- What should I learn first?
- What should I learn next?
- Okay, I know some stuff, what now?
- Are you self taught?
- Ever wonder what everyone was learning in school?
Did you answer “yes” to any, most, or all of these? Yep, me too. I started learning to code 2ish years ago. For over a year, I’ve been teaching code stuffs to kids and rewriting curriculum. This still hasn’t seemed to be enough to catch the eye of many interviewers.
I started thinking about going back to school. I was pretty interested in going to one school but they never responded to some questions I had. After a few more months of looking, I found the right fit, applied, and got accepted. Though I am choosing to go back to school, I wish it were more obvious what to learn and in what order.
I have seen a few places try to do this. The developer roadmap has done an awesome job laying out a learning path.
With as helpful as those charts are, it might still be helpful to see what a degree program includes. Expect another post for each class with a list of things learned and resources.
Degree Program
This degree is an MS in Software Development and a certificate in Software Engineering. Here are the classes in the curriculum.
Software Development major
- Information Structures with Python
- Data Structures and Algorithms
- Advanced Programming Techniques
- Software Designs and Patterns (also part of certificate)
- Software Engineering (also part of certificate)
Software Engineering certificate
- Information Technology Project Management
- Software Quality, Testing, and Security Management
single elective
- TBD, there are options.
Discussion (2)
I like this question.
What is a "software dev degree" though?
If you have:
Are any of those a "software dev degree?"
Seems like the boot camps / when they aren't terrible - and even possibly accredited - are sorta a degree. But - really, I don't think one exists. And - I'm not just saying that to be pedantic. I've spent 10 years thinking about it / and the last 2 years developing what may soon be an accredited "Web design/web developement degree."
I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on this. And how it feels from a seeming Python focus.
I don't think this is pedantic at all. Honestly, this is a great question. I think bootcamps have a lot of potential and I hate that so many of them fall short because their goals are in the money and not the people.
This software dev degree happens to be more Java-based. Much to my dismay, the first course is the only one with Python. Of the 8 classes, I think 6 of them require programming and actual application of code. This one is definitely not a basic CS degree. Though, it's also not a web dev degree either.
Honestly, I'd love to see some web dev degrees. I don't see why that couldn't be a thing. As long as it include accessibility, ui, ux, and the core concepts that seem to be missing from other learning material.