How to become a software developer?

Have you been thinking lately to become a software developer? But don’t know how? There are 7 simple steps to help you fulfill your dream!

Want to know how to become a software developer? In this article, we’ll explain 7 simple steps that will help you become a software developer. This information is useful for individuals [both male and female] across different age groups and from different backgrounds. You will also get to know how to become a software developer after your 10th,12th grade and also for beginners and individuals from different academic and professional backgrounds who have the passion to work as a software developer from this blog.

Who is a software developer?

Software developers undergo the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense,it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process.

A career in software development is not only a lucrative profession but also the highest paying one. Having said that, a good salary is not the only criterion to choose this career path. Software developers are defined as the creative forces responsible for developing various computer applications to help users perform several tasks on computers.

Therefore, in this field, the most important quality required from an individual is passion and interest in learning different programming languages. So, If you ask how to become a software developer, we will recommend you to develop a passion and interest in programming. It also requires one to learn and master various forms of coding scripts. 

Roles and responsibilities of software developers

• Software developers carry a lot of responsibilities besides just the technical work that they do, and some of these are – 
• Research, design, and use software programs
• Test the performance of new or existing programs
• Write codes
• Work with other developers, UX designers, business and systems analysts, and across teams to meet business objectives
• Manage and develop quality assurance procedures
• Deploy software tools, processes, and metrics
• Train new users

So if you think you possess the above qualities, then don’t hesitate to use the 7-step formula that we have revealed here. We provide a step-by-step procedure to become a successful software developer in India. 

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Get ready to know

• How to become a software developer
• Best software courses to learn
• Certifications

7 simple steps to become a software developer

1. Education and qualification 

In this guide titled “how to become a software developer”, we shall cover education and qualification first. What do you need to be a software developer?A guaranteed way to become a software developer or engineer in India is to learn the fundamental programming languages and develop your coding skills. There is no shortcut to this! But you must possess the passion to learn coding and new technology. 

How to become a software developer at home?

If you are from a different background, then you’ll have to do a lot of groundwork and begin from scratch. In this case, a certification can help you develop the basic skills required to be a software developer in India. Many short-term certification courses are available, which might allow you to become a software developer within a short span of time, say 6 months. 

On the other hand, if you are an engineering graduate, then the following degrees will prove to be useful for you to begin a software development career: B.Tech or M.Tech in computer science, information technology, electrical engineering, and related subjects at the degree level.  You can even become a software developer after a BCA degree.

Here is a brief explanation of how to become a software developer:

Eligibility to become a Software Engineer/developer

• Candidates must have passed 10+2 or an equivalent examination from a recognized board with PCM (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) as major subjects. One cannot become a software developer with a commerce background.
• A minimum of 55% marks in 10+2 or equivalent is compulsory for pursuing B.Tech/B.E. in software engineering or diploma courses in the same. 
• For admission to M.Tech in Software Engineering/developer, candidates must have a passing certificate of graduation level with a minimum aggregate of 50% in the required field.
• A valid passing scorecard of any of the required entrance exams is compulsory for admission in undergraduate, diploma, postgraduate and doctoral programs.

2. Hands-on learning experience with real-time programmes

Real-time JAVA, C, Python, and C++ are all important programming languages that every software developer must master. Particularly, aspiring developers without a degree in CS, ECE, and related subjects can learn about computer software and programming tools through practicing some of these languages and working in real-time.

If you want a single word answer for your question on how to become a software developer, our answer will be PRACTICE. Look for a coding dojo which tells graduates in coding is enough to land a job. 

Besides these languages, coding is another important skill set that you must learn about. There are plenty of online materials, using which you can self-learn coding and know-how coding scripts are written by others. 

3: Prior work experience 

For personal reasons, if you feel you’re not ready to invest your time and money in any course on software development, you can choose to be an intern or a freelancer. This experience will give you an edge over others who do not have any work experience. Professional websites like LinkedIn and Internshala are good places to start hunting for freelance and internship opportunities in coding, programming languages, and software tools.

A full-time job experience as a software developer will be of more benefit for you if you are looking forward to upgrading yourself as a software developer.

