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Today, all companies are reliant upon data science in order to make stronger data-informed decisions, streamline processes, and secure the competitive edge in the market. Data analysis and data visualization are two interconnected components of data science and play an important role in extracting insights from data and communicating those insights to important stakeholders. On one hand, data analysis focuses on understanding data and extracting information from the patterns and trends within data sets. Data visualization , on the other hand, represents the findings of the data analysis process in a way that’s easy for non-data analysts to understand and interpret. The two processes are interconnected and have the same goal: extract valuable insights from data sets and communicate those findings in a way that can improve decision making and advance the organization. What is Data Analysis? We hear about data all the time, but how do companies actually use that information to inform their business decisions? That is the work of data scientists who play increasingly crucial roles in informing organizations of strategic actions they may choose to take. Data analysis is the process of cleaning, organizing, and interpreting data sets with the intention of extracting valuable insights from the patterns, relationships, and trends found in the data. Those insights inform company decisions , help develop organizational goals, inform marketing campaigns, and transform products in ways that are more aligned with consumer trends, customer profiles, or purchasing habits. What is Data Visualization? Data visualization is the process of transforming findings into graphical or other visual representations. The goal of data visualization is to represent complex data in a way that can be easily understood and interpreted by a broader audience . This audience may include other company teams, external stakeholders, or consumers: in other words, folks who may not come from strong data analyst backgrounds. Part of a data analyst’s role is to determine the best way to visualize data . This will depend on your audience, the type of data, and the story you’re helping to communicate through the data. These data visualization techniques may include: Graphs and charts : could be bar graphs, line graphs, scatter plots, pie charts, or other visual graphs. Maps : are used to showcase geographical data, spatial patterns, and distribution over space. Infographics : are a common way to combine numerical data with text in order to tell a story in a clear and concise way. Dashboards : are an interactive way to display data. Users are able to explore different aspects of data sets and gain a more holistic view of the data. In short, data visualization is a crucial component of data analysis. It’s a process in its own right that requires an understanding of your audience, the information they’re looking for, and how to best visualize your findings such that complex data is easily interpreted and key insights are highlighted. If you’re interested in a more in-depth take on data visualization, read about how to improve your data visualization skills on our blog. The importance of data visualization in data analysis Data is everywhere, but it’s meaningless if decision makers and other stakeholders can’t intuitively engage with it. This is why proper data visualization becomes so crucial. Data visualization is a major aspect of the data analysis process specifically because it brings data sets to life that may otherwise seem dull or overwhelming to many business professionals. Clearly communicating findings in a way that stakeholders can easily engage insights is what ultimately transforms data sets into a powerful resource for businesses . Here are a few simple ways in which proper data visualization may improve your organization’s decision making processes: Clarity and understanding : in the most basic sense, data visualization transforms messy data sets into easily digestible visuals that folks with non-technical backgrounds can easily engage and pull insights from. Providing a clear and comprehensive visual makes complex data sets less intimidating and offers an intuitive way for professionals to take part of the data analysis process. New insights : through presenting data in an alternative way, analysts and stakeholders alike may arrive at new insights or patterns that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Through visualizing the data in an interactive way, viewers are empowered to take part of the analysis process, ask questions, and gain insights that may relate more directly to their areas of work. Enhanced decision-making: data is powerful because it leads to data-informed problem solving and decision-making. Well-designed data visuals can also communicate possible implications of alternative decisions and give greater insights to the potential outcomes of different choices and strategies. Streamlined communication: effective data visualization ensures that all teams and stakeholders have a shared understanding of the data analyst’s findings. This collective knowledge fosters collaboration and facilitates strong communication between teams and across disciplines. Comparisons : data visualizations provide graphics that can easily compare data sets, differing variables, or time periods. These graphics are particularly useful in looking at trends, comparing quarters, and noting transformations over time. These are just a few of the many ways that data visualization advances the data analysis process. As we know, data analysis is crucial in informing organizational strategy today, but only insofar as a data analyst can communicate their findings to other tech professionals and make the case for their data-informed recommendations. Through making that data digestible to a larger audience, data-based insights become more reliable , relatable to specific teams, and can be expanded upon to strengthen business decisions. Popular data visualization tools and techniques The world of data analysis continues to expand as more businesses invest in data sets and softwares to aid the data visualization process. That said, some of the most prominent data visualization tools include: Microsoft Excel for data analysis and visualization : Microsoft Excel is one of the most widely used spreadsheet tools that offers built in data visualization tools like charts and graphs. This program is recommended for folks who need quick data visuals for simple data sets. That said, Excel does not offer many of the newer data visualization tools that other specialized software may include. Tableau : Tableau is a powerful business intelligence tool that allows users to create interactive and shareable dashboards and data visualizations. The software is suitable for complex data sets, supports a wide range of data sources, and offers numerous chart and graph types. Power BI : similar to Tableau, Power BI is a strong business intelligence tool that supports users in creating interactive dashboards and data reports. It’s Microsoft’s business analytics software and thus works well alongside other Microsoft products. D3.js : is a powerful open-source JavaScript library that enables users to create interactive, dynamic, and highly customizable visualizations in a web browser. D3.js provides a high degree of flexibility for users over the design and character of the visualizations. QlikView and Qlik Sense : the Qlik tools allow data analysts to explore data, create interactive dashboards, and generate dynamic visualizations. QlikView is focused on offering pre-designed, complex dashboards and reports to end-users, while Qlik Sense’s interface is a self-service business intelligence platform that emphasizes user-friendly interfaces and collaborative development for both developers and non-technical users. It’s up to organizations to determine which softwares, tools, and techniques they wish to take advantage of in the data analysis and visualization processes. This will depend on the type of data organizations are delving into, as well as the audience that will later receive and engage with the data visualizations. Delving Deeper into Data Analysis and Data Visualization Data analysis is proving to play a major role in many of the fastest-developing industries from informational technology to financial services. In 2020, the World Economic Forum ranked Data Analysis as the second fastest growing job in the United States, with 25% growth before 2030. That said, if you’re looking to advance in the field of data science, earning a data analysis and visualization certificate, signing up for a data analysis and visualization bootcamp, or simply taking a data analysis and visualization course may be a valuable decision. If you’re committed to diving deeper into the world of data analysis and visualization, here are a few ways we’d recommend expanding your credentials: Earning a data analysis and visualization certificate There are numerous data analysis and visualization certificate programs to choose from. Choosing the right certificate program is crucial in measuring your knowledge and skills against the industry standards . Equally, it’s important to select a certificate program that teaches the skillsets you’re seeking in order to be successful in the specific areas that you’re looking to advance. Knowing this, here are a few of the most popular data analyst certifications in 2023: Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate : Google offers a flexible online certification that provides a solid foundation to the world of data analytics. The course is a “learn at your pace” program, with most participants completing the program in just six months. The certificate is designed for beginners with no prior technical experience with the intention of teaching the basics of data cleaning, visualization, and analysis alongside instruction of how to utilize spreadsheets, SQL, and R programming. Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate : Microsoft’s Power BI certificate will teach participants the basics of Microsoft Power BI, instructing on how to identify and acquire data, transform data into data models and visuals, and later share those visuals and insights with relevant stakeholders. IBM Data Analyst Professional certificate : the IBM Data Analyst Professional certificate is a flexible online course that promises to prepare folks with little to no experience in data analysis for entry level data analyst positions. The course walks through Python, SQL, Excel, and IBM Cogno analytics. Signing up for a data analysis and visualization bootcamp: If you’re looking to jump deeper into the world of data analysis, we’d recommend checking out our Data Analytics Bootcamp : Bootcamps offer an immersive opportunity to dive deep into the subject matter in a relatively short amount of time. With Ironhack, you’re able to sign up for a full-time or part-time data analytics bootcamp that will have you learning an up-to-date curriculum alongside industry experts. Our Data Analysis Bootcamp begins with data prework and is followed by three modules that slowly increase in intensity. We begin with an introduction of data analysis and Python; this work folds into advanced data analyst work and finally, you’ll go through the fundamentals of machine learning–something that’s unique to Ironhack, earning our bootcamp the “ Intelligent Award: Best for Machine Training ”. Ironhack’s bootcamps are intentionally designed to get you career ready and we’re committed to supporting our students through our financing options , career services , and strong alumni network . If you’re interested in learning more, check out our Data Analytics Bootcamp and start transforming your career.

Although it forms part of the field of tech, UX/UI design is truly an art; it’s an art form that does the seemingly impossible: connects the user with the product through carefully selected design elements , such as colors, fonts, images, and graphics. But attracting the user’s attention isn’t the only part of UX/UI design that matters; UX/UI design must also convince the user to use the product/service, come back another time, and recommend it to others. Although both user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designers are separate roles, they have similar responsibilities that both work to support the art of UX/UI design. At the end of the day, a company requires clients to function and there’s no better way to find and maintain clients than through an intuitive and quality website design. And all of this falls under what we call user experience. What is User Experience? User experience (hint: this is what UX refers to!) is the overall experience a user has with the company, its service, products, and website. Companies that invest time and effort into creating the ideal user experience will benefit from the following: Better return on investment : at the end of the day, all companies need to make money and companies with positive user experiences encourage brand loyalty, return shoppers, and higher profits. Improved brand reputation : word of mouth is a great way to gain notoriety (the good kind!) and there’s nothing like hearing about a good company experience from a friend to make you want to give it a go. On the other hand, however, negative experiences on your website will also spread like wildfire, so it’s important to prioritize user experience. Higher customer loyalty: you know that one place you keep buying from because it’s just so reliable? You know that no matter what, their product/service will deliver and that’s exactly what you want in a product. Showing your clients that you’re reliable and dependable will create a sense of loyalty that will have them coming back for more. Increased user engagement: you want customers that interact with your brand on social media, leaving reviews or giving a like to your latest post on Instagram. As more and more people see that real people are supporting and interested in your brand, you’ll see more and more new clients arriving to your site. Higher sales : this one is obvious! With more page visits, loyal clients, and return customers, your revenue will skyrocket and you’ll reach an even larger audience. Improved connections with customers : customers know they’re just one in a large group, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to feel special and unique. Creating a sense of empathy with your customers will make them feel heard, appreciated, and unique–all qualities that will encourage them to come back again. With the knowledge of why user experience is so crucial, let’s head right into how to focus on how to create an engaging user experience through the five main factors of design. The five factors of user experience The five main areas to keep in mind when designing user experience are words, visuals, space, time, and behavior. Words You just have to describe your company and the service you offer, right? Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that and the words you use are actually quite important. When writing the text content for your site or app, think about your audience and how to address them. Should you write formally or is a casual approach better? And although you may want to provide lots of details, will anyone actually read it? Keeping your writing concise is your best bet. Visuals Your mind might go right to pictures, but “visual” encompasses anything that’s not a word, like fonts, photography, icons, diagrams, graphics, and images. Studies show that users’ attention is first captured by visuals; creating visuals that send a message and speak for themselves is crucial. Space This seems silly, right? Your focus should be on the content and designs, not the blank spaces you have. Unfortunately, that’s not the case: white space can have a huge effect on the user experience. Let’s look at an example: have you ever been to a website that’s absolutely filled to the brim with images and text, creating an overwhelming sensation that you’re drowning in information? White space can actually contribute to a better design, pushing your users’ attention to what really matters. Knowing how to use empty space for your benefit is a crucial part of UX design. Time This one is a bit harder to understand; you must create designs that are useful now and in the future and that keep your user’s attention as they navigate through your website. Designs that capture user attention for a longer time are more likely to be purchased and therefore are more valuable for your company. And, of course, designs must be malleable and changeable in the future to reflect any necessary modifications. Behavior Having a beautiful website is one thing, but what if it’s completely useless when it comes to actually using it? Your website as a whole should be made of a cohesive design that is intuitive, designed specifically with your clients in mind, and easy to use. This section also includes making adjustments based on A/B testing results and feedback from clients to improve. Creating Engaging User Experiences When it comes to actually creating these user experiences, we can provide some expert tips and tricks to getting to the bottom of creating those truly valuable experiences: A/B testing is your best friend : it’s true: there’s a lot of marketing research out there, but some aspects require a bit more focus, and that’s where A/B testing comes into play. Provide two groups with different options, such as the color of the CTA button, and see which generates more clicks. But be careful: it can be tempting to offer lots of different options between one A/B test, but the most effective A/B tests just evaluate one specific element at once, making your results even more accurate. Less is more–we promise : we get it–you want your audience to know just how great your product and company is, but be careful when it comes to providing too much information, as that may distract the user from the goal at hand: buying your product or service! Don’t be afraid of including white space in your designs or going for a more simplistic design–it will benefit you in the long run. User feedback is valuable: something that is quite obvious to you might be completely new information to the user and although you think that red is the best color for the contact button, users could find it too flashy. When collecting user feedback or launching surveys, dedicate some real time to figuring out exactly what users want and how you can incorporate it into your next change. Accessibility isn’t optional : you can create what you think is the best design ever, but if it’s not accessible to every user or provides options for impaired users, it isn’t a quality design. Including accessible options in your design can be tricky and may take some workshopping and trial and errors, but ensuring you’re creating a design that everyone, no matter what, can access will both promote inclusivity and expand your client base. Focus on the small stuff : have you ever visited a website and loved a very small element, such as a button that jumps off the page when you click it or the ability to return to a page and be brought to exactly where you were before? These might seem minor, but they contribute to an overall superior user experience and one that will make your client think fondly of your site and be more likely to return in the future. Spending time on your brand’s image is worth it : the best designs are cohesive and this means that all elements go together and make sense; your font, colors, headers, and images need to fit with your chosen brand image, contributing to an overall sense of togetherness that provides the brand with more authority. As you can now tell, we truly believe that UX/UI design is an art; it’s an art that can transform your website or app into a storytelling machine that captures new users, encourages customer loyalty, and has a quality reputation . Careers in UX/UI design are on the rise and becoming more and more in demand and there’s never been a better time to dive into the field and become a UX/UI designer that’s truly focused on improving the user experience. Interested in transforming your career and diving into the art of UX/UI design? At Ironhack, we offer a bootcamp that focuses on that very topic and helps you reach your goal of creating engaging user experiences as a UX/UI designer. Ready to take the leap? We can’t wait to see your application.

Data analytics and cybersecurity are two separate fields of tech; however, if desired, data analytics can lead to stronger cyber securitization practices . Today, data analytics is essential for modern cybersecurity practices . Through utilizing data analytics in cybersecurity, organizations can expand beyond perimeter-based security measures and embrace a data-driven securitization approach. In short, tech professionals should not shy away from the power of data in enhancing their ability to identify and mitigate cyber threats. That said, let’s start by breaking down these two fields of work and learn what role data analytics should play in cybersecurity. What is Cybersecurity? As the digital terrain grows, the threat of hackers and data breaches is only expanding . Thus, cybersecurity is an ongoing process that looks to protect information technology systems from malicious actors. It’s an umbrella term to describe the multiplicity of processes that work to secure digital data, computer systems, and networks from damage, theft, unauthorized access, and other disruptions. It’s the responsibility of cybersecurity professionals to ensure the integrity and availability of digital data. Through active monitoring, assessment, and preventative work , cybersecurity professionals proactively establish strong defenses against online threats. What Responsibilities do Cybersecurity Professionals Have? Let’s break down some of the specifics of being a cybersecurity professional. Protecting and defending computer systems from the onslaught of digital threats is work that requires foresight, attention to detail, and an awareness of current cyber threats . Of course the work will vary based upon the organization, their work, and the type of computer networks used, but generally cybersecurity professionals’ responsibilities include: Risk assessment and management: identifying potential security vulnerabilities and assessing their risk is core to a cybersecurity professional’s work. They must then develop strategies to mitigate risks and allocate resources effectively in order to protect companies from potential attacks. Designing and implementing secure architectures: cybersecurity professionals must develop security policies, establish standards, and determine guidelines for the organization’s IT infrastructure. Detecting threats: threat detection and prevention is reliant upon the regular monitoring of network traffic and user activities in order to identify and block unauthorized use or malicious behavior. Equally, cybersecurity professionals must stay informed about emerging threats and evolving attack techniques. Response and recovery: refers to the process of developing and testing incident response plans in order to best confront and mitigate security incidents. After a security breach, cybersecurity professionals must determine the source, scope, and impact of the attack. This work requires strong coordination between internal teams and external stakeholders in order to contain and resolve incidents. Identifying vulnerabilities: much of a cybersecurity professional’s work is about predicting and preventing cyber threats. This happens through vulnerability assessments and penetration testing that help identify vulnerabilities in network systems. Once those weaknesses are identified, cybersecurity professionals must patch and update systems and applications. Teaching cybersecurity: an organization’s cybersecurity program is only as strong as the people who carry it out make it. Ultimately all employees play a role in securing network systems, and thus, they must be educated about cybersecurity best practices and safe online behaviors. Cybersecurity professionals often conduct security training workshops in order to promote a culture of cybersecurity throughout the organization. Compliance and regulations: when it comes to cybersecurity, organizations must be in compliance with government regulations and other industry standards. Cybersecurity professionals must conduct regular audits and assessments to verify compliance with data protection and privacy laws. Soft skills : cybersecurity professionals must possess strong interpersonal skills such as collaboration and communication in order to align security efforts. Collaborating with cross-functional teams and communicating security risks and mitigation strategies is crucial to an organization's security. Cybersecurity professionals must be active and vigilant in their work in order to safeguard organizations from a vast range of cyber threats . It’s a career that requires both soft and technical skills in order to fully maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of an organization’s digital assets. What is Data Analytics? Data analytics is the process of breaking down, cleaning, processing, and transforming raw data with the intention of securing insights that help companies make stronger data-driven decisions. Data analytics is a huge field that uses a wide range of techniques and methodologies in order to uncover patterns, trends, relationships, and other valuable information from large datasets . Today, data analytics is utilized across industries to support organizations in making data informed decisions, solving complex problems, and optimizing their operations. The verstitle ways in which data analytics can aid companies is what makes it one of the fastest growing fields in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates a 22% growth in the industry through 2030 , meaning that more than 3,000 new job positions in data science will need to be filled each year . Knowing that, what exactly does it entail to be a data analyst? What Responsibilities Do Data Analysts Have? Data analysts must collect, process, examine, and pull meaningful insights from raw datasets. The conclusions drawn from the trends, correlations, and relationships in data sets are then utilized to make informed recommendations to organizations on how to best optimize everything from production processes to marketing campaigns. The work varies depending on the organization, but key responsibilities include: Data collection: it’s upon data analysts to collect relevant data from numerous sources. These include databases, spreadsheets, websites, and social media platforms, among others. Data preparation: ensuring data quality and accuracy is part of the data preparation process. Raw data is often overwhelmed with inconsistencies, missing values, and other anomalies. Data cleaning is crucial in identifying and resolving issues pertaining to data accuracy and reliability. Data filtering : generally data must be transformed and organized such that it’s suitable for analysis. This involves updating, filtering, and normalizing data to make the analysis manageable and valuable. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA): EDA is the process of visualizing and summarizing data sets in order to identify trends, patterns, and other correlations within the data set. Machine learning: this data analysis technique utilizes algorithms in order to build predictive models that give organizations insights into future outcomes based on historical data. Machine learning and predictive analysis are often used in fraud detection and customer behavior prediction. Visualization and reporting: this is a huge piece of data analysis. The insights uncovered are only as relevant as the analyst’s ability to communicate them to stakeholders. Data analysts use charts, graphs, and other images to communicate findings to non-technical stakeholders. These are just a few of the many responsibilities of a data analyst. It’s important to note that the work straddles technical analysis work and tactical communication skills in order to present findings. The field is constantly evolving with the introduction of artificial intelligence and other techniques that aid analysts in extracting insights from data sets. Cybersecurity vs. Data Analytics Data analysis and cybersecurity are two distinct areas of work, however, they overlap and can complement each other . As we know, data analysts focus on the collection and exploration of data, while cybersecurity professionals look to protect and make more resilient computer networks. That said, data sets need to be secured in order to ensure their integrity, while threat detection processes can be enhanced utilizing data analytics . In other words, if data analysts and cybersecurity professionals collaborate, they can strengthen the reliability of data analysis processes and improve network securitization systems . Let’s learn how! How Can Data Analysis Improve Cybersecurity and Data Privacy? Data analysis has shown to greatly improve cybersecurity through providing organizations with insights and tools needed to effectively detect, prevent, and address cyber threats and privacy breaches . If anything, this collaboration is only becoming more urgent as the industry standards surrounding cybersecurity and data privacy law transform. Thus, tech professionals should work together and build towards cybersecurity and data privacy. Cybersecurity data science Cybersecurity data science refers to the application of data science techniques to cybersecurity data . It utilizes statistical analysis, machine learning, and other data science methodologies to uncover patterns, anomalies, and relationships within cybersecurity data. From here, cybersecurity data analysts can create predictive models which aid in threat detection and can enhance the organization’s cybersecurity processes . Knowing the importance of data analysis in cybersecurity, organizations may decide to hire a cybersecurity data analyst . A cybersecurity data analyst is a tech professional who specializes in analyzing and extracting insights from cybersecurity data in order to identify potential security threats, vulnerabilities, and other relevant trends. Ultimately, their role is to carry out cybersecurity data analytics to gain deeper insights into the organization’s security landscape, and better protect sensitive data from growing cyber threats . Big data analytics in cybersecurity To take it even further, cybersecurity data analysts can integrate big data analytics into cybersecurity . The focus of big data analytics in cybersecurity is on utilizing advanced data analytics techniques to break down vast volumes of data , in other words, “big data,” that many traditional data processing tools wouldn’t be able to achieve. “Big data” includes the three Vs : Volume, velocity, and variety : there’s a significantly greater amount of data than standard datasets, it’s generated at a high speed, and takes diverse forms (video, texts, pdfs, graphics, etc). In the context of cybersecurity, big data analytics allows data scientists to extract insights from massive datasets including network traffic, logs, social media feeds, and threat intelligence feeds. The process can enhance traditional cybersecurity practices, leading to a more resilient security posture. These are a few of the many ways in which data analysis can improve an organization’s network security. If you’re interested in expanding your knowledge about these evolving industries, then you're in the right place! Ironhack offers bootcamps in both data analysis and cybersecurity that will give you the skill sets to jumpstart your tech career.

