My recommendation would be to start learning the basic constructs of programming using AI. That way you get to cover breadth and depth in an interactive way. The next step would be to get your hands dirty - build something and really understand it. No matter how small, write tests, use Git, deploy to production. That way you really understand the entire lifecycle and that is an important skill to anyone hiring you. Lastly, do some team projects or internships - this builds your interpersonal skills, learning to read other people's code, and understanding requirements and producing deliverables.
My recommendation would be to start learning the basic constructs of programming using AI. That way you get to cover breadth and depth in an interactive way. The next step would be to get your hands dirty - build something and really understand it. No matter how small, write tests, use Git, deploy to production. That way you really understand the entire lifecycle and that is an important skill to anyone hiring you. Lastly, do some team projects or internships - this builds your interpersonal skills, learning to read other people's code, and understanding requirements and producing deliverables.
Theresa Vietvu
Software Arch
1
Answer
San Francisco, California
Updated
Theresa’s Answer
Choose a language that excites you. If you love working on the front end or user interfaces, give JavaScript a try. If you're more into the backend, Python is a great option.
Get familiar with source and version control tools like Git.
Dive into computer science basics, like data structures and algorithms, and learn what makes code work well.
Start building something small that you’d be proud to share with others.
Don't let bugs or errors stop you. Learn to understand error messages and find solutions. You can do it!
Get familiar with source and version control tools like Git.
Dive into computer science basics, like data structures and algorithms, and learn what makes code work well.
Start building something small that you’d be proud to share with others.
Don't let bugs or errors stop you. Learn to understand error messages and find solutions. You can do it!
Jezlea Ortega
Tech Architecture
86
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jezlea’s Answer
The people who break in fastest are almost always the ones who go deep on a few fundamentals rather than skimming the surface of everything at once. Your first move is picking one programming language and committing to it completely until you feel genuinely comfortable before touching anything else. Python is the strongest choice for most beginners because it reads almost like plain English, has an enormous supportive community, and is used across web development, data science, automation, and AI. JavaScript is a close second if you know you want to build websites specifically since it runs natively in every browser.
Once you have a handle on your first language the most important fundamentals to tackle next are data structures and algorithms. These are the building blocks that underlie almost everything in software engineering and they are what technical interviews at most companies will test you on. They feel abstract at first but click into place once you start seeing how they apply to real problems. Resources like CS50 from Harvard, freeCodeCamp, and The Odin Project are all free, well structured, and genuinely excellent starting points that have helped thousands of people break into the field from scratch.
The single most important habit you can build early is making things. Not just following tutorials but actually sitting down with a blank project and building something from your own idea even when it is messy and imperfect. A simple to do app, a personal portfolio website, a tool that solves a small problem in your daily life; these projects teach you more than any course because they force you to problem solve independently rather than following someone else's steps. They also become the portfolio that shows employers you can actually build things, which matters enormously when you are trying to land your first role without professional experience behind you.
Once you have a handle on your first language the most important fundamentals to tackle next are data structures and algorithms. These are the building blocks that underlie almost everything in software engineering and they are what technical interviews at most companies will test you on. They feel abstract at first but click into place once you start seeing how they apply to real problems. Resources like CS50 from Harvard, freeCodeCamp, and The Odin Project are all free, well structured, and genuinely excellent starting points that have helped thousands of people break into the field from scratch.
The single most important habit you can build early is making things. Not just following tutorials but actually sitting down with a blank project and building something from your own idea even when it is messy and imperfect. A simple to do app, a personal portfolio website, a tool that solves a small problem in your daily life; these projects teach you more than any course because they force you to problem solve independently rather than following someone else's steps. They also become the portfolio that shows employers you can actually build things, which matters enormously when you are trying to land your first role without professional experience behind you.
Minglun Li
Machine learning engineer
4
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Minglun’s Answer
My answer would have been different five years ago. Today, at the age of AI, I’d say start by building, and use AI as both a tool and a tutor.
Start with something that interests you: a video game, a mobile app, or anything you find cool. Use AI to help you build a prototype, then ask it to walk you through how it works: why it chose a particular language, how the components fit together, and what the code means. Make changes, test them, and try to understand why something works or breaks.
I'd say the most valuable skill to develop first is learning how to use AI for personal learning. Getting something to work is a starting point, and understanding it well enough to improve it is where the learning happens.
Start with something that interests you: a video game, a mobile app, or anything you find cool. Use AI to help you build a prototype, then ask it to walk you through how it works: why it chose a particular language, how the components fit together, and what the code means. Make changes, test them, and try to understand why something works or breaks.
I'd say the most valuable skill to develop first is learning how to use AI for personal learning. Getting something to work is a starting point, and understanding it well enough to improve it is where the learning happens.