Software Developer

Design, write, and test the software people use every day.

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About this career

Software developers build the apps, websites, and tools that power modern life. They turn ideas into working code, debug what breaks, and collaborate closely with designers, product managers, and other engineers. It's the most general-purpose tech career — and the broadest set of paths in.

Courses on this path

STEM Foundations: The Universal Skill Stack

The math, science, computing, and habits every STEM career is built on.

4 modules · 8 lessons · 2h 5m

stemfoundationsmathscience

Skills you'll build

JavaScript

The programming language of the web. Runs in browsers and on servers (via Node.js).

Git

The version-control tool every software team uses to track and merge changes.

Data Structures

How data is organized in memory — lists, trees, graphs, hash maps. Underpins everything.

Algorithms

Step-by-step procedures for solving problems efficiently. Show up in every interview.

Problem Solving

Breaking big, vague problems into small concrete steps. The most transferable skill in tech.

Command Line

The terminal — how programmers automate tasks and run tools without a graphical UI.

Free resources to get started

Hand-picked courses and reading from trusted free providers.

The Odin Project
Trustedcourse
The Odin Project — Foundations
Free open-source curriculum for full-stack web development. Project-heavy, community-supported.
Harvard / edX
Trustedcourse
CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
Harvard's free intro CS course — widely considered one of the best on-ramps to programming.
MIT
Trustedcourse
The Missing Semester of Your CS Education
Free MIT lectures on the tools real engineers use every day: shell, Git, editors, debugging.

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