The Ironhack Blog

We’re so happy you’re considering applying to Ironhack! We know the decision to redirect your career was a tough one and you’re ready for the next step. This article will serve to breakdown the application process at Ironhack, detail the decisions you have to make before you submit your application, and answer any burning questions you may have. Why Ironhack? Choosing to pursue a career in tech is a big decision. And we want you to know we’re here to help you solidify your decision and give you the best possible start to your tech career. We offer full-time, part-time, in-person and remote tech bootcamps in the following areas: web development, UX/UI design, data analytics, and cybersecurity. Here’s why Ironhack is right for you: Wide range of financial solutions: every one of our students has a different background and comes from different circumstances; we celebrate and appreciate this. We also have specific financing options per location and flexible payment plans. Diverse community : with more than 10,000 graduates and professionals across the world, both our courses and students themselves are diverse. Career support : we know you are interested in Ironhack to further your career; we provide our students with extensive career and professional support to help you send your career in the right direction. Flexible learning processes : Are you interested in an Ironhack bootcamp but can’t commit to 9 weeks? Or would love to take an intense course but there’s no campus near you? Ironhack offers part-time and remote learning opportunities for those that can’t come to our campuses every day. Wide ranging alumni network : 10 campuses in nine countries means that our alumni span the world. No matter where you or what you’re interested in pursuing professionally, we’re sure we have alumni ready to help. Applying to Ironhack Alright, we’ve convinced you! It’s time to apply. Here’s what to expect: Step 1: Online application: this written application form is simple! We want to know what program you’re interested in, why, your background and preferred learning method. Don’t worry - this simple, straightforward application is just to help us get to know you better. Step 2: Personal interview: once our admissions team has received your application, they’ll reach out to schedule an interview. In this interview, we’ll try to evaluate your circumstances, understand your motivations, and focus on your career path and goals. Step 3: Online test: we know the word test can be scary, but this isn’t! It’s a one hour logic test that we use to test your analytical skills. There’s nothing to worry about here - no previous tech knowledge is required. After your test is submitted, we’ll be in touch with our final decision. Then it’s time to become an official Ironhacker! Which bootcamp should you apply for? One aspect that contributes to the diversity of Ironhackers is our range of enrollment options; we offer remote, in-person, part-time and full-time courses. Remote or in-person? Interested in kickstarting your tech career but can’t head to campus? We offer remote programs across our campuses in a variety of languages to make our programs accessible. And the best part? You’ll still have access to our campuses , high-quality teaching staff and Ironhacker events. For those that are looking to study in-person, check out one of our 10 campuses across three continents. Part or full-time? Here’s a quick breakdown of our part and full-time programs: Part-time: we designed the 24 week, part-time program for those looking to simultaneously work and study. Held two nights a week and on Saturdays, this program is still intensive; plan to dedicate 10 to 15 hours a week to studying outside of class. Full-time : expect to spend the majority of your time studying during this 9 week bootcamp. Classes are held Monday-Friday from 9am to 6pm and lots of additional work is needed at night and on the weekends. It is not possible to work and complete the bootcamp at the same time. Ironhack Bootcamp FAQs We know you probably still have some questions. Lucky for you, we have the answers: Why do I have to apply? Can't I just buy a course? We want to make sure our students are both capable of graduating from our bootcamps and have a clear reason for taking one. The application process also makes sure you're enrolling in the right bootcamp for you. 2. What is the aptitude test for? Our courses are beginner friendly but that doesn't mean they're super easy! An aptitude test measures your basic logic and language skills. Acing it will give you the confidence to dive into your bootcamp knowing that you CAN do this! 3. How exactly do you help me get a job? Our curriculum is designed around the skills hiring managers are looking for and our Career Services is designed to train you for the job hunt. We also have local, regional, and global hiring partners to match you with, using matchmaking to make sure you're paired with roles you'll actually enjoy. 4. I already work in tech: is Ironhack for me? Yes, our bootcamps can help you upskill or reskill to land the role you want (if you're a Senior Developer, our beginner-friendly bootcamp might be a little boring for you!). It can also help you become better at your current role (eg, a Developer learning more about UX Design to better understand how to work with designers). 5. How much does an Ironhack bootcamp cost? That depends on which Financial Option you choose. We can help you find an option that makes paying easier and can even help you find a full or partial scholarship. Okay, we think we covered it all. Are you ready to take the next step in your professional growth and become a tech expert? Submit your application today and start learning!