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How a Coding Bootcamp Can Launch Your Software Engineering Career

Software engineers create the technology that drives modern society. They have the ability to develop apps, websites, APIs, and other digital technologies. Software engineering is a demanding yet gratifying profession with the potential to positively influence both companies and customers. There's a team of software engineers dedicated to improving any website, app, or product you've recently used.

Software engineers, as a result of this, have never been more in demand than they are now. Every company from small to multinational enterprises is developing software for its clients to use, and software engineers command high salaries, excellent job satisfaction, intellectually stimulating work, and the chance to utilize cutting-edge technologies.

The UMass Global Software Engineering Bootcamp will get you up to speed with the fundamentals of programming, the most popular tools and technologies, and the best practices you'll need to get a gig in software engineering.

You'll learn from Colt Steele, Udemy's 2016 best new instructor. Colt will cover JavaScript, Python, React, Node, and other topics, and you'll apply each one through practical tasks and projects. You'll complete the bootcamp with a bespoke capstone project based on your selected technology stack that will serve as the focal point of your portfolio to be shared with hiring managers. 

While the program is designed to be finished within nine months, the 100% online format allows you to learn on your own schedule, giving you the ability to complete the course faster if you would like to study more hours per week. During the course, you’ll have a 1:1 industry mentor who can provide feedback on your projects, answer questions, and share industry knowledge. 

Additionally, you’ll have access to nine optional career units to help prepare you for career success. Learn about networking fundamentals, researching job titles and companies, writing resumes and cover letters, and interviewing. 60 hours of technical interview prep are also available, ensuring you are fully prepared for whiteboard and coding interviews. 

Read on to see how the UMass Global Software Engineering Bootcamp can help propel your career in software engineering. 

Software engineering careers

Within software engineering, there are several alternative career paths and specializations to consider. As you get more experienced with what it takes to create software, you'll be drawn to roles that utilize your skillset and interests. Following is a list of possible job titles, fields, and pay levels that you might pursue after graduation.

  • Web Developer: $70,000

  • Front-end Developer: $87,000 

  • Full-stack Developer: $106,000 

  • Software Engineer: $108,000 

  • Back-end Developer: $115,000 

Curriculum

Our coding bootcamp is meant to help you get your first engineering position after graduation. You'll complete coding activities and projects comparable to those performed by software engineers on a daily basis. Many of these tasks will be portfolio-quality, demonstrating your capacity to work end-to-end on a development project during interviews. Plus, you’ll learn to collaborate with generative AI and code smarter and faster with a new AI learning unit. Take a look:

NEW! AI for Engineers: Prompt Engineering

Since the arrival of OpenAI’s GPT-3, there has been an increased awareness of the crucial role prompts play in shaping language model outputs. In this unit, you’ll gain an understanding of how language models like GPT-3 and GPT-4 work through interactive exercises, videos, and quizzes.

  • Learn techniques and best practices for crafting effective prompts to achieve desired outcomes from language models like Chat-GPT

  • Leverage prompts to assist with the process of efficient coding

Front-end Development with JavaScript

  • Use JavaScript to create reactive web applications utilizing the Document Object Model

  • Maintain and share your code with GitHub and the Command Line

  • Ensure accuracy and functionality in your programs with testing best practices

  • Learn Object-Oriented Programming, the most popular programming paradigm

  • Understand how the web works through various protocols and APIs

  • Complete two large scale projects

Back-end Development with Python and Flask

  • Create fully functional web applications with Python and the Flask microframework

  • Learn best practices for writing professional-grade back-end Python code Store data in databases using SQL and SQLAlchemy

  • Design database schemas

  • Add authentication, authorization, hashing, and log-in to your applications for heightened security

  • Deploy your Flask applications with Heroku

  • Create a clone of Twitter

Back-end Development with Node.js

  • Utilize Node and Express to do back-end development with JavaScript

  • Learn testing best practices

  • Set up routes with Express

  • Connect PostgreSQL to your Express applications

  • Validate the data being sent to an API

  • Complete a large scale Node/Express application

Front-end Development with React.js

  • Learn the ins and outs of React.js - an in-demand JavaScript library - including component design and state management

  • Test your React applications

  • Set up routes in React using the React Router library

  • Complete a large scale Node/Express application

  • Create a custom project of your choice in React

Data Structures and Algorithms

  • Use BigO notation to create applications with optimal runtimes

  • Learn the sorting and search algorithms most likely to appear on a job interview

  • Understand data structures such as stacks, queues, hash tables, trees, graphs, and more

Custom capstone and hands-on projects

Apply your new skills through real-world projects and create a custom capstone with the tech stack of your choice.