An experience of working as a front-end developer, back-end developer, web developer, or full-stack developer can lead you to the profession of software engineer or developer in the long run. Other professions like data science, data analytics, and big data run parallel to the profession of software development. 

The employment opportunities for software developers are available in various sectors. Their job role is just not limited to designing new software from expanding the existing software to meet the changing needs of our key demographics to designing video games to developing a new software product to creating new mobile apps.

Upgrad job description of a software developer enlightens you about the opportunities and phases of it. Check out the employment opportunities for software developers below:

• IT Companies
• Non-IT Companies
• Start-Ups
• Insurance
• Finance
• Banking
• MNCs

Step 4: Common software tools and programming languages 

A software developer is a programmer, responsible for creating website applications that make the life of end-users easier. If you ask us how to become a software developer, we will simply ask in return which programming language.

Therefore, every aspiring software developer should master at least one or two programming languages, such as Python, JAVA, Ruby, Perl, MATLAB, SQL, PHP, etc. Bootstrap, Node.js, cloud9, and GitHub are also important tools and technology that software developers should know about. Refer guru99 also for the common tools and programming languages used to become a software developer. 

It doesn’t end here; there are several other technology-related concepts that every software developer should be aware of. In his or her lifetime, a software developer or engineer juggles through concepts like machine learning, artificial intelligence, blockchain, full-stack development, and so on. Thus, it’s of prime importance to keep oneself updated on these fields. 

Full-stack development – the process of taking care of both front-end and back-end website applications. Join Full Stack Development Course here.

Data science – the science of processing raw data and analyzing it for further use, for example, to measure business performance. Join Data science Course here.

Front-end development – the process of working on the user interface to create an interactive medium for end-users. Join Front End Development Course here.

Back end development– the process of creating coding scripts and designing and building the website architecture based on such a script. Join Back End Development Course here.

Digital marketing – the field of online marketing that drives traffic and revenue for a business. It is a vast field, covering several niche topics like search engine optimization, social media marketing, etc. Join Digital Marketing Course here.

MEAN stack – the process of applying JAVA in website application and development. Join Mean Stack Development Course here.

ReactJs – also known as React or React.js, React developers are responsible for creating JAVAScripts, which are used for building user interfaces. Join React Js Course here.

Mobile application development – the process of creating software for wireless mobile devices. 

Blockchain – Blockchain is the technology that records and stores any kind of data in a ledger system. Each data structure is stored in the form of blocks. 

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning – the practice of making machines interpret human language is machine learning, and the tools and technology using which this is accomplished are based on artificial intelligence. 

Certification 

How to become a software developer after 10th and 12th?

You don't need to study computer programming at university to get your foot on the coding career ladder. With the right help, training and support, you could go from absolute beginner to junior engineer in as little as 12 weeks no qualifications required.

A certification in software development can bring a lot of better opportunities for you. It boosts your knowledge, and, most importantly, bridges the skills gap that you may have. Here are some of the certifications that you can take in software development:

S.NO	Certification name	Authorized by	Prerequisites
1	Oracle [APEX]	Oracle	Mostly for developers with experience
2	Salesforce	Salesforce.com	No prerequisites
3	Scrum	Scrum Alliance	For developers with experience
4	Puppet	Puppet Labs	Knowledge of the fundamentals of Puppet and Ruby courses
5	Oracle Java certifications	Oracle	It’s better if you take up the MySQL for developers course before signing up for this course
6	Cloudera [CCDH]	Cloudera	No prerequisites
7	AWS-certified developer [associate level]	Amazon Web Services	No prerequisites
8	Microsoft Azure	Microsoft	Basic knowledge on Microsoft technology could help

Besides these, there are certification programs offered by reputable organizations like Google and Microsoft. If you are thinking about how to become a software developer at Google or Microsoft, then there’s no better way to start than taking a certification course. Some institutes offer software development courses in collaboration with these organizations. So chances are if you take a certification course, you might find yourself working full-time in any of these big companies. 

6: Join a community of software developers

Is being a software developer hard? No, one of the best sources to learn something is a group or community of industry experts or domain specialists. Communities are excellent places to network with people and know more about your interests. Likewise, it won’t be hard for you to find a community of like-minded software developers. Try and connect with these bunch of people who can tell you everything about the domain, qualifications, job opportunities, salary, future, etc. 

