Software Engineering Pathway
Launch yourself into backend software engineer jobs at top-tier tech companies with confidence, technical skills and a strong portfolio.
About Our Software Engineering Pathway
Qwasar’s Software Engineering Pathway is arguably one of the leading backend career pathways and on-ramps in North America for getting into 6-figure tech jobs. We are highly respected among top-tier tech companies and recruiters, largely for our focus on C, C++, Rust, compilers and Assembly, low-level programming, and depth of technical skills sought by employers. Our comprehensive, elite pathway is entirely project-based, meaning learners develop a strong technical portfolio as well as desired hard and soft skills.
Our focus is training learners to Silicon Valley standards, and in developing a breadth and depth of technical skills with an emphasis on structured problem solving, critical thinking, and extensive preparation for meeting employer demands for entry-level jobs.
Find the Program Option that Works For You
Full-time and part-time and flexible pathway options available remotely.
Part-time Professional Flex
12-24 months
Monthly Sat. meetings
Study on a part-time basis with somewhat flexible options on course meetings. No project deadlines.
Start dates:
Sept 14, 2024
Nov 2, 2024
Jan 25, 2025
March 29, 2025
June 21, 2025
Intensive Bootcamps - Part Time
12-24 months
Tues/Thurs meetings
Study part-time in a highly structured intensive bootcamp. Attendance is required and projects have deadlines.
Start dates:
Sept 10, 2024
Oct 29, 2024
Jan 21, 2025
March 25, 2025
June 17, 2025
Intensive Bootcamps - Full Time
9-12 months
Mon – Fri meetings
Study in a highly structured intensive bootcamp. Attendance is required and projects have deadlines.
Start dates:
Sept 10, 2024
Oct 29, 2024
Jan 21, 2025
March 25, 2025
June 17, 2025
- Join a specific cohort
- Virtual meetings 1-3x per day
- Learn in a community
- 100% hands-on learning
- Accountability & motivation
- Stack courses back to back
- OR take breaks between courses
- Duration estimates are based on back-to-back courses
Set Yourself on a Path for Top Software Engineer Jobs
Companies are pretty clear about what they want in their candidates.
Here’s a list of companies or types or companies looking for candidates with the specific skill set and experience that aligns with this program’s curriculum:
- Financial industry – Capital One, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, regional banks, etc.
- Automotive – Tesla, Lucid Motors, Zoox, etc.
- Defense: Lockheed Martin, Leidos, Northrop Grumman, etc.
- Tech: Oracle, TikTok, Apple, Adobe, Intel, Google, Facebook, etc.
- Consulting: Deloitte, PwC, McKinsey, Accenture, etc.
- Retail: Nike, Lululemon, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.
Languages and Tools
Languages and tools covered throughout the software engineer program:
Software Engineering Pathway Courses
Courses and programs that make up the Full Stack Pathway include:
Introductory to Intermediate C Programming
This course focuses on software engineering principles, as well as strong fundamentals in data structures and algorithms. Learners will cover fundamental computer programming concepts including arrays, strings, algorithms, pointers, hash data structures, and software architecture. This course gives you a solid foundation in computer programming fundamentals!
Advanced C Programming
This intensive software engineering program focuses on mastering C programming, advanced data structures, and algorithms. Students will develop proficiency in memory management, compilers, software architecture and network programming. The course emphasizes practical, hands-on experience with extensive coding practice, using peer reviews to ensure code quality.
Option 1: Intermediate Rust Programming
This course focuses solely on programming in Rust. Learners will develop intermediate programming skills in Rust before moving to larger projects. In the second half of the course, learners will deal with crates, cargo, threads, safety, performance and trade-offs, as well as architecting code that exploits Rust’s strengths rather than translating from other languages. A great course for those needed to be good at Rust quickly.
Option 2: Intermediate Go Programming
This course focuses solely on programming in Go. Learners will develop intermediate programming skills in Go before moving to larger projects. In the second half of the course, learners will deal with network programming, concurrent programming, and working with file systems. They will also cover sockets, connections, the TCP/IP stack, and managing multiple network connections simultaneously.
Option 3: Intermediate C++ Programming
This course focuses solely on programming in C++. Learners will develop intermediate programming skills in C++ before moving to larger projects. In the second half of the course, learners will deal with network programming, concurrent programming, and working with file systems. They will also cover sockets, connections, the TCP/IP stack, and managing multiple network connections simultaneously.
Advanced Backend Programming Capstone
Learners will select a capstone project to complete in Rust, Go, or C++.
Code must be high quality and will be subject to peer review and instructor review. We recommend subject areas useful for your language of choice: backend, gaming, blockchain, finance, etc.
YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY
Learning Top Skills is Tough
Learning skills is like learning a sport, a musical instrument, or cooking: it takes time, learning by doing, trial and error, and lots of practice. NBA players don’t get good by watching lectures or videos. Skills-based learning at Qwasar is TOUGH.
DO NOT GIVE UP
The key to our programs is to not give up. No matter how difficult the problem is in front of you, do not give up. Great engineers do not give up but instead apply structured problem solving.
EARN AN ELITE CERTIFICATE
After your hard work and upon completing the Pathway, learners will earn a certificate from Qwasar Silicon Valley for Elite Software Engineering.
How Learning Works
What you will be doing throughout the program.
PROJECTS
Each season has a series of projects to complete that last 1 day to up to 3 months. These are problems and challenges to build software based on certain requirements and restrictions.
One example of a project would be to build a task-management software with tags, permissions, and a basic user interface.
EXERCISES
Each week, participants will have 1-5 coding exercises to complete. These are accessed through our software and your code is auto-graded to ensure it is up to speed and functioning. This is part of the learning process. We have over 800 exercises in our library with thousands of test cases!
