Australia · Ages 13 to adult · Build, test, ship

Software development course

Writing code that runs once is the start. Software development is everything after that: deciding what the program must do, proving it does it, keeping a history of every change, and finding the change that broke it when something goes wrong. The Australian occupation classification describes the work in five verbs, and only one of them is writing code. Our software development course teaches all five, live online, to teenagers and adults across Australia. This page shows the approach, works through one real debugging exercise with our own numbers, and shows where the same habits already sit in the Australian Curriculum.

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Live teaching since 2020 · 10,000+ students · Tests and version control from the first project

In short

A software development course teaches how programs are designed, tested, versioned, debugged and maintained, not only how to write them. ANZSCO describes software and applications programmers as people who design, develop, test, maintain and document program code. Modern Age Coders teaches those habits live online to Australian teens and adults, in small groups or one to one, starting with a free class.

Start here

Three ways into software development

Chosen by age and starting point. Each card opens the full syllabus.

Python for Teens course thumbnail

SDAU / 01

Python for Teens

Ages 13 to 18, from zero. Functions, files and tests, the base every later project stands on.

Open the syllabus →
Python Masterclass course thumbnail

SDAU / 02

Python Masterclass for Adults

For 18 and over: the same craft at an adult pace, with real automation projects.

Open the syllabus →
Git & GitHub Course for Teens course thumbnail

SDAU / 03

Git and GitHub for Teens

Commits, branches, pull requests and history, ages 13 to 18.

Open the syllabus →

The craft

Five verbs, and only one of them is coding

ABS's occupation classification, ANZSCO, gives a one-line definition of the work that is a useful course outline in itself.

Unit group 2613 Software and Applications Programmers is defined as people who "design, develop, test, maintain and document program code in accordance with user requirements, and system and technical specifications". Beginners usually practise only the second verb. Our course gives each of the five its own skills and its own projects.

The five verbs as course content
VerbWhat students practiseEvidence they can do it
DesignUser stories, inputs and outputs, sketches before codeA one-page plan another student can build from
DevelopPython first, then a second language; small functionsPrograms that read like the plan
TestExpected and actual output, boundary cases, automated testsA test file that fails when the code is wrong
MaintainGit history, small commits, finding what changedA repository with a readable log
DocumentREADME files, comments that explain why, usage notesA stranger can run the project in five minutes

Why testing comes early

A test is a sentence that says what correct means. Writing it first forces the question every project needs answered: how will we know this works?

Students who learn to test in their first month treat it as normal rather than as extra work added later.

Why version control comes early

Git turns a project into a history of small, named changes. That history is what makes the debugging technique below possible.

It also makes group work safe: two people can change the same project without losing each other's work.

A worked example

One wrong character in 100 commits

This exercise shows why tests and version control belong together. We built the repository ourselves so every number on this page can be checked.

The program is a small function that works out the coins and notes for an amount of money, in cents. It sits in a Git repository with 100 commits. At commit 73, one character changes: while cents >= n becomes while cents > n. Nothing crashes. The function simply stops giving the last coin when the amount left equals a coin's value, so change for $1.45 comes back as $1, 20c and 20c, five cents short.

Finding the bad commit three ways (our repository, 14 October 2026)
MethodTest runs neededNotes
Check every commit from the oldest73Stops at the first failing commit
Check backwards from the newest28Stops at the last passing commit
git bisect run with the test file7Halves the remaining range at every step

What bisect does

The Git documentation describes it in one line: "Use binary search to find the commit that introduced a bug". Mark one good commit and one bad one, and Git checks out the middle.

Why the test matters

git bisect run needs a program that exits 0 when the code is good and non-zero when it is bad. Our test, change(145) == [100, 20, 20, 5], is that program.

When it is not worth it

With four commits, reading the four diffs is quicker than setting up bisect. The method earns its keep as history grows: 1,000 commits need only about 10 test runs.

The commits that cannot be tested

Real histories contain commits that do not build. Git reserves a special exit code for them: "The special exit code 125 should be used when the current source code cannot be tested." The test script returns 125 and bisect steps around that commit.

