November 2025
Beginner
404 pages
10h 38m
English
Content preview from Fundamentals of Software Engineering
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Preface
Programmer, coder, developer—there are any number of titles used to describe people who create software, but what does it mean to be a software engineer? Despite the way software is often taught, being a software engineer is about far more than simply producing syntactically correct programs.
Boot camps and universities typically focus on the mechanical aspects of writing code, creating people who are well-versed in programming. The body of knowledge required today to be a successful software engineer goes beyond learning a programming language; you must be well-versed in the full lifecycle of a software product. You must have a comprehensive understanding of more than just the syntax and grammar of a programming language; you must be well-versed in testing, architecture, modeling, and more. You must know how to work effectively with legacy code and how to reliably and repeatedly deploy code to production. To excel, be promoted, and to work on the most interesting projects, you must move beyond merely writing code; you must apply engineering principles across the entire development process. Even in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and agentic coding tools, you must have a solid grasp of the fundamentals to wield AI tools properly.
There are many paths to becoming a software engineer, from associate’s and undergraduate programs in computer science to intensive boot camps to teach yourself (Figure P-1). Early in your software engineering career, it can feel like you’ve ...
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.Julian F.
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.