Software Engineering
Learn to code from the ground up. Build high-quality Software.
v2.0
If you haven’t already, check out our Pre-Requisites guide to get your local macbook setup and build familiarity with your code editor (Cursor)
Overview
This is a realistic roadmap for complete beginners, focusing on only the most important concepts you need to know to get job-ready or build your own products.
Frontend Development
Estimated time to complete: 3-5 months
What even is a 'Frontend'?
Learn Git
Git is a version control system that allows you to track changes to your code. It’s a crucial tool for any software engineer.
We won’t start the main content until you have some familiarity with Git.
Price: £10/month
Main Content
Price: £47 (1-year access)
After completing this course, you will have a strong foundation in the most important concepts to know as a Frontend Engineer.
This course also includes a quiz and frontend interview questions to help you prepare for coding interviews for frontend roles.
You do not need to complete all questions. 20-30 questions should be sufficient.
As you begin learning JavaScript, React, and other related technologies, consider using Vite as your build tool. It offers a fast development experience and makes it easy to scaffold new projects. You can ask Cursor to help you set up a new Vite project.
By the end of the FrontendExpert course, combined with your project practice, you will have a solid grasp of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and TypeScript, forming the core of your frontend stack.
Project Building
Practice your skills by building mini projects on GreatFrontend (Free tier available):
Extra helpful content:
Start Building Real Products
Once you’ve completed the above Frontend Development path, you can start building real products with our custom boilerplate codebase (Titan).
The key benefit with this approach is that you’ll learn backend development in a practical, need-driven way. Instead of spending months on theory before building anything real, you’ll:
- Validate your idea with real users
- Start with simple features and some marketing
- Gradually tackle more complex features as your product and userbase needs grow
- Learn system design principles through actual scaling challenges, no theoretical concepts (if your userbase grows)
- Build a deep understanding by solving real customer problems (bugs) and feature requests
Remember, as you’re building your product, you should be scheduling in time to go through the Backend Development section on specific areas you’re shaky on (e.g. Databases, Servers etc.). You’ll be building something real, but by doing it this way you won’t neglect the the fundamentals as you go continue to build your product.
Build with Titan
Start building full-stack products immediately. Deploy real apps, gain hands-on system design experience, and ship to users fast.
Backend Development
There is no estimated time to complete this section. You should be scheduling in time to go through specific areas in this section that you want to improve your understanding of.
What even is a 'Backend'?
Main Content
High-Level Backend System Design
Price: £47 (1-year access) [included as part of the original purchase when you bought the FrontendExpert course]
After completing this course, you will have a strong foundation in the most important concepts to know as a Backend Engineer to build scalable distributed systems.
Core Backend Development
Price: £10/month
Only the following modules are required:
- Learn Golang
- Learn Linux
- Learn HTTP Clients
- Learn HTTP Servers
- Learn File Servers and CDNs
- Learn Docker
- Learn CI/CD
After completing these courses, you will have a strong foundation in the most important concepts to know as a Backend Engineer.
Project Building
Practice your skills by building projects with CodeCrafters
You don’t have to build them all. Just pick a few that are interesting to you and build them. You’ll gain a lot of hands-on experience and understanding of backend system design concepts.
Career Preparation & Job Search
Estimated time to complete: 6 months
Crushing Digital VIP Program
Price: £1,199 (24-week access)
Once you’ve built a solid technical foundation, this comprehensive 24-week program will guide you through landing your first tech job with:
This program is led by David @ Crushing Digital, an ex-recruiter and engineer with 20+ years of industry experience who understands exactly what companies look for when hiring junior engineers.
The program comes with a full money-back guarantee if you don’t secure a job offer within 6 months (requires proof of consistent effort including regular check-ins).
Continuous Learning & Portfolio Building
While job searching, continue to:
Complete Journey Recap
By following this roadmap, you’ll go from zero to job-ready in approximately 12 months, investing around £1,895 total versus £30,000-£40,000 for a traditional 3-4 year computer science degree.
The key advantages are:
- Focused Learning: Only what’s directly relevant to modern industry needs
- Practical Experience: Build real-world projects employers actually value
- Expert Guidance: Learn from industry veterans who understand hiring
- Community Support: Never learn alone with our peer network
- Job Guarantee: Risk-free investment with money-back guarantee
- Rapid Timeline: Start your career years earlier than traditional paths
Get Started Today
Begin your journey to becoming a software engineer