If you want to enter the exciting world of software development, this Software Engineering Foundations Specialization is for you. No prior degrees or knowledge of programming or application development are necessary. Software Developers are in great demand earning a median salary of US$110,140 per year according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The field is growing at a rate of 22% making it a great time to start a career in software engineering. The self-paced courses in this program provide the foundations to prepare for a wide range of IT & software development related careers, including web development, mobile application development, front-end, back-end, and full stack application development, software testing & quality assurance (QA), as well as DevOps engineering. This specialization is full of engaging videos, hands-on labs, and real-world projects that explore fundamental programming principles and foundations of design, architecture, and deployment; the software development lifecycle; Git and GitHub repositories; using the Linux terminal and creating Bash shell scripts to automate a variety of tasks; and coding with the Python programming language. The program is suitable for those new to software engineering or for those who would like a review of software engineering fundamentals. It prepares you with an introduction to the culture, technology, and job-ready skills needed to become successful in software engineering.    Applied Learning Project Each course is packed with hands-on labs, interactive activities, and projects so you can build your portfolio while gaining practical knowledge of software engineering concepts. You will develop software engineering skills throughout the program. Projects involve:. Exploring job listings to become familiar with skills and requirements in the Software Engineering domain.  Using Git commands and GitHub to create an open source project while working with branches, merging code, and performing pull requests (PRs). Writing a Bash shell script on Linux that takes backups of changed files and schedules it to run every 24 hours using Crontab.  Coding with Python using lists, tuples, dictionaries, sets, conditions, branching, loops, functions, exception handling, objects, and classes, web services & APIs, and libraries like NumPy & Pandas.   Developing a Python web app that uses IBM Watson to translate languages, including writing unit tests and packaging the app for distribution. Read more