Popular online communities for every software developer are 

• StackOverflow
• Toptal
• Developers Forum
• GitHub
• Mozilla Developer Network
• Google plus communities

Advantages of these software developer communities are 

• Keep yourself up-to-date with the newest technology and software tools 
• Get to know a lot of talented people
• Get access to a lot of resources and websites 
• Learn tricks and tips of programming

7: Mock interviews and resume

Creating a killer resume or curriculum vitae is one of the best ways to ace any job interview. But what’s more important is to practice what to speak during interviews. You may have a well-structured resume presented before your interviewer, but if you aren’t prepared to speak well, then it might look bad on your profile and turn off the interviewer. 

Mock interviews are essentially done to make you look more confident and clear with your thoughts. You don’t need to be a public speaker or speak in immaculate English language in your interviews. Try to list out the key achievements from your profile and practice speaking about them. Make sure you highlight your strengths while speaking. You can take the help of greeksforgreeks to understand more about steps. You will understand the ways and how to become a software developer.

What does a software developer do?

Software developers retrieve, store, and manipulate data to analyze a system’s capability and requirements. They maintain the design and maintenance of a software system. At times they also oversee the work of computer technologists, programmers, and technicians.They are responsible for the whole process of developing software. They meet with clients, determine needs, help develop, ensure usability, and complete quality assurance.

What’s the difference between a software engineer and a developer?

The terms are pretty much used interchangeably, and companies tend to view them as the same thing. When you’re in search for a software engineering job, make sure to search and look at postings for both “software engineer” and “software developer” to get the most results.

B.Software developers’ salary in India

A fresher in this field typically earns around INR 4 to 5 LPA. A software developer with 3 to 4 years of experience can earn around INR 7 to 10 LPA. In major Indian cities like Pune and Bangalore, a software developer can earn around INR 10 and 13 LPA, respectively. The salary must vary based on experience, location, size of the company, etc. In large companies like Amazon, a software developer can expect to earn roughly INR 14.49 LPA. Payscale also tells you about the software developer salary in India.

In their lifetime, software developers work in various roles based on companies and their business needs. These roles include computer programmer, network architect, IT analyst, etc. 

Serial no.	Role	Average salary
1	Computer programmer/ developer	INR 4.86 LPA
2	Computer systems analyst	INR 6.47 LPA
3	Computer network architect	INR 11.06 LPA

Base Salary    -    212k - 1m

Bonus             -   11k - 201k

Profit Sharing -  2k  - 385k

Commission -  1k - 290k

Total Pay  -      220k - 1m

Software developers’ salary in Other Countries

The average salary for a software developer in the United States is around $92,824 per year. The average software developer salary in Canada is $103,652 per year or $53.16 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $38,805 per year while most experienced workers make up to $175,000 per year.

The average salary for a software developer in Australia is AU$83,968 on an annual basis. The average software developer salary in Germany is $54,705. Junior software developers earn $48,929, while the salary for senior developers reaches $68,508. Checkout quora questions where the salary package for software developers has been discussed frequently.

C. Top Recruiting Companies for Software Engineer

The job and employment outlook for software developers is quite good as there is a huge demand for these professionals. Some of the popular IT, Non-IT, and MNCs that hire software engineers are listed below:

• Infosys
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
• Oracle Financial Services
• HCL Technologies
• MindTree
• Juniper Networks
• Microsoft
• Adobe
• Hexaware Technologies Limited (HTL)
• Cisco
• Intel

Is a software developer a good career?

The number of job opportunities within software development is projected to increase 24% from 2016 to 2026, much higher than the national average growth rate for all professions of 7% These numbers point to the bright future of software engineering.

D. Non-technical skills needed to become a software developer in India

What do you need to be a software developer? In addition to mastering all technical aspects such as coding and programming languages, a software developer needs some non-technical skills to stand out from the crowd. These are –

1. Ability to provide insights on data
2. Effective communication 
3. Organized work approach
4. Ability to analyze key requirements of customers
5. Willingness to think creatively and in a unique way
6. Willingness to learn constantly
7. Project management and decision-making skills

Also, in any organization, a software developer must learn a few soft-skills and show leadership skills to climb the corporate ladder in the long-term. 

