# Getting Started *"You should never learn how to code in isolation"* -Career Karma team ## Welcome to Career Karma! **Learning how to code can be tricky.** *Our goal is to help you discover YOUR shortest path to a software engineering job.* **There are thousands of tutorials online and you have to figure out which one to take.** *We will show you specific resources and tutorials your peers completed who became software engineers.* **You might be learning to code alone or struggling to manage your time.** *We'll connect you to your peers who will keep you accountable, help you manage your schedule and help you get unstuck.* ## How to use this guide: This guide is organized into three phases each serving a different purpose. We encourage you to go through each phase in this particular order but you can skip a phase if you already know it. **Phase 1: Join a Community** Introduction to stories of people who came from non-traditional backgrounds and transitioned successfully into software engineering roles. This will help you discover and determine your own unique path. **Phase 2: Research Educational Programs** Introduce you to the skills you need to become a software engineer and how to acquire them. You will be exposed to numerous coding bootcamps; part-time, remote, financing options and complimentary prep courses. **Phase 3: Create Your Roadmap** By the end of this phase you will assemble all the puzzle pieces needed to create a roadmap. Now each hour or two a night can go towards getting to your destination. (**Note:** If you would like to join CK's Peer Circles, you noticed a typo or would like to contribute to this document, reach out to Timur directly[ timur@careerkarma.io](mailto:timur@careerkarma.io) ) ![Career Karma & Breaking Into Startups Founders](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/25531425/45248567-6c4cab00-b2c7-11e8-8d86-0b31633c2763.jpg) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://career-karma.gitbook.io/learn/master.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.