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Status: Featured
Do You Need a Degree to Be a Software Engineer?
Discover how to become a software engineer without a degree and which skills you need to start a successful career in the field.
January 28, 2025
Article
Software Development
Learn more about the skills and certifications you need for a career as software or DevOps engineer, mainframe developer, QA tester, and more.
![[Featured Image] Two coding engineers implement AI into their software development process.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3g6ouCFxWuTz494W58euPB/7c9aaf0cffc142f5144226d61d826f4a/GettyImages-2156388139.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A man working for a game developer salary stands in front of colleagues and presents imagery from a video game.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/62X40uQOh0Db4xpXfBH4qM/05bd77e8c5967746f442950256a8d5c6/GettyImages-2150096650.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] Two software developers are standing in an open work area consulting GitHub. One developer is holding a tablet while gesturing to it, and the other developer is looking at it intently.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1r2CQ7qYsI7rxsdMgCVxLS/541187e4bd2a0a98677d97f750bae0d9/GettyImages-1605477263.webp?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] Two augmented reality professionals design in an office, with one wearing an AR headset.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1fVu4Ov7HKxa0L5lkXAUOx/835f898244080bcf454e9d588c0c9559/GettyImages-1397606538.webp?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A hiring manager is conducting an online interview while reviewing both a digital and printed VR resume.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/6rpNBDwasPTsAl2HCNN734/50572c649c197ec141b8c75ea883b55d/GettyImages-2170735336.webp?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
Explore popular software development courses
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Skills you'll gain: Software Development Life Cycle, Software Architecture, Full-Stack Web Development, Software Design, Software Development Methodologies, Software Design Patterns, Development Environment, Unified Modeling Language, Software Engineering, Web Applications, Software Development Tools, Software Development, Application Deployment, Programming Principles, Front-End Web Development, Web Language, Back-End Web Development, Software Documentation, Computer Programming, Python Programming
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Skills you'll gain: Cloud Deployment, Unit Testing, Software Development Life Cycle, CI/CD, Server Side, Istio, Cloud-Native Computing, Software Architecture, Cloud Computing Architecture, Application Deployment, Responsive Web Design, Node.JS, Django (Web Framework), Git (Version Control System), HTML and CSS, Front-End Web Development, Cloud Computing, Data Ethics, Data Import/Export, Software Development
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Skills you'll gain: Jest (JavaScript Testing Framework), Django (Web Framework), Version Control, Restful API, Responsive Web Design, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Unix Commands, HTML and CSS, Git (Version Control System), Back-End Web Development, API Testing, GitHub, Relational Databases, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Database Management Systems, Bootstrap (Front-End Framework), Database Management, Code Reusability, Mobile Development, Python Programming
![[Featured image]: A data analyst explains what is a linear association in the data as they present to a group.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2kgkWPjBzfuWw0n2BooiLZ/c419e4757051730a3f6aafe7764fdf32/GettyImages-1500461709-converted-from-jpg.webp?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A software engineer learns new programming languages to advance their career.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/lTIUmjytaM9BIbBjW10YG/f122958e884691f5392d6942bd9fb03f/GettyImages-1451456915.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A digital artist draws on a tablet and uses parallax mapping to create texture.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/7mZnTSWObwyGLRQVmX7037/64311501e4562b0852c826b65f483692/GettyImages-538474479.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] Two colleagues look at open source software licensing on a computer screen in an office space near large windows.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2QombnkjUe0vuY4KEakvNp/74101f60c7b0dd64f8b9d2796b69c221/GettyImages-171277177.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Feature Image] A no-code developer works at their desk in a private business office, quickly creating an application to solve a specific business need.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5c41oiAEr1YCwMYLyLUBkK/54ba524969e1116b90b9bceae671e2f1/GettyImages-2122714937.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] Python professionals in a work environment discussing how to improve Python coding skills while reviewing code on their computers.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1qwzM5qOJPbPBgnfK5JTXd/288eff4cc5555c5e71bc3113e1cef76e/GettyImages-2204328676.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Video thumbnail] Career Spotlight Full-Stack Developer](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/73Xon73oyMI4vpNRfXYsNd/d439908a2583bd99f260b8a0d314a573/Career_Spotlight__-CAREER-_-_UX_Design__5___3_.png?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: Three colleagues model choices to understand what game theory reveals about cooperation and competition.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/IXKEOESuK9xSnsboRufzC/29675364ac4162a67708e61786d05583/GettyImages-2203424041.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] Two members of a DevOps team discuss continuous integration systems while sitting at their desks with several computer monitors, and two additional team members are working in the background.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5JSS7PWcN98ZIPPrKxfEs4/fe2b993b22dd97c78f05abbb4551bbeb/GettyImages-2241995464.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
Software development covers a wide variety of skills and careers, from programming to quality assurance to DevOps. With so many options and opportunities available, it can be tricky to know where to start. On Coursera, you'll find expert resources to support your goals, whether you're just starting out or are ready to take the next step in your career. Explore software development topics, including:
Interested in software development? Find out more about what a software developer does and popular software development courses.
Interested in DevOps? Read about the basics of DevOps, and explore certifications for DevOps engineers.
Interested in information technology? Learn more about IT and explore popular information technology certifications.
Ready to start learning? Explore our catalog of software development, DevOps, and IT courses for beginners and experienced professionals.
