8 Free Online Software Development Courses In 2024

 One of the technological talents that will be most in demand in 2024 and beyond is software development.

According to Springboard's most recent study on the State of the Workplace Skills Gap, this skill rates highly among those that companies need to address the talent and skills gap, along with software engineering. On the list of the most in-demand skills where there are significant labor shortages, it ranks fourth, ahead only of data analysis, project management, and AI/ML.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is anticipated that the need for software developers would rise by 25%, which is more than eight times the average rate of job growth.

Software development and engineering will become essential as a result of the following skills shaping talent demand and workforce trends: artificial intelligence and big data, technological literacy, networks, and cybersecurity. These skills were ranked highly in the World Economic Forum's Job Skills On the Rise in its 2023 report.

To add a little spice to the mix, Coursera, a provider of flexible online training and upskilling courses for the workforce, recently released its Job Skills of 2024 report, which revealed that software development and engineering with a focus on cybersecurity are the fastest growing tech skills and will be in high demand in 2024 and beyond.

For instance, it lists cyberattacks, security software, and system security as essential subject areas for workers who are eager to advance in this industry.

In terms of software development outside of cybersecurity, systems design and software architecture seem to be the most important competencies that prospective IT workers should focus on.

Software Engineering vs. Software Development

One issue that may be confusing to you when you try to master software development and software engineering skills is: What is the difference between software development and software engineering?


According to a widely used concept, developers are people who use the architecture created by engineers to carry out programming tasks, and engineers are people who create the architecture that powers computer applications. Software developers are therefore a specialized branch of software engineers.

An alternative framework elucidating the distinction characterizes engineers as experts in conceptualizing and creating systems that focus on providing solutions. Developers use their technical expertise to refine and implement those systems in the interim.

"To use a metaphor, think of software creation like a restaurant—software engineers design the menu, while software developers make the actual food."


It is important to remember, though, that there is a tendency for these positions and disciplines to overlap, and that the knowledge and abilities needed for both, in terms of programming languages, frameworks, and libraries, are essentially the same. As a result, software engineering can greatly benefit from the skills you learn in a software development school, and vice versa.

Free Certification Programs And Courses In Software Development For 2024

The majority of these courses, like Foundations of UX Design, include a Google professional certificate that certifies your talents and you can add it with pride to your CV and LinkedIn profile.

  
These are a few free online courses that you may take to learn specialized programming and technical skills related to software development and engineering. You can study at your own pace with most of them.

1. CS50's Introduction to Computer Science—Harvard University

      APPLY : CLICK HERE

      2.Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python—MIT                 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology via edX)

        

       APPLY : CLICK HERE 

       3.Git and GitHub Beginners crash course—Bluelime Learning Solutions via               Udemy

       APPLY : CLICK HERE

       4.Introduction to HTML5—University of Michigan via Coursera

       APPLY : CLICK HERE

       5.Introduction to CSS3—University of Michigan via Coursera

       APPLY : CLICK HERE

      6.Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design—Google (part of UX Design                 Certificate) via Coursera

      APPLY : CLICK HERE

      7.Single Page Web Applications with AngularJS—Johns Hopkins University via           Coursera

       APPLY : CLICK HERE

      8.Java FullStack Developer Specialization—Board Infinity via Coursera

       APPLY : CLICK HERE

Enroll in one of these free courses to get started on your career journey right now. Starting now is preferable to waiting and then regretting your decision. Acquire these fundamental technical abilities, and they will serve you for the rest of your life.