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are personal opinion and thoughts of the author, based on publicly available information and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author represents. Maria is a customer-centric and entrepreneurial Product Manager with in-depth knowledge of interactive multi-platform B2C content-based products that improve users' daily life. She has successfully led high-value products to new markets, developed new concepts 0-1, and built digital ecosystems using modern technology across the wellness, gaming, and entertainment industries. She is driven by innovation, a creative environment, and curiosity. Currently, Sr Product Manager, leading the Core Product Experience Team in the Virtual Reality fitness application. A Step into Metaverse with VR/AR Headsets A piece of Tech Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive experience that, once you put the headset on, transfers you into a virtual world. There are some documentation and articles explaining the ideation of something similar to what we know now, as virtual reality (VR), which existed as fictional stories even back in the 1830s. At the end of 1980 virtual reality was a high-end technology used exclusively as simulators for pilots, astronauts and researchers. In 2016 a company called Oculus (acquired by Facebook, now Meta) introduced a consumer version of a virtual reality headset, which triggered the development of one of the fastest-growing industries  today. There are currently mixed opinions around this topic, but I encourage you to look at it objectively, as a piece of tech that creates new opportunities. There is a lot of curiosity around VR. Right now it is hard to tell if its just another trend in tech, like 3D TV’s, or whatever happened to those. Or it is actually twill be mass-adopted and become part of our reality. However, unlike 3D TV’s, there is one giant company, which is Meta, that is driving all their chips onto Metaverse definitely being a part of our reality. The driving force In 2021 Facebook renames itself to Meta, which according to their CEO, Mark Zuckerberg “reflects the company's growing ambitions beyond social media and allows people to make meaningful connections”. According to the official source, there were 10 million Oculus  Quest 2 headsets sold in the same year. In October 2022, Meta launched their new high-end device, Meta Quest Pro, designed for work. Thanks to colour passthrough cameras, apart from VR it also allows us to experience Augmented Reality (AR) which is overlaying virtual objects on top of the real world. AR allows more engaging experiences to share, collaborate and have more like an “in-person” experience. Now, towards the end of 2022, the headsets are not just a tool for gamers and tech-savvies but also an appealing gadget to new demographics such as women in their forties, as a tool to keep themselves active and elderly people to show them the place that they’ve never been. All this infrastructure needs a talent force and this is the topic I will explore in this article. Metaverse Infrastructure Stepping back from all the “shiny” consumer-centric products that Meta is presenting to us with this excitement, let’s take a look into what actually makes this all happen. I am talking about the tech stack of the Metaverse technology such as fundamentals like networks, 5G, electrical grids and cloud computing services. Without this, it simply would not be even possible. The second on the list is the hardware and the special computing. Metaverse hardware will be key to transporting people to these different worlds and making them as realistic as possible. VR/ AR headsets discussed earlier are falling into that group. The third component would be the logic based on the principle of Blockchain and Web3, commonly known as Decentralisation. Smart contracts, open-source code, and what the community calls self-sovereign digital identity. The fourth component is the content creator economy. In other words, the tools and apps that developers and designers use to create digital assets or experiences that attract users. I will explore this further later in this article. To finalise this ecosystem there are two more components that I want to outline separately. They are discovery platforms such as app stores, search engines, rating sites, or even display advertising, and the experience or the product itself. The trusting platform is an important step to explore new technology, protocols, and communities. To finalise with the king of kings, the Products themselves and the reason what will support all that infrastructure. Based on the industry trends, I’ve picked three categories, that I believe will be developing very fast in the next couple of years. As a side note, gaming is the number one category, however, I intentionally leave it out as the most obvious one. Collaboration Tools With the most advanced hardware Meta Quest Pro, targeting working professionals as productivity devices and creators such as designers, architects and other creative individuals it is no surprise that these types of products will be in demand. Microsoft joins Meta to pioneer the Metaverse world with their Teams- a collaboration tool, allowing direct access via Horizon Rooms (Meta’s product*) allowing cross-device and cross-screen experience is a foundation of the virtual offices. Accenture is the large enterprise driving the Metaverse ideology with their project called Metaverse Continuum and an internal platform for their employees Nth Floor, where freshers can get complete onboarding, participate in large presentations or simply meet for coffee. A 3D design and modelling software called Gravity Sketch allows designers collaboratively to sketch and prototype, and then display on the screen in 2D for final preview. We can definitely expect a similar type of product to appear to solve other pain points for different audiences. Education and training I’ve already mentioned that the first use cases of Virtual Reality were invented for simulation training purposes. A few decades