In the ever-evolving landscape of tech, the roles of UX/UI design and DevOps are like two distinct gears that, when aligned, power the machinery of exceptional digital products. While UX/UI designers focus on creating engaging interfaces and seamless user experiences , DevOps professionals work behind the scenes to ensure the efficient development, deployment, and maintenance of these products. White these disciplines might seem different at first glance, their collaboration can yield remarkable results. Before we get into their synergistic possibilities, let’s outline each role and its respective responsibilities. What is UX/UI Design? UX/UI design is dedicated to enhancing the usability and aesthetic appeal of digital products. UX designers focus on the overall user journey, while UI designers are concerned with creating visually appealing interfaces. Together, they ensure that products are both functional and beautiful . Here’s a breakdown of the role of UX/UI designers and some of the ways that they deliver value: User-centered design: UX/UI designers prioritize user needs, behaviors, and preferences, ensuring that digital products resonate with the target audience. Information architecture: UX/UI designers organize information and content to create intuitive navigation and efficient user flows. By designing user pathways and microinteractions, designers facilitate seamless experiences, and enhance user satisfaction. Visual design: UX/UI designers collaborate on color palettes, typography, and visual elements to create interfaces in alignment with a brand’s identity and voice. Often, designers will use manipulation tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to craft aesthetic elements. Collaborative design: UX/UI designers work closely with project managers and developers to receive input and feedback on the design process. Utilizing tools like Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD, designers can form prototypes and collaborate on products. Accessibility considerations: UX/UI designers ensure that products adhere to accessibility guidelines, making them usable by individuals with disabilities through optimized designs. Data referencing: UX/UI designers monitor user feedback, analytics, and market trends in order to make data driven decisions that improve their products. This also includes staying up to date with the latest design trends and emerging technologies. UX/UI design: bringing new value to individuals and organizations For companies that want their digital presence to thrive, having skilled UX/UI designers is paramount . Let’s take a look at the value UX/UI designers bring to the table and why this role is so in-demand: Enhanced user experience: by placing user satisfaction at the forefront, UX/UI designers craft interfaces that help users have a positive and memorable experience. UX/UI designers are behind the seamless payment system, the easy-to-navigate product pages, and the simple pathways to reach customer service. This, in turn, fosters brand loyalty and keeps users coming back for more. Optimized conversion rates: by prioritizing meticulous design and strategically placing calls-to-action, UX/UI designers act as guides that move users toward desired actions. This could be anything from signing up for a newsletter to making a purchase. The result? Improved conversion rates that drive business growth. Reduced development costs: by identifying potential usability issues during the design phase, UX/UI designers save companies from the costly and time-consuming process of addressing these issues post-development. This foresight translates to tangible cost savings. Improved communication: by acting as a bridge between technical and non-technical teams, UX/UI designers facilitate effective communication. They have the ability to translate complex concepts into clear visuals, ensuring that all stakeholders are on the same page. Increased inclusivity: by considering the ways to make products usable by everyone, UX/UI designers make brands accessible to a wider range of audiences. This could be the ability to easily change the language of a site, optimizing the product for text-to-voice, or even just ensuring the usability of a product via smartphone; designers create the opportunity for brands to grow beyond their initial reach. Understanding DevOps DevOps is a cultural and technical approach that aims to streamline collaboration between software development and IT operations teams . This methodology seeks to shorten the software development cycle while maintaining high-quality code release and reliable system operations. While the specific responsibilities of DevOps professionals vary, let’s consider some common tasks: Infrastructure automation: DevOps practitioners use tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Terraform to automate the provisioning and management of infrastructure resources. Continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD): DevOps professionals design and manage CI/CD pipelines to automate the building, testing, and deployment of software. Monitoring and incident response: DevOps engineers set up monitoring systems to track application performance and respond quickly to incidents or anomalies. Additionally, they may also set up security measures that safeguard applications from vulnerabilities. Resource scaling and optimization: DevOps experts scale resources as needed to accommodate changes in user demand, ensuring consistent performance. DevOps: offering software development a new edge DevOps is more than just a methodology; it’s a transformative approach that brings a multitude of benefits to companies and organizations alike. Here are some key ways in which DevOps is reshaping the software delivery process: Accelerates development: DevOps promotes automation and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices, allowing development teams to rapidly implement software improvements and fixes. Expands collaboration: DevOps practitioners foster collaboration between development, operations, and quality assurance teams. This helps to reduce communication barriers and silos that often hinder project progress. Reinforces stability: DevOps focuses on automated testing, monitoring, and proactive incident response, resulting in more stable software releases and quicker issue resolution. Utilizes resources efficiently: DevOps practices optimize resource allocation, ensuring that computing resources are used efficiently and cost-effectively. How do DevOps and UX/UI Design Differ? Despite sharing the tech stage, DevOps and UX/UI stand as distinct entities. Before we get into the ways that these two fields converge, let’s identify some notable differences between DevOps vs. UX/UI design: Intention: UX/UI designers are anchored in the realm of user experience, crafting the interfaces that resonate at the user level. They focus on driving behavior, improving aesthetic appeal, and promoting accessibility. In contrast, DevOps engineers work behind the scenes, emphasizing the synergy between development and operations. Their prime objective is to streamline collaboration, ensuring swift and efficient software deployment and maintenance. Training background: UX/UI designers take courses tailored to creating prototypes and wireframes, equipping them with the skills to wield tools like Figma or Adobe XD. Their training is much more focused on creating user interaction points and forming strategies to improve conversion. On the other hand, DevOps practitioners train in automation and continuous integration. They are proficient in using tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Terraform, with the objective of improving the software development lifecycle. Metrics and goals: UX/UI designers measure success through metrics like user satisfaction, task success rates, usability testing outcomes, and engagement statistics. In contrast,  DevOps practitioners understand their impact through the frequency of deployment, lead time, mean time to recovery (MTTR), and system uptime. Team: UX/UI designers find themselves collaborating closely with clients, brands, and other designers. Because their focus is on the external audience, they will also consider user data to align design decisions with their client’s or brand’s voice. For DevOps professionals, they are more likely to engage with cross-functional teams spanning the departments of development, operations, and security. How do UX/UI Designers and DevOps Professionals Work Together? Collaboration between UX/UI designers and DevOps professionals is not only possible, but a catalyst to create exceptional digital products . When these two roles work together, their synergy leads to products that are not only visually appealing, but also seamless, efficient, and user-friendly. Let’s look at the ways DevOps is driving the future of UX/UI design and vice versa: Early design-technical alignment: UX/UI designers and DevOps professionals work together during the design phase to ensure design choices align with technical feasibility or operational requirements. Example: designers create an intricate user interface, and DevOps professionals assess the infrastructure to deploy it smoothly. As further design elements are implemented, the DevOps team continues to support them on the back-end. Continuous feedback loop integration: UX/UI designers collect user feedback, and DevOps professionals use this information to refine deployment processes. This integrated feedback loop not only improves user satisfaction, but also streamlines technical operations for an enhanced software lifecycle. Example: users report interface glitches causing delays, leading to the DevOps team optimizing the deployment pipeline for smoother updates. Increased accessibility: UX/UI designers design for accessibility and DevOps professionals optimize performance to ensure an easy user experience for all. Prioritizing communication between these two roles helps reliably guarantee that interfaces perform well for all users, regardless of ability. Example: designers calculate proper contrast ratios for readability, while DevOps professionals ensure fast loading times for a visually impaired user. Enhanced security: UX/UI designers create interfaces that collect user data ethically and transparently, while DevOps professionals employ robust security measures to protect this data and store it with integrity. Example: designers craft a feature that requires secondary authentication; DevOps professionals implement encryption protocols and access controls to safeguard information. Responsive incident handling: UX/UI designers and DevOps professionals collaborate to respond to system incidents while prioritizing user experience. Example: users face a service disruption and UX/UI and DevOps teams work in tandem to communicate the issue transparently and provide user-friendly error messages. It’s clear that UX/UI designers and DevOps professionals, while distinct in their roles, form a prosperous partnership. By weaving together creativity and precision, they craft captivating interfaces while orchestrating flawless operations. As technology evolves, the demand for these roles continues to soar. If UX/UI design or DevOps have caught your eye, explore our tech bootcamps and embark on a transformative journey today.

There’s no better way to spark an interest in something than seeing someone else happy, fulfilled, and successful. And that’s exactly where mentorship comes into play. Mentorship can take many forms, but typically refers to when someone older or more experienced than you guides you and gives you advice about your ambitions . Why is mentorship valuable? Let’s discuss: Mentors help you envision your professional growth : you know you want to study web development, but aren’t sure where to start or get a job. In fact, you could be interested in a broad field such as tech as a whole and don’t know how to go about preparing yourself for a job in the field. Mentors can help you envision a career path and share their own experiences. Mentors can tell you what the real world is really like : the best way to learn about something is from someone right in the middle of it, right? If you’re worried about the work/life balance in tech or how remote work actually happens, you’ll find the best answers to your questions from a mentor. Mentors can help you develop specific skills : abilities like receiving feedback well can be both hard to practice and hard to learn. But when you have a mentor, feedback will become an integral part of your relationship, helping you get more comfortable with it and learning to use it to your benefit. Mentors expand your network : think about it: your mentor probably had a mentor at some point, and has years of experience in their field. This means that their network is now at your fingertips and you can use it to find the right role for you. Mentors provide (usually) free knowledge : the vast majority of mentorship programs and relationships are free of charge, meaning you’ll be able to receive tons of information free. To show your gratitude, however, make sure you’re a hard-working and thankful mentee. You get it now, right? Mentors can provide invaluable information and connections to their mentees, giving them professional guidance and a sneak peek into the life of a tech professional. The benefits of mentorship can be further explained through these four C’s: conversation, connection, community, and culture. Conversation Lots of workplace relationships are one-sided: the younger or less experienced employee learns from their mentor, asking questions and receiving answers. But as we’re sure you know, everyone has valuable experiences to share and a mentorship that boasts two-sided conversation, with both parties learning from the other, is truly valuable. Example: the mentee assumes they’ll be learning everything from their mentor, eagerly asking questions about working in the field of UX/UI design. But as their conversations progress, the mentor realizes that the mentee is asking lots of questions about a new design tool of which they weren’t aware. The mentor begins to ask about that new tool and learns about an upcoming technology that will be useful for their tasks. Connection Lots of mentor/mentee relationships are assigned or formed due to similarities; either the mentee or the mentor sees something in their counterpart that reminds them of themselves and chooses to move forward because of that. But even though this sets a solid foundation for a good connection, going outside of your comfort zone to form a connection can open doors that would otherwise remain shut. Example: a mentor is almost always assigned a mentee within her own department, meaning she’s quite familiar with how everything works. But next quarter, she’s going to mentor a new employee from another department and while she’s meeting with this employee, she learns a lot about issues in the other department and takes action to improve the mentee’s work environment. Community When you think of mentors, you may think of the advantages for just the mentee; however, companies or organizations that have mentoring programs actually improve the overall sense of community at the company, creating connections that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Example: your company has huge gaps between different levels of employees, with very little interaction between interns, entry-level employees, senior workers, and the bosses. A mentorship program is introduced, bridging the gap between these different levels and creating new connections and fostering an overall sense of community. Culture Creating a mentoring culture requires hard work from almost every party involved, ensuring that the development of all employees is a priority from day one. This can begin with an explanation of why mentorship is so important, connecting the values of mentorship with the values of your organization. Lastly, make sure you commit to mentorship in your company, scheduling periodic check-ins to make sure everything is going as planned. Example: as mentorship relationships flourish, communicate these stories with the rest of your organization, sharing how mentorship can benefit everyone. As more and more people see real-life examples of how mentorship truly works, it will become more and more ingrained in company culture. Mentorship in Tech Tech is constantly evolving and that’s why mentorship programs in tech are so important. In fact, sectors like technology are positioned to receive the most benefits from mentoring: Lots of people entering the tech field are career changers : we’ve said it a million times before so we’re sure you already know this, but let’s say it one more time: tech is evolving at a dizzying speed. More and more job opportunities are popping up in practically every area of tech and those salaries are attractive. Many new techies are coming from other fields and have chosen to take a bootcamp or up/reskill to learn what they need to know to land a job in tech, meaning they will benefit heavily from one-to-one guidance and a sneak peek into what working in tech is really like. Tech moves fast and so do trends : whether a mentee is having trouble keeping up with new tools or simply knowing where to look to find out about the newest trends, tech is fast-paced! A two-sided mentor relationship can help both parties learn about what’s going on in their specific areas. Mentors know how to handle specific situations : tech newbies may not know how to create a healthy work/life balance towards the ends of sprints or even address a team member who’s not carrying their weight. Mentors can advise on these specific situations, sharing their personal experiences and what’s worked well for them in the past. Tech is a broad field with new areas emerging constantly : ten years ago, machine learning and artificial intelligence were small branches of tech; now, both are fields that are growing incredibly fast. Mentorship programs can introduce you to new areas of tech and maybe lead to you finding your new passion. Tech mentorship improving diversity and inclusion We know we were just outlining the benefits of tech mentorship, but this deserves its own section! Mentorship can have an incredible effect on diversity and inclusion efforts in tech. How? Well, although lots of work has been done to improve the gender gap in tech and remove barriers to accessing the field, there are still few women in leadership positions, for example. To show younger girls that entering the tech industry is truly an option, mentorship programs with successful C-suite women in tech can provide hard proof that women in tech can be successful--and are. There’s truly no better way to show someone that they can do something than connecting them with someone just like them in that position. After all, seeing is believing, right? Finding a Tech Mentor Great! We’ve convinced you that it’s time to find a tech mentor. And remember–no matter if you’re new to the field or have been working in it for a while, mentors are valuable resources for anyone and everyone. To find your next mentor, follow these tips: Look to your school or company : higher-ups like your supervisor or instructor may seem intimidating, but here’s a little secret: they were in your shoes once! Yes, they once started out as a student and tech newbie and they’ll definitely be eager to help. When you approach them, ask concrete questions and be clear about what you’re looking for: helping finding a job, assistance fine tuning your coding skills, or advice about the tech world. Use LinkedIn : LinkedIn is full of professionals eager to share their knowledge and experience with you! Search for the specific keywords that interest you, browse profiles, and reach out to a few potential mentors with your questions. This may even expand your horizon, creating a relationship with a mentor across the world or in a totally different field. Attend conferences or events : conferences, talks, or meetups are great places to meet tech professionals and create connections with potential mentors. You have an easy way in: you’re both interested in the same topic! Use these events to your advantage and network with potential mentors–there’s no better way to create a connection than in person. Use your personal network : whether it’s your university professor or mom’s best friend, we’re sure you know people who are already working in tech. And people are more likely to help those that they already know; use your existing connections to your advantage and create strong mentoring relationships right there. Tech mentoring has the potential to introduce you to new connections, sectors, and tools; what are you waiting for? Your next big step is right at your fingertips: it’s time to harness it and get searching for your tech mentorship.

