Sir
How to become a succesfull software engineer

Lock yourself in a basement with a modem and computer until people send you paychecks.

Define success.

Also, if you need to ask, and that’s your only motivation, I don’t see it happening either.

By working towards it.

Whatever “it” means for you.

By writing code

If you just curious about where to start, you can start here:

https://www.freecodecamp.org/

It's ma'am

Software Engineer, implies embedded software or hardware is involved. If not you’re just a software developer.

So for an actual software engineer to be successful, is to become one with the hardware, understand live and breathe in the data sheets, understand the intricacies of the system. Understand how to read schematics, understand how to properly use a Oscope and logic analyzer. Understand Communication protocols and hardware perfs.

But lastly understand the the language, become an expert in the language and optimization. Most of the systems are limited resources so shitty code doesn’t make it as far as the high level shitty code of software developers. Understand proper uses of abstraction, understand how to make software portable and modular to enable reuse across projects and platforms. This allows you to turn the software from code that makes something function to a software system that is a product in itself.

Give up on life and make software.

@QuanticoCEO you are describing an embedded software engineer, but making it sound as if you are not that then you are just a developer. While there certainly exist a difference between an engineer and a developer it is nowhere just applied to embedded system.

@AleCx04 that

The only way to win an unfair game is to avoid playing it

@AleCx04 this

@QuanticoCEO nope, software engineering is a discipline in itself, embedded systems is SE applied to low(er) level stuff *in systems where the computer is seen as a part of a larger, not primarily computational system* (hence "embedded").

Also, embedded folks aren't the only ones who work with or close to hardware.

@QuanticoCEO I think this is the difference from the standpoint of a job's title... however...

@AleCx04 A lot of web and iot stuff is blurring the line between developer and engineer at this point.

Like, I'm writing the web app, but I have to work with the engineers a lot to ensure both sides are sending the right packages to the right places in order to make the software/device interface work.

The software and physical device being controlled by the software are expected to be seamless for the end-user. So really a modern dev is basically building the "display panel" that used to be on the physical device and be the engineers job, but since every damn thing has to be done on our phones... here we are.

Success it relative. I used to think success is about salary. But money will never be enough. You'll always crave more. And I was listening to the 4 hour work week the other day and the author says something along the lines of "humans are instinctually happier when they create something versus own something"

And it's totally fuking true.
Even if you never finish that 6th side project. There's always a 7th to keep you happy.

Kill god lol kekw

@codecrow

> There's always a 7th

Spoken like a professional

You stop asking "how" and you start making it.

@RememberMe okay I agree with that statement

@AleCx04 I agree, I stand corrected

BUT we all can agree there is a huge difference between a Software Engineer... and Software Developer

Huge difference

@QuanticoCEO oh most definitely, I normally grade the skill level of various devs and end up with the conclusion that most are just code monkeys :P

@AleCx04 10000000% agree lol