Gone are the days When recruiters insisted on a degree as a prerequisite for a software development role. People are now more than ever more interested in what you know. Therefore you don't necessarily require a degree to land a software development job.

Demonstrating you can do the job you are going for is more important. Research your target company tech stack GitHub up some stuff in that.

However, to demonstrate you must first learn. Here are 5 skills you should build in order to become a solid candidate.

1. Learn basic Software Design

Get resources on software design; watch as many videos as you can, read code of good open-source projects on GitHub, stay consistent and go through the process over and over until you understand.

2. Learn A Popular Tech Stack

Web frontend development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React/ Angular/NextJs)

Native App Development (kotlin/Java/C#/C++/ or any other you may find more suitable. Be sure to do good research first.

Backend development ( any programming language, but I will suggest you start with Javascript and nodejs + SQL/NoSQL database).

Cloud Computing (Azure/ AWS/ Firebase etc.

3. Learn Basic Computer Science

Learn data structure and algorithms.

Object-oriented design

Operating systems (processes, threads, locks, etc)

System design

A proper understanding of these concepts will help you write great programs and significantly improve your efficiency. As you continue to grow in this field you will soon learn that how you write your code is as important as the code itself. The more you understand the fundamentals of computers, the better you get at programming.

4. Build Projects

Once you understand the basics, start building some awesome stuff. You can start with building clones (social media clones, blog clones, eCommerce clones, etc) or you can go ahead to build something unique, however, when building have a solution mindset; it's not just about building a project, it's all about building projects that solve problems, regardless the size or nature of the problem.

Create a GitHub account and ensure and ensure all your built projects are on GitHub.

Knowing how to use GitHub is a skill in itself, the more you use it, the better you become at it.

One mistake most beginners make is copying a tutorial to build their own project. I made the same mistake too, yes I'm guilty. But the truth is you learn a lot when you write the code yourself; you can reference a tutorial or documentation while building, but don't copy.

5. Network On Social Media (LinkedIn and Twitter)

Okay, now you have a solid portfolio to stand against a degree. Make a resume/CV and start networking.

Share your little wins, put yourself out there share every little progress you make in your learning process.

Connect with recruiters if they have an opening and are hiring, as well as network with other engineers.

Thanks for reading this article. I hope you got value for your time. If you did share this article with your family, friends, and colleagues who you think may need this article.