later, this technology can be available to broader audiences. Think of how it can help medical students re-create and experience some of the most difficult surgeries, firemen practice unique situations or young professionals practice some stressful/ uncomfortable situations within the work environment to better prepare for real-life scenarios. In fact, there are two products that I really like- Tale Spin is the app that helps you to train Soft skills with a virtual avatar in an office-like environment and Job Simulator- an app that allows players to relive the glory days of work by simulating the ins and outs of being a gourmet chef, an office worker and even a convenience store clerk. I wish I had this app before I faced that tough decision of choosing the career path. Health and Wellbeing This category is my bread and butter. This a topic I can go on about for many more chapters but I will keep it short this time. The amount of Health and well-being apps are so high that Oculus recently broke them down into a few more categories such as Kinetic Sports- for real environment sports activity like basketball or ping pong; music games for experiences that are beat-driven, with some physical action elements and health and fitness category with apps like meditation and actual fitness workouts. The reason I believe in these particular categories is that they are helping and solving some meaningful problems for many people. Working for a truly meaningful product is a joy and incredibly motivating. Conclusion What shape and form the Metaverse world with VR/ AR headsets will take, only time will show. Chances are we can expect a mass-adopton when the technology will catch up on it and the “headsets” will turn into a light pair of glasses. Meantime, it is no doubt that the industry made a massive progress in the last few years and show no signs of slowing down. Which means many new job opportunities on the market and the barriers of entry are lower. For someone who is at the beginning of their career this might be an amazing opportunity to get into it early, learn on innovations and become an expert. As technology developing so fast there are high chances of faster career growth than in the traditional tech companies, which might be a little saturated. There are many products from, for example, bricks and mortom industry migrating into VR. I would suggest to research who are the rising players in the field that is already familiar to you. You might be surprised, how your skills might be applicable in there.

Anyone who’s been in charge of any kind of responsibilities knows the importance of time management; we truly mean any kind of responsibility. Whether it’s at work, at school, in the kitchen or planning a vacation, ensuring you properly allot your time can be extremely challenging. While it’s true that everyone has 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, people have extremely varied ways of managing their time. Some prefer to get up early and bang out their work; others do their best work in the early hours of the morning. No matter what your preferred method of work is, mastering effective time management is key. Keep reading for tips and tricks for mastering time management. Why is Time Management Important? It may seem like a no-brainer, but effective time management can make all the difference in both the short and long-term. Here are the main benefits of time management: Easier to achieve goals : have you ever looked at your workload and doubted you could get it all done? We’ve all been there and time management is key to achieving your goals. Reduces stress : have you ever felt overwhelmed and stressed out over everything you have to do? Stress can be reduced or even eliminated with time management. More energy : all of that energy wasted on stress will be yours once again; your free time is all yours. Improved focus: your time dedicated to tasks will be just that; there’s no concern about other things to do or if you’ll finish on time. Increased confidence : when you dedicate your full attention to your task, the final result will be much better and increase your confidence in the work you produce. 10 Steps to Effective Time Management Review your time This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s impossible to improve if you don’t know where you have room for improvement. Take a look at your tasks or responsibilities over the past month or two months and try to highlight exactly where you missed deadlines or had to pull an all-nighter. Are there patterns? Are you always rushing to meet due dates towards the end of the week? Pro tip: highlight these problem areas to focus on them later on 2. Organize Now that you understand where problems arose in the past, take a look at your current workload. Are there certain dates that have a lot of work due? Or a family event that you know will take up lots of your time? Make sure to write these important dates down so you can pay special attention to them later on. Pro tip: Make a note of these high-traffic dates to plan ahead. 3. Prioritize Alright, you have your previous issues and your upcoming tasks highlighted. Now it’s time to choose where to place your attention and decide which tasks are most important. Although it might be ideal to accomplish a long list of tasks in record time, the truth is that isn’t quite realistic. Pro tip: choose the most important tasks with the strictest deadlines to take on first. 4. Plan/Schedule With your priority list clearly defined, it’s time to start making your schedule! Take a look at those priority tasks and make sure you allot the time needed to complete them. Once those are clearly scheduled, start planning the less crucial tasks to fit around the ones you must absolutely accomplish. Pro tip: try to estimate the time you’ll need to complete each task. This will help you accurately determine the number of tasks you can finish. 