ROLE PLAY
We use role play to develop soft skills such as job negotiations or conflict resolution. We also use role play in technical interview practice where participants will both be the interviewee and the interviewer. This dual-sided perspective is unique to our program & helps build better interviewees.
GAMIFICATION
Our system is gamified, meaning that you will earn and spend “Qpoints.” As you complete peer code reviews, you earn points and as you submit your projects for review, you will spend Qpoints.
What Sets Us Apart
Silicon Valley Standards
We train to standards set by Silicon Valley for software engineers. This means the level is much higher than that of bootcamps, and higher than that of CS degrees. Your specialty is being an elite engineer at a world-renown level.
Technical Skills & Knowledge
Thanks to the depth and breadth of our program curriculum, you acquire a level of technical skills and knowledge that learners in other programs or bootcamps simply never acquire.
Strong Back-end Skills
The vast majority of bootcamps don’t cover data structures or algorithms. CS degrees don’t cover hands-on application of theory or actually developing software architecture. We cover both and your strong back-end skills and experience with databases, data structures, and algorithms will set you apart from other candidates.
Depth of Technical Portfolio
Learners develop a technical portfolio that has depth and shows the extent of their technical skills and ability to handle databases, deployments, and development. Neither bootcamps nor CS degrees offer this.
Why Qwasar
Why pay more, study less, and then spend 6-12 months trying to find a job (at a bootcamp or CS degree), when you could pay less, study more, and give yourself a much higher chance of gaining employment at (or before graduation)?
Unlike others, our learning model is backed by significant learning science and the learning experience is rooted in learning by doing and in a learning community.
Our employment rates are within 2 months of graduating, not 6 or 12, and most learners gain employment before they finish the curriculum.
We’re way cheaper than other options, and offer flexible learning opportunities.
We list some of the reasons why you should consider Qwasar:
Train to Silicon Valley standards
MUCH greater depth of fundamentals, data structures, algorithms
Freedom and flexibility in learning – i.e. time to learn what you don’t understand
Hugely diverse and welcoming learning community
Depth and breadth of languages, technical skills, and frameworks covered
Extensive technical interview, resume, and profile training/resources
Industry-leading coding and learning management platform
Access to alumni network for referrals to jobs
Real Employer Partnerships and High Employment Rates
Qwasar works directly with employers and hiring partners who recruit from our programs. Partners include LinkedIn, Capgemini, Workday, Claris, Accenture, Crowdstrike, and more.
Many employers have reached out to us to recruit directly from our programs. Qwasar is recognized in industry for its superior programs, curriculum, and graduates, and as a result, our learners often have significantly better opportunities for recruitment into jobs, internships, and apprenticeships compared to bootcamp grads.
As of June 2022, our programs have a 95% employment rate for learners who finish the program, with most learners gaining employment before they finish the program. The employment rate is calculated within 6 weeks of graduation, NOT 6-12 months after graduation.
INNOVATIVE LEARNING
What to Expect
At Qwasar, you are responsible for your learning, just as you would be responsible for your work in a job. Problem-based learning involves finding, trying, and building solutions. With no single source of truth and no answers provided, it’s up to you to figure out how to make your code work, when and how to ask for help, and how to successfully build software in a team.
Attend an Information Session
Join us for a session on what learning is like at Qwasar. Sign up to learn more about our program options and how each cohort works:
Join an Outstanding Learning Community!
Joining Qwasar is about joining a learning community. Learning on your own is hard, watching online videos can be boring, and sharing your learning journey (and certainly lots of jokes) with others is important.
Our platform and Discord chat, as well as our program meetings, are all about building and participating in the community. When you join our programs, you have access to:
- Group debugging sessions
- Small group sessions
- Virtual coworking rooms
- Sophisticated peer code review system
- Coding collaboration workshops and pair programming
- Our lively Discord online chat (with a tech news section and a meme section)
Transitioning Careers? Join the Club!
Qwasar is a hive of career switchers. We have people who are or were: baristas, retail associates, medical assistants, accountants, professional musicians, biomedical researchers, teachers, finance directors, IT support professionals, network engineers, mechanical engineers, college students in non-technical fields, business analysts, writers, translators, and more.
We also have career returners and veterans in the community.
Chances are high that you’ve got transferable skills. Here’s an example we put together for people transitioning from accounting:
A 6-Step Guide on How to Transition From Accounting to Tech
Check Job Descriptions: Our Curriculum Aligns to Employer Demands
Our curriculum is based on what employers are looking for in software engineers.
Other programs don’t cover the minimal level required by Tier 1 tech companies.
Here’s how we stack up:
Qwasar | Bootcamps | CS Degree | |
Hands-on experience designing and implementing software architecture, able to contribute to architecture discussions | ✓ | X | Limited |
Proven experience with low-level programming (C, C++, Assembly, Rust, etc.) | ✓ | X | Depends by student |
Proven experience with backend development, databases, database design, network programming (C++, Ruby, Java, Go, noSQL, etc.) | ✓ | X | Depends by student |
Excellent structured problem solving skills | ✓ | X | X |
Experience with the software development lifecycle, i.e. built multiple backend applications from scratch | ✓ | X | X |
Ability to translate project description into technical specifications, can handle ambiguity | ✓ | X (ambiguity eliminated) | Limited |
Habituated to collaborating to solve problems, pair programming, and communicating in-person and remotely | ✓ | X | X |
Write clean, high-quality code and tests, familiar with version control systems | ✓ | X | X |
Information Sessions
Join us for a session on what learning is like at Qwasar. Sign up to learn more about our program options and how each cohort works.
Qwasar vs. Others
How do Qwasar programs compare to other tech training options out there? Find out how we stack up.
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