Students write that case into their scripts too, so a broken build is skipped rather than mistaken for the bug.

What students take away

A failing test plus a clean history turns "something broke last month" into a seven-step search. Without the test, there is nothing to run at each step; without small commits, the culprit is a week of mixed changes.

That is the point of the exercise: the debugging trick only works because of habits formed much earlier.

Sources, read 14 October 2026: Git documentation, git-bisect; the repository, test and timings are our own.

At school

The same habits in the Australian Curriculum

The Digital Technologies curriculum for Years 7 to 10 already asks for testing and shared version control. Our course takes them further.

Australian Curriculum v9, Digital Technologies 7 to 10
CodeWhat it asks forWhere it appears in our course
AC9TDI8P06An elaboration specifies test cases for a change-calculating algorithm, with input $1.45The same function, under automated test, in the bisect exercise
AC9TDI10P06"validate algorithms and programs by comparing their output against a range of test cases"Test files written before features
AC9TDI10P12An elaboration on sharing code development using "a collaborative version control tool such as GitHub"Git from the first project, GitHub for group work

For students taking senior computing

Senior courses add their own requirements. NSW students will find the detail on our HSC Software Engineering help page and Victorian students on VCE Software Development help.

This course builds the general craft underneath both. It never writes assessed work.

For everyone else

Adults and younger teens do not need a school subject to start. The order is the same: plan, code, test, commit, then read the history when something goes wrong.

Teenagers in Years 7 to 10 will recognise the curriculum language above from class.

Source, read 14 October 2026: ACARA, Digital Technologies curriculum content, Years 7 to 10, Version 9.0.

Paths

What a learner builds, step by step

Each project adds one professional habit to the last.

Project sequence in the software development course
ProjectNew habitDone when
Coin change calculatorWriting tests before codeBoundary amounts like 5c and $100 pass
Command-line to-do listSmall commits with clear messagesThe Git log reads like a diary
Quiz with a saved high-score fileHandling bad input without crashingText typed instead of a number is rejected politely
Team project on GitHubBranches and pull requestsTwo students merge work without losing any
Find the planted buggit bisect with an automated testThe culprit commit is named in under ten runs

Learners who want a web or mobile focus continue with web development for teens or JavaScript classes. Adults changing careers may find coding for career changers the better door.

Reading code

Most of the job is reading code someone else wrote

Developers spend much of their time reading, reviewing and changing existing programs. The course practises that from the second term.

A review checklist learners use on each other's pull requests
QuestionWhy it is asked
Does a test show the change works?A change without a test can quietly break later
Is each commit about one thing?Small commits make history searchable
Do names say what things are?The next reader should not need to guess
What happens with empty or wrong input?Edge cases are where most bugs hide
Is anything copied that could be a function?Repeated code drifts apart when one copy is fixed

Giving useful feedback

Learners practise writing review comments that describe the problem and suggest a fix, rather than just saying something is wrong.

Kind, specific comments are a skill teams value, and they are rarely taught.

Receiving it

Having code questioned can sting at first. Seeing that every developer's code is reviewed, the teacher's included, makes it routine.

By the team project, learners ask for reviews before they are told to.

Progress

Four stages from coder to developer

A learner moves up when a project proves the skill, whatever the calendar says.

From first program to maintained project
StageWhat you can do
1. CoderWrite a working program from a clear description
2. TesterWrite tests that fail when the code is wrong, including edge cases
3. MaintainerKeep a clean Git history and use it to find when a bug arrived
4. Team developerPlan, review and merge work with others through pull requests

Is this a job-ready course?

It teaches the habits the occupation description names. We make no promise about jobs or pay; those depend on far more than one course.

What it does promise is a portfolio of tested, versioned projects a learner can show and explain.

Which language comes first?

Python, because its syntax gets out of the way of the habits. JavaScript or Java follow once testing and Git feel routine.

The habits carry over to any language unchanged.

The catalogue

Software development courses

Grouped by stage. The free class decides where a learner starts.

