Format:
100% online
Learn on your own time
Duration:
9 months, 15 hours/week
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Software Engineering Bootcamp

In today's digital world, software engineers are the architects of innovation, building the applications, websites, and platforms that define how we live, work, and interact. Their influence is felt across industries and around the globe, as they develop the software that powers everything from our smartphones to complex enterprise systems.

Due to this ever-growing reliance on technology, the demand for skilled software engineers has never been higher. Companies across all industries are seeking talented individuals to create and maintain the software that drives their success. As a software engineer, you'll enjoy competitive salaries, high job satisfaction, intellectually stimulating work, and the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies.

The Software Engineering Bootcamp, created and delivered by Springboard and offered by Northern Illinois University CPE, is your pathway to this thriving field. You'll master the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js), a powerful and sought-after toolkit for web development.

Through hands-on projects and personalized mentorship, you'll develop expertise in JavaScript, the world's most widely used programming language, and build full-stack web applications. The bootcamp culminates in a professional-grade capstone project, showcasing your skills to potential employers.

Our flexible, 100% online format lets you learn at your own pace, while dedicated 1:1 mentor support ensures you receive guidance and feedback throughout your journey. Additionally, you'll gain access to comprehensive career services, including technical interview prep and job search strategies, to help you land your dream role in the tech industry.

Discover how the Software Engineering Bootcamp, created and delivered by Springboard and offered by Northern Illinois University CPE, can unlock your potential and propel you into a successful tech career.

Emerging Careers in Software Engineering

There are a plethora of different career paths and specializations to choose from within software engineering. As you become more familiar with what it takes to create software, you’ll find yourself gravitating towards roles that utilize your skillset and interests. Below are possible job titles, fields and salaries that you may consider after you graduate.

  • Software Engineer: $108,000.

  • Front-end Developer: $87,000.

  • Back-end Developer: $115,000.

  • Full-stack Developer: $106,000.

  • Web Developer: $70,000.

Northern Illinois University

Curriculum

In this bootcamp you'll complete projects similar to the work software engineers do daily. You’ll develop a strong portfolio that shows your ability to work end-to-end on a development project. Plus, you’ll learn to collaborate with generative AI and code smarter and faster with a new AI learning unit. Preview some of the curriculum units below:

Foundations Curriculum: Building Your Web Development Toolkit

Learners without previous coding experience will begin in this introductory curriculum, which equips you with the essential skills to embark on your web development journey.

  • Beginning with HTML, learn to structure web content and create a digital resume.

  • Style your creations with CSS, adding visual appeal and responsiveness.

  • JavaScript brings interactivity to your pages, and you'll apply these skills in a series of engaging exercises.

Introduction to web development

  • Explore the evolution of the web: From its humble beginnings to the dynamic, interconnected ecosystem of today.

  • Understand the underlying mechanics of the web: How data flows, servers communicate with clients, and the core principles driving modern web applications.

  • Get acquainted with the MERN stack: Learn the basics of MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js and understand their roles in building full-stack web applications.

  • Lay the foundation for future learning: Establish a solid understanding of web development concepts to prepare for the deeper dives into each MERN technology.

Development Environment Basics

  • Set up VS Code: Install, configure, and customize your code editor with extensions tailored for web development.

  • Master the command line: Learn essential commands for navigating directories, installing packages, and executing scripts.

  • Install MERN stack tools: Use the command line to prepare your environment for working with MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js.

  • Get started with Git and GitHub: Understand the basics of version control, collaborate with others, and manage your projects effectively.

JavaScript for Web Interactions

  • Master intermediate JavaScript: Error handling, algorithms, data structures, asynchronous programming, modules, OOP, and ES6+.

  • Interact with the web: Manipulate web page elements and handle user interactions.

  • Communicate with backend systems: Work with APIs, understand REST and GraphQL.

  • Structure your code: Learn the MVC design pattern.

  • Prepare for your capstone: Begin conceptualizing and planning your web application.

MVC with MERN

  • This module dives into the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, a blueprint for structuring modern web applications. Using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js), you'll build each core MVC component:

    • View (React.js): Craft interactive user interfaces with essential React concepts like state management, forms, and routing.

    • Model (MongoDB): Master database interaction, from traditional relational databases to the flexible NoSQL power of MongoDB.

    • Controller (Node.js and Express.js): Create APIs, handle requests, and secure your application's communication.

    • Integration (Next.js): Seamlessly unite your frontend and backend, optimize performance, and leverage TypeScript.

    By the module's end, you'll have the skills to build full-fledged MERN stack applications and be ready to tackle your capstone project.

The Path Forward: Building Your Portfolio

  • Harness the power of AI prompt engineering: Craft effective prompts, guide language model outputs, and understand real-world applications.