Nowadays, the tech industry is one of the fastest growing sectors. This means that there are  lots of opportunities to work in tech, giving you a chance to work as a cybersecurity specialist, UX designer, or something else entirely. But the best part is that companies within the tech industry are willing to pay for your talent and want to make sure you have everything you need to grow professionally and have the time of your life at their company. We’ve put together a list of popular and well-positioned companies in the Netherlands who are looking for tech talent all over the country. The Dutch Tech Scene According to Techleap.nl's annual report on the tech ecosystem in the Netherlands, we see a few takeaways: Even though the EU is slowing down, compared to ecosystems in the US and Asia, the Amsterdam-Delta is the top-ranked startup ecosystem for the second year in a row. In 2022, the Amsterdam system overtook Paris, while maintaining their lead  ahead of Berlin and Stockholm. With Amsterdam as our home, it's exciting to see the ecosystem continue to develop. Plus, our sights are set on breaking into the London market in 2023 and we're happy to see Amsterdam maintain its presence as #2 in the world. BUTTON: Campus Spotlight: Amsterdam Besides the ecosystem’s growth, the Dutch startup scene has a lot of opportunities for growth on the table year-to-year. Best Tech Companies Hiring in the Netherlands 1. Booking.com Born in the Netherlands, Booking.com is one of the world's leading online travel platforms. In 2023, Booking.com won the “European Employer of the Year” award, due to their intersectional approach to wellbeing. Besides a good understanding of what it takes to contain a good mental health in the workplace, Booking.com offers several attractive features: Booking.com is internationally recognized, giving employees opportunities to work in a diverse environment. They encourage employees to think outside the box and contribute to shaping the future of the travel industry. Booking.com is committed to the professional development of its employees through learning and training programs to support career growth and skill enhancement. They emphasize collaboration and teamwork. The company’s leadership is known for its supportiveness and approachability, fostering a positive and motivating work environment. Employees have attractive travel benefits and discounts. The company is committed to sustainability and social responsibility. 2. Google Google is one of the most iconic and renowned technology companies globally, offering a plethora of attractive features that make it a highly desirable place to work. Here are some reasons why Google is considered an attractive employer: Google is known for its innovative and forward-thinking culture. They encourage employees to think creatively and explore new ideas, promoting learning and growth. Employees get to contribute to cutting-edge technology and products that shape the future. Google offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages, including health and wellness programs, retirement plans, and various perks like free meals, on-site fitness, and transportation options. The campus has unique amenities, for example, relaxing spaces, on-site services, and recreational areas. Employee development is important to Google, which they promote through different opportunities for skill enhancement and career advancement. The importance of work-life balance is supported by the company (flexible working arrangements). Google is committed to making a positive impact on society through philanthropic, educational, sustainability, and social causes initiatives. 3. ASML ASML is a leading Dutch company in the semiconductor industry, known for its cutting-edge technology and innovations that play a crucial role in the production of microchips used in various electronic devices. Working at ASML provides employees with the opportunity to be part of groundbreaking projects and contribute to the advancement of technology that shapes the world: ASML is at the forefront of technological innovation in the industry, developing state-of-the-art machines and technologies. Employees get to work on complex, challenging projects and learn to push their boundaries. They have a collaborative and innovative work culture, encouraging teamwork and knowledge sharing with others. ASML values its employees and invests in their growth and development by offering training programs and opportunities for career advancement. They offer a competitive compensation package, including attractive salaries, benefits, and opportunities for performance-based bonuses. ASML gives employees the opportunity to work in an international setting. 4. Capgemini Capgemini is an international consulting, technology services, and digital transformation company that offers a range of attractive opportunities for employees. Here are some reasons why Capgemini is considered a popular option: Capgemini has a wide range of clients across various industries, exposing employees to diverse projects and challenges. They place a strong emphasis on innovation and technology, enabling employees to work with cutting edge technologies. Capgemini has a presence in over 50 countries, giving their employees the chance to work in an international environment. They value employee development and offer training programs and resources to support professional growth. They are committed to social responsibility and sustainability. Capgemini promotes an inclusive and diverse culture and they prioritize employee well being, offering various wellness programs and benefits to support physical and mental health. They encourage collaboration and teamwork. 5. Miro Miro is a collaborative online whiteboard platform that facilitates remote collaboration and visual brainstorming for teams. There are several reasons why working for Miro can be enticing: Employees get to work on cutting-edge technology. Micro fosters a collaborative and inclusive work environment, encouraging employees to learn from one another. Employees have the flexibility to work from anywhere and they offer a healthy work-life balance. The company provides opportunities for growth. The workforce is diverse with professionals from various backgrounds and nationalities. Micro has a set of core values including, customer obsession, humility, ownership and a passion for excellence. 6. Just Eat Takeaway Just Eat Takeaway.com (formerly known as Just Eat and Takeaway.com) is a leading online food delivery marketplace that operates in multiple countries around the world. Takeaway.com was founded in 2000 in the Netherlands; Just Eat was founded in Denmark only a year later. It has become a popular platform for ordering food from a wide variety of restaurants and eateries and is a great place to work: The company is internationally located, giving employees the chance to work in a global and multicultural environment. Just Eat Takeaway.com heavily invests in technology and digital innovation. They value diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment where employees feel respected and valued. They offer various learning and development programs for employees. Just Eat Takeaway has competitive compensation packages and benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks. They are committed to social and environmental responsibility and try to manage their carbon footprint. 7. Adyen Adyen is a leading global payment technology company headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Funded in 2006, it has since become one of the world's most valuable fintech companies. Adyen offers a comprehensive platform that enables businesses to accept payments online, in-store, and on mobile devices, providing seamless and secure payment solutions to its clients. There are several reasons why Adyen is considered an tempting company to work for: Employees have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies and solutions. The company encourages a startup-like culture, fostering creativity, innovation, and the ability to adapt quickly to market changes. They emphasize personal and professional development. They are encouraged to take ownership of their projects, and the company provides opportunities for growth and career advancement. Adyen values diversity and inclusion. Adyen has garnered a positive reputation in the industry for its reliability, security, and innovative solutions. 8. IBM IBM , also known as International Business Machines Corporation, is a renowned global technology and consulting company with a long and influential history in the tech industry. Here are some reasons why IBM is appealing to work for: IBM offers a wide range of career opportunities across different sectors and industries. Working at IBM allows employees to be part of groundbreaking projects and work with the latest tools and technologies, fostering professional growth and skill development. Employees are given the freedom to explore new ideas and contribute to cutting-edge solutions. IBM offers various learning and development programs to help employees grow both professionally and personally. The company places a strong emphasis on sustainability. IBM provides competitive compensation packages, including benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and work-life balance programs. 9. Tesla Tesla , Inc. is a renowned electric vehicle (EV) and clean energy company founded by Elon Musk. It has gained widespread recognition for its innovative products, cutting-edge technologies, and ambitious mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. Working for Tesla can be attractive for various reasons: Tesla's mission is to create a sustainable future by promoting the adoption of clean energy and electric transportation. Employees have the opportunity to be part of a company that is driving innovation in the automotive and energy sectors. For tech enthusiasts, working at Tesla offers the chance to be involved in groundbreaking developments. The organization fosters a collaborative and fast-paced work culture, encouraging employees to share ideas and work together to solve complex challenges. The company promotes internal mobility and often encourages employees to take on new roles and responsibilities. Tesla provides competitive compensation packages and benefits to its employees, including health insurance, stock options, and access to employee discount programs. Tesla has become an iconic brand with a global reputation and international opportunities. 10. NXP Semiconductors NXP Semiconductors is a leading semiconductor company known for its innovative solutions in the areas of automotive, industrial, and IoT (Internet of Things) applications. The company was founded in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Working for NXP can be interesting for several reasons: Employees have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technologies and contribute to groundbreaking innovations. The company is a global leader in semiconductor solutions, commanding a strong market position. Employees can work on a wide range of projects, contributing to their professional growth and versatility. The company provides training programs to support employees’ growth. NXP offers competitive compensation packages and benefits to attract and retain top talent. For individuals seeking international exposure and opportunities to work on a global scale, NXP offers a compelling platform. The company is committed to sustainability and actively seeks ways to minimize its environmental impact. Professional and personal development is really important for NXP. The company promotes an inclusive work culture where all employees feel welcome and empowered. If you are interested in joining the tech industry and ending up at one of these companies, apply now for Ironhack!

Interested in using your hacking skills for good? Want to gain skills, recognition, swag, and cash to safeguard your favorite company sites? Feel the need to compete against other hackers to see who can penetrate security systems first? Bug bounty programs might be for you! Let’s go over how you can make money through “ethical hacking” with bug bounty programs. What Are Bug Bounty Programs? Imagine you’re in the wild west. You see a sign “Wanted: Dead or Alive. Reward $50,000.” You’re intrigued... what has this outlaw done, who else is trying to find him, how can you stop him instead, and how will you get your reward? You have the skills to capture him and you’re itching to get started. Much like the bounty programs of the Wild West, bug bounty programs are deals put up by companies to offer monetary compensation for hackers to report exploitable software vulnerabilities. Companies use bug bounty hunters to discover and resolve bugs before the general public becomes aware of them and try to take advantage of them. Companies within various fields, such as e-commerce, mobile payments, cloud computing, social media, and more, will implement bug bounty programs to ensure their information is secure. These arrangements are a bit more proactive than Wild West wanted outlaw programs – they set out to patch any security holes before hackers can infiltrate them. Like the relationship between the bounty hunter and the sheriff’s office, companies use bug bounty programs to supplement the company’s cybersecurity testing. Often, security companies do not have a large enough team to combat all the possible security vulnerabilities, much like how the sheriff employs outside help to capture outlaws that are likely to break the law – over and over again – to prevent further abuse. Bounty hunters can be considered the predecessors to current ethical hackers, both of which use their – one would consider nefarious – skills for good. Similar to Wild West bounty hunters, today’s ethical hackers work for not only monetary compensation, but recognition as well. Instead of word of mouth, hacker leaderboards tell the world of their progress. The programs encourage a healthy level of competition – many ethical hackers will attempt to exploit the same vulnerabilities, but only a few will succeed. What Are the Benefits of Bug Bounty Programs? Much like bounty programs of yesteryear, bug bounty programs come with benefits for both the companies that offer them and the individuals that take part. Companies gain access to a wide pool of talent with varying skill sets and expertise that can perform increased vulnerability protection with realistic threat simulation at a reduced cost.  Individuals, both experts and novices, can earn money and receive recognition based on the severity and number of the bugs discovered. Top hackers can make up to a full-time salary and receive elite recognition, while newbies can use bug bounty programs to get started in the cybersecurity field while being rewarded. This symbiotic relationship allows companies to promote application dependability where the sheer number of targets is impossible for any size security team to combat while security researchers receive monetary compensation and technological recognition for their work. How Do Bug Bounty Programs Work? A wanted poster tells you all that you need to know using simple expectations and clear rewards. But how does a hacker know what is required of them? Just like the bounty programs of the wild west, companies set the scope and budget of their program. If you looked at a wanted poster, you could clearly tell two things: who the sheriff wants you to capture (scope) and what you will be rewarded for achieving the goal (budget). A company bug bounty posting works in a similar fashion. Some key information that’s included: Program Description Eligible Submissions Bounty Awards In-Scope Vulnerabilities Out-of-Scope Vulnerabilities Disclosure Reporting Through the posting, a company defines targets in scope, targets out of scope, rewards and payouts, and bug reporting procedures. It basically outlines what systems a hacker can test, how a test is conducted, and how a hacker is rewarded. After finding a posting that fits their skills and compensation requirements, a hacker legally investigates vulnerabilities to discover bugs. If they find a bug that falls in the previously defined scope, the hacker fills out a disclosure report, which includes a bug description; impact; risk breakdown, using a CVSS – common vulnerability scoring system; and recommendations. Before the business releases the bounty, which may be cash, company swag, or even leaderboard recognition, a company developer must first replicate and validate the bug. Since companies are allowing you to infiltrate their software defences, they must set strict protocols to ensure hackers focus on the security aspects that they’d like to test. Going outside of that scope is illegal. If you were a bounty hunter, you wouldn’t capture a man that isn’t wanted by the sheriff, just like you wouldn’t exploit a target that is not within the aforementioned scope. Where To Find Bug Bounty Programs In this day and age, there isn’t a sheriff’s office to visit to find the list of outlaws to capture. It’s actually much easier – most companies’ bug bounty programs can be found online. Not all bug bounty programs can be found with a simple Google search, however; only public programs will be listed on a company website or bug bounty database, to garner more potential bounty hunters. Private programs, on the other hand, are usually invite-only, to ensure a company’s confidentiality and verify a hacker’s expertise. So, where can you take part? Bug Crowd posts a public database of bug bounty programs found here, but some sought-after company programs include: Microsoft Intel Apple Google Becoming a Bug Bounty-Hunter Do you have what it takes to be a 21st-century bounty hunter? Starting off, much like the bounty hunters of the Wild West, you’d have to make sure you have the know-how. To be successful, bug bounty hunters should know the ins and outs of cybersecurity, including how to implement tactics to detect flaws and vulnerabilities in applications and software. Our cybersecurity bootcamps cover some essentials to get you started: Networking traffic basics, communication principles, network and routing protocols and services, and network security fundamentals Threat detection and prevention strategies, access controls and hardening techniques, and firewall configuration principles Cybersecurity and privacy principles, risk and security management processes, and digital evidence handling Check our cybersecurity bootcamps to see if you’re ready to tackle the wild, wild west of today.

We’ve all been there: you’ve found the perfect job post, send in your application, and get an answer back–they want to interview you! The excitement quickly turns to dread: what if they ask you things you don’t know? Or what if they expect a level of experience or skills you don’t have?! What if you forget everything you know about interviewing?! These anxieties are completely normal and trust us, we’ve all been there. But when it comes to these interviews, you don’t need to worry. The hiring manager saw your resume, was impressed, and thought you’d be a great fit. And they’ve already liked what they’ve seen on your resume , that’s why they’re interviewing you! Put those doubts aside and start preparing for the interview. Yes, you should still prepare–you don’t know what will come up! To land that dream job, make sure you follow our tips and tricks for mastering technical interviews below. Before, however, let’s break down the interview itself and what you can expect. What to Expect During an Interview Interviews can be intimidating, we get it! We’ve been there too. But the good thing is that interviews tend to follow the same general setup and the majority of interviews fall under just a few categories. Let’s dive right into the different types of interviews: The first phone interview : you can expect your first point of contact with a company to be with an HR representative, who will give you some basic information about the company and role. During this call, you can expect them to ask you basic questions about yourself, your salary expectations, and any other relevant information regarding the role. Take the chance to ask any pertinent questions you may have about the role. The first interview with your potential boss : if you pass the first phone interview with HR, you can expect to hear directly from your would-be supervisor. You’ll be asked to schedule an in-person or remote interview where you’ll have a better idea of the job, the day-to-day responsibilities, and get to share your experience and skills. The technical interview : again virtually or in-person, you’ll receive a task from your potential employer and have to complete it within a certain time frame. The details of this assignment will vary, but we’ll get into that later! The team interview(s): this stage can be a bit lengthy, depending on the size of the company and the role for which you’re interviewing. If everything went well with your technical interview, you can expect to meet with various team members to check overall compatibility and ensure that you’re a good fit. It sounds like a lot and some interview processes can last a long time. But remain patient and stick to it–your dream job is just around the corner. All these interviews differ in length, style, and content, but they generally follow the same setup: Greeting/introductions : as you’ll be meeting lots of new people throughout your interview process, expect to introduce yourself a lot. So much that you may get tired of hearing yourself speak! But every potential team member wants to know who they’d be working with, so expect to hear similar questions about your experiences, education, and skill set many times throughout your interviews. Initial questions : with introductions out of the way, it’s time for some questions! The interviewer will ask you, the interviewee, questions. It’s pretty straightforward–there’s no need to stress! Answer confidently and honestly and you’ll be all set. Deeper questions : it’s time to get into the real stuff. The interviewer will ask you about your more technical abilities and include situational questions to see how you’d react in the role. Your questions : the interview will close with the chance for you to ask any questions you have–take advantage of this moment and ask about the company culture, expectations, and any other doubts you may have. Okay, you got it–you know what to expect from an interview and what’s going to happen. So now let’s dive a little deeper into technical interviews and how to succeed at them. Technical Interviews Technical interviews are quite common in fields like engineering, science, and software roles, where your hard skills are absolutely essential to your performance on the job. Like we mentioned before, you’ve made it to this point because your potential employer is impressed with what they’ve seen and think you would be a good fit. To prepare for the interview, we recommend: Reviewing the job description for the specific skills that are required : the job posting is a great way to get an idea about the questions you might be asked and the things you’ll be expected to know. Make sure you practice each skill beforehand so you’re ready to show off your knowledge during the interview. Researching the company : a quick internet search can help refresh your memory about the company’s mission, values, and purpose. You’ll also learn more about the services they provide, which will help you when solving problems during the technical interview. Reviewing some of your best work : interviewers like to hear about actionable skills and sharing some of your accomplishments, along with data that backs up your claim, can help prove you’re a qualified candidate. And during the interview, here are some of our favorite strategies to keep in mind: Show the interviewer your thought process : you may want to wow the interviewer with your quick thinking and skills, but it’s best to go slow and explain each step of your thought process to the interviewer so that they understand why you’re making the choices that you’re making. They also want to see how you handle new and tough problems, so explaining how you work can help show you’re a great candidate. Be honest : if you don’t know how to do something, be honest! It may seem counterintuitive, but a huge part of technical roles is learning from others and being prepared to take on new challenges. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or for some assistance if you need it–trust us, employers would rather you do this than pretend you know what you’re doing. Provide multiple methods to solving the problem : in tech, there are usually a few “right” ways to solve a problem and showing the interviewer that you’re capable of viewing a problem from multiple perspectives can help prove your expertise. Interviews can be daunting–we get it! But with these tips and strategies, you’ll be well on your way to landing that dream job. And if you’re looking for the skills you need to master that technical interview, look no further: Ironhack’s bootcamps teach you exactly what you need to land that dream job in tech. See you in class!

The opportunity to go abroad to study is quite the tempting one. After all, who doesn’t want to make new friends, maybe learn a new language, and make some unforgettable memories? And while going abroad to study brings a lot of benefits, there are a good amount of unforeseen challenges that come from studying in a new place. What if the new place’s dress code is completely different? Or their way of greeting each other is extremely informal to you? These might seem minor, but when you add up a whole bunch of cultural differences, it can create quite the challenge. That’s why we’ve created this guide: we want to give you the necessary tips and tricks to embracing diversity in your global and international classroom, permitting you to take full advantage of said diversity–while being respectful. The Different Kinds of Diversity You May Encounter When you hear the word “diversity,” you may think uniquely of racial or ethnic diversity–and with good reason; it’s one of the most frequent reasons we use the word diversity. But the truth is that diversity can come in many different forms and all can have an effect on the way we act and, of course, our classroom. Let’s check out the seven main kinds of diversity: Cultural diversity : cultural diversity is quite common and refers to the ethnicity of people and the customs/norms they’ve learned from their specific culture, which affect how they act and can differ significantly from other cultures. Racial diversity : racial diversity is based on physical traits and is one of the most highlighted kinds of diversity because it’s something that can be noticed by sight. Religious diversity : religious diversity refers to both religious beliefs and the lack thereof. Age diversity : age diversity includes both people of different ages and generations. Gender diversity : gender diversity includes both differences between male and female employees, and also employees that are trans, non-binary, or have a changing gender identity. Sexual orientation diversity : frequently conflated with gender diversity, sexual orientation is completely different, and refers to the sexual orientation of people, not their gender identity. Disability diversity : disability diversity refers to people with all kinds of disability, such as physical, mental, visual, or hearing. The general understanding when it comes to diversity is that it is something that should be celebrated; however, that’s easier said than done. Finding a way to mesh all sorts of different students into one classroom where people of different cultural backgrounds, ages, or disabilities can learn in the same way is nearly impossible. But creating a welcoming and diverse classroom in tech, however, is doable. Why is diversity important? No matter where you grew up or your personal experiences, we’re sure you had a moment where you realized that someone else has had a completely different experience than you. And this is precisely why diversity is so important, especially in the classroom: Diversity contributes to better decision-making : if you’re just thinking about things from your perspective, you’re probably going to miss including the perspective of other groups that could be valuable customers for your company. Diversity improves individual and personal growth , pushing people to think about things in new ways and further develop their empathy. Diversity improves overall performance –yes, research shows that diverse teams outperform non-diverse groups, thanks to their ability to use more varied experiences and skills to reach their goals. Diversity helps companies create services that meet the needs of diverse communities , therefore better serving the public and expanding their customers. We could go on and on but here’s the key: diversity, especially in the classroom, is absolutely essential. Let’s dive right into creating space for and encouraging diversity in the classroom and how we can use diversity to enhance learning. Diversity in the Classroom As you know, working towards creating a diverse classroom can yield lots of benefits for all students--but how can you do it as both an educator or a student? Follow these steps: Take the time to get to know all students : as we mentioned above, some kinds of diversity are visible to the naked eye, but others aren’t. To ensure that all students are being heard and their needs are met, taking the time to talk to and understand where each student comes from can help you interact and bond with them later on. As students begin to feel that they’re in a safe and comfortable environment, they’ll be more likely to share their personal experiences, enriching the overall classroom. Maintain your connections throughout the entire course/semester : part of creating a welcoming and inviting space is ensuring that students feel that they are valued because of who they are, not because of what makes them different. If you only engage with diverse students when it’s needed for a lesson or to get something out of them, or worse, to tokenize them, it will have the opposite effect. Remember to respect people’s differences and appreciate them, without making this diversity the entire identity of this person. Set clear guidelines for the classroom : both instructors and students can take the initiative to set rules for the semester, establishing ground rules about what kind of language/treatment isn’t acceptable and having a zero tolerance policy for any sort of hostility. Ensure that people’s diversities are taken into account : if you have people with physical diversities, try to limit the amount of movement you require in classes; if you have people who are speaking their second language, make sure you talk clearly and offer any extra assistance if needed. Creating inclusive and safe environments means taking people’s diversities into account before class to ensure that there are no issues. If you follow these steps, creating an inclusive and safe classroom is totally possible. And thankfully, tech is becoming one of the most diverse sectors, meaning your students will benefit from diverse classrooms when they work in diverse tech companies. Diversity in Tech Tech companies need diverse teams and there’s simply no argument against it. In order to create products and services that truly serve the public, diverse voices have to have a seat at the table. An added focus on diversity in the technology sector will lead to: Better products and services : we’re not saying men can never create well-working products for women, but it’s true that products and services designed by the people who will be using them will reflect the true needs of that group. Expanded candidate pools : companies that require candidates to live in expensive cities or have certain degrees eliminate entire groups of people right off the back; by introducing inclusive practices into their hiring process, companies can open their doors up to so many candidates that had been previously ignored. Better problem-solving abilities : have you ever been completely stumped over a problem, only to ask a colleague and friend and be presented with a great solution? Well, this happens frequently and it’s actually pretty normal. In fact, teams with diverse members are more likely to overcome challenges and have better overall performances. Alright, we’ve convinced you: guaranteeing diversity in tech is definitely necessary . And there’s no better way to encourage diversity in tech than with bootcamps. Don’t believe us? Here’s what you need to know. Bootcamps & Diversity A huge barrier to reaching full inclusion and diversity in the tech sector is access. For a long time, tech roles were exclusively for those who had advanced degrees in tech fields, could complete internships, and lived in expensive cities. This severely limited the groups of people that could get into the field; today, however, the introduction of bootcamps has led to an entirely new group of people with access to the field. Here’s what bootcamps offer everyone: Financing options : bootcamps are much more affordable than long, four year degrees, not to mention some even allow you to study part-time and keep your current job. And for the cost that it does entail, lots offer financing options such as scholarships, government grants, income share agreements, and payment plans. Flexible schedules : lots of people, especially parents, have at-home responsibilities such as childcare or familial duties, which might limit their abilities to attend a long program during the day. However, lots of bootcamps are offered remotely and part-time, giving people the option to fit in classes around their preexisting responsibilities. Career services : bootcamps are designed with one cause in mind: landing you a job as soon as possible following graduation. The vast majority of bootcamps offer career services, which can help you finetune your interviewing skills, work on your applications, and edit your CV. Updated and accurate curriculum : bootcamps don’t exist to waste your time; they exist to teach you exactly what you need to know to succeed in your chosen field. That’s why they’re so intensive and short–your curriculum is constantly updated and refreshed to ensure you’re studying exactly what hiring managers are looking for. The tech industry has started to even out in recent years, thanks in part to the introduction of bootcamps and an enthused effort to prioritize diversity and inclusion efforts across the board. But there’s still a lot to be done and the change begins with each and every one of us. Are you up for the challenge? Then we’ll see you in class.

