Become a Software Engineer: Complete Roadmap

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ No fluff. No outdated tutorials. No overpriced bootcamp or degree. This Software Engineer Career Path is your step-by-step roadmap to go from beginner (at any age!) to getting hired as a Software Engineer. 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 Software Engineer.

Ace the coding interview at top tech companies (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix + others) Use the right Data Structures & Algorithms to answer coding interview questions using the optimal solution Become a better Developer by mastering Computer Science fundamentals Insider tips & tricks from Instructors who have worked for big tech companies and have actually gone through and aced the interview process How to ace all of your interviews, get more job offers and a higher salary This Career Path includes: Exact steps to become a Software Engineer and get hired this year Access to our supportive Discord community of 1,000s of students, alumni, TAs and instructors Projects that will challenge you and make your portfolio and resume stand out Unlimited access to all courses, workshops, career paths and resources 224 hours of video 8 courses 36 projects 4 workshops 5 blogs 3 actions

How to Become a Software Engineer & Get Hired

Become a Software Engineer

This Software Engineer Career Path is your step-by-step roadmap to go from beginner (at any age!) to getting hired as a Software Engineer at one of the Big Tech firms like Apple, Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI and others. You’ll be guided through our curated curriculum to ace their tough interviews, and get into a company that pays upward of $300,000/year to their engineers.

Your career path

What You'll Learn

Ace the coding interview at top tech companies (Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia + others)
Use the right Data Structures & Algorithms to answer coding interview questions using the optimal solution
Become a better Engineer by mastering Computer Science fundamentals
Insider tips & tricks from Instructors who have worked for big tech companies and have actually gone through and aced the interview process
How to ace all of your interviews, get more job offers and a higher salary

Action

Python or JavaScript?

Do you know Python or JavaScript? Can you use them well? Although at ZTM we have courses on languages like Rust, C#, Java, Go, PHP, Dart and others, in order to maximize your chances of workings as a Software Engineer, you need to master one of these popular programming languages used at most companies.

Pick one of the two optional courses below: Python or JavaScript (Web Developer), or you can skip these 2 courses if you're already proficient in Python or JavaScript. If you're really eager to learn, then you can do both courses.

Not sure which to pick? Click the button below to get a breakdown of which language is best for you.

Which language is best for me?

Course · optional for you

Beginner

32 Hours ·346 Lessons Complete Python Developer in 2025: Zero to Mastery

Learn Python from scratch, get hired, and have fun along the way with the most modern, up-to-date Python course on the web.

Course Details Take the Course

Course · optional for you

Beginner

40 Hours ·401 Lessons The Complete Web Developer in 2025: Zero to Mastery

Learn to code from scratch and get hired as a Web Developer in 2025. This full-stack coding bootcamp will teach you HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node.js, Machine Learning & more.

Course Details Take the Course

Course

Intermediate

21 Hours ·270 Lessons Master the Coding Interview: Data Structures + Algorithms

The ultimate coding interview bootcamp to ace your coding interviews and land your dream job. Learn data structures & algorithms and the exact steps to take to get more interviews, more job offers, and a higher salary.

Course Details Take the Course

Course

Advanced

38 Hours ·300 Lessons Master the Coding Interview: Big Tech (FAANG) Interviews

Get hired at top tech companies (Google, Amazon, Apple + more)! The only FAANG interview prep course you need to ace the coding interview and get hired at the company of your dreams.

Course Details Take the Course

See whole career path

Still have questions?

Who is this Software Engineer Career Path for?

Anyone who wants a clear step-by-step guide to become a Software Engineer 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 Software Engineer 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 Software Engineer 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 Software Engineer?

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

Lots of jobs available. As we're writing this, there are over 140,000 Software Engineer jobs available on Glassdoor (not to mention Linkedin, Indeed or elsewhere). And it isn't going to slow down. From 2019-2029, Software Developer job growth is projected to be 22% (vs. ~4% for all jobs). More demand for technology means more demand for Developers.
High demand = High salary. The average annual salary for a Software Engineer in the United States is over $99,000 across all levels (entry-level to senior). This amount can also be much higher at major tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook and others.
No degree required. It's possible to get hired as a Software Engineer at the company of your dreams without having any college degree. Historically, you needed a Computer Science degree to get hired as a Software Engineer but times are changing. Many companies, including Google, no long require you to have a CS degree.
Work remotely. Many Software Engineering 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.
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. You also get fast feedback loops on your work. Within minutes you can make a change to a website or app and your Mom could see it live in the real-world. How cool is that!

How long does it take to become a Software Engineer (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 Software Engineer:

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.
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).
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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Become a Software Engineer

Earn on average $123,556 per year

8 Months

Your career path

What You'll Learn

See whole career path

What ZTM students are saying

Meet your instructors

Andrei Neagoie

Yihua Zhang

Mo Binni

Still have questions?

Who is this Software Engineer Career Path for?

Why become a Software Engineer?

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

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

Are there any prerequisites for this Career Path?

How is a Career Path different from a course?

Can I change my Career Path?

Invest in a better you. For less than a coffee a day.

Only pay once, ever