With programming education becoming compulsory in elementary schools and the development of artificial intelligence (AI), the IT industry is developing further. Therefore, companies also need IT human resources, and the number of people aiming to become engineers is increasing.
However, engineering is a profession that requires advanced knowledge and skills, and many people may find it difficult to take the first step even if they want to become engineers. You may also be wondering if you can become an engineer by self-study.
Therefore, this time, from the perspective of whether it is possible to become an engineer by self-study, I will explain the skills required for engineers, study methods, and points when studying.
What is the background that can become an engineer by self-study
In conclusion, it is possible to become an engineer by self-study. This is due to three key factors:
・Insufficient IT personnel
・There are many job openings that welcome inexperienced people
・There are people who became engineers from inexperienced
Furthermore, according to the “DX Report” released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the number of IT personnel shortages was about 170,000 in 2015 but is expected to increase to about 430,000 by 2025. It has been.
As you can see from these reports, Japan has a shortage of IT human resources.
Also, due to the lack of IT human resources, many “jobs welcome inexperienced”. Since it is necessary to develop valuable IT human resources in-house, it is thought that they are trying to hire even those who have no experience.
And there are many examples of people who have become engineers from inexperience, as many are published on the Internet. From these things, it can be said that the environment in Japan today is conducive to becoming an engineer.
However, there are many different types of engineers. Some programmers mainly do programming, AI engineers who develop AI, and infrastructure engineers who design and build IT infrastructure.
Among these, if you want to become an engineer by yourself, I recommend aiming for a programmer. This is because programming skills, which are the most necessary skills for programmers, can be acquired to some extent by self-study.
Even if you are inexperienced, you will not be hired without any knowledge or skills. It is necessary to acquire the minimum knowledge and skills and acquire skills that can be used in practice. For that reason, it is important to have a solid study plan and a clear programming language to learn, and then work on self-study.
Skills required for engineers
Working as an engineer requires a lot of knowledge and skills. Among them, the following 6 skills are mainly required.
・Programming skills
・Logical thinking ability
・Basic knowledge of information processing
・System design skills
・Communication skills
・Presentation skills
The three skills of programming skills, logical thinking, and basic knowledge of information processing can be said to be the minimum skills required to work as an engineer.
Even if you are an infrastructure engineer, there are many situations where programming skills are required, such as creating “shell scripts” to automate processing on servers. Therefore, it can be said that these three skills are the minimum necessary skills as long as they are engineers.
In addition, system design skills, communication skills, and presentation skills are also required skills for engineers. Programmers are not often directly involved in the design part of the system, but design skills are necessary to grasp the design intent.
Furthermore, some people have the image that engineers are silently working at a computer, but system development is done in teams. Therefore, non-technical skills such as communication within the development team and presentations to customers are required.
Tips for studying to become an engineer
Programming is a skill that is relatively easy to learn by self-study among the skills required for engineers, but it is not easy to learn. However, by paying attention to the following five points, you will be able to proceed smoothly with your studies.
Set clear goals and objectives
In the first place, it is difficult to maintain motivation when studying on your own. Even if you start studying somehow, your motivation will gradually decrease. But having a clear goal or purpose makes it easier to stay motivated.
For example, if you study programming to create a web service, you can keep track of your progress and stay motivated. Another goal could be certification. By setting clear goals and objectives, you will be able to progress smoothly in your studies.
As a point of caution, avoid making it the goal of “learning to program”. This is because programming is only a means, and learning cannot be an end. If you aim at “learning programming”, the goal will be very difficult to see.
This is a point that programming beginners tend to fall into, so let’s set goals and objectives that can be created by programs, such as creating web services and applications using programming.
Figure out the language or skill you want to learn
Once you have set your goals and objectives, figure out what skills and programming languages you need to achieve them. Knowing your skills and language will help you plan and move forward with your studies.
For example, if your goal is to develop web services, the skills and languages you’ll need are:
・Languages: PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.
・ Skills: programming, web knowledge, server knowledge, etc.
Understanding the language and skills you want to learn according to your goals and objectives is extremely important in advancing your studies.
Set a daily study time and continue studying
Especially when studying programming, it is easier for beginners to concentrate in a short period. This is because beginners are full of things they do not understand, so it is easy to forget what they have studied by leaving time.
In programming, many technical terms that are not used in everyday life appear, and the knowledge that must be acquired is enormous. It is possible that you will forget them by taking time off, and you will return to the parts you should have finished studying over and over again. If so, learning will not proceed smoothly, and eventually, motivation will drop, and you will stop studying before you acquire programming.
Therefore, it is recommended that you set a time to study every day and continue to focus on learning the basics in a short period. Once you master the basics, you won’t easily forget.
Also, to maintain motivation, it is important to achieve certain results in a short period.
learn from simple materials
Choose materials that match your knowledge and skills. In particular, since the target readers are always set for books, the contents are described according to the assumed readers.
Even though I don’t know anything about programming, when I pick up a book for intermediate-level people, I can’t understand the content and stumble. Many people have an image that programming is difficult, but there are many books and online learning sites that provide easy-to-understand explanations for such people. It is important to proceed slowly but steadily from simple materials according to your knowledge and skills.
Study on your own and become an engineer!
There is a shortage of IT human resources in Japan, and there are many job openings that welcome inexperienced people. Therefore, it is possible to aim to become an engineer by self-study even if you have no experience.
Six skills are required to become an engineer, but among them, “programming skills”, “logical thinking”, and “basic knowledge of information processing” are the minimum required skills. Yes.
Programming skills are relatively easy to learn even by self-study, so it is a good idea to use books and online learning sites while working with your hands. At that time, let’s proceed with learning while paying attention to points such as deciding clear goals and objectives, deciding study time, and continuing.
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