What is the Fastest Way to Learn Software Engineering?

When you've made the decision to learn software engineering, you probably want to get started as soon as you can, so you can build an application or change to a new career as a Software Engineer or Full Stack Developer. The fastest way to learn software engineering is through taking a class, although free resources can give you an overview of the subject.

Free Resources

There are many free videos, podcasts, and blogs about software engineering online. This kind of content can help you get an idea of what web development is and how it works. Noble Desktop offers many free videos on its website, including Intro to React or Intro to Node.js.

While these free resources can provide an overview, this is not a fast or efficient way to learn a new tech skill. Taking a class with an experienced instructor will give you more direct training in coding and save you from wandering around the Internet in search of information. If you are a complete beginner, an introductory class can make learning software development skills much faster. 

Introductory Classes

Introductory classes are short, intensive sessions that can take you from zero skills to accomplished quickly. These classes begin with the basics and build on that knowledge over two or three days. This can teach you specific skills, like building websites with HTML & CSS, using JavaScript for animation, or back end programming with Python.

Each class takes a deep dive into a single topic, and assignments are designed to help you gain a complete understanding of the subject by the end of the class. Bootcamps are great for people who have some knowledge of coding and want to learn more. They are also good for people who want to take their time building up skills because of other time commitments. If you want to change to a new career as a Software Engineer or Full Stack Web Developer, a certificate course is the way to go.

Certificate Courses

While certificate courses take several weeks to a few months to complete, they are not only the fastest but also the most efficient way to learn software engineering skills. Usually made up of several bootcamp classes, certificate courses give you thorough training in all aspects of software development, like coding with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and Python. The assignments in the course are designed to help you understand software engineering and also to put together a portfolio to showcase your abilities.

When it comes to certificate courses, you can choose between in-person and live online classes. In-person classes are led by an instructor in a classroom or computer lab surrounded by students. You can ask questions if you need clarification and network with other students. In-person classes aren't always available, especially if you live in a small town or rural area. Live online classes are held in conjunction with an in-person class. Some students are in the room, while others join the class through a video conferencing platform, but the class format is the same as an in-person session.

When you complete the course, you receive a certificate—usually in digital form—that you can attach to your portfolio website or LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your accomplishment to future employers or clients. Some training programs also offer 1-1 mentoring and career advice as part of the course. Having access to someone who can answer questions and give advice speeds up the learning process as well.

On-Demand Courses

You can also sign up for on-demand software engineering courses. These are pre-recorded sessions that you can watch whenever and wherever you want. On-demand courses are available on subscription platforms like LinkedIn, Coursera, and Skillshare.

If you are highly motivated, you can learn software engineering this way, according to your own schedule. One drawback of on-demand classes is the lack of a live instructor to answer questions, which can slow down the process. 

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.