5. Combat procrastination It’s an annoying reality that we’ll have to do tasks that we don’t want to do. But leaving those unwanted tasks for the end of your day will just make the day drag on and actually slow your process. Do those heavy, tough tasks first and you’ll find that your productivity will actually increase throughout the day. Pro tip: if you’re really having trouble getting that task done, try motivating yourself with a reward: a quick stop at your favorite coffee shop or an extra 10 minutes on your lunch break. 6. Be realistic As much as we’d like to think we’re capable of achieving anything we put our minds to, the sad truth is that we all have limitations. And part of managing time effectively is setting realistic and achievable goals; if you put too much on your plate, you’ll find it negatively affects both your mental state and the quality of your work. Pro tip: err on the side of caution and conservatively estimate how long you need per task. Once you establish the actual time needed later on, you’ll be able to add more tasks comfortably. 7. Minimize distractions Everyone’s ideal work environment is different and you have to find the one that works for you. Do you need complete silence and to be alone to get a task done? If you work at home, are you distracted by household chores or roommates? Figure out what you need to be productive and create that space. Pro tip: every day is different and you might just need a change of scenery every once in a while. If you have an office, co-working space, local cafe or library nearby, try heading there with the specific goal of completing one task. 8. Build in breaks No one is capable of working 8 hours a day straight, no matter what you might read! And studies show that those who take breaks are more productive and produce better results. We don’t just mean your lunch break, by the way. Take a break to walk the dog, get fresh air or grab a coffee. It will help you feel more refreshed to take on the next task. Pro tip: try scheduling your breaks directly into your calendar. This will help both you remember to take them and avoid co-workers scheduling meetings during your breaks. 9. Say no It seems easy but it might be the hardest point on this list. The idea of outlining your priority tasks is to ensure you get done what you need to get done. If people are continuously adding tasks to your plate without taking into account your existing tasks, you need to set boundaries. Pro tip: if coworkers are adding too much to your plate, talk to your boss about limits or set up a request system that can help you manage a realistic amount of work. 10. Delegate Even if you take the aforementioned 9 points into account, there will still be times when your workload seems too heavy to handle. This is the ideal time to try to see if any coworkers can take on your tasks or delay due dates. Remember, being realistic with your workload and availability can make all the difference. This may seem like a lot, but once you start putting these tips into practice, you’ll see both your mood and workload improve significantly. Take it day by day and soon you’ll be a time management expert!

Daute Delgado is a Lead Instructor at Ironhack and security engineer with a background focused on large infrastructures, in charge of deployments and team management for success with different clients. With a considerable number of graduates, his all-star instruction leads to a high percentage of employability in the sector during the first months after graduation. Cybersecurity Myths and Misconceptions Only big companies need cybersecurity: hackers don’t go for small/medium sized companies When we think of cybersecurity, we typically relate it to large companies. But medium and small companies are the most frequently attacked for a simple reason: crackers know that they lack cybersecurity in a high percentage of cases. That is why attacks on this type of company are common, on the rise, and have been increasing after the pandemic . On the other hand, more and more companies are betting on cybersecurity; different companies in the sector have focused on this kind of companies through shared services (SOC - Security Operations Center) and adjusted their budget to their infrastructure. Cybersecurity is really complicated: you need to be a tech genius! No one can really know everything in any industry. It is true that in cybersecurity, we choose different paths to specialize in and this is where the role we want to play in our career comes into play: pentester, security analyst, engineer, infrastructure specialist. We certainly don't have to be geniuses, but we do have to study during our day to day in this field: keep gaining certifications, stay up to date with different actors, use different security tools and quickly get used to a sector where changes are common and every day is different. There aren’t a lot of jobs in cybersecurity There are no secrets here and we have data: too many professionals are lacking and, as we mentioned earlier, there is also a lack of qualified professionals for different actions within the different teams. Although the numbers keep growing, employees are specialized in these different branches. If I hire a member for the incident response team, he is not an expert in architecture and is dedicated to incident response; if I hire an expert in architecture, he is not a specialist in SIEM (Security information and event management). This is why there is such a lack of talent, because the different specialties make up a wide range of our work; as we said before, we can't know everything. In cybersecurity, we multitask! It’s hard to grow in a cybersecurity career This is a simple equation to solve: work + study + keep up to date is the key point to be able to advance in cybersecurity from my point of view. In addition to this, if you want to be successful, you must have