Hello Friend, Start here!
About Me
Hi, I'm Ivan Zakutniy, Staff Platform & Software Engineer.
If you follow my Threads, Telegram, or read my blog, you know I'm a huge advocate for fundamental CS topics and other brain-intensive, awesome stuff.
I want to share a step-by-step plan for learning how to become a solid Software Engineer.
What won't be in this plan? This isn't about:
"Ten best projects for your resume"
Learning frameworks and other mainstream stuff you're already bombarded with everywhere
Me holding your hand through everything
"Becoming a programmer in one month"
Where did I get these materials?
This is how I learned programming and software engineering from my Mentor. It's mostly a rewritten version of the free plan he offers to self-taught programmers starting from zero.
I've spent the last 5 years learning from him through internal paid courses, so most of what I know about programming comes from his teaching.
Who's my mentor?
I won't name names because our school is kind of underground and has rules I stick to.
In short: He has 45 years of programming experience (since 1979). He's written over a dozen books and programming courses, plus about a thousand articles on software engineering since 1995. He's trained thousands of people in programming and worked as a software engineer on many international projects. He's also a certified ICM (Institute of Consulting and Management) coach.
So basically, I'm sharing his guide with his permission, mixed with my own experience from learning and working in the field.
Future versions might include more of my own takes, but the core ideas and path will inevitably stay the same.
Preamble
Who is this guide for?
This guide is for anyone who wants to become a good software engineer, no matter what area you want to work in.
Here's the deal - if you have any knack for programming, you can definitely learn it.
But there's a catch - you'll have to work really hard and put in serious time. You can't just spend 15 minutes a day on this. You need to practice a lot - almost (ideally!) every day, for at least a couple of hours.
If you're not up for red pill, stop reading now and go enjoy your life instead.
I'm not promising you'll get a job after following this plan. That's a whole different story, especially with how crazy the job market is now and how much employers' requirements keep changing.
You'll probably need to learn some specific technologies and soft skills beyond this plan to boost your job chances. We'll touch on that briefly, and expand the topic in future, I believe (not sure.)
Here's how Karma works - you get out what you put in, as long as you're putting in the right kind of effort in the right direction.
So I can promise you one thing - this plan and the knowledge you'll gain will train your brain and build a solid foundation for any kind of IT engineering career, if you will work for it.
How to use this book
First, read through it quickly to understand what I'm offering and how much work it'll take.
You'll know pretty fast if it's for you or not.
Basic Undestanding contains info for complete beginners who know nothing about programming or IT jobs. I mean COMPLETE beginners - people who don't know what a variable is and have never seen a command prompt. Feel free to skip this part at first, but maybe check it out later - you might learn something new.
The rest is the Learning Path itself, focused on practical skills and how to master them. Even the guide is following some order remember that you can learn some topics in parallel.
Just follow the guide and make sure you're spending enough time and effort on each part.
Last updated
