Software Engineer Learning Notes

A curated, phased learning path and reference notes to guide a beginner to a career in software engineering. The materials are organized by phases and topical folders with definitions, discussions, examples, and exercises (primarily Python examples).

Contents

• software-engineer-learning-path.md — single-page overview: roadmap, core topics, glossary, resources, projects, and career guidance.
• Phases/ — phase-by-phase guides with explanations, exercises and example snippets.
• Topics/ — focused topic guides. Notable folders:
  • Topics/OOP/ — Object-Oriented Programming guide (concepts, examples, tasks).
  • Topics/Principles/ — programming principles (SOLID, DRY, YAGNI, KISS, SoC, TDD, FP).

Quick start

1. Open this folder in VS Code.

2. Pick a phase or topic to study (Phase 0 or Topics/OOP recommended for beginners).

3. Run example Python files directly with Python 3.9+:

   • Create a virtual environment (optional):

     python3 -m venv .venv source .venv/bin/activate

   • Run a small example:

     python3 Topics/OOP/examples.md # examples are marked for easy copy/paste into .py files

4. Run tests (if present) with pytest:

   pytest

How to use

• Read definitions and discussions to understand concepts.
• Try code examples by copying them into .py files and running them.
• Complete exercises in Phases/ and Topics/ and track progress with Git commits.

Contributing

• Keep changes focused and organized by phase/topic.
• Add a short README in any new folder describing its purpose.
• Prefer small, reviewable commits and clear commit messages.
• If adding code examples, ensure they run with Python 3 and include brief instructions.

Folder structure (high level)

• software-engineer-learning-path.md
• README.md
• Phases/
  • phase-0-mindset-and-tools.md
  • phase-1-fundamentals.md
  • phase-2-practical-engineering.md
  • phase-3-cs-foundations-and-scale.md
  • phase-4-specialization-and-career.md
• Topics/
  • OOP/
    • README.md
    • concepts.md
    • examples.md
    • tasks.md
  • Principles/
    • SOLID/
    • DRY/
    • YAGNI/
    • KISS/
    • SeparationOfConcerns/
    • TDD/
    • FP/

License

• Personal learning notes. Reuse and adapt for personal or educational use.

Contact

• Maintainer: ekimmayong (local workspace). For questions, update an issue or add a note in the relevant file.