E. Software developer career trends in India

Software development or engineering has remained one of the most sought-after professions since the 90s. The career graph of software development jobs has seen a massive spike in the past few decades. This is preferably due to the increasing number of the newest technology. More and more businesses rely on the latest trends and technology; therefore, developers who have experience and knowledge of new software tools are preferred across industries. 

Areas like big data, data science, data analytics, and machine learning are now an integral part of software development. So if you want to stay updated with the recent trends in software development, you must step out and learn about each of these topics. 

F. Different types of software developers

There are various types of software developers around us, depending on the type of work they do. We have listed a few here –

• Full-stack developer
• Front-end and back-end developer
• Web developer
• Desktop developer
• Mobile developer
• Graphics developer
• Game developer
• Data scientist
• Devops developer
• Big data developer
• CRM developer
• Embedded systems and API developer
• Wordpress developer

G. Pros of becoming a Software Engineer

• Software developers are paid well and as per the records, there is going to be a growth of 32% in the software developers' jobs.
• Software development provides you with opportunities to move to the U.S. Canada or Europe.
• If you wish to start your own consulting business or SAS(Software as a service) or packaged software business, the barrier to entry is incredibly low as compared to traditional engineering specializations.
• It provides a great deal of job satisfaction as you will be building and creating new things.

H. cons of becoming a Software Engineer 

• Software development can be very stressful, especially when you are required to meet the deadlines. Developers are also required to meet with demanding users and must be able to communicate reasonably and personably with these difficult customers.
• Software developers must stay on the cutting edge of technology to keep their skills relevant and up to date.
• It is very easy to outsource software jobs than jobs in industries that require heavy infrastructure investments like petroleum/chemical / mechanical engineering.

I. Conclusion

Here you go with your step-by-step guide on how to become a software developer. Please note that you must be ready to invest a substantial amount of time and effort to become a successful software developer. Hope the 7-step formula listed above benefits you and takes you closer to your dream. 

Bonus: Now that your question of how to become a software developer is answered. It’s time to choose a programming language or technology to master. Here is the list of best software courses in 2023

So, as promised hopefully you got your answers for

How to become a software developer

What are the best software courses to learn in 2023

What are the important certifications available to become a software developer. 

FAQs

1. What qualifications do you need to be a software developer?

To begin, you should have a bachelor's degree in computer science or a closely related discipline. To start your career as a software engineer, you'll need at least a bachelor's degree. A computer science major will provide you with the most relevant background for developing software.

2. How many years does it take to become a software developer?

There is no set timetable. But the overall concept is that you'll have to go to school for four years to pursue a CS/SE degree, after which you'll have to work on real projects to gain experience in this field.

3. How can I develop myself as a software developer?

Make an effort to learn a variety of programming languages and concepts. The more diverse the group, the better. Too many people think about software in only one way for the rest of their lives. Even if you never use what you've learned, it will extend your understanding of what's possible and provide solutions to challenges you might not have considered otherwise. Experiment with things that aren't part of the (already well-established) imperative object-oriented paradigm. Prolog, Haskell, Erlang, Racket, OCaml, Oz, Clojure, or J are just a few examples.Don't be concerned about knowing specific frameworks. Frameworks change over time. Develop a broader programming view.

4. Can anyone become a software developer?

No, it's not true. Becoming a successful software engineer, like mastering any other career, demands a significant amount of time, dedication, and effort, which many people are unwilling to devote.It's not a simple science; it necessitates, among other things, good reasoning skills, innovative problem-solving capabilities, attention to detail, patience, and a drive to consistently increase your knowledge and competence.So, no, I don't believe that everybody can be a software engineer because certain people excel in other fields.

5. What is a software engineers salary?

A fresher software engineer in India earns an average of Rs 395,170 per year. The average income for a Mid-Career Software Engineer is Rs 681,230 a year. Note: This is an average wage; your pay will vary depending on the college you attend, your experience, and the type of company you join.

6. Who earns more software engineer or developer?

However, because “engineering” has a more technical meaning, the wage data shows that persons with “engineer” in their job title earn a little more. It's worth noting that the software developer only earns roughly 3% less than the software engineer at the 75th percentile.