  • Build a robust portfolio: Complete five projects, including a capstone, showcasing your ability to build full-stack web applications.

  • Demonstrate your expertise: Pass assessments that evaluate your knowledge and skills in various aspects of web development.

  • Launch your career in tech: Graduate with a strong portfolio and the skills to succeed in the ever-evolving world of web development.

Custom capstone and hands-on projects

Demonstrate your skills through hands-on projects, and graduate with a professional-grade capstone, where you'll build a complete web application, which will be the centerpiece of your portfolio. View a description of the portfolio projects below:

Capstone project

In this project, whose steps are distributed across the course, you will build a complete web application using MongoDB as the database, Node.js and Express.js for creating the API layer and React.js for building the frontend.

Jeopardy

Build an app to recreate the jeopardy game.

Pokedex

Create a pokemon application with a custom user interface, which is an encyclopedia of various information on Pokémon (a Pokedex).

Space Travel

Build a futuristic app to plan space travels by maintaining and tracking the details of all our spacecrafts.

Dog Adoption Platform API

Design and build RESTful APIs for a Dog Adoption Agency. 

Continuous Student Support

While you’re learning online, you'll have a full team of human support behind you. These include:

Personal mentor with regular 1:1 video calls: Your mentor will provide feedback on projects, help you overcome blockers and can give you career advice and industry insight.

Student advisors: Call upon your student advisor for questions regarding accountability, time management, or anything else that comes up throughout the course.

1:1 career coaching sessions: these optional career units can help you navigate the stages of your job search.

Online community: Start discussions with your fellow peers about the work you're doing and receive feedback.

Northern Illinois University

Support From Experienced Mentors

  • Regular 1:1 video calls: Receive direct feedback from your mentor to help you fine tune your projects, address any concerns and build your professional goals. 

  • Accountability: Stay on track so you can achieve your learning goals. 

  • Dedicated mentor calls: Get additional 1:1 help from cybersecurity experts in our community, at no extra cost.

Meet some of our mentors:

peter-nsaka
Peter Nsaka
Software Engineer
skye-nguyen
Skye Nguyen
Sr Software Engineer
john-newton
John Newton
Sr Controls Software Engineer
sonia-rm-karungi
Sonia RM Karungi
Web Developer

Is this Program Right for You?

No knowledge of programming is necessary! If you already have basic skills in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, you can test into an accelerated Core version of the curriculum.

If you don’t know how to code, you’ll learn everything you need to succeed in the Foundations+Core version of the program. All backgrounds are welcome.

FAQ

What is software engineering?

Software Engineering is the applied use of programming languages and engineering principles to create software products and applications for consumer use. Any website or application that you have interacted with in your life was developed by software engineers. They may also create more complex software, like a computer operating system, although this course is focused on the development of applications and websites.

What does a software engineer do?

Software engineers write and test the code that creates our digital world. An application may have thousands of files, and software engineers are responsible for creating those files and ensuring that they run correctly. They may also be responsible for the deployment of code to a server and for debugging, maintaining and upgrading live applications.

How to become a software engineer?

To become a software engineer you must learn how to code in an in-demand language. You also must have an eye-catching portfolio of work that will land you an interview, and an understanding of how the technologies you work with function. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a computer science degree to become a software engineer - you just need to be good at programming!

What type of jobs can you do after a software engineering bootcamp?

After this Software Engineering Bootcamp, you’ll be ready for a number of careers paths in the tech industry. You’ll be able qualified for jobs as a software engineer, full-stack developer, back-end developer, front-end developer or web developer - to name a few

Is software engineering hard?

Software engineering is challenging, but anyone can learn how to do it with grit and determination. Creating programs is not as complicated as it may seem, but debugging programs to ensure they work properly can be a very strenuous process. Even professional developers have challenges, software engineering is a lifelong journey.

What is the salary of a software engineer?

Software engineering is one of the highest-paying professions in the world. Entry-level engineers often make salaries in the high 5 figure range, or even the low 6 figure range. Skilled engineers can command extremely high annual salaries, especially in areas like San Francisco or New York.

Is software engineering in high demand?

Software Engineering has never been in higher demand. The growth of technology is outpacing the number of qualified engineers, and it is only going to keep rising. Although getting your foot in the door will require a lot of legwork, job security is extremely high in this lucrative field.

How quickly can I become a software engineer?

It all depends on how much time you put in! Although there are many paths to becoming an engineer, this Software Engineering Bootcamp has a proven track record of upskilling students into quality jobs within 13 months of starting the course. It generally takes 9 months to complete the course, and then several months of job searching and interviewing to land a job.

More questions about the program?

Speak to our enrollment team by completing an application, email Carolina, our enrollment assistant, or explore more frequently asked questions. 

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