The future of software engineering is upon us, as they have said for ages. Except for right now, it is very much true. That future, as it pertains to work, is inside the booming industry of technology. This makes sense as more and more companies have officially made the switch to remote-based. The new remote-based working world is one that is tech-reliant. Therefore, tech professionals across the entire tech industry are becoming increasingly more in-demand.
With the recent global economic crisis as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, you may find yourself with an ample amount of free time these days if you have been furloughed or laid off entirely from your job. Or you may find that you enjoy working from home, but don’t enjoy the work you are doing as much now that you are away from the workday interactions with your coworkers. Whatever the case may be, if you find that you are considering switching careers in the future, then you should definitely consider a career in the tech industry, such as software engineering.
Software Engineers are responsible for the programming that powers the software we all use every day. Using the programming languages C++, Java and Python, Software Engineers build the computer programs we use every day. Be it a word processor, spreadsheets, accounting, media, photo and video editing, all of it has been built through code that has been programmed by a Software Engineer.
As we just discussed, the future of the workplace is remote-based and is becoming increasingly more reliant on technology. A large part of that tech is enterprise-level software that can be customized to fit the needs of individual companies. Software Engineers are the programming professionals who are building this software that is shaping today and future of humanity as a whole.
Software Engineering is one of the fastest-growing fields in the tech industry, with an expected job growth rate of 21 percent by 2028. They also make a comfortable living as, according to indeed, the base salary for Software Engineers is just shy of $110,000 per year.
If you are wondering how to become a Software Engineer, the best place to start would be learning how to code, and specifically coding in the languages of C++, Java and Python. By far, the best place to learn how to code is a coding bootcamp.
Coding Bootcamp
You can think of a coding bootcamp as a short-term—usually no more than three months—trade school. Instead of a hyper-focused program focused on auto mechanics or carpentry, you learn the coding skills you need to succeed in a career like software engineering which can boost your future in the gig.
The hyper-focused nature of coding bootcamps is one of the main reasons people are increasingly choosing this route as opposed to more traditional options like a four-year university or two-year technical college. Many students also complete their program remotely through online coding bootcamps.
However, the short length and accessibility is only the first big advantage that is helping coding bootcamps disrupt the status quo of American higher education. The second are the tuition financing options available, such as income-sharing agreements (ISAs).
ISA is a tuition financing option that flips the student debt crisis upside down. Whereas a traditional tech education like earning a computer science degree can cost a student $40,000 or more, those loans are impossible to erase, and they also put no responsibility on the education institution to make sure that the student is prepared for the real world, or even get a job after they graduate.
Instead, an ISA is an investment made by a coding school—such as App Academy—into their own student. The agreement works by the bootcamp student agreeing that they will take the program and complete it to the best of their ability. In exchange, they don’t pay any tuition upfront, and only start repaying tuition costs through monthly installments based upon their salary from the programming job that they were able to get as a result of the coding skills they learned through the bootcamp.
The investment return that the coding school will get is based upon how much their students earn after they graduate. The more that the school does to prepare their graduates, and make sure that they are not just excellent programmers but also marketable to potential employers, the greater their return.
Tuition funding systems like ISAs hold the coding school accountable for the product that their students are purchasing, in this case, a coding education. To make sure students are set up to succeed post-graduation, many coding schools also hold networking and hiring events on campus where companies are invited to meet with current students.
Since many coding bootcamp students are based remotely, these events are also accessible through remote means. Many coding schools also have partner companies in the area in which they are able to place their graduates.