The thought of creating a website from scratch can be quite daunting. After all, where do you begin? How do you ensure you cover every step? How can you guarantee optimal usability while protecting the overall security of the site? It seems like quite the challenge, right? While it is certainly a challenge, it’s completely doable. You’ve seen some pretty awesome websites out there, fueled by some really fascinating web development principles and tools. There’s no reason why you can’t be the next person to create such a site–in this article, we’ll break down each part of the web development process , highlighting some tips you can use to ensure you’re building the best website possible. What is Web Development? We have to start here: web development encompasses all the tasks and responsibilities associated with creating, building, and maintaining websites and web applications . It’s quite broad; it could refer to building just a single page of a website or an entire social networking application. But no matter your project, there are certain steps you’ll take to ensure your site is modern, well developed, and easy to use. To properly demystify web development and everything that goes along with it, let’s begin with a quick summary of some of the most common words you’ll see when working in web development: Back-end web development : the back end is the more technical side with which users don’t interact, composed of the code that makes up the website’s infrastructure. Front-end web development : this is the side that users see, made up of the visual elements that are so important to the user experience such as images, text, and content. Fullstack web development : fullstack web development combines both the back and front ends, bringing the two roles together into one job. Content management system : CMSs are typically used to create simpler websites, as they provide the necessary framework for non-technical users to easily create and edit websites. Payment gateway : for websites or apps that need to be able to collect payment from users, developers need to provide safe and secure links to payment websites, ensuring that private user information is protected. Cloud service provider : today, the majority of websites are hosted on the cloud, which means that remote servers handle the large amounts of storage required to host a website, relieving companies from this responsibility. How Can I Build a Website From Scratch? Creating your own website from zero is a challenge, but one that’s definitely attainable. Let’s cover the basics and help you get a better picture of what the project will entail. Review and reflect on your (and your teams’) skills : this goes for any project! Before you get started, make sure your skills match those required of the task, guaranteeing you don’t reach a point in the timeline where you have to give up. When working on your website project, make sure your team does boast some coding experience and those with the right design skills to help the front end of the website take off. Finetune your project and define your goal : now that you know you have the right team for the job, outline your project, the different stages, what you’ll need and when, and what your ultimate goal is. With all this clearly defined, you’ll be able to prepare a realistic plan and deadlines. Choose your hosting provider : with your project laid out in front of you, you’ll know the amount of storage you’ll need, the estimated features of your website, and how much you want to pay for your hosting provider. Research various options and take your time making this decision. Create the layout of your website : there are lots of templates out there and you’re free to use one of those or create your own. With the layout decided, you’ll be able to start building and adding content, creating new pages as you go. Test your site : even the best designs have flaws and make sure you are testing your website and features as you add them so that you’re not doing a lot of work twice. In fact, setting up periodic testing days throughout your project can help catch mistakes before it’s too late and give you more time to determine possible solutions. Update your website : unfortunately, your job isn’t done just yet. You’ll need to continuously update and check on your website, fixing any bugs or issues that arise and fending off any new cyber threats. Set up periodic checks on the aforementioned issues to guarantee everything is going well. Now that you have the basics, let’s dive right into the good stuff: what you need to know to build that beautiful and modern website. Building Modern Websites Let’s start with the fun stuff: your designs! From the outside, web development (and especially the back-end) may seem boring, with just lines of codes that go on and on. But as we mentioned before, web development encompasses the entire website creation process, including making it usable for clients. Try to include the following in your next project: Go for a clean look : prioritize the information that clients need to know, and highlight that information on the home page. Don’t be afraid of white space and do some research on the best colors to use. It may seem tempting to fill every spot with some information, but less is more when it comes to usability. Spend time defining your brand’s image and look : choosing a specific font or color seems like a minor task, but we’re sure we don’t have to tell you about the importance of branding. While making sure everything is the same font and color can be quite tedious, it’s an essential part of creating a highly functional website. Prioritize market research : there is a lot of research out there that tells you the best colors to use, what fonts attract the most customers, and what to keep an eye out for. This is valuable information that can help your website go from good to great, especially if design isn’t your forte. The next necessary element of website design is one that’s gained more of a voice in recent years, but there’s still lots of work to be done. Accessible web designs are those that boast elements that allow all users, regardless of any disability or reason, to access the website in comparable ways. For example, a website that’s accessible to the visually impaired would boast text descriptions in images with a voice feature, allowing those users to receive the same information as other users. When designing an accessible site, make sure you: Prioritize the user experience : take the time to meet with accessibility experts and truly guarantee that these users have an equal or comparable experience on your website, doing whatever you can to ensure your site is truly accessible. Provide options : some accessibility options are for temporary accessibility difficulties, such as nighttime browsing or weak WiFi connections. Let your users pick what they need at the moment through various options. Guarantee operability, robustness, understandability, and perceivability : for a web design to be accessible, it must be all four of these: Operable : anyone can operate and navigate the website, regardless if they’re using their voice, finger, mouse, or keyboard. Robust : the accessibility features on a website don’t limit the website’s qualities or overall user experience, guaranteeing equal access for all. Understandable : the content should be understandable to all users (this refers to offering foreign language options, using colloquial language, and providing explanations when necessary). Perceivable : website information must be available to at least one of the user’s senses; if the user is hearing impaired, there must be a visual option to read any audio on the website. Lastly, modern and well-designed websites prioritize marketing and sales in a way that incorporates search engine optimization (SEO), social media accounts, and content marketing into the site. What does this mean? Well: Updating content regularly : you can’t create content once or twice and expect it to be effective always! You’ll need to keep up on what’s happening in the world, making sure that your content is always accurate and reflects the real world. Checking out your competition : what are your competitors doing better than you? And in what areas are you stronger? Well, that’s a question that will help you improve your services, retain loyal customers, and hopefully capture some new ones. Periodically check in on what they’re up to and what they’re offering, making sure you’re not falling behind. Investing in content and SEO : you could be releasing the world’s best content, but if your site isn’t ranking on searches, no one will see it! Creating the right kind of content and mastering SEO rankings could be the difference you’re looking for--it’s time to make that a priority. Seems pretty simple, right?! We’re kidding--we know it can be quite the challenge and that’s why our Web Development Bootcamp is a great choice for those looking to learn the basics of web development and then use their knowledge for some pretty cool projects. So if you are looking to build and maintain modern websites, there’s no better place for you. See you in class!

The backbone of UX/UI design is clear: creating designs that not only enhance the user experience, but also promote accessibility throughout the process , prioritizing the use of the design by absolutely anyone. And while you might think that accessible UX/UI designs are taken care of as long as you add captions on videos and maybe provide a nighttime option for browsing in the dark, there’s actually a lot more to it. In fact, some UX/IUI professionals have even dedicated themselves to this specific area of the field, ensuring that minority or disabled groups can access the same resources as the rest of the world. These professionals should be highlighted and praised; they work closely with accessibility experts and web designers to offer a truly inclusive experience. As an up-and-coming UX/UI designer yourself, it’s crucial that you understand both the importance of accessibility and the basics of accessible designs so that you can continue making the internet a more inclusive and accessible place–for everyone. What is Accessibility? Accessibility has become quite the buzzword over the past few years and you’ve probably heard it thrown around by big corporations. But what is it exactly? It’s the practice of guaranteeing access to, without any barriers , anything the general population can use. As internet use has skyrocketed over recent years, web accessibility, or e-accessibility, has also grown in popularity, with new focuses being placed on guaranteeing equal access to online services. Why is accessibility so important? We think it’s pretty clear why accessibility is essential, but let’s provide a recent and straightforward example: during the COVID-19 pandemic, many services moved online, such as doctor’s appointments, immigration proceedings, and newspapers. For many, this made their lives easier; for others, however, this change led to complications. If, for whatever reason, someone can’t use typical websites, they are ultimately barred from accessing this crucial information and services. Accessibility in design manifests itself in many different ways, but let’s explore some basic examples of how inaccessible designs can barr certain groups from accessing the service: Information is provided solely on graphics : lots of websites offer an audio version of their information, helping visually impaired visitors access the service. However, the majority of these tools only read words aloud; if there are graphics or pictures that contain crucial information, the user may be unable to access it. Using alt-text descriptions that provide the same information as the graphic does in text form can help eliminate this barrier. The website requires a mouse to move from element to element : for many, this may not be a problem. But many physically impaired users need to use voice control or a special keyboard to operate their computer, meaning that a mouse isn’t an option. Ensuring that users using a voice-controlled device or special keyboard have access to the exact same functions as users using the mouse is a great example of accessible design. You get it, right? Accessibility is crucial to design and UX/UI designers must highlight these principles when creating their designs. And how can you get started? By putting the user first. Inclusive Design Principles It’s nearly impossible to create inclusive designs if you don’t prioritize the user experience. And that’s why our first principle is to design for your user. Bring the user to the front of your design process How can you make truly accessible designs unless you talk to the users themselves, learning from them and understanding what works and what doesn’t? No supervisor or manager will expect you to fully understand the experience of every group of people, but it’s your responsibility to research what you can do to improve the accessibility of your design . Don’t be afraid to sit back, listen, and make mistakes until you learn how to truly put the user and their specific needs first. It will be a challenge, but it’s one that is completely worth it. Commit to creating comparable experiences Accessible designs aren’t just ones that are reachable by all people, but that provide a comparable or equal experience and access to whatever is being offered. You may be tempted to cut corners sometimes and think, “ Well, this isn’t totally necessary, ” but that’s a slippery slope! All users have the right to see all content and equal experiences should be your priority at all times. Create consistent and friendly designs Understanding or accessing a web design shouldn’t be a challenge! Remember, you want the user to return to your site multiple times, accessing your product or service. And if they have to become an expert web developer to access the checkout page, they probably won’t be back for more. Stick to simple and well-functioning design principles, such as using brand colors and fonts throughout your entire design. Remember, accessibility includes first time users, users with limited access to high-speed internet, users in a rush, and users on mobile devices. Offer options for your users You can’t anticipate how your users will want to use your design every time they access it, so ensuring that it boasts various options helps even more users gain access while prioritizing their unique preferences and needs. This also means you should equally focus on mobile and desktop designs; some users may be limited to just one or have to use the other every once in a while, meaning they’re not comfortable or confident with their second option. Do these sound doable? We hope so– creating accessible designs should be your first priority as a UX/UI designer and thankfully, it’s completely possible. And whether you’re just starting out on your journey as a UX/UI designer or looking to revamp your skills to prioritize accessibility, Ironhack’s UX/UI Design Bootcamp is perfect for you. Ready to embark on your journey towards a more inclusive world? We can’t wait to help you get there.

When our Ironhackers land tech jobs, they end up in all industries in all sorts of different companies. Occasionally they end up on the same team, which is always great to see. But Mediaquery, a full service tech agency from Miami, went one step further by practically filling their development team with Ironhackers! Who Are Mediaquery? Hailing from Miami, Mediaquery support and drive their clients forward by offering a host of services, including software development, website design, data visualization, cloud based strategy, branding, and much more. Basically, anything a thriving company needs. Mediaquery is the brainchild of founders Olivier Carissimo, a tech expert, and Florent Garcia, a designer with an eye for aesthetic perfection. Combining these two disciplines created an agency where developers and creatives work hand in hand in a collaborative environment where everyone wins. Why Do Mediaquery Love Ironhack? With more than X Ironhackers onboard, it’s safe to say that Mediaquery trust Ironhackers to get the job done. We got to chat with Olivier and Florent to find out why… What first attracted you to Ironhack as your solution for fresh talent? Olivier: We hired our first Ironhacker through Indeed, and he told us about Ironhack and invited us to participate in an Ironhack Career Fair to hire our next employee. We realized the hiring process was greatly accelerated via this “speed dating” style. Florent : [The Career Fair] allowed us to quickly compare talents with the same base skills. The rapid-fire interview format helped us identify standout individuals who would be the best fit for Mediaquery. This was our initial point of entry with Ironhack. Additionally, we value that Ironhack’s training programs stay current with the latest tech stacks, aligning well with our company. How do you like having so many Ironhackers on your team? What impact has it had? Olivier: Ironhackers are already curated, trained tech people. At entry level, they are ready to go to the next level and turn into real tech professionals within less than a year. Mediaquery helps them have their first real tech experience. Florent : Hiring individuals from the same cohort has been beneficial because they already have a working dynamic. They were drawn to work together on projects, so we gain a head start in building a team. They are familiar with each other’s strengths and are supportive, as they were during the program. It’s advantageous to have people who complement each other and can rely on each other when facing challenges. Although they have more to learn upon joining, their shared experiences and teamwork make the integration process smoother. How do your Ironhacker teammates find their first few days/weeks on the job? Olivier: They find a high level of camaraderie as they start working with their peers, and see it as a continuation of the Ironhack training program, the difference being that they’re working on real life problem solving and contributing to real business problems. Ironhackers find a nice, comfortable, focused engineering environment where they can progress and fulfill their passion of building tech. Florent : They quickly realize the difference between class projects and real-life projects. They transition from working on abstract projects with limited impact to contributing to software and platforms used by real users. The level of responsibility they experience from the beginning is evident. On a personal level, the shared experience of going through Ironhack, whether in the same class or not, facilitates the integration of newcomers into the team. Existing employees (previous Ironhackers) understand what they’re going through and provide natural onboarding support. This makes it easier for new team members to adapt and thrive at Mediaquery. Why do Ironhackers Love Mediaquery? We’re always happy when our hiring partners are happy! But we also wanted to know how our graduates were getting on… We spoke to Paulina Sanchez ( UX/UI Design Bootcamp , Miami Campus) and Eduardo Beyra ( Web Development Bootcamp , Ironhack Remote). Did your Ironhack bootcamp set you up for success on the job? Paulina : My bootcamp did set me up for success in my job. During my days at Ironhack I learned a lot of design skills, rules, and helpful tips and techniques that make designing easier. There’s still a lot to learn as I continue my career journey but I’d say Ironhack is a great starting point for the basics needed to begin a successful career. Eduardo : Yes. I walked away with knowledge on the basics of web development, and the understanding that a big component of future success is to be open to continuous learning along the way. This prepared me in more ways than one to meet challenges on the job which were outside the scope of the curriculum. Would you recommend Ironhack to anyone else trying to break into tech? Paulina : I would recommend Ironhack for anyone breaking into tech. Even now I encourage others and even some of my friends to pursue Ironhack for their tech interests. I think Ironhack opens up a lot of doors for opportunity as you gain the knowledge for your field as well as a community of friends and mentors who can meet with you and help set you on the right track towards growth. The community is so helpful, you can reach out to anyone with a question and they’re so eager to help you because they’ve been in your shoes before. Eduardo : Absolutely. As a career-changer from an industry outside of tech, Ironhack was a great way to hit the ground running. How have you enjoyed your time working with Mediaquery? Paulina : I’ve enjoyed every second I’ve worked at Mediaquery since the day I started six months ago. Everyone here is so kind and helpful and everyone in their own way has contributed to my growth and guided me to be a better designer each day. There’s still so much for me to learn but I know that at Mediaquery I have access to a community of people who not only appreciate the work I do but challenge me and push me as well. Because of that, I’m excited to continue my journey into the UX/UI field and I’m excited to see how much I’ll have changed throughout the years as I continue my journey here. Eduardo : Mediaquery is an incredible place to work. The only limit to what you can achieve is yourself. I've had the opportunity to work on amazing projects with real world impact, on a collaborative team that looks out for each other. I couldn't have hoped for better. Looking to Hire or Get Hired? This is an awesome win-win story. A company in need of tech talent that drives their mission forwards filled their team with passionate individuals. And a new generation of career changers found a tech company that trusts their ability to rock the job. Everybody is happy! But this doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a conscious effort on our part to design a curriculum and foster an environment that sets Ironhackers up for success. We focus on listening to the needs of the market and designing our curriculum around the skills that companies are looking for. We instill a sense of confidence in our students by showing them how much they already know, and by giving them the opportunity to meet companies that love hiring career changers. So, if you’re looking to hire tech talent , or you’re a career changer ready to break into tech , Ironhack has got your back!

