Ever wondered who’s behind the apps you use every day, like Instagram, Spotify, or Netflix? That’s the work of Software Engineers!
Thinking of taking this up for a career?
Well, good news, because in this guide, I’ll pull back the curtains for you and show you exactly what it takes to become a Software Engineer, the skills required in the role, and how to get the experience you need to land a job.
So that by the end of this guide, you can get started right away, and have a step-by-step career path to follow.
Let's get into it...
How to become a Software Engineer without a degree!
Just a quick heads up. This guide is based on our Software Engineer career roadmap:
Become a Software Engineer
16 milestones 12 courses
Step-by-step roadmap where you'll learn to code and build a portfolio.
Curated curriculum of courses, workshops, challenges, projects, and action items.
Become a Software Engineer from scratch and actually get hired.
Earn on average per year:
$143,556
US salary data collected from Indeed, LinkedIn, and Web3.career 2026.
You can follow that roadmap in the future as a quick reference, but keep reading this article, because I'll go into more detail so you understand what to learn and why.
Optional step. Speed up your learning
Because you're going to be learning a lot of new skills, I recommend taking a slight detour and checking out this guide or, better still, this course first:
![Learning to Learn [Efficient Learning]](https://images.ctfassets.net/aq13lwl6616q/6VWcUgLgG0SU55ORlILe2S/e186361aeb48561bcd19ae6486577022/Learning_to_Learn.jpg?w=1200&h=672&q=50&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
Average time to learn: 5.5 hours
It seems insane to say, but schools are not great at teaching people because they focus on memorization techniques, which are proven not to be that effective long-term.
The thing is, there are multiple different learning techniques that you can use, which make all of your future learning efforts far more effective. This means that if you know the techniques, you can understand faster and more efficiently, so less back and forth.
I know it might feel like a step backward or even a detour, but think about it like this:
You can learn the core principles in a few days and then immediately start putting them into practice
You're going to learn everything else from now on 2x faster and retain way more as well
This is a skill that you can keep developing over time and will serve you for your entire career, guaranteed
Bear in mind that there are a lot of different languages and frameworks that you need to learn if you want to go full-stack, specialize, or move into more senior roles.
So why not learn how to cut down on that time, improve your comprehension, and pick up skills faster and easier first? The time and energy savings will seriously compound as you go through the rest of the content you need to learn.
Step #1. Learn the core skills
Alright, so time to learn the main skills. 90% of your time will be spent here, but just work through them in order, and you'll be fine.
Learn JavaScript
There are a few different language options that you can use as a Software Engineer, such as Python, Java, C++, or JavaScript. However, I recommend starting with JavaScript unless you want to work at a company that specifically uses one of these other languages.
Why JavaScript?
It’s fairly easy to learn as a complete beginner
It’s used in a lot of front-end development
It’s also used on the back-end for full-stack, depending on the frameworks you use
And good news?
I teach you how to learn JavaScript as well as some of the core skills for Software Engineering in the course below:
Average time to learn: 90 days
Wait, Web Development?
Good catch! However, there is a large overlap between Front-End Web Development and Front-End Software Engineering. Hence, if you learn the skills in this, you can work in either role.
My bootcamp course above will also teach you HTML, CSS, React, as well as an introduction to Node.js and SQL, which is what you might use on the backend, so it’s the perfect starting point for your coding journey.
You can actually check out the first 6 hours of that course for free below:
Just be aware that these free videos can be slightly dated, while the courses are updated multiple times per year.
Learn the basics of Prompt Engineering
So, now that you have the core coding skills under your belt, it's time for a slight detour into Prompt Engineering and AI.
Why? Well, more and more companies are asking for experience with generative AI tools like ChatGPT in their job interviews nowadays. The reason for this is that if you can use these effectively, you can work far more effectively than the average person.
Having these AI skills makes you an incredibly desirable hire vs your peers. Not only that, but it can make your life far easier also as you go through the next courses.
To be clear, though, AI isn't a replacement for learning to code! But if you can learn to code first, then you can use it to help speed up your process.
That's why I recommend you learn it next:
Average time to learn: 24 days
This program will help you learn how LLMs actually process instructions, why they sometimes ignore what you ask, and the specific techniques that get predictable results.
You can check out the first 5 hours of this course for free below:
Once you've got that under your belt, it's time to learn some core Computer Science knowledge.
Learn Data Structures and Algorithms
So why bother to learn about this?
While yes its true that this information will come up in hiring interviews later on, it's also worth learning now simply because these are the Computer Science fundamentals that everything is built upon.
The biggest struggle people have with learning full-stack is that they learn to use the tools, but don't understand the limitations working in the background. So learn about Data Structures and Algorithms now, it will make you a better programmer and actually save you time and effort later on.
Average time to learn: 40 days.
And while we're on the subject of learning Computer Science skills, let's take it a little further.
Learn how to solve FAANG algorithm interview questions
Advanced algorithmic questions and system design are often required for interviews at big tech companies, such as those in the FAANG (Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) group or the Magnificent 7 (Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Google, Nvidia, Tesla).
Mastering these concepts will not only prepare you for high-level interviews and help you get hired at these companies, but it will also improve your problem-solving skills and enable you to write more efficient, scalable code, so learn this next:
Average time to learn: 45 days.
