How to Learn Software Engineering Faster with Online Courses
Software engineering has one of the lowest barriers to entry in any field. You don’t need a master’s or a 4-year software engineering degree. For the cost of a few online courses, or even a free bootcamp you can become a full-fledged professional. When I learned to code I spent less than $70 on a few courses and books.
It doesn’t cost a lot to learn to code but it does require a lot of determination. Some learning strategies are faster than others for helping you land your first job. I have learned a lot about maximizing the impact of learning from my time being self-taught and my experience tutoring and mentoring bootcamp and self-taught developers. Let’s discuss how to learn software engineering faster through online courses.
Where can I find online courses for learning software engineering?
Fields including education, finance, and nursing require 4-year degrees and 6-figure debt to become accredited. Software engineering isn’t like this. The field of software changes fast, which makes creating a curriculum difficult.
This is a blessing and a curse. If you are interested in software you can become a specialist quickly. However, you are always on the edge of being behind unless you are constantly self-learning. What are some of the ways to break in or continue learning?
Education comes in 3 main forms for software engineering: university, bootcamp, or self-taught. I will not touch on the first two. Instead, I will focus on self-taught. Let me start by saying there are many free learning resources out there.
Going fully free may sound great, but there is a balance between free and quality. Remember your time is money and you need to minimize the time learning to free up space for networking and applying for jobs.
This is why I recommend spending some money to buy high-quality courses or resource subscriptions. Coursera is a pricier option for online instruction with an annual fee of $199. This is not too bad, but a lot of their content will be more university / theory-based and may not get you coding as fast as you would like.
An aside for Coursera: it can be free. While you have to pay for the certifications for completed courses, these certifications do not mean much to employers. Instead, audit the course at no cost.
Udemy is another popular online course platform and my personal favorite. They have courses ranging in length from a few hours to 70+ hours on topics including software engineering, software architecture, networking, data science, AI, and crypto.
Courses aren’t created by universities or organizations but by professionals in the field who are actively working with the technologies. This is a huge plus as you learn current best practices and patterns from practitioners, not teachers.
While the costs for a Udemy course can run up to $200, they offset this with frequent sales. If you time it right, you can buy a half dozen courses for under $70 to prep you for your entire software journey.
When I was learning to code I bought courses such as:
- React + TypeScript
- Mastering the MERN stack
- Data Structures and Algorithms Interview Prep
- Cybersecurity and Networking
- Software Testing and Automation
These cost ~$60 and provided the hundreds of hours of instruction I needed to be competent for a job. Using Udemy, and platforms like it, correctly will boost your learning immensely. How do you use these platforms correctly?
Why you should buy shorter software engineering courses
A common fallacy of online courses is that you should always buy the longest courses. While this is not incorrect when you are chasing mastery, when you first learn a concept it can be beneficial to buy shorter courses.
Why is this? Programming is a skill similar to playing basketball or the violin. You can’t absorb skills through watching content, you have to practice the skill yourself. When you first learn to code your main focus should be learning the least amount possible to begin practicing the skill.
Programming is about taking general concepts and practices and translating them into tangible solutions. You’re paid to tackle novel issues, not regurgitate proven implementations. You can’t learn these skills from following along to 100 hours of coding tutorials.
When I want to learn a new language or framework I will start with the shorter, high-rated courses that allow me to learn the basics I need to begin a project. Once I know what is possible, I can start building and asking some deeper questions about the framework or language.
This allows me to practice searching for and understanding patterns. This is the best way I have found to learn. Short courses get you to the point of competence quicker, which allows you to practice and develop your skills.
Why you should buy the longest software engineering course
Intent matters. In the last section, I described why you shouldn’t buy the course with the most hours of content. If you are just learning a skill your intent is understanding, not mastery. In that case, go for the shorter course. If you want mastery, buy the longer course.
I have spent hundreds of hours over the last 7 years completing courses, reading articles, and building projects. There is no substitute for time when getting good at software, and the courses that provide long and deep instruction will help you reach mastery.
Before you buy these courses, make sure you like the instructor’s teaching style. If you have already taken courses from this instructor then you are set. However, if you haven’t, watch the free preview videos and make sure the tone and presentation style will work over many hours.
I have found many small tips and tricks hidden in a 3-hour section block of a long Udemy course. Again, if your intention is understanding, start with a shorter course to practice building on your own. If you want to master a course, the long and in-depth courses are a great option.
How can I afford these courses when they are so expensive?
The courses on Udemy run from $10 all the way up to hundreds of dollars. If you want to blow hundreds to thousands of dollars on courses you may not use, check out Coursera. If you’re going to learn on a tight budget, you need to have good timing.
Udemy can be affordable if you watch for sales. Every month or two they run seasonal sales or flash sales with their courses discounted to $10 — $20. These price points are a lot more accessible than a $150 course.
Make a wishlist and keep tabs on these promotions. Grab 2–3 courses from your wishlist every time a promo is run. You will have months of learning content for the equivalent of 2 Chipotle burritos.
Closing
I love software engineering. It has been good to me from the ease of entry to the plethora of continuing education resources available. If you are serious about learning to code quickly or learning a new skill, I hope this article helps you select the right online course.
