1.2. "Do I Want To Be A Software Engineer?"

I meet so many students who tell me, “I just want any job” or “I just want to get hired.”

Before you spend time reading this book, understand that a lot of this content is aimed at students who have decided, “I want to be a software engineer.”

Software engineering is just one of many paths in computer science. It might not be the right fit for you — and that’s perfectly okay.

The ideas in this book can help you no matter what role you’re aiming for: software engineer, data scientist, cybersecurity analyst, or anything else. The core philosophy is simple:

If you want to get hired, you need to show you can do the real work of that job. Your computer science degree will not give you the applied skills you need to do that job.

For software engineering, that means demonstrating you can build, test, deploy, and maintain real software systems.

For data science, it might mean building models, analyzing datasets, and working with machine learning tools.

The reason this book focuses on software engineering is because most students I meet come into their computer science degree thinking their going to be programmer — and that's essentially what a software engineer is.

It's also the domain where my experience lies. Having now spent years as a full-time software engineer, it's clear to me what’s missing from most student resumes — and what skills employers actually care about.

I just don't have the background to provide the same level of insight for data science, security, network engineering, embedded systems, or other specialized roles, but I'd love to expand this guide someday to cover those areas as well.

However, the core principles of building real projects, gaining relevant experience, and effectively communicating your skills apply across the board.

Even if you don't know if you want to be a software engineer, I'm confident you'll still find value in this book, but certain sections like Chapter 5 (The Skills You Need To Get Hired) might not be as relevant to you.