Types of Software Engineers—Exploring Diverse Roles in Software Development
March 18, 2025
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Prepare for a career as a back-end developer. Gain the in-demand skills and hands-on experience to get job-ready in less than 6 months.
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Entry-level developers who are beginner learners or professionals looking to increase their knowledge or who are switching to a new career
Master the most up-to-date practical skills and knowledge that back-end developers use in their daily roles
Learn to deploy and scale applications using methodologies and tools, Docker, Kubernetes, microservices, and serverless functions
Write back-end applications with object-oriented programming languages including server-side Python while using version control and package managers
Employ continuous integration / continuous development (CI/CD) and monitoring methodologies to facilitate software development life-cycle automation
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Prepare for a career in the high-growth field of software development. In this program, you’ll develop the skills, tools, and portfolio to have a competitive edge in the job market as an entry level back-end developer in as little as 6 months.
Back-end developers are the experts who build and maintain the mechanisms that process data and perform actions behind websites, and the demand for these professionals has never been greater.
You’ll learn the latest tools and technologies used by professional back-end developers, including Linux scripting, Git and GitHub, Python, SQL, Databases, Django, Containers with Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift, Microservices, Serverless, as well as Application Security, and Monitoring. You will practice working hands-on with these technologies to build the type of server-side systems and services that power modern web and mobile applications.
Upon completing the full program, you will have built a portfolio of projects to provide you with the confidence to excel in your interviews and you’ll receive a Professional Certificate from IBM to showcase your proficiency to potential employers.
You will also receive access to join IBM’s Talent Network where you’ll receive job opportunities as soon as they are posted, recommendations matched to your skills and interests, and tips and tricks to help you stand apart from the crowd.
Applied Learning Project
Throughout the professional certificate, there are ample opportunities to apply skills learned through labs and projects. Projects include:
Developing shell scripts for repetitive tasks like backing up files
Creating and sharing open-source projects on GitHub
Developing a Python application with endpoints that translate between English to French
Refining code and hosting an application using IBM Cloud and Cloud Foundry while enabling CI/CD to ensure changes are automatically deployed
Adding a feature to an online course by leveraging Django full-stack skills
Building and deploying a guestbook that rolls out updates using Openshift image streams and a multi-tier versioning of the guestbook
Developing a back-end application that displays song lyrics, band photos, and sells concert tickets by creating and integrating a Mongo database, a Flask service, and a Django application
Identifying and analyzing a software engineering job posting
Describe software engineering, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), and software development tools, technologies and stacks.
List different types of programming languages and create basic programming constructs such as loops and conditions using Python.
Outline approaches to application architecture and design, patterns, and deployment architectures.
Summarize the skills required in software engineering and describe the career options it provides.
Describe version control and its place in social and collaborative coding and in DevOps.
Explain basic Git concepts such as repositories and branches used for distributed version control and social coding.
Create GitHub repositories and branches, and perform pull requests (PRs) and merge operations, to collaborate on a team project.
Build your portfolio by creating and sharing an open-source project on GitHub.
Describe the Linux architecture and common Linux distributions and update and install software on a Linux system.
Perform common informational, file, content, navigational, compression, and networking commands in Bash shell.
Develop shell scripts using Linux commands, environment variables, pipes, and filters.
Schedule cron jobs in Linux with crontab and explain the cron syntax.
Learn Python - the most popular programming language and for Data Science and Software Development.
Apply Python programming logic Variables, Data Structures, Branching, Loops, Functions, Objects & Classes.
Demonstrate proficiency in using Python libraries such as Pandas & Numpy, and developing code using Jupyter Notebooks.
Access and web scrape data using APIs and Python libraries like Beautiful Soup.
Describe the steps and processes involved in creating a Python application including the application development lifecycle
Create Python modules, run unit tests, and package applications while ensuring the PEP8 coding best practices
Explain the features of Flask and deploy applications on the web using the Flask framework
Create and deploy an AI-based application onto a web server using IBM Watson AI Libraries and Flask
Explain what a database is and create an entity relationship data model for a relational database.
Compose SQL queries to insert, select, update, and delete data in a database.
Use Django ORM to build object-oriented databases.
Integrate Bootstrap into your Django template and build interactive web pages.
Using containers, learn how to move applications quickly across any environment.
Build cloud native applications using Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, and Istio.
Describe and leverage Kubernetes architecture to set up and use an entire lifecycle-based container management system.
Create and leverage a YAML deployment file to configure and create resources such as pods, services, replicasets, and others in a declarative way.
Summarize the fundamentals of Microservices, their advantages, and contrast with monolithic architectures.
Create REST API endpoints and invoke them using cURL and Postman; Use SwaggerUI to document and test APIs.
Create, and deploy microservices using Docker containers and serverless technologies like IBM Code Engine.
Practice hands-on with labs and projects using a no-charge cloud-based environment.
Explain security by design, learn to develop applications using security by design principles; perform defensive coding following OWASP principles.
Describe IBM cloud container vulnerability; perform vulnerability scanning and pen testing with Kali Linux.
Describe what to look for in app performance; perform troubleshooting using logging, stack trace, and log analytics.
Discuss concepts like Golden Signals; list tools for monitoring and troubleshooting; and test monitoring in action with Prometheus and Grafana.
Explain the importance of monitoring and describe concepts like Golden Signals
Demonstrate your knowledge of observability with Instana and explain the pillars of observability, cloud native observability, and types of sampling
Implement logging and demonstrate your knowledge of telemetry using OpenTelemetry and tracing using Kubernetes
Develop hands-on experience with a variety of tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, Mezmo (LogDNA), OpenTelemetry, and Instana
Demonstrate proficiency to develop and deploy backend services and applications
Apply your back-end development skills to author microservices and REST APIs in Flask
Create and query databases like MongoDB and integrate with Django apps
Containerize microservices using Docker and deploy using Kubernetes, OpenShift and serverless
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
At IBM, we know how rapidly tech evolves and recognize the crucial need for businesses and professionals to build job-ready, hands-on skills quickly. As a market-leading tech innovator, we’re committed to helping you thrive in this dynamic landscape. Through IBM Skills Network, our expertly designed training programs in AI, software development, cybersecurity, data science, business management, and more, provide the essential skills you need to secure your first job, advance your career, or drive business success. Whether you’re upskilling yourself or your team, our courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates build the technical expertise that ensures you, and your organization, excel in a competitive world.
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
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This is a self-paced program that requires approximately 127 hrs of learner effort to complete. It can be completed in 5 months while committing to working 6 hours per week on average.
No prior knowledge is required.
It is highly recommended that courses be taken in the order presented, as they build on top of topics covered in previous courses.
No, this program is not yet recognized for any college or university credit.
Back-end developers are the experts who build and maintain the mechanisms that process data and perform actions on websites, and the demand for them has never been greater.
Upon completing this program, learners will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to take on an entry-level back-end development role.
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Certificate, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Certificate. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Financial aid available,
¹ Median salary and job opening data are sourced from Lightcast™ Job Postings Report. Content Creator, Machine Learning Engineer and Salesforce Development Representative (1/1/2024 - 12/31/2024) All other job roles (4/1/2024 - 4/1/2025)