Become a Backend Developer

No fluff. No outdated tutorials. No overpriced bootcamp. This Backend Developer Career Path is your step-by-step roadmap to go from beginner (at any age!) to getting hired as a Backend Developer. You’ll be guided through our curated curriculum of courses, workshops, challenges, and action items to build your skills, portfolio and experience to become a Backend Developer.

Earn on average $119,222 per year

US salary data collected from Indeed, LinkedIn, and Web3.career 2024.

6 Months

Average time students take to complete this career path.

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Your career path

What You'll Learn

  • Build enterprise-level backend applications and deploy them to the cloud (AWS)
  • Learn to build secure and performant, large-scale applications like a Senior Backend Developer
  • Strong focus on security best practices so you can be confident with your deployments
  • Authentication, File I/O, Databases (SQL, MongoDB), Express Framework, Sockets, plus many other important topics a Backend Developer should know
  • How to ace all of your interviews, get more job offers and a higher salary
Course
Intermediate
Complete Node.js Developer in 2025: Zero to Mastery
48 Hours ·447 Lessons Complete Node.js Developer in 2025: Zero to Mastery
Learn Node.js from two industry experts. The only NodeJS course you need to learn Node, build large-scale apps from scratch, and get hired as a Backend Developer or Node JS Developer. Go from Zero to Node Mastery.
Course DetailsTake the Course
Course
Intermediate
Career Advice: Interviews & Getting Hired
3 Hours ·50 Lessons Career Advice: Interviews & Getting Hired
This course teaches you to nail job interviews with prep tips, common questions, and smart answers—all to boost your chances of landing the job!
Course DetailsTake the Course
Action
Apply To 5 Jobs

Believe it or not, you now have enough skills to start applying to jobs and even get hired! This process usually takes a while and it's good to start even if you don't feel "ready". Apply to 5 jobs online right now and see what happens. You don't even need to "want" these jobs. The goal is to practice applying and practice going through the interview process. Once you finish applying to 5 jobs (you don't need to hear back), move on to the next step in this Career Path.

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Course
Beginner
Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp
26 Hours ·293 Lessons Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp
This SQL Bootcamp will teach you SQL, database management, and database design using real-world exercises working with all database types. No experience needed.
Course DetailsTake the Course
Course
Advanced
Master the Coding Interview: System Design + Architecture
4 Hours ·28 Lessons Master the Coding Interview: System Design + Architecture
Become a Senior Engineer. Learn the systems and architecture of web applications. Understand the technologies and trade-offs needed to design the right system.
Course DetailsTake the Course

See whole career path

What ZTM students are saying

Our courses and community have helped 1,000s of Zero To Mastery students go from zero to getting hired to levelling up their skills and advancing their careers to new heights.

Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot

    Meet your instructors

    Your Career Path instructors aren’t just experts with years of real-world professional experience. They have been in your shoes. They make learning fun. They make complex topics feel simple. They will motivate you. They will push you. And they go above and beyond to help you succeed.

    Andrei Neagoie

    Andrei Neagoie

    Lead Instructor
    Adam Odziemkowski

    Adam Odziemkowski

    Node Instructor
    Mo Binni

    Mo Binni

    SQL and Mobile Instructor
    Yihua Zhang

    Yihua Zhang

    React & System Design Instructor

    Still have questions?

    Who is this Backend Developer Career Path for?

    Anyone who wants a clear step-by-step guide to learn to code, become a Backend Developer from scratch and actually get hired. Oh ya, and you don't want to waste your money on overpriced bootcamps and degrees.

    Also, let's be honest. Some of the topics can be a little dry. So, we're even going to have a bit of fun along the way. No way! Crazy right?!

    This Backend Developer Career Path is perfect for you if:

    • You're a complete beginner (of any age!) and want a full bootcamp + CS Degree curriculum and experience without having to pay $1,000s
    • You don't want to waste your valuable time. You want to learn everything needed to become a Backend Developer in one place
    • You want to build real-world, full-scale projects that will push you, challenge you and make your portfolio and resume stand out
    • You don't want to learn and take this journey alone. You will learn alongside 100s of other students at your same level and 1,000s more that are just a few steps ahead of you
    • You can handle our amazing sense of humour (it's not spelled wrong, we're Canadian... see what we mean... you've been warned)

    And it's definitely for you if you're sick of:

    • Outdated coding tutorials
    • Free courses and tutorials that don't go beyond the basics
    • Learning topics and concepts that are mostly irrelevant in the real-world and don't even get asked in interviews
    • Courses with no community or support system
    • Tutorial hell
    • Feeling like you're going in circles with no clear path or end in sight

    Let's be 100% clear. You aren't going to do 100 coding challenges or 50 projects or learn topics that aren't going to get you hired or even be used in the real-world. That's a waste of your time.