The world wide web is more than just a world; it’s a vast universe that provides users with millions of websites and applications with limitless possibilities. To create all of this content and software, web developers need to collaborate efficiently and quickly to respond to any necessary modifications and continue building and maintaining their products. Web developers have many methodologies to create the best product possible and one of those methods guarantees efficiency throughout the process of not only building and designing sites, but also maintaining and updating them continuously. Once software has been developed, web development teams also have the responsibility to improve upon and update their work. But what does this have to do with DevOps? Let’s check it out. What is DevOps? The word DevOps is composed of two words: development and operations. They are both two parts of a complete set of practices that guide and assist software developers in their design and maintenance process. There are two teams that collaborate to carry these out: Development team: this group of programmers focuses on building, designing, and coding the software, testing and improving the code as needed. Operations team: unlike the development team, the operations team works on deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting the infrastructure of the product. Development and operations teams sometimes work separately on their respective duties, but DevOps practices entail consistent communication. Since they are not siloed, they are fully aware of what the other team is tasked with at all times. Along with the help of automation, the two teams are constantly investing their time in developing and improving their product in a continuous deployment and integration pipeline. The DevOps lifecycle is also an important aspect of their management style that shows how both teams are both collaborating and working independently. Representing its continuous nature, the DevOps lifecycle takes on the shape of an infinity loop. On one side of the loop, the development team plans, discovers, builds, and tests; on the other side, the operations team deploys, operates, observes, and provides continuous feedback. By leveraging the DevOps lifecycle, DevOps teams engage in a continuous deployment and continuous integration pipeline. What is Web Development? Every website or application with which you interact relies on web developers carrying out a lot of coding and designing. When designing web pages and applications, they use two types of web development: front end development and back end development; however a third type of development exists called full stack development. Front end development When users interact with a website or application, they are directly making contact with front end developed code. Front end developers write the code for all the visible and clickable aspects of pages and must use the following codes: HTML JavaScript CSS3 Back end development Where front end entails all the visible and clickable aspects, back end development is the opposite: everything with which the user can’t directly interact. The back end is the server side where data is stored and is just as important as the front end although users don’t see it. The following languages are necessary for back end developers: PHP Python .Net Ruby Other essential skills include expertise with one or several of the following database technologies: Oracle MySQL Microsoft SQL Server Although these two types of development are necessary to create a website, there are developers that work on a third type of development. Full stack development Why do just one or the other when you can do both? Full stack developers are trained to do both back and front end development; with a variety of skills, they are very versatile and adaptable. What Responsibilities do DevOps Engineers Have? When you’re a DevOps engineer, you have a lot to keep in mind in terms of your responsibilities since these duties will be all-encompassing. You must know how to take on both development and operations teams’ responsibilities; the development side consists of the following duties: Coding: developers have to know how to code to create and design their current product. Test: ensuring that the code is working as it should is crucial in the developer’s process; although they normally set up automated systems to carry them out, developers still need to check up on them. Plan: a great amount of planning is necessary to make the best product possible and developers need to create a plan for the product and the full process. Review: the code that developers are writing for their projects doesn’t just statically stay there; they need to build upon it and review it to keep improving their code throughout the process. The operations team has very different duties that they must carry out; said duties include: Deployment: when the product is released, the operations team ensures that the product is working as planned. Operation: the product has been deployed and as the product is live, the IT team focuses on providing the services promised to clients. Monitor: if there are any problems that arise post-deployment, the IT team must take note of them and attempt to resolve them, if possible. Feedback: anything that the operations team encounters or has been told by clients must be returned back to the development team so that they can improve the product. Although they normally operate as separate teams that collaborate, DevOps engineers bring the two worlds together as a nexus and their duties truly depend on where they are working and what the team needs from them. Nevertheless, engineering, infrastructure mapping, DevOps knowledge and advocacy and system maintenance are other skills that will likely be necessary for a DevOps engineer. How do DevOps and Web Development Differ? It is easy to contrast DevOps and web development, since DevOps is a set of practices that software development teams use to design the best product possible and keep improving it in continuous loops; web development is the process of creating web pages and applications. To put it simply, one is a methodology and the other is a field of study . A web development team may decide to adopt DevOps as their methodology for their product and that would be simply one of the strategies that they employ for their teams, along with agile, scrum, waterfall, or lean. It all depends on which one is the most appropriate for the team and even the individual project. How do Web Developers and DevOps Engineers Work Together? There are several ways for project managers to manage their teams and most use a mixture of methodologies to find the right balance for what will best fit. When DevOps engineers are working alongside web developers, they are not only taking on assisting in both developmental and operational tasks, but also they are advocating and leading teams in DevOps. DevOps for web development is the same as what other DevOps-led teams employ: the DevOps lifecycle and communication and collaboration between the two teams to create a continuous deployment and integration pipeline ; however, web development teams are usually more focused on the development part of the process. As a result, web developers will need to be put into teams that DevOps engineers help facilitate and organize. DevOps engineers usually head project management of teams of web developers, although this will always be dependent upon the project and what it requires. DevOps engineers would also develop automated processes that assist in testing and completing the project as web developers mostly focus on the creating, reviewing, and maintenance. DevOps for web developers is possible and all boils down to strong leadership. In the tech world, web development and DevOps are integral parts of project management : one is the methodology and the other the process of creating the product. Web development is a basic necessity nowadays, but DevOps is just one of many methodologies, although it is becoming more and more popular. If you would like to work as a web developer or even learn relevant skills to become a DevOps engineer, the best route would be an Ironhack bootcamp, like our Web Development Bootcamp. Check it out here!

We have all heard of artificial intelligence as a scary and powerful villain that wants to take over society and destroy all humanity, but what if artificial intelligence is something much less devious than that? What if it were actually helpful, especially when using it for creation like websites and applications? Web development is an essential part of the tech world and as time passes, artificial intelligence is making a bigger name for itself. But what are they and how do they interact? What is Artificial Intelligence? AI, or artificial intelligence, gets a bad rap, but it’s actually already set as a crucial part of the tech world. Britannica defines artificial intelligence as the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The definition contrasts greatly with how the media has depicted artificial intelligence in movies, TV shows, and books, because it’s not similar to a living thing. Nevertheless, it is capable of carrying out a variety of tasks that more simple machines cannot complete . Some of the most important parts of artificial intelligence include: Data: for artificial intelligence to make the right decisions, it needs to access a large amount of data. The more data available, the more informed the artificial intelligence will be when it comes time to take action. Machine learning: ML allows for artificial intelligence to make those inferences and learn based on the data that they have accumulated. Algorithms: when an algorithm is created, it provides the AI sets of rules or guidelines that allow them to perform different tasks depending on the rules they have set. Natural language processing: NLP is needed to read, understand, and create text. Computer vision: image recognition is also an essential part of artificial intelligence and thanks to computer vision, AI can interpret and recognize visual data from images and video. The components that make up artificial intelligence provide it with the ability to interact with the world and learn from everything it accesses, allowing for artificial intelligence to be leveraged in an infinite number of ways to enhance and automate companies and organizations throughout the world. Artificial Intelligence Examples The real world applications of artificial intelligence are limitless; you actually already interact with and use it, even though you may not be aware of it. Have you ever gone on a website and a chat box pops up with a message, offering you their direct assistance from a worker? That is an artificial intelligence chatbot that relies on different algorithms and natural language processing to provide any user with information they need. Some other real world applications include: Smartphone assistants ChatGPT Manufacturing robots Self-driving cars Healthcare tools Financial assistance Personalized marketing and social media These are just some of the diverse applications of artificial intelligence that can be found throughout our society and in the future, it will continue to expand as artificial intelligence engineers improve and innovate more creative and complex solutions to society’s difficulties and hardships. What is Web Development? The internet has existed for a few decades and since then, more new technologies and uses have come about. And now, there are more and more websites and applications to explore and use thanks to the ingenuity and effort of web developers. Innovating and building websites and applications, web developers focus on one of the following areas: Front end development When you are on a website or application, you are interacting with everything that front end web developers have created and written as code. The front end includes everything from the color palette and font to the images and buttons; if the user can interact with it, then its front end development. Back end development If front end makes up what the user can see, then back end is what the user cannot see or with which they can’t interact. The back end holds the server and is where data is stored. Although users cannot access the back end, it is a very important part of a website or application and it can be referred to as server-side. Full stack development Front and back end development combine to form full stack development, where developers have expertise in both front and back end development techniques and coding languages. Working as a full stack developer, you are capable of taking part in all parts of a project instead of being limited to just one. What Responsibilities do Artificial Intelligence Engineers have? As mentioned above, artificial intelligence engineers are innovating and creating new products that leverage artificial intelligence to solve society’s issues and improve our lives . To become an artificial intelligence engineer, there are many skills that need to be employed and mastered to develop new artificial intelligence-based tech and software. Some responsibilities include: Planning and designing the overall project Using data to make decisions Assisting other teams in infrastructure automation and development Developing AI models that runs data analytics predictions Remodeling machine learning models into APIs (application programming interface) Advocating for the benefits of AI Artificial intelligence engineer may be a position that is fairly new, but it’s becoming increasingly common. As artificial intelligence grows more as an indispensable tool, the position will find its feet and become a more established role in companies. How do Artificial Intelligence and Web Development Differ? Although artificial intelligence and web development are both important aspects of the tech world, they are quite different: one is more of a tool, while the other is a profession and career that people pursue; however, this is changing. Web development services require a lot of effort on the part of web developers that write out all of the code and design the projects. Artificial intelligence is becoming an essential tool for many industries and companies and because of that, it’s becoming more of its own field as well. How do Web Developers and Artificial Intelligence Engineers Work Together? These two types of professionals don’t normally work together on projects since they are different positions that don’t share common goals: web developers are focused on building and designing the website or application, whereas AI engineers are developing AI tools for the company, dealing with data, or automating processes. However, one time that they may cross paths is when dealing with APIs and how applications may interact as artificial intelligence engineers are tasked with converting machine learning models into APIs and web developers create said applications. Although web developers and artificial intelligence engineers may not collaborate much, that doesn’t mean that the two fields don’t interact. Oftentimes applications and webpages do incorporate AI as tools to assist the client, create more personalized and engaging experiences, or provide other support in completing tasks. As previously mentioned, artificial intelligence is just taking its first steps in what it can truly achieve and still has a large amount of space to expand and grow as a tool. Web development is also growing alongside artificial intelligence; both are growing fields with lots of potential. Are you going to take it on?

Making the decision to attend a coding bootcamp is quite the commitment. And while that first big choice is out of the way, you’re not done yet: completing the bootcamp is not for the faint of heart but as you know, anything worth doing requires some effort. At Ironhack, we’ve designed our bootcamps with the specific goal of teaching you everything you need to know to land a job in tech after your bootcamp and enjoy yourself along the way. However, there are still a few things to keep in mind during your bootcamp to ensure it goes smoothly. What kind of preparation should you do? How do you start preparing yourself for the job search? We’ll cover the answers to these questions and much more in this article but before we dive right in, let’s go over the basics of bootcamps and why they’ve become such a popular choice for those looking to get into tech. What is a Bootcamp? No, it’s not military training where you’ll be expected to run miles and miles–tech bootcamps are intensive, short-term programs that have one goal in mind: teaching you a very specific skill so that you’re prepared to enter the workforce as soon as you graduate . You’ve probably seen quite a few ads for them over the years and they’ve definitely grown in popularity; these days, bootcamps cover a wide range of subjects. The need for tech professionals is growing rapidly and universities simply can’t keep with the speed of tech. Here’s what sets bootcamps apart from other kinds of courses: As we mentioned, bootcamps are quite short, held over a few weeks or months, allowing students to transform their careers in a very short period of time. Bootcamps usually champion flexibility and offer in-person or remote options, in addition to full and part time selections. Instead of providing students with tons of background information like long university courses do, bootcamps focus on the marketable skills that employers are currently looking for. They constantly update their curriculum, looking to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies to make their graduates attractive candidates for tech jobs. Is a bootcamp right for me? Deciding to study at a bootcamp is an incredibly personal decision. You need to evaluate not only what you want to achieve from your studies, but also what it will mean for your future and present while you’re studying. If you’re not sure, try to answer these questions: Why are you interested in taking a bootcamp? This one seems quite straightforward, but bootcamps are an investment of both your time and money and you should have a clear answer to this question in your head. Do you want to switch careers? Do you need to have a more lucrative role? Or maybe you already work in tech and want to reskill, jumping into a new field? Having a clear answer to this question can help inspire you when you’re in a tough moment. Are you prepared for a full career change? This question is especially pertinent for those making a complete career change. Bootcamps prepare you to enter the job market, but typically at an entry-level or junior role, meaning you could be giving up the years of seniority you’ve earned in your current role. Make sure you research the tech sector thoroughly, ensuring it will be a good fit. Are you ready to work hard? As we mentioned, bootcamps are incredibly intensive and fast-moving, meaning you’ll need to dedicate lots of time (even outside of class) to your studies. Due to their fast pace and complicated content, bootcamps demand your full attention and effort–is this something to which you can commit? With these questions answered, you’ll be able to decide if a bootcamp is the right fit for you. And if it is, you’re ready to move on to our next section: coding bootcamp dos and don’ts. Coding Bootcamps Dos and Don’ts What should you do on day one of your bootcamp? How about before? And during? Oh no, and after?! Don’t worry; here’s your guide: DO complete any assigned prework We get it--no one wants to do work before their course even starts! But many bootcamps assign prework for an important reason: ensuring that all students enter the course on the same foot. What does this mean? Well, bootcamp students come from a wide range of backgrounds and experience level and since the bootcamp moves at such a fast pace, guaranteeing that students have the foundational knowledge needed for success helps everyone start off on the same page and leave the good stuff for the actual course. Ironhack’s tip: take the prework seriously. Not all bootcamps offer prework so if you’re not ready to commit to extra work before the course starts, don’t choose a bootcamp that has it. And if you’re unsure of the value, trust us: it’s worth it. DON’T overextend yourself during the bootcamp Even if you’re the world’s best multitasker, try to take the bootcamp during a time when you have fewer personal or professional responsibilities. As we mentioned above, bootcamps are quite intensive and require work both inside and outside of class, even when you’re spending 8+ hours a day in class. Before the course even begins, take a good look at your schedule and responsibilities, understanding that your social life might need to take a bit of a break during the course. Ironhack’s tip: create a schedule of your weekends/nights during the bootcamp and make sure you have enough time to dedicate to the course. Knowing when you might have less time to study can help you get ahead in the weeks prior. DO start your job search early on We’ve said it so many times: bootcamps are short! And lots of tech companies have rather lengthy interview processes, wanting you to speak to various team members, complete tests, and review other candidates before making an offer. If you wait until the end of your course, you may end up being without work for a bit after graduation; it may seem premature to start looking for jobs before you’ve completed the bootcamp, but preparing your portfolio and CV and brushing up on your interview skills as you take the course can help you get one step ahead. Ironhack’s tip: take advantage of your bootcamp’s career services, working with career coaches to improve your CV or pitch. There’s no such thing as too much practice when it comes to interviewing–take advantage of every opportunity! DON’T underestimate your other responsibilities For both those who can focus solely on the bootcamp and take a full-time course and those that need to take it part-time to continue studying or working, review your other responsibilities, such as child care or familial duties, and see if they fit in your schedule. It’s easy to underestimate non-work or school responsibilities, but they do add up and can complicate your study schedule if you don’t properly plan. Ironhack’s tip: just like we mentioned above! Writing down your responsibilities and finding time to fit them into your schedule can help you visualize your life during the bootcamp and plan for everything you’ll have to do. DO plan financially ahead of time Does taking a full-time bootcamp mean you’re quitting your current job? Or need to find childcare during the day? It may not seem like a major concern at first, but financial stress can add lots of pressure to an already intense situation; seriously consider your finances and make sure you’re in a place where paying for a bootcamp and not working for a bit is financially feasible. And when you’re choosing which bootcamp you want to take, make sure you consider financing options, such as scholarships, government grants, income share agreements, and payment plans. Ironhack’s tip: just like you write out your responsibilities during the bootcamp, try to create a mock budget and see if a bootcamp is financially viable. If it isn't, see if you can make any adjustments to help get you there and consider third party scholarship options. DON’T pick an area that you’re not interested in Tech bootcamps cover practically every field, from UX/UI design to coding and everything in between. Taking a bootcamp is your attempt to enter that field professionally, so make sure it’s something in which you’re truly interested! Almost all tech fields are in desperate need of skilled employees, so don’t let other people tell you the best field; the best field is the one that truly interests you and about which you’re passionate. Remember, you’ll be working in this field for years to come and your passion will fuel your success. Ironhack’s tip: check out free online videos or courses about the topics you’re considering, seeing which one sparks an interest in your mind. When you’ve narrowed it down to a few, take a look at job opportunities in that specific field and make sure you find options that align with your goals. DO connect with others in class Your classmates and instructors are probably some of the first contacts you’ll make in the tech industry–use them! The vast majority of bootcamps boast skilled professionals as instructors and these individuals can help you make connections with potential jobs and can serve as great mentors during your bootcamp. And years later, if you’ve remained in contact on LinkedIn, they could even help you land a new job. When it comes to your classmates, they will also be invaluable resources to help you solve a tough problem, practice your interviewing skills, and keep up with the tech industry. Ironhack’s tip: connect with your classmates and instructor(s) from day one and become a point of reference for them as well, offering help when you can and being a good classmate. Attend any sort of networking or social events that your bootcamp offers, even virtual ones, and work to create solid connections. Whew! That’s a lot to keep in mind. Bootcamps are a big undertaking, but at the end of the day, your success will depend on your efforts and what you put into it. So if you’re feeling inspired and are ready to take that next leap, what are you waiting for?! Ironhack’s bootcamps offer everything you need to reach success–we can’t wait to see you in class.

Have you ever thought how practically magical it is that your phone can anticipate what you’re going to say next? Or that you can ask ChatGPT to complete a wide range of prompts and it’s ready for the challenge? While it does seem like magic every once in a while, the truth is a bit different: it’s natural language processing , or NLP, that is making that happen behind the scenes. If you’re not an NLP expert yet, don’t worry: it’s a relatively new branch of computer science that has developed rapidly over recent years. And this article is the perfect place for you to be. We’ll cover the basics of NLP, sharing everything you need to become an expert–including some of our tips and tracks to mastering NLP tools on your own. What is Natural Language Processing? As we mentioned above, natural language processing is a branch of computer science and artificial intelligence that has one main goal: reaching a point where computers can understand the spoken and written word in a human-like fashion . While this might sound easy enough on paper, consider some of the intricacies of human speech, such as slang, metaphors, irony, sarcasm, and tone of voice, not to mention dialects or accents. Natural language processing and natural language generation (NLG) are frequently used together, in addition to natural language understanding (NLU). The difference is key: NLP understands the input, NLU processes the information and decides how to respond, NLG responds. As you can imagine, this is quite the challenge. NLP brings together computational linguistics (the rule-based modeling of human language), statistics, machine learning, and deep learning models. And while we can teach computers to understand the conventional dictionary definitions of human language, the following are quite the challenge: Words that change meaning depending on context : in all languages, not just English, there are words that change meaning depending on their context. Teaching a computer to understand what can be more than twenty different meanings and tones from just one word is difficult. Errors: very few people (if any!) can speak perfectly, with no grammatical or pronunciation errors. Understanding slight variations is quite the ask. Ambiguity : depending on tone of voice, body language, or word choice, a sentence could meet totally different things; humans would use these indicators to understand the true meaning, computers cannot. Colloquialisms and slang : different regions and even people use the same word to mean different things and if you cross the globe, the language might technically be the same, but use similar words with opposite meanings. Less spoken languages : computers learn by being fed and processing large quantities of data and even with languages such as English or Spanish that are widely spoken across the world, by both native and non-native speakers, there is still a need for more and more data to become more accurate. For languages with very few speakers, reaching NLP levels is almost impossible. There are tons of examples of the challenges NLP faces, but we want to head into the good stuff. Let’s dive right into how scientists teach NLP to begin to understand human language. How does natural language processing work? You understand the challenges above and are probably thinking well, that’s it, then! There’s no way to teach a computer to truly understand human language. And for a while, that was the accepted thought. But just as translation and automated translations have drastically improved over recent years, scientists have found ways to teach computers to better understand human language : Speech recognition : this converts voice data into text data and is needed for any tool that will receive spoken words as its commands or data, such as Google Home or Alexa. Computers undergoing speech recognition training will train on lots of different kinds of people: speakers who slur, others who mumble, others who use incorrect grammar. Part of speech tagging : as we mentioned above, lots of words can have multiple meanings and even multiple parts of speech. Working with a computer to identify the part of speech of a word in a specific sentence helps differentiate between different uses. Word sense disambiguation : feeding a computer lots of data with words in different settings with different contexts can help it differentiate between different meanings. Named entity recognition: this helps computers understand when the name of a person or country is mentioned; of course, as new names become popular, this becomes increasingly challenging. Sentiment analysis : possibly the most challenging for a computer, sentiment analysis tries to understand elements like attitudes, emotions, sarcasm, confusion, and anger from the text. The five phases of natural language processing To ensure that computers are learning the aforementioned manners of better understanding human language, these five kinds of analysis are the most commonly used in NLP innovation: Lexical analysis : text or audio are separated into words and are analyzed, taking into account all of the complications we mentioned earlier. Syntactic analysis : grammar rules are used to analyze the content as a whole and not individual words. Semantic analysis : taking into consideration context, logical sentence structure, and grammar, semantic analysis defines the meaning of the sentence. Discourse analysis : separate from semantic analysis, discourse analysis centers on the motivation behind a text, which demands a further and complex understanding of the text. Pragmatic analysis : lastly, outside factors such as the time of the text or surrounding factors such as history and surroundings are used to provide an even deeper understanding of the text. Applications of Natural Language Processing We know that the idea of a computer that can understand the full range of human emotions seems a bit far-fetched–and as of right now, it is. But NLP is growing in popularity and many companies are investing a lot of time and resources into being the first to develop a truly revolutionary tool. And on the way to success, they’ve launched lots of cool things that surround us in our daily lives: Spam detection : you’re thankful for your computer’s spam detection–it helps you keep that inbox clutter-free. But how does it work? Well, through NLP: it scans incoming emails for clues that it could be spam or a phishing attempt, using data from the past emails it was fed to determine what’s spam and what’s not. Common indicators of spam are misspellings, intense language, or grammatical errors: NLP is typically able to pick up on these. Machine translation : you probably used Google Translate to get through your middle school Spanish classes and while it’s good for translating simple words, translation goes much farther than simply swapping out words with their counterpart in another language. For machines to be truly capable of quality translation, they’ll need to learn to understand the entire context to match the emotion, meaning, and outcome. Scientists and NLP are working to improve machine translation, but there’s still a long way to go. Chatbots : when you head to a website and a chat pops up, or you want to reach a company’s customer service, chatbots are at work. These tools have been programmed with information about what clients are looking for, how to respond, and how to adapt their answers based on the client input. This technology has become commonplace over recent years and will continue to be so; the future of chatbots will involve them being able to answer questions outside of what they’ve been fed and respond even more accurately to human emotions. Learning Natural Language Processing You’ve seen the light–natural language processing is the future and it’s time for you to prioritize learning about NLP so that you’re ready to take on the future of tech. But how can you do this? Is it even possible? Of course it is! Just like with anything, there are loads of ways to learn it. But when it comes to NLP, there’s one important thing to keep in mind: it’s a relatively new subject, meaning there aren’t a ton of quality resources out there. If you’re serious about it, we recommend: Familiarizing yourself with NLP online : the challenges we mentioned above are just some of the ones that scientists working with NLP face and you must be up for the challenge. Before you dive right in and buy a course to become the next NLP expert, explore job opportunities, career paths, and possible outcomes of becoming an NLP professional to ensure it’s the right choice for you. Check out research papers or publications from tech companies to make sure you’re reading quality information. Take a course : from short YouTube courses to two month bootcamps, there are lots of ways to learn about NLPs. But before you make a decision, consider how you learn best: do you need structure? Do you benefit from lots of independence? If you want a structured course with a syllabus, a bootcamp may be the right choice for you; if you’re looking to have fun and just learn a little, online videos may be just what you need. Check out some books : there’s truly no better way to learn a complicated subject like NLP than from reading theory. Because so much more goes into NLPs than other areas in tech, like a full understanding of the English language, starting your NLP journey with some expert theory can help you build a strong foundation. Deciding to venture into a new area of tech and meet new needs head on is a brave choice and one that will definitely pay off in the future. But every new techie needs a solid education under their belt and Ironhack’s bootcamps are designed to provide just that: exactly what you need to land that first job in tech. Interested? We can’t wait to see you in class.