the necessary soft skills such as communication with customers and your own team, knowing how to deal with different situations that you probably don't like. But it's the key to success. Adapt and advance without rushing; let's remember that the first cybersecurity vacancy was offered in the 90s. In addition, we have other departments where we are needed beyond technical cybersecurity: sales, management, strategy and more. How can it be difficult to grow in today's market? Cybersecurity jobs are really boring, they’re only exciting when there’s a big attack you have to deal with It is easy to make the assumption that cybersecurity equals incident; however, this is the part we probably deal with the least in the industry. Yes, we get a lot of alerts every day, but alerts do not equal incidents. And during all those hours that we analyze alerts, improve infrastructures, train teams, and investigate potential threats to the industry, among many other actions, we dedicate many hours to passive security. Passive security tries to try to minimize risks , while active security is the response to an incident, broadly speaking. You have to be young to work in cybersecurity. If you’re older than 30, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb! In our bootcamps and in mine especially, I have had students ranging from 18 to much older: it's never too late for a career change . Cybersecurity is about a passion for knowledge of the internet and everything around it; we all speak the same language here. I think age is just a number and remote work has opened doors for that: professionals from all over the world can join different companies and teams without having to move, relocate, or adapt to new cities. This has opened up a whole world for us today and everyone can join this movement. You have to go back to college if you want to get started in cybersecurity Everyone can decide how to train to enter the world of cybersecurity; there is no discussion there. There is also no doubt about the job opportunities that Ironhack alumni have during the first months following the bootcamp , nor that our work model is one of the most demanding and that is one of the added values we have. Simply put, investing in education (and travel!) is the best investment you can make in your life. I'm not going to tell you how we do it inside Ironhack because I invite you to experience it first hand. Once you've done that, come back to this article and underline everything I've told you. Ready to check it out? In just 12 or 26 weeks, your career as a cybersecurity professional could be taking off. Check out our bootcamp here and get started on your cybersecurity career.

In the tech industry, the skills section can let an employer know whether you even qualify for a role to begin with, and potentially move you up to the next stage of the recruitment process. In general, employers will look for a combination of soft and hard skills when analyzing resumes, both of which are extremely valuable. In this article, you can discover 5 essential hard skills to include in your tech resume, and how to ensure they make your CV stand out in a crowd. 1. Web development The tech sector has no shortage of web development positions, so stressing that you possess these skills can make your entire resume a lot more appealing to potential employers. The problem with web development is that by itself the topic is very broad. Sure, it showcases your ability to build websites, but chances are, your potential employer is looking for something a bit more specific. This is why you should research the company you are applying to, and see if they have any specific requirements that could set you apart from your competitors, whether it’s in terms of hard skills or soft skills. Resume example Presentation is key when creating your resume. How you present your web-development skills matters greatly in your CV’s ability to convince a recruiter or potential employer to give you a call. For example, look at this resume snippet: Web development skills: Worked as a web developer at a major tech company Handled the day-to-day cloud computing Helped reduce costs Helped improve the user experience for web pages Technically, you have a lot of web development qualities a recruiter might be looking for, but the wording doesn’t really help paint a good picture of your abilities. Now compare the above section with this one: Worked as a full stack developer, handling end-to-end web app development Managed 2 development teams of 3 employees each Reduced costs 10% by streamlining work processes Enhanced user experience by 40% when compared to company-wide metrics Same ideas, but a lot more specificity. As you read it, you can actually see the individual in action in a sense, and get a better idea of what they can bring to the table. And that’s the type of resume recruiters love to see. 2. Programming When it comes to listing programming skills on your resume, you want employers to know what technical skills you have that make you an asset. You should check to see what specific programming languages the company is looking for, and target those on your resume. However, be sure to include all of your relevant technical skills including programming languages, software, and hardware. Resume example Let’s assume you found out the company is looking for someone who knows JavaScript, has some team-leading experience, and can cooperate well with other departments. One way to write your resume could be like this: Designed and developed web applications using JavaScript for company X Worked with the data analysis team Took part in client meetings Led development team It’s a fine resume, but it doesn’t really make your skills pop. Compare it to the following: Designed and developed up to 12 dynamic and interactive web applications per year using JavaScript Collaborated with the data analysis team to design project requirements Worked closely with technical staff members, business analysts, and client representatives to ensure development compliance Led the 4-member development team Again, there is a lot more specificity. You understand the type of workload this person handles, how much collaboration their job really involves, and what type of responsibility they have regarding their team and overall projects. 