    The sooner you get hired, the sooner you'll be learning more than you can from any course. That's our goal.

    Why become a Backend Developer?

    Everyone has their own reason(s) as to why they want to become a Backend Developer. But here are a few of the best reasons:

    1. Lots of jobs available. As we're writing this, there are over 4,000 Backend Developer jobs available on Glassdoor (not to mention Linkedin, Indeed or elsewhere). And it isn't going to slow down. More demand for technology means more demand for Developers.
    2. High demand = High salary. The average annual salary for a Backend Developer in the United States is over $100,000 across all levels (entry-level to senior).
    3. No degree required. It's very possible to get hired as a Backend Developer without having any college degree. You also definitely do not need a Computer Science degree to be a Backend Developer.
    4. Work remotely. Many backend development jobs are remote. Work from the comfort of your own home, a coffee shop or even while travelling the world. Some roles even allow you to work on your own schedule.
    5. It's fun. And rewarding. You get to have a real-world impact. The work you're doing on a daily basis can have a huge impact on hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people.

    Generally, Backend Developers are more logic-focused and Frontend Developers are more design-focused. Some Developers say they believe the backend is "where the magic happens" (just don't tell your Frontend Developer friends). Many Developers do some of both, they're called Fullstack Developers. If you like problem-solving, backend will be right up your alley.

    How long does it take to become a Backend Developer (and complete this Career Path)?

    Everyone is different. So it's hard to give a specific amount of time. The two biggest variables are the number of hours per week you're dedicating to completing the steps in the Career Path and your current experience level.

    Don't hold us to it but here's a rough guideline based on feedback we've received from past ZTM students on how long it takes to become a Backend Developer:

    1. 20-40 hours a week = 4-6 months. Students who have started from scratch as complete beginners (no matter their age!) and spend a few hours per day.
    2. 40-80 hours a week = 2-3 months. Students who are able to learn basically full-time and/or already have some experience (ex: CS students / Coding Bootcamp grads).
    3. 0-10 hours a week = 7-12+ months. Students from all experience levels but are only able to dedicate a few hours a week.

    What’s the ZTM Discord community and how can it help me?

    The ZTM Discord is our exclusive online community for ZTM students, alumni, TAs and instructors.

    How it helps you, short version: Increase the chances that ZTM students achieve their current goals and help them continue to grow throughout their career.

    Longer version: Learning alone is hard. We've all been there. We've all tried to learn new skills and struggled. It can be frustrating, daunting, and just plain challenging, especially if you're trying to change careers.

    We feel strongly that the Zero To Mastery Discord community is an essential part of the learning experience and greatly increases the chances for students to achieve their goals.

    It's crazy to think that Colleges and Coding Bootcamps charge you tens of thousands of dollars to provide you with this type of experience. It doesn't have to be that way!

    In fact, ~20% of ZTM students are also enrolled at a College or in-person Coding Bootcamp but feel like they just aren't getting all of the skills and support they need. But with ZTM, they do.

    Within the Zero To Mastery Discord community, you can:

    • Connect with other Developers, Engineers, Data Scientists, Designers
    • Form study groups and complete ZTM Career Paths and Courses together
    • Ask questions and get advice from other people at your same level as well as more experienced professionals
    • Get feedback on projects
    • Meet other students around the world (and likely even someone from your hometown!)
    • Learn how to answer questions and help other students which will accelerate your own learning
    • Get help from others with questions and exercises
    • Work on coding challenges and real-world open-source projects with other students

    It’s pretty awesome to see many ZTM alumni also active every single day, continuing to engage with the community, give back, and level up their own skills and career.

    Are there any prerequisites for this Career Path?

    A computer (Windows/Mac/Linux) and access to the internet. That's it! No previous experience is needed.

    If you haven't already, take our tech career path quiz. We'll give you our recommendation for which path is the best fit for you.

    How is a Career Path different from a course?

    Career Paths are like a full College curriculum. Our Career Paths give you the exact courses, workshops, challenges, articles and actions to take to go from absolute beginner to getting hired.

    Career Paths start with ensuring you know the foundations from scratch. But they go far beyond by teaching you advanced topics and non-technical skills that are essential for your career but aren't taught in Computer Science Degrees or Coding Bootcamps.

    Courses are more focused. Different courses have different goals. Some courses are a great fit for experienced Developers, Engineers and Programmers who want to level-up their skills in a specific topic or framework. Other courses cover a wider range of topics teaching the foundations and fundamentals for beginners.

    Can I change my Career Path?

    Yes. You can change your Career Path anytime. As a member of Zero To Mastery, you have unlimited access to all ZTM courses, workshops, challenges, articles and other materials needed to complete any of the ZTM Career Paths.

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