Breaking the code: The rise of self-taught software engineers

Mir Tauhidul Islam graduated from the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Jahangirnagar University. While his classmates analysed datasets and conducted regression modeling, Mir spent his nights debugging code and teaching himself web development. 

Today, he is a software specialist at a US-based company. 

Mir's passion grew as early as 2014, when, immediately after his SSC exams, he stumbled upon HTML and CSS tutorials online. Encouraged by tech voices like Tamim Shahriar Subeen, he carved his own path—experimenting with code, building small projects, and pushing through the challenges of low-spec hardware and limited access.   

"When the pandemic hit in 2020, it gave me space to fully commit myself," Mir said. He enrolled in online courses, built a portfolio strong enough to land freelance gigs, and by late 2020, he was working with global clients.

In an industry once tightly gated by computer science degrees and academic pedigree, software engineering is becoming one of the most democratised careers on the planet.

A new generation of self-taught software engineers like Mir is showing that skills matter more than formal education. Many of them come from different careers, proving that you don't need a computer science degree to succeed. With determination and online resources, they learn to code, build useful skills, and solve real problems in the software industry.

Syed Sadman Sabbir comes from an even more unorthodox background for a software engineer. He graduated with a degree in Anthropology from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). His fascination with computers began much earlier—after his SSC exams in 2015. He taught himself the C programming language out of curiosity about how applications and systems really worked.

Once he got into the university, he discovered the double major option for CSE had been discontinued. So he forged his own path—literally. He started sneaking into programming classes alongside his CSE and EEE friends, sitting quietly in the back row until he eventually asked the professor for permission to stay. 

"He said, 'Yes, you can, no problem'," Syed recalled. That small approval marked a turning point.

From there, Syed delved deeper into programming. In 2019, he built a soccer-playing robot with friends and competed at IUT's Robo Soccer tournament—clearing the first round and proving to himself that his skills weren't just theoretical. "I never did it for a job or money," he said. "It was always a passion."

When Covid-19 hit, Syed saw it as an opportunity. "No academic pressure, no going outside—I thought, 'How can I use this time?'" He re-learned programming fundamentals, picked up JavaScript, and landed his first professional project in late 2020. 

In 2022, just days before the final exam, he faced an interview at Dorik — a website builder startup based in Sylhet — and got the job without anyone asking about his degree.

"No one cared about my academic background. They just looked at what I could build." He stayed there until mid-2024, working on their core product.

Now, Syed works at a UK-based research company building AI-powered medical solutions. He's also part of BUET's mHealth Lab, developing deep learning models for X-ray diagnostics and automating medical data workflows. One of his projects, OsteoSyst, even won first place in the US-based BMES Awards.

And he did it all without taking a single paid course. "Books from Nilkhet, YouTube, and documentation," he said. "That was my syllabus."

While Mir took a detour through Statistics, and Syed through Anthropology and robotics, Zayed Hasan came from a completely different world: marketing strategy at a fintech startup.

"I was good at my job," Zayed said. "But I kept finding myself more interested in the product team's work." He started learning JavaScript at night, watching FreeCodeCamp videos, and experimenting with buggy side projects. One day, he was asked to temporarily fill in for a junior developer who left—and passed the coding tests.

By 2022, Zayed was officially a junior software engineer, working on the same product he once helped promote. "I still use my marketing skills," he said. "But now I understand the product on a whole new level."

Skill, not schooling

According to Business Insider, companies like IBM, Apple, and Google have dropped formal degree requirements for software roles. IBM's AI chief said in a recent interview, "You don't need a computer science degree to be in tech anymore. You need curiosity, consistency, and the ability to solve problems."

"People think software engineering is just about writing code. But it's about communicating clearly, understanding business needs and translating abstract ideas into working solutions."

Mir Tauhidul Islam, software specialist

Statistics also backs it up. A 2024 Stack Overflow survey found that over 40% of professional developers didn't hold a degree in Computer Science. Many learned through bootcamps, MOOCs, and self-guided study, just like Mir, Zayed, and Syed.

Even tech giants are leaning towards this shift. Apprenticeship programmes from AWS, Google, and coding bootcamps like General Assembly or Microverse are designed to create alternative pathways into the industry.

But the route isn't easy. It requires discipline, resilience, and a firm belief that progress is possible, especially in regions where access to tech resources is limited.

"People think software engineering is just about writing code," Mir opined. "But it's about communicating clearly, understanding business needs and translating abstract ideas into working solutions."

Zayed echoed similar sentiments. "You have to love the process. The late nights, the bugs, the failures—it's all part of it."

And as Syed put it, "You have to do what gives you that dopamine rush. For me, that was building things."

A shift in the mindset

There's another reason why this wave of self-made engineers matters. In regions like South Asia, where competition for CS university seats is fierce and access to top institutions is limited, the democratisation of tech is a game-changer.

For Mir, remote work meant global opportunities while living in Bangladesh. For Zayed, it meant reshaping his role within the same company. For Syed, it meant finally working with BUET researchers on the kind of projects he once dreamed about as a student.

What opened doors wasn't a diploma—it was a drive.

And in an age where AI tools are reshaping the very nature of work, these engineers are already adapting. "To survive in the present and future," Mir said, "you need to be more competitive and more competent. That means you have to keep learning." 

The traditional route to software engineering, which involves earning a CS degree, completing a tech internship, and then getting a developer job, isn't going away. But it's no longer the only way in. Self-taught developers earn their seat at the table not because they followed the standard path but because they built their own.