3. Cybersecurity Cybersecurity is a huge buzzword in the tech world. With concerns regarding data safety on the rise, all members of a tech department are expected to know at least a little bit about cybersecurity. Whether it’s for ensuring company data is secure or developing new products that need to protect user data, adding cybersecurity skills to your resume is not something you’ll want to skip. When it comes to cybersecurity, companies may be looking for a lot of different things: Help with improving in-house compliance with state and federal cybersecurity requirements Monitoring company networks for threats Developing a proactive approach to cybersecurity Help training in-house staff to protect company data and assets against leaks, phishing attacks, and other threats, etc. As you can see, the requirements can be really broad, so it’s worth looking at what the company is looking for specifically. If the company operates in the cybersecurity sector, then it stands to reason that they are looking for individuals highly versed in the practice of data safety and protection. But even if they are from other industries, they will likely want to see a candidate’s abilities to help secure their information. Resume example Here are some common cybersecurity skills you might see on a resume: Removed viruses from company devices Installed anti-malware software Monitored company network and systems While yes, these are the basics of cybersecurity, they don't say a lot about what you can actually do to help a company protect its data or even develop secure products. Instead, give more insights into your skills like this: Secured and monitored over 30 websites successfully, with no major attacks recorded Discussed client cybersecurity concerns and needs, and developed a strategy to defend client assets from potential attacks Conducted employee training regarding cybersecurity protection to reduce the risk of breaches and leaks This second version tells a recruiter more about how much the candidate’s cybersecurity experience extends, as well as what exactly they can bring into the company. 4. UI/UX design UX and UI design are complementary skills, and to impress employers you should be able to demonstrate foundational knowledge of both. It’s easy to understand why both are so important. Say you’re developing a great web application. Now, choose to sacrifice one of the two: Make a stunning-looking application that wins design awards, but that users just can’t figure out how to use Make a highly intuitive, solid application people love to use, but hate to look at Neither option isn’t really preferable, is it? So when you’re adding UX or UI skills to your tech resume, you don’t necessarily need to worry about not being an expert in both these design fields. But you do need to make it clear you have a solid understanding of what makes for user-friendly and stunning designs. Resume example As always, look at what the company expects its new hires to know regarding UI/UX design, and try not to be vague with your abilities: Followed company UI requirements Ensured brand consistency Improved UX for new products Dig a little bit deeper with the presentation of your skills: Received 90% positive feedback from clients regarding UX/UI design Created UI in accordance with brand image, and balanced brand image with modern web design elements Improved UX scores by over 20% on the 4 last projects Providing numbers that quantify the what you achieved in your design work shows employers what tangible benefits you can offer as an employee. 5. Data analytics The world is now driven by data , so employers looking for candidates with data analysis skills and experience is no surprise. Data helps you work more efficiently to create better products, and helps a business reach its financial goals, so of course hiring managers are curious to know how well you can interpret a chart. When adding these skills to your resume, it’s a good idea to focus on what the data analysis has led to - the results of the process. After all, it’s the entire reason an employer wants you to have these skills. Resume example Here are some of the duties associated with data analysis: Used several types of data analysis software Analyzed data to understand product shortcomings and create solutions Communicated data analysis results to clients These are things you’d maybe say to a friend when trying to explain a bit about what a data analyst does. But a recruiter will be looking for something like: Used SPSS to track and analyze company data Interpreted data to assist the sales and design departments in optimizing operations, resulting in a 21% boost in sales Reduce operation costs by 10% Improved client retention 30% by providing better insights into project monitoring and review. Data analysis is all about numbers, so don’t be afraid to feature them in your resume to showcase what results you can achieve. Final thoughts: building your tech resume Once you write your resume and know exactly what types of skills you want to add in order to land your dream job, it’s time to consider the best resume format to complement your text. The right format can help support your goals and make it easier for recruiters to get a good overview of your qualifications. Not to mention, it’s a great way to make a good first impression! To create a great tech resume, try using an online resume builder that can help you generate work experience bullet points and write an attention-grabbing resume summary.

