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)

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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.

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Frontend Development

Estimated time to complete: 3-5 months
1

What even is a 'Frontend'?

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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.Learn Git
Price: £10/month
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Main Content

FrontendExpert
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.
Web Development Fundamentals
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
JavaScript (Most Popular Frontend Language)
Web APIs
ReactJS (JavaScript Library for building user interfaces)
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.
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Project Building

Practice your skills by building mini projects on GreatFrontend (Free tier available):
Build UI Components from scratch (News Feed, Type-ahead Search, Image Carousel, Chat Application etc.)
Implement JavaScript utilities
Create React Components that interact with an API

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Extra helpful content:

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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:
  1. Validate your idea with real users
  2. Start with simple features and some marketing
  3. Gradually tackle more complex features as your product and userbase needs grow
  4. Learn system design principles through actual scaling challenges, no theoretical concepts (if your userbase grows)
  5. 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.

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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.
1

What even is a 'Backend'?

2

Main Content

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High-Level Backend System Design

SystemsExpert
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.
Client-Server Model
Network Protocols
Storage
Latency and Throughput
Availability
Caching
Proxies
Load Balancers
Hashing
Relational Databases
Key-Value Stores
Specialized Storage Paradigms
Replication and Sharding
Leader Election
Peer-to-Peer Networks
Polling and Streaming
Configuration
Rate Limiting
Logging and Monitoring
Publish/Subscribe Pattern
MapReduce
Security and HTTPS
API Design
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Core Backend Development

Main Course Link
Price: £10/month
Only the following modules are required:After completing these courses, you will have a strong foundation in the most important concepts to know as a Backend Engineer.
Linux Fundamentals
Git Version Control
Golang (High-Performance Backend Language)
HTTP Clients & Servers
Docker Containerisation
CI/CD Pipelines
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Project Building

Practice your skills by building projects with CodeCraftersYou 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.
Redis Clone
SQLite Clone
BitTorrent Clone
Git Clone
Shell Clone
Interpreter
HTTP Server
DNS Server
Estimated time to complete: 6 months
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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:
Personalized CV/Resume Optimization
GitHub Portfolio Development
LinkedIn Profile Enhancement
Interview Preparation & Mock Interviews
Strategic Job Search Techniques
Networking Strategies
Salary Negotiation Training
1:1 Coaching with Industry Veterans
Weekly Group Mentorship Sessions
Job Offer Guarantee
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).
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Continuous Learning & Portfolio Building

While job searching, continue to:
Build and refine your portfolio projects
Contribute to open source
Participate in coding challenges
Network with industry professionals
Attend tech meetups and events

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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