4 answers
sushila
Student
Gurugram, Haryana, India
1
Question
Updated
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How do I become a software engineer?
My name is Sushila. I am in 9th class. I want to make my career in computers as a software engineer and could use some guidance.
#engineer #software #computer-software #science #computer-programming
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4 answers
David Martin
Principal Software Engineer at Ariba
2
Answers
Updated
David’s Answer
Plan to pursue a college degree in computer science, and, as Matt and Jeff recommend, you should absolutely start teaching yourself to program now. Regarding college, the best thing you can do to prepare is to take your mathematics studies very seriously. If you arrive at university well prepared to take on calculus and higher level math courses, and already having some programming skills, you'll have a very good experience.
Some comments on this: one can certainly make a career in software engineering without a CS degree. I've worked with many good software developers who had degrees in something other than CS, and a few who didn't finish college at all. However, that CS degree will open a lot of doors for you, especially at the beginning of your career. Likewise, it's not a requirement to already know how to program before starting college, but it will definitely make things easier and more fun. Also, the ability to learn on one's own is necessary to succeed in this field. It's like learning a foreign language - you can take language classes, but if you don't also make an effort to use and learn the language outside of class, you won't achieve fluency.
As for which programming languages to learn, I really don't think it matters very much. You might consider playing with multiple languages first, and then pick one you like and "go deep", using it to develop a substantial program. You can find good beginning tutorials online for many languages. Some interesting languages you might want to look at include Ruby, Python, Javascript, Scheme, Lua ...
Good luck and have fun!
Some comments on this: one can certainly make a career in software engineering without a CS degree. I've worked with many good software developers who had degrees in something other than CS, and a few who didn't finish college at all. However, that CS degree will open a lot of doors for you, especially at the beginning of your career. Likewise, it's not a requirement to already know how to program before starting college, but it will definitely make things easier and more fun. Also, the ability to learn on one's own is necessary to succeed in this field. It's like learning a foreign language - you can take language classes, but if you don't also make an effort to use and learn the language outside of class, you won't achieve fluency.
As for which programming languages to learn, I really don't think it matters very much. You might consider playing with multiple languages first, and then pick one you like and "go deep", using it to develop a substantial program. You can find good beginning tutorials online for many languages. Some interesting languages you might want to look at include Ruby, Python, Javascript, Scheme, Lua ...
Good luck and have fun!
Matt Raible
Web Developer, Java Champion, and Developer Advocate at Okta
10
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Matt’s Answer
The best thing to do is start writing code. Create your own app that solves a problem you're having. Then get involved in an open source project. If you'd like to write Java and Angular, there's a great project called JHipster that will generate an application for you. You can download my (free) book on it if you like:
https://www.infoq.com/minibooks/jhipster-4-mini-book
Or you can check out the project at http://www.jhipster.tech.
Hope this helps!
Matt
https://www.infoq.com/minibooks/jhipster-4-mini-book
Or you can check out the project at http://www.jhipster.tech.
Hope this helps!
Matt
Jeff Sloan
Software engineer - firmware Retired
89
Answers
Round Rock, Texas
Updated
Jeff’s Answer
Hi Sushila,
I agree with Matt. You should start writing code. Create a project, contribute to open source projects. There are lots of tutorials on the Internet. I would focus on c++ or Java to start. I would also recommend thinking about a college degree in software engineering, computer science or other related degree programs.
Best of luck! It's a wonderful field and can be lots of fun as well as challenging!
Jeff
I agree with Matt. You should start writing code. Create a project, contribute to open source projects. There are lots of tutorials on the Internet. I would focus on c++ or Java to start. I would also recommend thinking about a college degree in software engineering, computer science or other related degree programs.
Best of luck! It's a wonderful field and can be lots of fun as well as challenging!
Jeff
shibani hegde
Software Engineer
3
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
shibani’s Answer
As you are a student of 9th class, you can become a software engineer in India by doing the following:
1)Opt for a science course in the 11th and 12th standards. In college, you will be taught any one programming language(Java/Python/C/C++). Here, you can start writing code and build simple projects.
2)Try to get into a good engineering college by researching its syllabus, curriculum, and placements of the college. If you can get into some of the best institutions like IITs/NITs, it would be better .You can also take admission to some private reputed engineering colleges.
3)During this course, you are taught C/C++, Object-Oriented Programming, Sorting Algorithms, DBMS, Computer Networks, Data Science, Web Development. You can select any one track of software engineering depending on your interest. At this point, you can start building projects. You can follow the answers given above
1)Opt for a science course in the 11th and 12th standards. In college, you will be taught any one programming language(Java/Python/C/C++). Here, you can start writing code and build simple projects.
2)Try to get into a good engineering college by researching its syllabus, curriculum, and placements of the college. If you can get into some of the best institutions like IITs/NITs, it would be better .You can also take admission to some private reputed engineering colleges.
3)During this course, you are taught C/C++, Object-Oriented Programming, Sorting Algorithms, DBMS, Computer Networks, Data Science, Web Development. You can select any one track of software engineering depending on your interest. At this point, you can start building projects. You can follow the answers given above