Become a Better Digital Nomad... With Books! Are you looking to learn some new skills to begin your adventure into remote work as a newbie wayfarer? Or are you looking to gain some practical advice for the next step on your journey? Maybe you're looking to discover a new sense of appreciation after being on the road for a while? Well, there’s a book for that... and, we’ve made a list! Check out some of our top choices of books for digital nomads: 1. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris For time management and ‘getting more out of life’ advice The 4-Hour Workweek is considered to be THE guide to becoming a digital nomad. Remote workers have used this blueprint for the past 15 years to escape their 9-5 jobs ... and you can too! If you’re looking for a good starting point to break into remote work , this is the book for you. Using real life examples, practical tips, and step-by-step guides, Ferris gives you the lowdown on how to make money online. He breaks down how to use online tools to automate and outsource your job, leaving you more time for a new adventure. As a digital nomad himself, Ferris offers a new perspective on work and provides realistic ways to achieve it. Throughout the book, he teaches you how to design your work and life so that you can take advantage of everything the world has to offer. 2. Wild Tech: Becoming a Digital Nomad by Ironhack The ultimate guidebook to taking your tech career on the road Our guidebook, Wild Tech: Becoming a Digital Nomad , teaches you everything you need to know about taking your remote job on the road, finding work-life-adventure balance, and building a life – and career – you love. If you’re looking the ultimate guide to combining work and travel, with tips and advice from experts in the Ironhack community , you ‘ve come to the right place! With our community in mind, we created a digital nomad toolkit with practical advice, handpicked recommendations, and travel inspiration from explorers who have been there before. The guide includes key time management tips for staying productive whilst also exploring your new surroundings as well as strategies to get out of your own way by facing your biggest fears and finding the motivation to chase your dreams.  Discover how to connect with other digital nomads, learn on the road, and fully the advantage of remote work with this guide by your side. 3. The Digital Nomad Handbook by Lonely Planet Practical advice and inspiration for living and working on the road With The Digital Nomad Handbook, Lonely Planet, a company famous for creating high-quality travel guidebooks, provides a different type of guidebook for travelers. Instead of describing where to go, they’ve taught us how to get away from the 9-5 life and become a digital nomad. Without shying away from the struggles of making it out on your own, Lonely Planet breaks down how to create a flexible and practical work-life balance on the road while managing career changes, maintaining relationships, staying healthy, and taking advantage of your travels. Digital nomads like yourself can take advantage of this template for working remotely while traveling the world to learn about destinations and occupations that would best fit various travel and career goals. Get motivated and gain some insight from travelers who have done this before. 4. The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest Transforming self-sabotage into self-mastery With a focus on mental health, The Mountain is You provides a different perspective on becoming a digital nomad. By using a mountain as a metaphor to represent the challenges we face, Wiest teaches us how to excavate trauma, build resilience, and prepare for the climb. Wiest discusses behavior patterns and negative thinking that prevents us from achieving our goals and provides strategies to overcome them. Since traveling can be such a mentally challenging task, this self-help guide is essential reading for any digital nomad that wants to learn new tools to drop negative habits and transition to new positive ones. You can achieve your potential and live life to the fullest with a new perspective and mindset using the tools in this guide. 5. The Art of Travel by Alain De Botton Understanding how and why we travel Unlike most guidebooks, The Art of Travel explores the reasons behind why we travel and how it changes us. In this collection of essays, De Botton mixes individual musings and historical insights to take a philosophical glance at the intricacies of travel and provide insights on ways to view it differently. If you’re looking for a new perspective on travel, this book will help you examine it from all sides. Learn how to take your tech job on the road as a Digital Nomad with these guides. Each of these books provide a different outlook on remote work and travel, so you can check them all out! If you’re looking for a place to start, download our free eBook. There, you’ll tackle the big ‘what if’ questions, learn tips on staying productive whilst having adventures, and get inspired to take the leap into your Digital Nomad journey. Check it out: Digital Nomad eBook | IronHack. Don’t just get a tech job you love. Build a life that’s adventurous!

