No professional can afford to be stagnant. Every industry has challenges, new information and technology, and market trends that require professionals working in those fields to update their skills to be on top of their game and maintain competitiveness in a crowded job market.
But if you were to pick one industry where regular upskilling is undoubtedly needed, that would be information technology. The tech and computer science sectors are expanding so rapidly that if the last time you refreshed your skills was just three years ago, you still need to catch up.
New technological advancements and innovations are happening right before our eyes. To ensure you remain relevant in your industry, are prepared for the demands of your job, and are in a position to secure similar or higher-level jobs in the future, you need to upskill regularly.
One example of this is software engineering and development.
Technical Skills You Need As A Software Engineer In 2025
The skills required of software engineers have evolved within the past few years. For example, if you are a software engineer, you must learn how to adapt to AI (artificial intelligence) and understand how it impacts how you perform your role. You should also learn how to use automation to generate code snippets and enhance various aspects of the software development process. Familiarity with NLP (natural language processing) is also essential to be confident in building intelligent applications.
Another key change affecting software engineers in recent years is the growing emphasis and prevalence of cloud computing. More organizations are finding that it is more efficient to move their data and operations to the cloud, and this requires you as a software engineer to have strong expertise in cloud platforms such as Azure or AWS (Amazon Web Services) and an understanding of cloud-native architecture.
Cybersecurity is another primary focus for IT professionals to master. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is projected to increase by 32% over the next few years, which is much faster than the average job growth rate. Analysts expect the market for this industry to grow by almost 8% worldwide.
Other changes are likely to impact your role as a software engineer, but you would only be aware of them and be adequately prepared for them if you continuously research, attend industry conferences and events, network with others in your field, and proactively update your skills through training and courses.
7 Free Software Engineering Courses
To help you keep your skills and knowledge fresh, here are a few free online courses you can study in 2025:
- Data Structures and Algorithms, University of California San Diego via Coursera
- Supervised Machine Learning: Regression and Classification, Andrew Ng and DeepLearning.ai via Coursera
- Microsoft Azure Fundamentals online training (the exam is not free)
- AWS Educate (hands-on lab training and projects)
- Cybersecurity Management and Compliance (part of Microsoft’s Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate) via Coursera
- AI Engineering Professional Certificate, IBM via Coursera
- Get Started with Cloud Native, DevOps, Agile, and NoSQL, IBM via Coursera
A growth mindset is pivotal to your success as a software engineer. Without being willing to learn new skills and acknowledging that you still have room for improvement, your career will suffer, and you’ll soon find yourself out of a job.