There’s no denying that JavaScript is everywhere and the vast majority of companies are using it on a daily basis. After all, this scripting language is widely used; are you interested in understanding how it’s used by some large businesses? Well for these 10 companies, JavaScript is immensely important and that isn’t going to change any time soon. Microsoft Okay, we’ll admit it: you’re probably not going to find JavaScript powering Windows anytime soon, but Microsoft relies on JavaScript for a whole lot else: Microsoft works closely with JavaScript to build its Edge web browser. All browsers need to process and execute JavaScript efficiently, so Microsoft has developed and maintains its own JavaScript engine for Edge. Recently, Microsoft has really embraced NodeJS, thoroughly supporting Node on the Azure cloud platform. It's one of Azure’s major features and they’ve integrated Visual Studio support for Node. Microsoft has also developed a version of Node for Internet Of Things (IoT) applications, which is great because it’s lightweight and efficient. PayPal PayPal has been using JavaScript on the front end of their website for a long time , but that’s only the beginning: The online payment giant was one of the earliest adopters of NodeJS and during an overhaul of their account overview page, they decided to try building the page in Node at the same time as their usual JavaScript development. The NodeJS version worked out so well that they chose to use it in production and build all client-facing applications in Node going forward. That means that most of what you see in your account is running on Node. PayPal even went as far as to create and maintain their own version of Express, called KrakenJS ! Netflix Like PayPal, Netflix started out using JavaScript for just about everything. They too ran into problems with JavaScript’s size and the time it required to develop: Over time, Netflix moved away from its more traditional structure into the cloud and started to introduce NodeJS. With NodeJS, Netflix was able to break down pieces of their user interface into individual services. This more distributed approach was able to speed things up and alleviate stress on their servers and today, a large portion of Netflix’s interface is running on Node. Groupon Groupon used to be infamously slow. Why? They were powered by Ruby on Rails. That’s the same framework that brought you the Twitter fail whale: Groupon was all one gigantic Ruby on Rails application: Thanks to difficulties in speed and maintainability, they decided to change over to NodeJS. Node allowed Groupon to rebuild their entire US website by breaking down everything into individual NodeJS web applications. Groupon is now made up of over 20 Node applications and it moves much faster as a whole. Groupon is currently moving all of their international sites to NodeJS and has joined the NodeJS Foundation. Uber Uber needs to handle loads of data in real time; they receive millions of simultaneous requests, and that’s not just hits on a page. Uber needs to track driver locations, rider locations, and incoming ride requests. It has to seamlessly sort that data and match riders as fast as possible: All of that plays to NodeJS and JavaScript’s strengths. Node is designed to handle requests and hand off data quickly; its asynchronous capabilities are a huge part of that. Node is central to Uber’s user-facing stack for just that reason. Facebook You’re probably aware that Facebook uses JavaScript, but what’s probably not as obvious is exactly how much JavaScript goes into making Facebook and how much Facebook is involved in JavaScript development. Try disabling JavaScript in your web browser and going to Facebook. The website will actually stop you from logging in because it won’t work without JavaScript: You may have noticed the way that Facebook loads: each piece of the page is separate. Facebook has invented its own way of breaking down and delivering sections of JavaScript separately. Each section of your Facebook page is a collection of independent JavaScript applications. It doesn’t stop there. Facebook created React , one of the most popular front end frameworks. Facebook uses React on Facebook.com, as well as Instagram and WhatsApp. Google How doesn’t Google use JavaScript?! Seriously, it’s everywhere: Google’s search results use JavaScript. The Gmail web client is powered by JavaScript. Google Docs? Yeah, that’s JavaScript too, compiling JavaScript into a lower-level faster form more suited for rich and highly responsive web applications. Chrome, as a web browser, needed a JavaScript engine, so Google also made V8. V8 not only powers Chrome, it’s also at the heart of NodeJS. Without Google, there would be no Node. Google develops and usually open-sources its own JavaScript tools, such as AngularJS, which is used most prominently in Google’s DoubleClick advertising platform, but it’s also one of the most popular front end frameworks available. It’s even part of the MEAN stack. eBay eBay’s story is a lot like Netflix’s. For a long time, just about everything in eBay’s tech stack was based on JavaScript. A few years ago, eBay encountered a problem for which JavaScript wasn’t the right solution. They decided to give NodeJS a shot instead: Node worked so well that eBay not only kept using it for that particular service, but also began migrating their entire user-facing stack to NodeJS. Just about everything that you interact with on eBay is powered by Node. Beneath Node, JavaScript is still dealing with their databases, but eBay places a lot of trust in NodeJS. Walmart Most people probably don’t think of Walmart as a tech company, but because they’re one of the largest retailers in the world, their online retail business is gigantic. It’s not much of a stretch to understand how they need to build a technologically advanced web application to drive their online business: Walmart started out with JavaScript, a solid, enterprise-grade platform that has been the de facto choice for years. However, Walmart needed something faster and lighter weight for their mobile site. So, they turned to NodeJS. Walmart began to see Node as a valid JavaScript replacement in loads of other places and today, the Walmart.com that you see is powered by Node. NodeJS was also the ideal choice for other web applications within their marketplace that require multiple users to be able to access management interfaces simultaneously. LinkedIn LinkedIn relies on NodeJS for its mobile site and a few years back, LinkedIn used Rails for its mobile site. As with other large Rails applications, it was slow, monolithic, and it scaled poorly: LinkedIn switched over to NodeJS to solve its scaling problems. Node’s asynchronous capabilities allowed the LinkedIn mobile site to perform more quickly than before while using fewer resources. Node also made data sharing and building APIs easier for the LinkedIn developers. JavaScript Is Everywhere! These are only 10 examples, but you can certainly find more. So much of the web runs on JavaScript, it’d be much harder to find a company that doesn’t use JavaScript in some way. These companies are among the largest tech companies in the world and many are also running the largest production deployments of NodeJS; the others are responsible for important parts of the JavaScript ecosystem as a whole. If you want to jump aboard the JavaScript train and use your knowledge to transform your career, there’s no better place to start than Ironhack. Our Web Development Bootcamp will prepare you with everything you need to start working in web development, taking advantage of all that JavaScript has to offer.

If you work in software development, then you have most certainly worked with a project management style that keeps your team organized, on task, and efficient . Some prefer the waterfall method, but most rely on agile or DevOps. Both are common strategies when working on software development and although they are similar, they are not the same. Nevertheless, they both depend on cloud services to design and manage software . Let’s take a look at these software development strategies and see how the cloud maximizes their use. What is DevOps? DevOps is a portmanteau of two words development and operation. In this context, development refers to the software developers that create and design software and operations is the IT operations team that handles any software issues and maintains its health. These two teams collaborate seamlessly to maximize output in terms of development and deployment and in doing so, they are working on the software development cycle at the same time. Prior to project managers using DevOps as a reliable and efficient set of practices, software development and IT operation teams worked separately, which stunted the continuous forward movement that DevOps employs. So to continuously improve their products, they communicate and collaborate, allowing one to code and develop while the other manages and troubleshoots . Responsibilities of the software development team Software developers are at the wheel in designing the product and are focused on the continuous integration (CI) of the code that they are developing. When they are updating the present code of the product, they are also running automated tests to ensure that the new code is integrating smoothly into the software and collaborating with their coworkers to review and confirm that the code is correct in continuous delivery (CD). Responsibilities of the IT operations team As the software developers are hard at work on the physical code, IT operators are managing the infrastructure on which the software is running and monitor it to ensure reliability and consistency . While monitoring, if any problems arise, the IT operations team is up to bat and resolves the problem in the most efficient and quick way to minimize the impact that it will have on the users’ experience. They also are focused on continuous deployment (CD) of the product when handling Both teams work fervently to maintain a CI/CD pipeline where they, along with some automated processes, are consistently coding, correcting, merging the code, delivering it to the infrastructure, and maintaining it. This process is the backbone of DevOps and what makes it one of the most efficient methodologies. Thanks to the IaaS services on the cloud, DevOps teams can manage, provision, and scale resources using code, since IaC converts all of those resources from code into text files. Now in the form of text files, the infrastructure is put into the version control system; thus, version control system repository features allow the use of branch and pull request workflows as a function. The CI/CD pipeline makes it possible for DevOps teams to carry out coding. What is Agile Methodology? Agile methodology is just like it sounds: fast and adaptive. This form of software project management focuses on constant iterations that build upon and improve previous versions of the software. Incremental iterations of the software are usually broken down into monthly or weekly sprints that focus on specific goals to complete. In addition to incremental improvements, agile methodology depends on feedback from customers to direct them in modifying the current iteration as well as encouraging adaptability to whatever obstacles or feedback they receive . Projects are not static and the software developers constantly have their ears to the ground, ensuring that they are putting the customers first. DevOps vs Agile It’s time for the big question: is devops agile? The answer is that they share some similarities, and yet they are not the same. Some of the shared principles include the following: Adaptability and feedback: knowing that their product is by no means perfect and that there is room to grow and change, DevOps and agile run teams constantly make adjustments and changes based on external and internal feedback. Customers and peers assist the product team in perfecting the product when they provide feedback. Speed: releasing the next iteration or patch in the shortest amount of time possible is key for both methodologies and as a result, both DevOps and agile run teams are constantly developing and revising code while managing the infrastructure of the product. Communication and teamwork: collaboration and teamwork are big components of both of these methodologies although they look different. In DevOps, they stress communication between the two teams; however, agile doesn’t focus on this breakdown. Instead, they focus on the team as a whole and sharing feedback amongst all team members. Continuous integration: instead of working separately, both DevOps and agile run teams are focused on continuous integration of code that goes into a shared repository and as several developers are working on the current product, they don’t have to shut down the software. Despite these similarities, the biggest difference between agile and DevOps is that agile is a development methodology that emphasizes the importance of incremental changes and customer satisfaction while DevOps is a set of practices that encourages teamwork and automation . In fact, these two are complimentary, which begs the question: how does DevOps work with agile ? Agile DevOps Since they share principles and concepts, combining the two is not only possible, but very effective; however, it does mean making some adjustments to make them compatible. Some aspects to keep in mind when bringing them together are the following: Schedule alignments Software cycle definition Backlogs Communication Automation and the cloud One of the most important aspects of DevOps is the use of automation and the cloud and because of it, agile DevOps teams can accomplish swifter development and deployment. Leveraging the Cloud As mentioned above, DevOps uses the cloud to optimize infrastructure as code and as a result,  they receive the following benefits: Enhanced infrastructure provision: the cloud provides an infrastructure that teams can provision and scale servers and storage, depending on their needs. Collaboration over how it is provisioned is necessary and enables them to be immediate and efficient . More efficient communication: coordinating as a team can be bothersome when you’re using a variety of platforms and programs to complete your work but with the help of the cloud services, this is nipped in the bud. Cloud services oftentimes include communication applications that offer users the chance to stay on the cloud service without using other applications and facilitates communication. Faster CI/CD pipeline: automating a CI/CD pipeline is one of the most essential components of having a successful DevOps set of practices. The cloud creates the infrastructure on which the CI/CD pipeline is set up and enables the continuous deployment, development, and corrections of code ; this way, the team can both swiftly and reliably work on the product. Wider range of tools: depending on the cloud service, users will have access to different tools and extra perks. In addition to storage, cloud services offer a wide range of tools that DevOps teams can leverage for their projects such as monitoring and analytics tools. Less work: it’s time to be honest: we all like less work on our plate and when using the cloud with DevOps, a full team can automate many of their processes. Some processes that they can automate are infrastructure provisioning, testing, scaling, continuous integration, continuous deployment, monitoring, alerting, security, configuration management, and many more. It depends on how they use API and other tools. The cloud immensely benefits software development teams, whether they’re using just DevOps, agile or a combination of the two since it offers a great deal of automation, tools, and flexibility to their process. Software development is a painstaking process that can take many iterations to finally get to your final goal; however, through working more intelligently and efficiently with more tools and more appropriate methodologies, the process can be more streamlined . If software development intrigues you and you want to work on exciting projects, check out Ironhack’s Web Development course! What are you waiting for?

The decision to make a career change (or even choose a career in the first place!) is a big one--how can you be sure you’re making the right decision? One of the most popular topics in tech right now is data and we know why: data drives practically every choice that we make . No matter the industry, data is necessary and to properly use data, companies need skilled data professionals and even within the field of data, there are tons of different roles. Data analysts differ from data scientists and data engineers have diverse responsibilities.   Data scientists are one of the most common roles in tech, but it isn’t for everyone. In this article, we’ll explain what data science is, what your role as a data scientist would be like, and how to decide if it’s the right choice for you. What is Data Science? This branch of tech combines math, statistics, specialized programming, analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning . Whew! That’s a lot–and that’s because data is becoming increasingly important and we’re relying more and more on data every day. Data scientists take on a more research-focused role when it comes to data, looking at large amounts of data and raising questions to improve business growth. There are five main stages of data science: Capturing : the first step is clear: you need data to work with! Collecting your data should be your first priority and once you’ve figured out what you want to achieve with your data analysis, you can start obtaining your data–both raw and unstructured. Maintaining : now that you have your data, it’s time to make sure that it’s actually useful, which you can do through data cleansing, staging, and organizing. Processing : your data is well-organized and sorted; so you must figure out exactly how you want to analyze it so that you can prepare it for the next stage. Analyzing : here’s the big part! It’s time to analyze the data, using predictive or exploratory methods to get the answers you’re looking for. Communicating : while analyzing your data might seem like the most important part, your findings are useless if you can’t properly communicate them to your team. Prioritizing data visualization can help the rest of your team understand the results. Okay, sounds clear, right? Let’s dive right into why data science is a great career choice for many and the benefits of the field. Benefits of using data science We hope that you’re already clear on why data science is so crucial, but just in case you’ve stumbled onto this article by chance, let’s recap: especially with large amounts of data, it’s easy to miss certain patterns or trends that could be key to the decision-making process. Data science can help you see and evaluate these patterns in your analysis , ensuring you’re making the most of your data. In addition, lots of industries are using data science to better the client experience: Healthcare : imagine if doctors could compare your symptoms and information to other patients, using past data from a wide range of worldwide records to better diagnose and treat you. Well, data science in healthcare is allowing doctors to do just that, improving overall healthcare. Streaming sites : Netflix does know what you’re looking for next and no, it’s not because they’re listening to you! Streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu use the massive amounts of customer data to suggest new content to you once you finish a show; without data science tools, the sheer amount of data would be impossible to organize. Speech and image recognition : these two technologies use different techniques but process immense amounts of past data to recognize either speech patterns and words or images to properly identify them for the user. It’s clear that properly processing and analyzing data can have incredible effects on your company’s overall success, using your data to make better business decisions. And using data may even open up doors you thought were previously nailed shut: Reopening schools after the COVID-19 pandemic seemed like an impossible challenge. How could schools, especially those with lots of students, keep track of the sheer number of students, their contacts, and any possible symptoms? Or who had already contracted the virus? Through collecting data about symptoms and contact tracing, many towns were able to streamline the process of both reporting cases and informing students about possible contact with the virus, allowing schools to open up faster and safely. Autonomous vehicles seem like a thing of the future, right? After all, how could we reach a point where cars can anticipate human actions or even react properly in a split second? Well, data science is helping cars learn what happens on the roads around it, using data from surrounding cars to keep passengers safe. Now that we’ve convinced you of the importance of data scientists, let’s head a bit deeper into data scientists’ responsibilities and what you can anticipate as a future data scientist. Responsibilities of Data Scientists As a data scientist, you’ll be tasked with both collecting and analyzing large amounts of data to help your company make better decisions. Sounds a bit broad, right? Here’s an example situation to help you picture being a data scientist yourself: Your business is doing well, but you’ve realized that the majority of male-identifying visitors make one purchase and never return to your site. You’re happy that they’re encouraged to buy once, but want to understand why they’re not returning and how you can improve that in the future. First things first: you’ll work with colleagues to highlight problem areas. From these selected areas, you’ll create a series of questions to which you want answers; in this case: why men aren’t returning customers. With your goal in mind, you’ll focus on creating the proper data sets and variables so that you’re able to answer your questions. For example, if you’re worried about men not returning to make a second purchase, you’ll decide to collect data about your male customer base, the pages they’re looking at, their searches, and the products they’re buying. After you have this data, you’ll pick the right format for analysis, looking at the data to best determine the setup. You’ll also ensure the data is clean and complete, avoiding any mistakes that could compromise the integrity of your data. You’ll probably have lots of data, so you’ll use machine learning and big data tools such as analytic systems to run the analysis for you. Once you have your analysis, you’ll take a look and draw conclusions. You can see that many men have returned their product, citing sizing problems. Now that you have your answer, you can properly visualize the results for the rest of your team and communicate your concerns to the sizing department, helping ensure that the sizing becomes accurate and hopefully ensuring men will soon become return customers. Seems straightforward, right? Data science is incredibly valuable and more and more companies are prioritizing it, meaning there are lots of job opportunities out there for you. But before you head to a data analytics course, let’s clarify the main differences between the two. Data science v. data analytics The two are frequently conflated–and listen, we get it. They’re quite similar and do overlap; here’s a quick and simple guide of the areas in which they differ: Job description : data scientists typically need to have neural learning and machine learning experience and are responsible for the entire timeline when it comes to data analytics, from defining the problem to presenting the solution to stakeholders. Data analysts focus primarily on the actual analysis, although they might be tasked with more responsibilities in smaller companies. Required skills : both roles need to have some coding experience, but data scientists should also be familiar with big data frameworks while data analysts are typically fine with data analytic tool knowledge and a few programming languages. Career opportunities: both fields are growing at incredible rates and are predicted to reach new heights by 2030; no matter which you choose, you’ll be able to check out various job postings. How to Become a Data Scientist If you’ve made it this far it’s definitely because you’re totally set on becoming a data scientist–we’re so happy you’ve decided to make the jump into both tech and such a crucial sector. There are lots of ways to become a data scientist, of course, but here are some of our top recommendations: Brush up on your math and stats skills: data scientists need to be quite comfortable with data and mathematical functions; preparing yourself with some math review can help you land your dream job. Take a bootcamp : as we mentioned, there are lots of available jobs in data science and employers are looking for specific skill sets; check out what job postings are looking for and choose a bootcamp or online course that focuses exactly on that, preparing you to enter the job market immediately after graduation. Build up your secondary skills : data science encompasses lots of different areas, meaning a degree in just one area won’t prepare you for the workforce. Taking online courses or bootcamps to learn supporting skills, such as additional programming languages or to become familiar with machine learning or data visualization, can help set your candidacy apart from others. At Ironhack, we’re committed to providing you with exactly what you need to land a dream job after graduation with courses in web development, UX/UI design, data analytics, and cybersecurity, so no matter if you’re beginning your tech career or looking to add a new skill to your resume, our bootcamps are a perfect fit. We can’t wait to see you in class!

