How I became a software engineer without a CS degree

I landed my first software engineering job in 2021 after self-studying for over half a year. In this video, I share my story and talk about some important lessons that I learned along the way.
📃 Contents
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - My background
02:02 - My study plan
02:56 - Independent study
03:39 - Getting practical experience
06:37 - Job applications
07:28 - Interview tips
09:58 - Summary
👉 Resources I used
- FreeCodeCamp: www.freecodecamp.org/
- UCSD Data Structures course: www.coursera.org/learn/data-s...
- Stanford Algorithms course: www.coursera.org/specializati...
- Recurse Center: www.recurse.com/
- Collab Lab: the-collab-lab.codes/
- MLH Fellowship: fellowship.mlh.io/
- Grokking the System Design Interview: you can probably find a free PDF online
- System Design Primer: github.com/donnemartin/system...
- Cracking the Coding Interview: section V. Behavioral Questions
🎵 Music
Sunshine (feat. LAYNE, Ben Jamin & Junior Dollar)
Lukrembo - Highball - / highball
chromonicci - Afterglow - chll.to/8a80ff1c
Lukrembo - Empty - / empty

[@prestogeorge7560]

insane production quality :o

[@michaelcronk]

Very helpful! I didn't know about the collaboration websites to get 'real work experience', so thank you for that!

[@7588818]

Bro! Thank you so much for this information. This is gooold! 🎉🎉🎉

[@imuser007]

Amazing joseph. thanks for providing quality video, most importantly the important steps you took like what exactly needed to get the interview and pass the interview.

[@raynaking2312]

A hidden gem thank you!!

[@mohitkadukar2927]

thank you so much this cleared my doubts I was having

[@michellebao9045]

Great video!

[@sineadward5225]

Which programming language did you go with for the coding interviews? Btw, really loving your channel! Hope you can post more often.

[@LabibIbnMuzahid]

how you got the interview though of having an aeronautics degree in your resume?

[@fitness.for.everyone]

vậy khi đi phỏng vấn họ yêu cầu bằng cấp thì anh trả lời như thế nào ?

[@JacobSucksAtCode]

Hell yeah bro! Self taught club 💪🏼

[@rightq3111]

Would love to see a video of how you made tweaked your resume and prepped for interview to work in a trading company as opposed to FAANG or tech companies

[@boatnerjg]

How many hours would you say you were doing daily on average throughout this time frame (Seems like sep 2020 -May 2021)? I am 35 doing a career shift, and I need to be working at least part time so I will most likely only be able to put n 4 or so hours a day m-f and more on the weekends.

[@arnavhazra8806]

This is gold! As a new CS grad, not having pushed to get any internships of repute means I am starting from scratch and building the interview skills while trying to figure out wth my niche will be. Thanks for the systematic perspective :)

[@onlysparsh]

I am also going to sit in placements next year , I am working on problem solving and full stack development skills

[@TheJoshQI]

1:39-1:45 relatable

[@zamanmakan2729]

Is it required to know Data Structures and Algorithms to join Recurse program, please?

[@joseph-tran]

nope, but they do require that you know how to code at a basic level

[@urdarkside1]

I appreciate the honestly hahaha

[@lillyinthefield2787]

Never said how long did you end up self studying?? Before the practical

[@joseph-tran]

I spent around 3 months studying and another 3 months at Recurse Center

[@Sir21Goals]

How many hours a day did you study/practice brother?

[@joseph-tran]

around 6-8 hours

[@Sir21Goals]

@@joseph-tran thanks J, tryna follow in your footsteps.

[@aswathiremesh1715]

i am just starting my coding journey to get an SE job and i am currently doing a python bootcamp. I want to know which language did you learn to start off with?

[@joseph-tran]

I started with Python! I wouldn’t worry too much about the language tho. I’m sure you’ve heard this already, but usually the language isn’t as important as learning the fundamentals of computer science

[@aswathiremesh1715]

​@@joseph-tran Okay..so i may have to start looking into web development parellely then . Thank you so much !! You videos are really attractive .

[@heartam29]

first

[@xinruiyi8379]

what kind of project should we do to get a SDE job at trading firm?

[@gabrielfono844]

I started working at software engineer at Booz allen Hamilton a year ago while my security clearance was on the process. why you had to wait that long !!!! ? I am also a self taught gradudated with bachelor in civil engineering. thanks for sharing such amazing contents

[@amenasultanaoishe]

So, don't need a Engineering degree to be a software developer

[@gabrielfono844]

You dont need it.

[@amenasultanaoishe]

@@gabrielfono844 what about job?? Various company mention that applicants should have a CS degree or graduate from related fields... I want to know that Cz I'm from English literature Department, but love programming and want to make a career over this 🥺

[@abhimanyunath2001]

@@amenasultanaoishe I think you are from Bangladesh. And yes companies put that in requirements. I am a BBA student and thinking about learning to code. But feel low when see companies put that in requirements.

[@amenasultanaoishe]

@@abhimanyunath2001 Why should we must have to work in Bangladesh 😉

[@ayushsharma5640]

The question should be why I chose to become slave ?

[@ArmDoorsNCrossCheck]

Its like saying: How I became a Surgeon or a Civil Engineer without a Degree. Please, lets make a distinction between a Software Developer, and a Software Engineer. A Software Engineer is a protected title in countries like Canada and the US. To become a Software Engineer in Canada, you have to: 1. Earn a 4 year accredited BEng in Software Engineering. 2. Join a Professional Society. 3. Acquire 4 years of supervised experience. 4. Pass a Certification Exam. 4. And finally, be Licensed to practice as a PROFESSIONAL Software Engineer. What this means is that when I make a software update to a critical system, for e.g. a Rail Terminal Management Software System, I Endorse that update with my Official Stamp: So that in case my update screwed up, they come after me and screw me. Thats how serious it is to call yourself a Software Engineer. You are a Programmer(or a Software Developer at the very best).

[@blakejames9743]

Name checks out lol

[@bellamyking1217]

He’s a software engineer. Cry some more.

[@ilyasosman2859]

Stop gate keeping

[@abhimanyunath2001]

😂😂😂. What u will learn in 4 years from college after spending thousands someone can learn more than that within 1.5 year from online either for free or just a fraction of cost I mean the practical job oriented knowledge. Yes the college will give opportunity to networking and many soft skills . In my country CS grads have to do extra courses before applying for their jobs . There are only few handful of CS related courses they are taught . Like 2 programming languages, DBMS, Networking, OS , Graphic Design, DSA , Etc . And they can't even complete them properly because they have to study 8 subjects per semester. So i think a self taught programer can outweight many CS grads of he is dedicated enough

[@bubbatheg]

League of Legends!! The best game in the world!! xDD

[@westernpigeon]

“i graduated with a degree in Aerospace engineering” - yep, i’ve watched enough. pretty obvious why u got a job without CS degree / bootcamp.

[@David-nh6kg]

🤘 【p】【r】【o】【m】【o】【s】【m】