What is the Best Course to Learn Software Engineering?

The best course for learning software engineering will depend on where you are starting and what your goals are. Another consideration is your budget. How much can you afford to pay for classes? How much time do you have for studying and attending class? What class format do you prefer? Let's take a look at the differences in software engineering classes and which one might fit you the best.

Are You New to Software Engineering?

If you are a complete beginner when it comes to software engineering and coding, an introductory course is the place to start. You will learn the basic skills and build on those as you progress. If you want to pick up some skills in HTML and CSS coding, add responsiveness to a website with JavaScript, or build the back end with Python, a bootcamp is a good choice. These classes focus on a deep dive into one topic. If your plan is to change to a career as a Software Engineer or Full Stack Web Developer, a certificate course will give you the skills you need to succeed. These multi-session courses start with the foundations of software engineering and include skills in many different aspects of the field.

Do You Want to Upskill in Software Engineering?

If you have decided to change to a career in software engineering, a bootcamp class can help you upskill in different areas. If you want to learn more about what JavaScript libraries can do or, how to use Python's Django framework, a software engineering certificate course will cover those topics.

How Much Can You Afford to Pay?

Cost is a further consideration when you decide what software engineering course is best for you. Costs differ between training programs, and tuition can run between $3,000 and $15,000 for a full certification course. Bootcamp courses are shorter and cost between $300 and $1,200, so it is possible to take shorter courses one at a time to learn the skills you need. If you have limited funds for training, you can also enquire about financial aid and student loans that might be available. 

How Quickly Do You Need to Learn New Skills?

When you sign up for a class, you will need to set aside time to attend class, complete assignments, possibly commute, and fit this in among time spent at a job or with family and friends. If you have the time, taking a full-time software engineering course will get you the skills you need quickly, but if that doesn't work for you, there are other options. Some programs offer part-time classes. These take longer to complete but fit into your other commitments better.

Do You Prefer In-Person or Online Training?

You will also need to decide which learning environment works best for you. If you prefer in-person classes, you can usually find those in larger cities or at community colleges. These are traditional classroom sessions with an instructor and students in a classroom or computer lab. Live online classes run at the same time as an in-person session, with some students logging on through a video conferencing platform. Online students can ask questions and talk to other students during breaks, work together on group assignments, and get help from the instructor if they need it. You can access a live online class from anywhere that has internet access.

Learn Software Engineering Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop's Software Engineering Certificate can give you the skills you need to start a new career in the software development industry. This program is divided into four sections: front end development, React Development, and Django (Python) Development. In this program, you will learn the most pivotal skills needed to secure a career in software and web development. The assignments in the course are designed to help you create a portfolio of projects, and the course also includes interview preparation, practice responding to common interview questions, how to polish your resume and LinkedIn profile, and tips for applying to jobs. 

Noble's Full Stack Web Development Certificate covers developing every aspect of a digital application or webpage. You’ll learn how to program the visual appearance of a web application (the front end) and the infrastructure that allows it to function (the back end) to create complete webpages. In this course, you’ll learn how to use programming languages like HTML/CSS and JavaScript to program memorable, interactive webpages. You’ll also use the MERN tech stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js) to add databases, APIs, AWS and other server environments, and interactivity for those web applications. The Full-Stack Web Development Certificate provides students with a robust programming education that can help them break into the in-demand world of web development, software engineering, and computer science.

This is a project-oriented course that teaches students how to code a website from scratch. By the end of the course, you’ll have developed a portfolio of working web applications that you can take with you onto the job market. This course also includes portfolio and job search help. You can also attend Noble's SQL and WordPress Bootcamps for free as part of this certificate course.

If you prefer, you can take these Noble classes included in the certificates one at a time. Web Development with HTML & CSS covers building websites with HTML & CSS; creating multi-page websites with text, images, and graphics; styling with CSS; and uploading files using FTP. 

Advanced HTML & CSS includes important CSS concepts like positioning, advanced selectors, and relative type sizing. You will also learn to work with multiple background images, transparent color using RGBA, CSS gradients, and shadows. The course also covers creating animated effects with CSS transitions and transforms.

Flexbox, Grid, and Bootstrap covers laying out and aligning website content with CSS Flexbox. Learn CSS Grid to layout websites and Bootstrap to build layouts quickly.

JavaScript for Front End teaches you to make dynamic and engaging websites with JavaScript and GreenSock. Learn the basics of JavaScript and how to use free pre-made JavaScripts to add functionality. Create animated slideshows and build animated image enlargers.

Noble's Python Programming Bootcamp covers built-in data types and their behavior and Control Flow Statements, the programming essentials used across many languages. You’ll also learn how to professionally structure your programs and solve real-world challenges by creating objects in Object-Oriented Programming. In addition to covering these core programming concepts, we’ll also discuss the most common coding interview questions and demonstrate the best programming practices used by professionals. Throughout this course, you’ll practice these new skills by working on programming exercises with instructor guidance. By the end of this course, you’ll have a portfolio of projects and code samples on GitHub to show to employers.