Today, DevOps has been widely embraced as a way to optimize software development. The DevOps commitment to promoting collaboration, optimizing workflow, enhancing product quality , and improving services or user experiences is what’s led it to transform the culture surrounding software development. But integrating a DevOps culture into your workplace is no simple task; it requires a high level of trust among employees, encourages experimentation, and is reliant upon constant improvement. Globally, businesses are investing in their DevOps capacity in order to secure a competitive edge in their respective fields, but successfully implementing a DevOps culture in your organization may cause a significant shift in relation to current workplace dynamics . Understanding the various DevOps cultures will help your business train those skills in order to successfully transform your workplace and reap the benefits of an organizational model that’s proving to revolutionize the tech industry. What is DevOps? DevOps is an approach to software development reliant upon collaboration between developers (Dev) and operations teams (Ops) . The goal is to increase efficiency in the software delivery process through effective communication, integration of processes, and the use of automation. Patrick Debois first coined the term in 2009 and the method has since been widely embraced and developed by tech professionals. In order to successfully integrate DevOps into a workplace, a cultural shift is often necessary, given how it differs from many other approaches to software development . Instead of isolating the work of developers, operations personnel, and other stakeholders, those parties must be in regular collaboration and communication in order to streamline and improve the software development process. What is DevOps Culture? DevOps culture requires close collaboration and shared responsibility among developers, operations personnel, and others involved in the software development process. Key aspects of DevOps culture include: Collaboration: this is the key characteristic of a DevOps culture. The goal of DevOps is to break down any barriers between teams and encourage cross-functional collaboration. Participants include developers and operations personnel, but also quality assurance teams, cybersecurity professionals, and additional stakeholders. Communication : the DevOps method promotes and requires effective communication. Participants work together as a unified team, share information, ideas, and offer feedback in non-punitive ways. The goal is to align organizational operations, effectively navigate conflict, and make informed decisions. Trust and growth: DevOps requires trust and a commitment to growth from participants in order to be effective. It values individual experience, encourages experimentation and risk taking, promotes open dialogue, and requires a culture of accountability where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for collective growth. Ongoing improvement : DevOps fosters a culture of continuous learning and advancement in which employees are encouraged to seek feedback, review their performance metrics, and identify areas for improvement. This method promotes the development of a culture where individuals play an active role in advancing their own skill sets and where teams work together, make each other stronger, and pursue excellence collectively. Utilizing tools and automation : the method does not shy away from automation and other tools and techniques that make processes more efficient and reliable. DevOps encourages automating repetitive tasks and utilizes tools like configuration management, continuous integration, and deployment pipelines are utilized to strengthen the software delivery process. Shared responsibility: ultimately the DevOps culture is reliant upon developing a sense of shared ownership and responsibility over the software development lifecycle. Developers must understand the operational implications of their code, and operations personnel must collaborate with developers in order to give feedback throughout the process. In the end, integrating DevOps into an organization is less about training workers on new tools and more about cultivating a DevOps culture and mindset . These are just a few of the DevOps culture principles that support organizations in creating a collaborative working environment. The culture should encourage teams to work towards common goals, support customers quickly and efficiently, and demand continuous improvement in the software delivery process. Benefits of DevOps Culture: The DevOps methodology has been widely accepted because of how it’s proven to streamline high-quality software releases, improve organizational performance, and increase employee satisfaction . The DevOps culture of collaboration, shared responsibility, continual improvement, and trust, is said to improve business outcomes while enhancing employee experience . Here are a few other key ways that building a DevOps culture has shown to increase company performance and improve employee experience: Faster time to market: through emphasizing automation and encouraging collaboration, DevOps streamlines processes and accelerates the software development process. This results in faster time to market for products, updates, and new features. Continuous delivery and deployment: the DevOps method allows organizations to adopt continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) practices. Through reducing the time between development and deployment, software updates can be delivered to customers quickly and more frequently. Similarly, the culture allows for greater agility in the face of market demands and customer feedback, giving DevOps-based organizations a competitive advantage in adapting to consumer needs. Improved efficiency and productivity: through the use of automation, companies are less vulnerable to human errors, increase the overall efficiency within DevOps processes, and free up valuable time for their employees to work on less repetitive and more beneficial activities. Increased reliability: DevOps culture promotes practices such as infrastructure as code, automated testing, and continued monitoring. Through integrating these practices, organizations ensure early detection of issues and proactive problem resolution. This leads to improved stability and reliability of software systems, higher customer satisfaction, and improved system resilience. Shared understanding : the DevOps culture aligns development and operations teams with business goals through establishing a shared understanding of and commitment to business objectives among employees. All in all, it's been shown that the establishment of a DevOps culture can give organizations a competitive advantage in their field precisely because their organizational culture has a shared understanding of the business objectives and a shared responsibility towards product development and customer satisfaction . DevOps Culture Challenges: In understanding the benefits of the DevOps method, integrating a DevOps culture into one’s organization seems like a no brainer. That said, companies will certainly face challenges along the way. Gartner predicts that 75% of companies that attempt to make the transition to a DevOp culture “fail to meet expectations due to issues around organizational learning and change. ” Those failures can be attributed to a number of factors, most of which are related to interpersonal factors as opposed to technology. Knowing that, developing a DevOps culture must be an intentional project and organizations must be prepared for the potential challenges that may arise. A few known challenges that your organization should keep in mind include: Opposition to change Changing an organization’s culture is bound to be met with resistance . Whether there be complaints from individuals and teams who are accustomed to traditional roles and processes, or frustrations with the transition phase where operations may feel less efficient than ever, there’s no doubt that individuals will momentarily be hesitant. Overcoming this resistance may be slow, but ultimately the DevOps method has shown to increase employee satisfaction and optimize operations. History of conflict Companies that have a history of conflict between individuals or teams may find it harder to implement a methodology built upon collaboration, trust, and respect. The key here is to be patient with teams and slowly work on addressing that conflict and repairing the relationships such that there is unilateral buy-in. Gap in skills or knowledge Developing a DevOps culture requires specific soft skills and interpersonal skills in order to create a culture based on trust, accountability, and respect . Few people enter the workforce armed with those skills and even fewer will have worked at workplaces that promote collaboration, continuous improvement, and shared responsibility. That said, it will take time to truly get employees in line with DevOps principles. Measuring success Given that DevOps blurs the roles of teams in exchange for collaboration, organizations may have to go beyond traditional performance indicators and find alternative ways to measure their successes . This can sometimes be a challenge for businesses, but also an opportunity to reimagine organizational objectives. Cultural divide between devops and security teams: Many organizations encounter the divide between the teams when it comes to the tension between speed and security. This may be attributed to differences in priorities, methodologies, or historical practices by each team . Of course this does not have to result in negative outcomes , it’s simply finding the best way to transform the organization’s culture such that security teams feel respected and form part of the collaborative processes that DevOps encourages. Bridging the cultural divides between DevOps and security teams is necessary in creating a more secure and efficient software delivery process. In all, implementing and fostering a DevOps culture will not happen overnight . Challenges are to be expected and should not discourage a company’s push to transform its culture. Addressing these challenges may require cultural transformation initiatives, training and upskilling programs, and leadership support. The greatest challenge will be being patient and understanding with employees as the organization makes the shift. How to Build a Strong DevOps Culture Developing a comprehensive DevOps Culture requires an intentional and systematic approach to shifting your current organizational culture and ensuring a commitment and understanding to the method by employees. It’s crucial to develop a deep understanding of why and how the methodology is useful such that there is buy-in by the part of employees to help construct it. Key steps to implementing a strong DevOps culture include: Defining DevOps for your organization : identifying the specific outcomes you aim to achieve is helpful in creating a shared vision and common understanding of the purpose behind the cultural shift. Identifying your transition team: getting people on board with the method is the first step in a successful DevOps initiative. Identify individuals who model the behavior desired in establishing a DevOps culture, communicate the vision to them, and have them help lead the cultural shift. Establishing open channels of communication: companies may need to create ways to facilitate ongoing and open communication across teams. This could look like hosting regular meetings, organizing joining planning sessions, or utilizing applications that facilitate collaboration. Identifying performance metrics and objectives: knowing that individual involvement in DevOps is one of the most important aspects to building a strong collaborative culture, establishing objectives that motivate employees, encourage teamwork, and work towards shared goals is crucial. Make sure performance metrics do not reinforce a siloed structure nor pit individuals against their teams. Being patient and starting small: too many companies make the mistake of trying to implement massive changes overnight, but a cultural shift takes time. It may make sense to only implement the DevOps method in a few teams who are already modeling DevOps values, and use those as examples to lead other teams. Introducing a new culture to your company may be met with challenges that you may not have predicted, that said, being patient, persistent, and respectful to employees can make all the difference in transforming your organization. The DevOps method has been widely embraced precisely because it’s proven to positively transform organizations and increase employee satisfaction . It may take time to properly implement, but will ideally lead to the creation of a work environment where employees can thrive, collaborate, and deliver more than ever to the organization. If you’re interested in learning more about DevOps, consult the Ironhack blog !

The tech industry is one of the largest employment sectors right now following the shift in many companies to remote work and data storage in the cloud. The best part is that they’re willing to pay for that talent and make sure to keep them happy. So with a little research, you can find the best role and company that matches what you want in a tech job. Here’s a list of some of the best tech companies to work for in Spain, and why! The Spain Tech Scene Information and communication technology (ICT) is considered a best prospect industry sector in Spain. The sector recovered quickly from the COVID pandemic, and governments in certain autonomous regions have taken full advantage of European Union development and recovery funds to attract foreign investment in technology. Spain’s 5G National Plan is going to be a key driver for mobile network and fiber optic network upgrades, something that private sector companies will want to get in on from the beginning, meaning they will be investing heavily in growing their Spain-based workforces. At the same time, Spanish telecoms companies have been consolidating to leverage their weight in the European market. With all the investment and changes, there is high demand for technology talent that is able to continue to adapt with the changing environment. Cybersecurity is a major issue, as are hybrid cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Spain is currently promoting public-private collaboration programs to integrate AI into multiple vertical sectors, creating opportunities for investments from all over the world, and subsequently, for employment. Best Tech Companies Hiring in Spain Ironhack has done some research to identify some of the best-situated companies to consider if you’re thinking of making a career change to tech in Spain. With offices in Madrid and Barcelona, we love working in Spain and want to help you find the perfect employment partner in the lovely Mediterranean country. RavenPack If you’re interested in a tech career in Spain, chances are you love the sun and the balmy, beachy environment of towns like Valencia or Malaga. Ravenpack, based in Marbella, just outside of Malaga with easy access to the international airport, is hiring. The company started with just 70 employees in 2019, and now boasts over 180. Ravenpack has a diverse international team and offers opportunities for continued professional development and growth. The company is research-driven, collecting data from various sources, and using AI and machine learning to aggregate findings and provide its clients with valuable analytical insights. They are backed by a number of powerful investors including Dow Jones and Amazon Web Services, just to name a couple. If you are interested in research and data analytics, this is your company! Cabify Want to make cities better? Consider Cabify. Cabify was founded in 2011 and is considered the first Spanish tech unicorn. The headquarters are located in Madrid, but they have offices across the country, including Barcelona and Malaga. Some of the roles Cabify is looking to fill have titles like Head of Engineering, and Principal Backend Software Engineer, so you can really get to use your technology development skills. Plus, they even have a roll for a tech talent acquisition specialist, meaning tech workers are in high demand at Cabify! Besides being an awesome company, Cabify also offers some great employee benefits. The company is remote work friendly, and all employees can telework at least two days per week. Once you’ve spent enough time with the company, you can go 100% remote. Employees can also choose different compensation packages, which may include restaurant coupons, transportation cards, medical insurance, or childcare. Finally, the company is fully invested in its employees and wants them to continue learning and improving. They offer internal training and tech events in the office. Wallapop Wallapop is the main Spanish online marketplace, much like Craigslist or Etsy. It allows people to sell goods or services online. The company seeks to offer the best street trade experience to all users around the world. The company actively contributes to sustainable trade through the sale of second-hand or used items. At the same time, they help connect people seeking goods or services with vendors to grow local economies. One of the things that sets Wallapop apart from other online selling platforms is that they treat all products and services equally. You can truly find or sell just about anything. Based out of Barcelona, Wallapop operates in Spain and Italy. Powered by technical innovation and continuous improvement, they are backed by top investors and were recently voted one of the ‘Top 100 Future Unicorns.’ Wallapop is actively seeking Product Team developers, and DevOps Engineers in both Barcelona and Madrid. The Wallapop team has a great social media presence that can give you a better idea of what it’s like working there. Typeform Another Barcelona based technology startup, Typeform, revolutionized web forms, and the company is growing at a tremendous pace. The company’s exponential growth means if you get a job with Typeform now, chances are you’ll be at a senior level within a few years. Typeform has a very generous benefits package. They offer employees health insurance, financial and retirement planning services, 401K plans, paid vacation time off, social events, free lunches and snacks, and of course professional development. Typeform values empathy, and is constantly thinking of how to improve customers’ user experiences. They are also a remote-first company, and they like to outfit their employees with cool swag, and budgets for home-office setup. Calling all early birds and night owls! Typeform lets you work when you’re at your best. Google Google shows up frequently on our top 10 lists because it is just such a great tech company to work for. The company has its main Spain offices in Madrid, in the trendy Embajadores neighborhood, and they also have some remote opportunities. The Google campus in Madrid is also a startup incubator, so you’ll be surrounded by lots of digital creatives, and get to network with the newest startup founders and employees. The campus cultivates a culture of fun combined with serious ideation for tech possibilities and growth. Google is proud of its employee longevity and growth. They help people grow within the company to retain top talent. They also employ a “no heroes” policy, meaning that there are sufficient processes in place so that no single person is working overtime to fix bugs or help clients. The company also provides immense levels of support to its employees. As manager Shawn Hurley put it, “Google is the first place I’ve been that is really serious about work-life balance… This is a team of naturally high achievers, but we need to enjoy our life outside the office too”. If you’re a high achiever who likes to play hard as well, Google Madrid is going to be a great fit for you. Spotahome Renting a house or an apartment can be a serious pain, especially if you aren’t physically located where you want to rent. Spotahome seeks to transform that experience by sending professional spotters to check out rentals before you get there. Following a holiday rental model, Spotahome can help you find a home for stays of 30 days minimum, perfect for digital nomads who are constantly on the go. They eliminate communication and language barriers between local landlords and foreign tenants. Based in Madrid, they have been highlighted in publications like El Confidencial, TicBeat, and Telva. Spotahome has four core values: they feel you, they’re sincere, they adapt to win, and they seek to create a better tomorrow. They boast a flexible, open culture, with full remote options and flexible work schedules. Spotahome offers employees optional health insurance and gym membership opportunities, and even offers stock options. When you join Spotahome you’ll also get extensive training so you never have to feel like you’re flying solo. Workato Workato is all about tech stack integrations. They help build complex workflows across organizations using their low-code platform. The whole idea is to take code and make it user friendly so stack integrations don’t require a lot of coding knowledge. They are focused on fast, simple integrations, and were even mentioned as a part of the Cloud 100 sponsored by Bessamer, Forbes, and Salesforce. They are a company on the cutting edge of cloud technologies. As far as benefits go, the company offers flexible working arrangements so employees don’t burn out. They have a hybrid remote model, and provide every employee with the best available technology. They have an employee assistance program, offer health insurance, provide referral bonuses, and offer stock options. They are invested in their employees’ long-term professional development, and to that end set aside training programs and budgets for continued learning. Their Spain headquarters in Barcelona will have you chilling at the beach while you simplify tech stacks. Gympass Gympass is a corporate wellness platform that offers organizations access to the best fitness centers and applications with flexible plans for employees. If you want to combine your tech education with the world of fitness, Gympass may be the perfect place for you. Founded in 2012 in New York City, the company has grown exponentially and now has offices in Madrid, and other locations across the globe. For starters, Gympass offers its employees and their families access to the platform for free. Get personal training, access to in-person fitness programs, sleep and meditation guidance, mental health support, nutrition resources, and more. The company offers employees cash incentives based on company and individual success, and an equity program for top performers. They have a hybrid work structure, and provide workers with a home office stipend. They also give all employees 25 days of paid leave annually, and you get your birthday off! BackMarket BackMarket is another tech-based marketplace focused on reselling technological gadgets that have been reset. They use a proven system to ensure that the product speculations are communicating adequately with the buyer, and guarantee 100% functionality. Before joining the community, each vendor goes through a rigorous selection process. Technical teams physically go to device reseller locations to ensure their products meet the market place’s high quality standards. BackMarket began with just three founders in 2014 and has since grown to over 600 employees. Their Spain offices are in Barcelona, so add them to the list of trendy tech startups on the Mediterranean hub. Working with BackMarket means you’ll be contributing to the elimination of thousands of tons of electronic waste. They offer attractive salaries, company equity, health insurance, meal tickets, relocation packages and support, and lots of internal tech skill development events. Help the earth when you join BackMarket. Domestika Domestika, is an online course platform, but with a quality that sets them apart from other websites who let creators make their own courses. Domestika empowers creators, providing the support to produce and launch professionally produced courses, while nurturing the community they started out as. Domestika also has a job board for creatives! Initially based in Spain, a lot of their employees are still in Madrid and Barcelona, though, like many other companies, they've opened the door to remote roles, too. Domestika is a great fit for people who are passionate about online education, particularly on the creative side. They often have open roles in many tech areas, from programming to UX/UI, in several countries or remotely. A big element of the workplace culture in Domestika is their community spirit: being spread across several hubs and backed by an online community of millions, their creative perspective and originality feeds on collaboration and open communication. How to Land Your First Tech Job Landing a job at great companies like these in Spain is definitely achievable. All you need is a little knowledge and some practical experience. Most companies in tech aren’t too worried about whether you have a Master’s from Harvard or a Ph.D. They want to know that you are able to learn and adapt to a fast-paced environment. A degree from a legacy brick-and-mortar school isn’t going to cut it. Ironhack teaches the skills that these companies are looking for, and we know how to get you ready for the job so you can hit the ground running! So if you see yourself strolling through, for example, Madrid’s Google campus on your way to a user interview, or joining Glovo’s rockstar development team, check out Ironhack bootcamps . Nothing is more important for getting one of these gigs than practical experience and a vast network within the industry. You’ve got this!

