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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
Explore articles about degree options, majors, and career paths. Learn how to evaluate your interests, strengths, and job market opportunities to choose a degree program that aligns with your personal and professional goals.

These courses may be eligible for degree credit

Skills you'll gain: Vibe coding, AI powered creativity, Debugging, Brainstorming, Planning, Application Development, Application Design, Generative AI, Data Wrangling, Data Analysis, Content Creation, Presentations, Responsible AI, Report Writing, Business Communication, Artificial Intelligence, Data Visualization, Research, Project Management, Machine Learning
★ 4.8 (12K) · Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Rmarkdown, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Data Ethics, Data Cleansing, Data Validation, Ggplot2, R (Software), Tableau Software, Sampling (Statistics), Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Communications, Data Processing, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), File Management, Web Presence, Data Structures, Interviewing Skills
★ 4.8 (183K) · Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Threat Modeling, Network Security, Vulnerability Management, Intrusion Detection and Prevention, Hardening, Incident Response, Threat Management, Cybersecurity, Network Protocols, Threat Detection, Cloud Security, Vulnerability Assessments, Network Architecture, Computer Security Incident Management, Operating Systems, Debugging, Linux, Web Presence, Python Programming, SQL
★ 4.8 (69K) · Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Choosing a degree topic can be an exciting moment in your learning journey, but it can also feel overwhelming with so many subjects available. While it's becoming increasingly common to choose a degree topic based on the career options you'll have after graduation, that's only one factor. Many students pursue their passion, develop their interests, or follow their values, knowing they're building useful skills to pursue a range of opportunities. Some popular degree topics include:
Business degrees
Health degrees
Computer science degrees
Data science degrees
IT degrees
Humanities and liberal arts degrees
Earning a computer science degree opens up numerous career opportunities. Studying computer science could lead to a career in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, robotics, computer forensics, ethical hacking, video game design, health informatics, internet of things (IoT), or user experience (UX) design, among others. Read more about these and other possible computer science career paths.
As you begin a career in cybersecurity, you’ll find a variety of different roles and specializations to pursue. Earning a degree in cybersecurity could be a step toward career opportunities like:
Accounting jobs are projected to grow 10 percent by 2026, with opportunities in auditing, management, data analytics, and finance. For more information, take a look at this blog post on what you can do with an accounting degree.
The average salary of a business degree holder depends on the level of education and the area of concentration. In general, a person with a degree will typically earn more than a person with only a college education, and a person with a master’s degree will typically earn more than a person with an undergraduate degree.