I

Foundations

Teens and adults

SDAU / FND / 03

Problem Solving and DSA for Teens

Algorithms and clear thinking.

Open the syllabus
II

Version control

Every project

SDAU / GIT / 01

Git and GitHub for Teens

History and teamwork, 13 to 18.

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SDAU / GIT / 02

Git and GitHub for College Students

Team-ready version control.

Open the syllabus

SDAU / GIT / 03

Advanced Git for Professionals

For working developers.

Open the syllabus
III

Building larger systems

After the foundations

SDAU / SYS / 02

Full Stack Developer Course

React, Node.js and deployment, 18+.

Open the syllabus

SDAU / SYS / 03

Data Structures and Algorithms

The theory under fast code, 18+.

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How lessons run

Software lessons in Australian time

Teachers work from India, whose day overlaps Australian afternoons and evenings. Lesson times are agreed in your own state's time and follow daylight saving changes.

After school

For teenagers during term.

Evening

For adults after work, by arrangement.

Weekend

Longer project sessions.

Free first class

A short coding task and its first test, then advice on where to begin.

Groups

Fifteen to twenty learners reviewing each other's code.

One to one

For a specific project, pace or language.

Real repositories

Every project lives in Git from the first lesson.

Code review

Teachers comment on pull requests as a team lead would.

Your keyboard

The learner types every line; teachers guide.

Student work

What our students have shipped

Work our students built and published. More in the student labs.

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Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

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GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

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A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

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Fees

Fees for the software development course

Learners outside India pay one monthly fee in US dollars, with nothing due at sign-up and no contract.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

  • A short task with a first automated test
  • A plain recommendation on where to start
  • No card details needed
Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Fifteen to twenty learners at a similar stage
  • Peer code review every week
  • One regular teacher
  • Stop after any month
Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Lessons shaped around one learner's project
  • Any language we teach
  • Times around school or work
Enquire

What families say

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

Published reviews from our Google profile, reproduced without edits.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Learners ask

Questions about software development courses in Australia

What is a software development course?

A course that teaches the whole job of making software: planning what it must do, writing it, testing it, keeping its history in version control, debugging and documenting it.

How is it different from learning to code?

Learning to code covers writing programs. Software development adds testing, version control, debugging methods and teamwork, the parts that keep a program working as it grows.

What is git bisect?

A Git command that uses binary search through a project's history to find the commit that introduced a bug. In our 100-commit example it found the faulty commit in 7 test runs.

Do I need to know a language first?

No. The course starts with Python from zero and introduces testing and Git alongside the first programs.

Is this the same as HSC Software Engineering?

No. HSC Software Engineering is a NSW senior subject with its own syllabus. This course teaches general skills that help such students, and we never complete assessed work.

What age can start?

Teenagers from 13 and adults of any age. Younger children usually begin with Scratch or Python for kids first.

What does ANZSCO say software programmers do?

ANZSCO unit group 2613 describes them as people who design, develop, test, maintain and document program code in line with user requirements and specifications.

Will I get a job after the course?

We do not promise jobs or salaries. The course builds tested, versioned projects and the habits behind them, which you can show and explain.

Which languages are taught?

Python first, then JavaScript, Java or C++ depending on the learner's goals.

How much is the course?

Your first class costs nothing and no card is taken. The monthly prices for groups and private lessons sit in the fees panel on this page.

Also on this site

Related pages

Other doors that sit next to this one.

Coding classes in Australia

The national guide to every state, city and track.

HSC Software Engineering help

For NSW senior students.

VCE Software Development help

For Victorian senior students.

JavaScript classes online

The language of the web.

C++ classes online

Close to the machine.

Coding for career changers

For adults switching fields.

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Start with a free class

Leave your details and we will call at a time that suits. The first class includes a short task with its first test and ends with a clear recommendation.

More about our approach: how lessons are taught, and the full course list.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · connect@modernagecoders.com

Messages on WhatsApp from Australian numbers are answered first. Our phone number starts with +91 because the team works from India; we have no office in Australia.

Free, no card, no obligation.

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.

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