Capstone project

Demonstrate all of the abilities you’ve developed throughout the bootcamp in this 40-60 hour project. You’ll pick a language and framework of your choice and build a database-driven web app. Progress through ideation, API selection, database design, coding, polishing, and documentation phases. 

Jobly

Build a web application similar to Indeed in this 20-25 hour project. Create an API, a data model for users and jobs, build out the back and front end, and add authentication into the app. Ultimately, you’ll have created a web app that helps connect users with jobs.

Warbler - A Twitter Clone

Clone Twitter and expand its functionality in this 20-25 hour project. This will require you to read a codebase you are unfamiliar with and extend functionality - a common task for developers in the real world.

Hack-or-Snooze - A HackerNews Clone

Create a clone of HackerNews in this 15 hour project. Add in functionality to allow a user to add stories, favorite stories, and delete them. You will also add in log-in and authentication.

Personalized student support

During the bootcamp, you’ll have a whole team of human support with you. This includes:

Student advisor: Your advisor will be with you throughout the bootcamp, and can help address any questions you have. They’ll also match you with a mentor that aligns with your needs and interests. 

Personal mentor with regular 1:1 video calls: Receive industry insight and career advice, as well as feedback on your assignments and projects. 

Online community: Connect with your fellow peers, and share feedback and ideas as you progress throughout the bootcamp.

1:1 career coaching sessions: Navigate your career search with these optional career units and support from a 1-on-1 career coach. 

UMass Global
peter-nsaka
Peter Nsaka
Software Engineer
skye-nguyen
Skye Nguyen
Sr Software Engineer
john-newton
John Newton
Sr Controls Software Engineer
sonia-rm-karungi
Sonia RM Karungi
Web Developer

Is this coding bootcamp right for you?

Knowledge of programming is not required for acceptance into the Software Engineering Bootcamp. 

  • If you are new to coding, you can enroll in the Foundations+Core version of the program, where you’ll learn what you need to succeed. 

  • If you already have basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills, you can test directly into the more advanced Core version of the curriculum.

FAQ

What is software engineering?

Software engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software; that is the application of engineering to software. Software engineers created every website or app that you have ever used. Software engineers can also create more complex software, like operating systems, but this bootcamp mostly covers the development of websites and applications.

What does a software engineer do?

Software engineers design and test the code that makes up our digital world. Applications may have hundreds of files, and software engineers are in charge of creating them and ensuring they function properly. Engineers may be in charge of deploying code to a server and debugging, maintaining, and upgrading live apps.

Is software engineering hard?

Anyone with determination can learn software engineering.  The complexity of software engineering can sometimes seem daunting, but many software engineers enjoy problem solving. Creating programs is usually simpler than debugging programs. Software engineering can be viewed as a lifelong learning journey, as even professional developers are always learning something new or overcoming a new obstacle.

Is software engineering in high demand?

There is a greater need for software development than ever before. The rate at which technology advances outpaces the number of qualified engineers, and technology is only going to continue to advance. Once you can secure your place in the software engineering industry, you can expect a lucrative career with great job security.

What is the salary of a software engineer?

Software engineers are some of the highest paid professionals in the world. Entry-level software engineers can expect to make right around $100K, with skilled engineers earning very high annual salaries, especially in geographies where competition for software engineers is high, like New York or San Francisco.

How quickly can I become a software engineer?

There are many paths to becoming a software engineer, but through this bootcamp, most students land jobs within 13 months of starting the course. The bootcamp itself typically takes about nine months to complete, and then students complete a few months of job searching and interviewing before landing their job.

How to become a software engineer?

You don’t actually need a computer science degree to become a software engineer. Instead, you need to build programming skills in an in-demand language. You need to build a strong portfolio of real work that will show hiring managers your skillset.

What type of jobs can you do after a software engineering bootcamp?

As a UMass Global Software Engineering Bootcamp graduate, you’ll have built the skills necessary to land positions like:

  • Web developer

  • Software engineer

  • Full-stack developer

  • Front-end developer

  • Back-end developer

Is Software Engineering a good career in Massachusetts?

Absolutely, software engineering is a highly rewarding career choice in Massachusetts. The region, especially around Boston and Cambridge, is known as a tech and innovation hub hosting numerous world-class tech companies, start-ups, and other reputable institutions. These organizations frequently seek skilled software engineers for a variety of roles. The state also boasts competitive salaries that often surpass the national average for software engineers, making it an attractive location for professionals in this field. Moreover, Massachusetts has a robust tech community that fosters continuous learning and networking opportunities.

More questions about the program?

Speak to our enrollment advisor by completing an application, email Carolina from our enrollment team, or explore more frequently asked questions.

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