In the vibrant realm of web development, fullstack developers have become highly sought-after professionals. Their ability to navigate both front-end and back-end technologies is revolutionizing the way websites are built. In this article, we’ll shed some light on the intricacies of fullstack development and provide a roadmap to entering the profession. But first, let’s define the role and responsibilities of a fullstack developer. What is Fullstack Development? Fullstack development refers to the practice of handling both the front-end (user side) and back-end (server-side) aspects of web application development. A fullstack developer is a professional who possesses the expertise to work on all layers of the technology stack . Their versatility and comprehensive understanding of the development process make them invaluable assets, bridging the gap between different technological domains . Let’s take a look at some of the specific responsibilities of a fullstack developer: Front-end development: fullstack developers are responsible for creating engaging and user-friendly interfaces that facilitate seamless user experiences. They employ HTML, CSS, and JavaScript along with modern frameworks such as React, Angular, or Vue.js to build responsive and interactive user interfaces. Back-end development: fullstack developers handle the server-side logic and architecture that powers web applications. They work with programming languages like Python, Ruby, PHP, or JavaScript (Node.js) to design and implement the server-side components. This includes employing DevOps practices to handle continuous server deployment and optimization. Database management: fullstack developers are proficient in database management systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Redis. They design efficient database performance to enhance application speed and scalability. Integration and APIs: fullstack developers are adept at integrating various third-party services and APIs (application programming interfaces) into web applications. They leverage functionalities such as payment gateways, social media integrations, mapping services, and more. Testing and debugging: fullstack developers are responsible for testing and debugging applications to identify and fix issues across the entire technology stack. They perform unit testing, integration testing, and troubleshoot bugs to ensure application performance and security. Project management and collaboration: fullstack developers often take on project management roles, working alongside designers, product managers, and stakeholders. They understand project requirements, translate them into technical specifications, and ensure effective communication between teams. (BUTTON: Web Development Basics) Benefits of fullstack development Now that we’re clear on the responsibilities of a fullstack developer, let’s understand why their skills are so in-demand. Here are some advantages they bring to teams and organizations: Efficient development process: fullstack developers possess the ability to handle multiple tasks, reducing the need for extensive coordination between front-end and back-end teams. This results in faster development cycles and improved time-to-market. Seamless collaboration: fullstack developers can easily communicate with various team members, including designers, product managers, and clients. This increases accessibility and ensures a clear understanding of project requirements and goals. Cost-effective service: fullstack developers eliminate the need for hiring separate front-end and back-end developers, reducing overhead costs for companies, particularly startups and small businesses. Streamlined problem-solving: fullstack developers excel in troubleshooting as they have a holistic understanding of the entire application. They can identify issues across different layers of the technology stack and implement effective solutions. How to Become a Fullstack Developer So, you see the value that fullstack developers bring to the table and you’re wondering how to get started. Here are some practical steps to guide you on your journey towards becoming a fullstack developer: Establish a strong foundation in front-end technologies: an understanding of front-end development is crucial for fullstack developers. By mastering HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you lay the groundwork for creating visually appealing and interactive user interfaces . Familiarity with responsive design principles and frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js enables you to build user-friendly applications that adapt seamlessly across different devices. Dive into back-end development: venturing into back-end development equips you with the ability to handle server-side logic and data management. Acquiring knowledge of programming languages such as Python, Ruby PHP, or Node.js allows you to develop the robust foundations of web applications. Familiarity with frameworks like Django, Ruby on Rails, or Express.js further enhances your ability to build streamlined and scalable server-side applications. Gain proficiency in databases: deepening your understanding of database management systems is essential. Mastering database design, complex query writing, and performance optimization enables you to ensure data integrity, increase application speed, and manage data effectively . Proficiency in popular databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Redis empowers you to handle the storage and retrieval of data in your applications. Master the art of integration: developing your API integration skills is invaluable as a fullstack developer. By effectively melding external services (social media, mapping, payment gateways, etc.), you can enrich the functionality of your applications and elevate the user experience. Learn version control and collaboration tools: building familiarity with version control systems like Git helps you to easily manage and track changes within your codebase . Additionally, by utilizing platforms like GitHub or Bitbucket, you can collaborate with other developers; facilitate teamwork, share code, and enjoy a smoother workflow. Adopt DevOps practices: becoming competent in DevOps practices will benefit the reliability of your applications and bring greater value to your teams. Begin to investigate containerization technologies like Docker and explore cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud; understanding the process of continuous integration and delivery is essential knowledge for efficient development. Build a diverse portfolio: putting your skills into practice through real-world projects is key to becoming a successful fullstack developer. Create a portfolio that showcases your ability to create comprehensive solutions on both the front-end and back-end. This not only demonstrates your technical proficiency, but also highlights your creativity to potential employers or clients . Types of fullstack developer jobs Now that we’ve gone over the roadmap into fullstack development, it’s time to discuss an essential topic: employment! Fullstack developers enjoy a wide range of career possibilities, and depending on the type of job you’re looking for, they can look quite different. Let’s consider some options: Web development agency: working as a developer in this setting offers a large variety of projects and clients. You’ll have the opportunity to work on various web applications, from e-commerce platforms to content management systems and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. The fast-paced nature of agency work allows you to continuously learn and apply new technologies. Startup or small business: joining a budding business environment, you’ll often have the chance to contribute significantly to the company’s web applications. With fewer resources and more autonomy, you’ll gain exposure to several aspects of the development process, making it an excellent opportunity for professional growth. Enterprise-level company: contributing to a large organization often means streamlining their development process and bridging the gap between teams. Being a part of large-scale projects with vast user bases and advanced technological requirements, you will have the chance to contribute to mission-critical applications. Freelance developer: providing you the flexibility to work on your own terms, freelance development allows you to choose projects that align with your interests and expertise. Fullstack developer remote jobs eliminate geographical barriers, enabling connection with teams worldwide. Working remotely not only provides the comfort of your preferred workspace, but also fosters cultural diversity and encourages collaboration on a global scale. Resources for fullstack developers Before setting you off on your path to become a fullstack developer, it is crucial that you have a collection of valuable resources at your fingertips. This list will serve as a north star, aiding in continuous learning, empowering you to overcome challenges, and unlocking new opportunities. Without any delay, let’s take a look at the following resources and how you can utilize them: Developer communities and forums: engage with platforms like Stack Overflow, GitHub, and Reddit. These sites provide opportunities to seek guidance, ask questions, and learn from experienced developers. Active participation in these communities can expand your knowledge and offer new solutions. Open-source projects: contribute to open source projects to gain experience working with other developers and sharpen your skills. Platforms like GitHub provide a large collection of open-source projects across various domains, allowing you to learn from real-world codebases and make important contributions to the community. Fullstack development conferences: attend conferences focused on fullstack development in order to network, learn, and stay updated on industry trends. Events like ContainerDays, Connect.Tech and NG-Conf bring together experts and enthusiasts from around the world, offering workshops, presentations, and panel discussions on several aspects of fullstack development. Certifications: consider obtaining a fullstack developer certification to validate your skills and enhance your credibility. Certifications like the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate, Google Professional Cloud Developer, or Amazon Web Services DevOps Engineer demonstrate your expertise in specific cloud platforms and their associated development services. WebDev blogs and podcasts: keep tabs on resources like Smashing Magazine, CSS-Tricks, A List Apart, and podcasts like Syntax and Full Stack Radio. These content hubs help you stay up to date on trends, best practices, and inspiring insights for your fullstack development career. So, as you venture into the dynamic field of fullstack development, remember that you have the power to shape the digital landscape and bring real value to organizations and users alike. Embrace the challenges, stay curious, and never stop learning. If you’re ready to fast-track your fullstack development career, you’re in the right place. Join an Ironhack bootcamp to refine your skills and elevate your impact. We can’t wait to see you in class!

As soon as we wake up in the morning, we use our five senses to take in all the information we can from our surroundings to interact with the world and make the most informed decisions. In the tech world, companies rely on data to guide and point them in the right direction. Data collection and analysis has become an essential part of a company’s arsenal and in the past few years, cloud computing has risen to power as an essential tool for not only companies, but also society as a whole. What are these tools and how do they provide companies with further benefits as they interact with one another? Let’s dive in. What is Big Data Analytics? There are two parts to focus on: big data and analytics . Analytics entails the evaluation and analysis of data from which companies can make insights, discover trends, and make decisions. Big data may seem just as obvious as analytics and in a way it is: it’s just a massive amount of data. But you may ask yourself what makes it big? Big data is about the five Vs: Volume: this is where the word big comes into play because volume refers to the vast amount of data with which these companies are working. Velocity: the speed that data collection and analysis takes is an important part of the process although it normally is expected to be near instantaneous with some big data analytics. Variety: data can be found in three different formats: structured (relational databases), semi-structured (XML, binary executables, HTML, EDI), and unstructured (images, business documents, emails, and websites). Value: when we are thinking about the value, we are answering the following question: what is the goal of collecting and analyzing all the data? The objective is to extract worthwhile insights, patterns, and trends , which provides the data with that value. Veracity: since the data is coming from a variety of sources, the reliability and accuracy of the data is extremely important which is why analysts have to ensure its quality before adding it to the list of data. When data analysts keep these five Vs in mind throughout the process, they are able to provide the best possible results from the most accurate data available. Big data analytics is leveraged in so many ways to help companies make the right choices and one of the most common ways in which we interact with it is through social networking . Big Data Analytics Examples If you have used social networking applications or websites, then you’ve definitely interacted with big data analytics in some shape or form. In recent years, the use of ads on these platforms has skyrocketed and because of this, companies have wanted customers to have the best possible experience when using their services. When a user is on a social network, there are several big data analytics functions happening at once. All of the actions you make on their pages like watching videos, clicking on or writing comments, liking videos or photos, inputting hashtags and much more can become influential data that is collected and analyzed to optimize user experience. Some of these include the following: Personalization: the data that social networks harvests go into databases that show a footprint of what would improve the user experience. The more personally intune to what the user likes, the more likely the user will return and interact more with the social network. Targeted advertisements: by knowing what a user likes, dislikes, and even what they may need, social networks can provide the right advertisement at the right time. If a user starts liking and consuming more content related to a hobby like boxing, wouldn’t it be the perfect time for them to buy products related to boxing ? And all of a sudden, boxing gloves, wraps, and boxing gyms show up as advertisements between friends’ posts. Suggested content: one like has a lot of power and can set off a chain reaction of content that a social network can then present to you. Recently, social networks have taken the data of a user to show them videos, photos, and posts that reflect back what they have already been searching for and connecting with on the network. To keep clients and customers on their applications and pages, social networks make a world that provides the users with hit after hit of serotonin and the best way to do that is use all of the data they collect, analyze it, and provide a personalized user experience . Benefits of Big Data Analytics As seen with social networking, big data analytics has many advantages that make it a powerful tool for companies to make clients come back again and again to their product. Some of these advantages of big data are: Personalized user experiences: as mentioned above, massive amounts of data go into data analytics to make the user experience as personalized as possible so that people feel the lure of the product; after all, humans like the familiar and comfortable. When new life events happen, data can provide fresh content that provides further opportunities for people to interact with more of the same thing. Improved productivity: one of the ways in which companies leverage data is to show inefficiencies and areas of improvement within their business. More accurate decision-making: data holds the key to unlocking the insights, trends, and patterns that will help companies make the most beneficial decisions for their future. More creative innovations: by providing companies with data on what does and doesn’t give them the attention they want, employees can use that feedback to create innovative and creative products and solutions to problems that they may have never thought of without it. Big Data Analytics Tools To run data analytics, data analysts rely on software to evaluate datasets and generate insights and trends and it is used to manage volume, velocity, and variety . Here are some of the tools that data analysts most often use: Apache Spark Tableau Apache Flink MongoDB Apache Storm Atlas.ti. HPCC These big data analytic tools have their own advantages that will help in different situations and data analysts rely on other types of technologies such as the cloud to complete their analyses. What is the Cloud? If you have a device that has access to the internet, it’s very likely that you have some sort of cloud service. Devices have a limited amount of physical storage space and to complement that physical storage, users can pay for more space that relies on access to the internet. There are physical servers elsewhere that house the data and the internet is the bridge that connects the device to the physical server. Some services that provide cloud storage are: Amazon Web Services Google Cloud Platform Microsoft Azure IBM Cloud Databricks Snowflake Qubole Whichever cloud or data storage service that a company pays for will be instrumental for them in improving and maximizing their big data analytics process. What’s the Role of the Cloud in Big Data Analytics? The cloud plays a vital role in analyzing big data, since it provides a large amount of storage space and data analysts accumulate and store a massive amount of data for all of the insights and trends they generate and discover. There are a variety of benefits when depending on cloud storage for big data analytics like: Cost efficiency: although companies must pay for cloud services, they are actually saving money in doing so since purchasing, setting up, and maintaining cloud infrastructure on-site can end up much more expensive. Housing physical servers also occupies a large amount of space that could be more efficiently used. Accessibility: using the cloud for data storage permits a user to access it as long as they have an internet connection; with the internet, you can be at home, in another country, or even on a plane and retrieve any data you need . Scalability: since data analysts are working with datasets that are constantly fluctuating in volume, the cloud provides a flexible amount of storage space that can always be reduced or increased easily. Real-time analytics: in addition to storage space, there are managed streaming services that complete instantaneous real-time data analysis. The services you can find include Amazon Kinesis, Azure Stream Analysis, and Google Cloud Dataflow. With the amount of data that devices, applications, and websites are compiling, storing and analyzing, companies are able to discover many insights and trends that will assist them in making the best decisions thanks to the help of the cloud. If you’re looking to work with data and dive deeper into the world of analytics, look no further than Ironhack’s Data Analytics course.

Artificial intelligence seems like it could change the world, right? It’s capable of writing the perfect party invitation, telling jokes, or anticipating what we want to see/say next. And while it can do all these things, it’s important to remember that artificial intelligence has certain limitations and should be used with caution, at least for now. What do we mean? Well, let’s go back to how artificial intelligence technologies are created. Data scientists feed computers and other machines with the information they want them to mimic , meaning this is the main source of information that machines have. Therefore, if there is any inconsistency or bias within the data, the computer will repeat that. If artificial intelligence is used for fun, such as writing a poem for a friend, there’s no issue. But when AI is used for decision making or is expected to draw conclusions on its own, bias, whether intentional or not, can severely impact the accuracy of the result. To understand exactly how ethics and bias play such a crucial role in artificial intelligence, let’s first cover the basics of AI and then give some examples of how bias and ethics can compromise the integrity of artificial intelligence. What is Artificial Intelligence? The ability of machines to replicate and mimic human responses and reactions to situations is what we know as artificial intelligence. By training machines to think like humans, we can automate otherwise tedious or repetitive tasks and use machine learning to process large amounts of data. Artificial intelligence has evolved considerably over time, but still has a long way to go to properly imitate human thinking. Even so, however, already existing advances have transformed the way in which we view machines and their potential. In our day-to-day lives, artificial intelligence manifests itself: In maps and transportation : ever wondered how your maps app can provide the latest information on traffic jams, closed roads, or the best route to take via public transportation, walking, or bike? Well, thanks to artificial intelligence, your maps app can update in real-time and provide you with the best possible experience. In facial recognition/identification : through collecting data about your facial structure and features, your phone is able to both recognize that there is a face in front of the screen and verify your identity. In writing assistance : spell check isn’t the only assistance you get from writing–thanks to the incredibly high amount of data that machines have been fed, they’re able to suggest what you can write next. Artificial intelligence is quite useful in a wide range of applications–that much is clear. But as with anything, there are concerns and limitations of which to be aware. Now that we’re clear about what artificial intelligence is, let’s dive right into ethics and bias in artificial intelligence. Bias in Artificial Intelligence A machine can’t have bias, right? After all, it doesn’t have experiences or memories from which to form said bias. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case: machines can only learn from the data they have and if this data is biased, incomplete, or of poor quality, the output of the machine will reflect the same problems. The following are the most common examples of artificial intelligence bias: Algorithm bias : if the algorithm itself that determines the calculations of the machine are incorrect or faulty, the results will be as well. Sample bias : if the dataset you select doesn’t accurately represent the situation, your results will reflect this error. Example: you’re collecting salary information, but only record those of male employees. Prejudice bias: similarly to sample bias, prejudice bias uses data that is influenced by societal biases and therefore incorporates this prejudice into what should be opinion-free data. Example: you’re evaluating the gender distribution in certain occupations, but only count female teachers and male doctors, creating an inaccurate skew in your data. Measurement bias: measurement bias occurs when data is incorrectly gathered, specifically on how it was measured or valued. Example: if employees are surveyed about their feelings about their employer and promised a reward if enough employees answer, those who are motivated simply by the reward may not give thorough or accurate responses. Exclusion bias: you can’t pick and choose the data you use in your analysis and if you (intentionally or by mistake) exclude data points, your results will be inaccurate. Example: if you think the middle-of-the-road answers to a survey aren’t consequential and remove them, you’ll end up with data skewed to both ends of the spectrum and an inaccurate representation of how the respondents actually feel. Selection bias: while it can be quite challenging to get a big enough sample or one that’s representative of the entire population, choosing only certain groups can make your data completely useless. Example: you want to evaluate the universities that high school graduates choose to attend, but ignore those who choose to immediately enter the workforce or attend community college, therefore painting an inaccurate picture of your graduates’ choices. There are quite a few more ways that bias can appear in artificial intelligence, but the aforementioned ones are the most common. Here’s what you need to remember: artificial intelligence learns from the data that it’s fed and if that data is problematic or inaccurate, the outputs of artificial intelligence will be as well. Here’s what you can do to prevent bias: Lots of situations involving bias stem from small or limited datasets; do everything you can to collect as much data as possible from as many sources as you can, diversifying your dataset. As you begin to feed your computer with data, run tests during the early stages of testing to check for biases and correct them. Explore online fairness and bias tests to make sure you caught everything. Run your results by other experts to get other opinions and continuously check the quality of your data as time passes. Ethics in Artificial Intelligence You’ve definitely heard someone tell you that AI will take your job one day. And while the vast majority of jobs are safe (and those that AI can take over will morph into a different role), there are serious ethical considerations to keep in mind when discussing artificial intelligence. One thing is clear: the power of artificial intelligence is massive and we’ve only just begun to uncover what it can do. But the following considerations are absolutely crucial when it comes to maintaining proper ethics in the future of artificial intelligence: Privacy : we’re feeding machines tons of data about people to help it react in a more human-like way, right? How do we ensure that the data we’re giving to the machine is both secure and private? Prioritizing data privacy throughout the entire artificial intelligence lifecycle is one of the world’s main concerns. Human dependence : yes, artificial intelligence is capable of automating some tasks that humans were previously handling and it can also handle much more data than people can. But it’s absolutely essential that AI isn’t left to make decisions on its own, as it will never replace human responsibility and accountability. Sustainability : advances in artificial intelligence and technology are supported, but as long as they don’t come at the expense of the environment and overall sustainability. Accessibility : new developments should be accessible worldwide, not just in highly developed countries with easy access to technology. To ensure that ethics in artificial intelligence is prioritized, many countries and global organizations have come together to come up with policies and regulations, such as the GDPR in the European Union. But achieving truly ethical technological advances in artificial intelligence will come from a commitment from every individual, company, and country across the world. The power of artificial intelligence is truly unmatched–but it’s on us to properly use it for good. And skilled artificial intelligence professionals are sorely needed across the tech industry, so if you’re interested in entering this up-and-coming field, look no further: there’s lots of room for advancement in artificial intelligence.