Navigating the Software Engineering Field: The University Advantage

Bunch of people ask me how they can break into the field. As a reminder, I graduated with a degree in computer engineering with a minor in computer science. And so this is what I recommend. Go to university. And when I say that I don’t recommend becoming a self taught developer or going to something like a boot camp, I get a lot of backlash. And I get it. These sound really good on paper and they may be even used to work. I will be the first to admit when I’m wrong, but let’s walk down this logic and see if it makes sense. Before really 2021, there were way more software engineering jobs than there were software engineers available. Because of this, stuff like bootcamps popped up and worked to satisfy the demand for software engineers. So while I don’t personally work with any bootcamp grads or self taught engineers, I know they exist out there. However, the market is fundamentally different now and anyone who’s been applying in the past two years knows that to be true. It is way more competitive and people from top schools are struggling to find software engineering jobs. And then people say, well shouldn’t your portfolio and projects matter more than what school you went to? And fundamentally I agree with you. The problem is if you’re say, Google, you receive hundreds of thousands of applications, do you really think they have the time to go through your deep portfolio? And see these impressive projects you’ve built. The answer, of course, is no. And so the easiest way they can vet applicants is looking at stuff like what school you went to, do you have a degree? Again, I may be wrong, and I’ll admit if I am, but if a hiring manager is selecting between a bootcamp graduate or a college graduate for an entry level role, they are going to prefer the college graduate. Now, if you already have a bachelor’s degree in something else, or you’re much later in your career and you’re trying to pivot and say like your late 20s, 30s, 40s, bootcamps can still be an option. It’s gonna be difficult, but it’s doable. But when people ask me what’s the best way to get into software engineering? It is going to university. I don’t think even industry veterans understand just how competitive the market is today. So when they say stuff like, some of the best engineers I’ve ever worked with were self taught or bootcamp grads, I believe them. But that doesn’t mean that they would get a job today. Felt like I had to address that, so follow me for more content. Bye.