Sidenote: By this point, you could technically apply for front-end software engineer roles here and jump to Step #2 if you wanted. However, full-stack roles pay a lot more, so let's keep going and learn all the skills to become a full-stack Software Engineer.
Learn System Design
System design is about understanding how all the pieces of an application fit together. Knowing how different components interact, how data flows through a system, and how you make sure everything keeps working reliably as things grow.
If it sounds like advanced territory, that's because it is usually focused on by more senior roles. However, the truth is that even as a junior engineer, you'll be working inside systems that someone designed. So understanding how those decisions get made makes you a better engineer at every level, not just a more impressive interview candidate.
That's why this is an essential skill for advancing to senior or full-stack positions:
Average time to learn: 40 days.
You'll learn mental frameworks for approaching any system design problem, which is genuinely useful whether you're building your own projects, contributing to a team, or sitting in a technical interview.
Learn SQL
Think about any app you use that has an account, a purchase history, or saved preferences. All of that data has to live somewhere, and SQL is the language you use to work with it. Almost every application will store some kind of data in a database.
For example
User accounts
Orders
Messages
Settings
Etc
Well, SQL is how you create, retrieve, update, and manage all of it, so you need to know SQL if you want to work full-stack:
Average time to learn: 45 days.
You'll learn how to query and manipulate data, design database schemas, and understand when to use different types of databases for different situations.
And good news? You can watch the first 8 hours of this SQL course for free below:
That said, SQL on its own only handles the data layer. To actually build and connect a full backend, you'll need a few more tools in your toolkit, which is exactly what the next step covers...
Learn the junior to senior skills
Everything you've learned so far gets you hired. But this is what gets you promoted.
By this point you've learned JavaScript, data structures and algorithms, system design, SQL, and some Node.js and backend fundamentals. This is where you bring all of that together:
Average time to learn: 60 days.
So why bother learning this if it's more senior skills and you haven't even been hired yet? Simply because the things you need to learn for this (which most juniors skip) aren't that huge, so if you can learn this, you'll stand out a mile against other candidates.
Why?
Well, not only will you have the skills, but you'll also understand how to deploy code reliably, how to secure an application, how to make it perform well under real traffic, and how to work with the infrastructure that runs it all in production.
This course covers the real-world tools and practices you'll find at every serious tech company: Docker, AWS, SSH, Redis, TypeScript, CI/CD pipelines, performance optimisation, and security. The stuff that turns someone who can write code into someone who can own a project end to end.
Which is why you'll actually build a full image recognition app along the way, which ties together a lot of what you've learned and makes for a strong portfolio piece going into interviews.
Speaking of getting hired...
Step #2. Build a portfolio to prove you can do the work
Want to know something cool?
Tech companies don't really care about your qualifications. What they actually care about is whether you can do the work. This does mean, though, that you have to prove it via in-depth interviews and by having a portfolio of your work.
The good news is that fellow ZTM instructor Dan Schifano goes through each of the tasks to set up a portfolio in his course on personal branding, as well as some other great tips to help you stand out even further.
Average time to learn: 1-2 weeks.
Once you've built your portfolio, make sure to go ahead and add all your projects to it that you've built so far during the course of this roadmap.
Step #3. Apply for Full-Stack Software Engineer jobs
Alright, now it's time to apply for jobs and get hired!
However, if this is your first-ever tech job, you need to understand that the hiring and interview process at tech companies is different from those you might have worked before.
It can vary based on the company, but the process is usually:
An online quiz when you first apply (although not everyone will do this). It’s a simple filter to see if you’re worth spending one-on-one time with, as they get thousands of applicants
A basic technical assessment done from home
An in-person technical interview where they ask you how to solve specific software engineering questions
Potentially a final project to complete that would replicate your daily work. This will give them an idea of how you work, as they want to hire people who are not only capable but can deliver on time
A behavioral interview to see if you would make a good team fit
Yes, it's more effort than a normal job, but for 6-figures in salary and no degree required, I think you can agree it's worth the effort and money saved!
So, how do you pass the interview?
Well, if you're a ZTM member, then I HIGHLY recommend you check out my course on getting hired at your dream job:
Average time to learn: 12 days.
I cover the entire application and interview process in detail, including my technique, where I get a 90% interview success rate!
This ties in perfectly with everything you learned during the Data Structures and Algorithm course, as well as the FAANG interview prep, so you can smash your interview and get that job!
What are you waiting for? Become a Software Engineer today!
So there you have it, the entire roadmap to becoming a Full-stack Software Engineer in less than 12 months.
Is it a lot to learn? Yes. But all it takes is just one step at a time.
All you have to do now is simply start learning and follow the path. Time will pass either way, but your career could look very different if you set your mind to it!
P.S.
Want some great news?
All of the courses I’ve mentioned in this guide are included in a single Zero To Mastery Academy membership. That means if you become a member, you have access to all of these courses right away and will have everything you need in one place.
Plus, as part of your membership, you'll get to join me and 1,000s of other people (some who are alumni mentors and others who are taking the same courses that you will be) in the ZTM Discord.
Ask questions, help others, or just network with other Software Engineers, students, and tech professionals.
Make today the day you take a chance on YOU. There's no reason why you couldn't be applying for Software Engineering jobs just 6 months from now.
So what are you waiting for 😀? Come join me and get started on becoming a Software Engineer today!
