Can I Learn Software Engineering For Free?

You can learn some basic coding concepts for free, but mastering advanced software engineering skills will require more formal training. Free seminars and tutorials provide a good introduction, but classes are the best way to learn software engineering skills. 

What Free Resources are Available for Learning Software Engineering?

Free resources can get you started with software engineering. Seminars, step-by-step tutorials, podcasts, and blogs provide a good introduction.

Free Seminars

Watching free seminars can help you understand the basics of software engineering and coding. Noble Desktop offers many free videos on its website, including free seminars like Intro to React or Intro to Node.js to give you an overview. The videos are each about an hour long and are presented by instructors experienced in software engineering. 

Tutorials

The Odin Project offers free tutorials on web development and coding, like Intermediate HTML and CSS, Advanced HTML and CSS, JavaScript, and Python. These are prerecorded tutorials, blogs, and courses with projects and a community of developers to interact with. You can also find many free tutorials on YouTube.

Podcasts

Podcasts are another free resource for learning software engineering. Some options are Software Engineering Daily, CodeNewbie, Software Engineering Radio, and Programming Throwdown. These presentations are useful for learning to code and for keeping up with new developments in the field.

Blogs

Blogs are another free resource for people who are looking for an introduction to software engineering. Like podcasts, blogs are also a good way to follow changes in the field. Some of the top software engineering blogs are from Coding Horror, Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute Blog, Several People Are Typing, Dev.to, Hackernoon, MartinFowler.Com, Fingent, Pinterest Engineering, and A List Apart. 

How to Make Use of Free Software Engineering Resources

While free materials won't get you into a new career as a Software Engineer, they are still useful. In addition to providing an introduction to the field, you can use them to prepare to take a class, delve deeper into a subject, or find out about new developments.

If you would like to explore what software engineering is about, you can watch prerecorded seminars and listen to podcasts to get an overview of the field. Free resources can help you learn what terms mean and become familiar with basic coding processes, which can give you a head start when your class begins. 

Another use for free resources is to dig deeper into a subject that might be a challenge, like JavaScript and Python libraries and frameworks. You can find numerous brief tutorials, like Noble Desktop's Intro to React or Intro to Node.js, to give you extra practice in learning these skills.

Limitations of Free Resources

While they are free, seminars, tutorials, podcasts, and blogs can only go so far when your goal is to change to a new career as a Software Engineer. In some cases, their focus is too broad to cover topics completely, and in others, they are too specific.

Introductory videos can give you an idea of what Software Engineers do, but they don't go into enough detail for you to learn how to plan your own campaigns. There is no one to answer questions if you don't understand something or rephrase points you don't understand. 

Podcasts and blog posts can have the opposite problem. The audience for these resources is often experienced Software Engineers and the topics can be beyond beginners. This isn't true of all podcasts and blogs, but you can spend a lot of time sifting through material to find something relevant to you.

What to Do After Utilizing Free Software Engineering Resources

After watching some introductory seminars, your best bet for gaining the software engineering skills you need to switch careers is to take a class. You can choose between shorter bootcamp classes and certification courses that are designed to take you from beginner to experienced Software Engineer in several months.

Classes like Noble Desktop’s Software Engineering Certificate can help you learn software engineering more easily than trying to teach yourself for free. In-person classes have instructors who can answer your questions and give you help when you need it. They are easy to find in large cities, but if you live in a smaller town or rural area, it might be more difficult. Live online classes run at the same time as an in-person class but are available from anywhere, with some students in the classroom and others logging on via video conferencing.

You can also find self-paced classes on subscription platforms like LinkedIn, Coursera, and Skillshare. These videos are prerecorded, like the free tutorials, but go into much more depth. The drawback of these classes is, as with free seminars, the lack of a live instructor.

While classes with a live instructor do have a cost, they are worth it. Instructors are seasoned developers who know the best techniques and can steer you clear of pitfalls. Class assignments are designed to reinforce what you are learning and when completed will make up a digital coding portfolio to help you find a job. 

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 website. 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 websites. In this course, you’ll learn how to use programming languages like HTML/CSS and JavaScript to program memorable, interactive websites. 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.