It's a short step from big sister nanny to truck engineer or even to president of one of the world's most famous Tech companies. Virginia (Ginni) Rometty was anything but pre-destined for a thrilling destiny as a tech company leader . However, through hard work and perseverance, she became one of the very few women CEOs of a top 500 US company, IBM, from 2012 to 2020. This woman symbolises the essence of existentialism , the philosophical movement embodied by Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in 20th century France. Its key idea is very simple: " existence precedes essence ". Ginni is the very embodiment of the fact that everyone is the master of their own destiny. Contrary to pre-written life scenarios from which there is no escape, this strong-willed businesswoman shows us, in her own words, that " where there is a will, there is a way. " Portrait. A childhood of hardship and resilience Ginni was born into a middle-class family. Her mother was a housewife, raising her and her three siblings. When she was 16, Ginni’s father left home. Her mother and her four young children were left destitute, with no money and no home. “ We were on food stamps and my mother felt ashamed to have to do something like that, she stated. But she was determined that this would not be as the story ends . She went back to school, got a job and then a better job, and so on. It was one of the most defining elements of my life ”. This image of a determined and brave woman certainly shaped Ginni’s mantra for the rest of her life... ‘Only you define who you are’ Ginni  started from nothing and struggled to build a career that matched her ambitions. She graduated at the top of her high-school class, earning a big scholarship from General Motors to further study. With this money, she attended Northwestern University, as one of the few women in their engineering program. “ I came from no money, no anything, to go to a great school. It was just not the norm. This is why I feel so strongly when there is a will, there is a way ”. After graduating with honors in 1979, she took her first job with General Motors, working as an engineer on trucks and buses. A year later, she took a job with IBM as a systems engineer. She quickly became a rising star within the company… You think you know the rest? Not quite yet! ‘Stand up to scary challenges.' The scarier, the better Like many women, Ginni almost missed out on a successful career because of impostor syndrome. “ 10 years into my career, I was offered a promotion. The man who had offered it said: ‘you should take my job’. I said, ‘I’m not ready for this thing yet. Just give me a little more time…’. I went home that night and my husband said: ‘ do you think a man would have answered the que/stion the same way?’ So, I went back the next day and I took the job." Let's make a little digression that is not (really) one. It all began in 1995 in Pittsburgh, USA, when a man named McArthur Weeler decided to rob two banks with his face uncovered. He was arrested and stunned. He had smeared lemon juice on his face, convinced that it would make him invisible to the cameras. Psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger conducted a three-part study on students to find out how someone so ignorant could overestimate himself that much. They found that the more gifted students tended to underestimate themselves, while the less skilled clearly overestimated themselves. But what accounts for this 'overconfidence' on the part of the less gifted? According to the Dunning Kruger effect , the answer is simple: the less skilled the person is, the less likely they are to know they are ignorant . This syndrome leads to some pretty funny situations, where men usually take the liberty of explaining life to women who are more expert than them on the subject they are distorting. Rebecca Solnit, an entrepreneur and author of ' Men explain things to me ', has coined the concept of mansplaining . It is the act of explaining to a woman what she already knows. She once found herself in a conversation where a gentleman was trying to explain her own book to her without listening to the fact she was actually the author. In short, Ginni's husband's words resonate with Rebecca Solnit's work, as several studies have shown that men are far more likely to take a job they are not 100% confident to master . Ginni's journey teaches us that you have to throw yourself into the void and build your glider in flight. In 2012, Ginni became the first woman CEO in IBM’s 100 years history. With 30 years of experience under her belt, she blows a mischievous look in an interview: “ Growth and comfort never coexist. If you want to grow as a leader, you welcome challenge, you welcome risk. Because you know you come out better on the other side."

So, you’re thinking about learning UX/UI Design. Perhaps you’re just looking to pick up some new skills to help your day job, or maybe you’re a budding entrepreneur with dreams of building something for yourself. Or maybe you’re on the outside looking in, imagining what an amazing career in the tech industry might look like. Going back to college or university to start learning UX/UI Design might sound like overkill- especially when you can pick up new skills anytime, from any place. What better way to spend the summer than Learning From Anywhere? We’ve picked some of our best online masterclasses in UX/UI Design so you can have a taste of bootcamp life, and get yourself ready for the adventure of a lifetime! We’ve also selected some great beginner resources to help you get started. Looking for something different? Whether you’re building apps in Bali or studying data from the comfort of your own sofa, we’ve got plenty to keep you busy and get your mind moving. Check out the rest of the Learn From Anywhere series: Web Development Basics Cybersecurity Basics Data Analytics Basics UX/UI Design Basics: The Masterclasses Grab yourself a coffee (iced, if you’re somewhere tropical) and dive into these beginner masterclasses. Give yourself the full bootcamp experience from the comfort of home or…wherever you are! UI Design Crash Course with Figma Figma is a collaborative prototyping tool that helps generate user interfaces in an efficient way. You’ll learn about the basics of this amazing design tool, and apply what you’ve learnt by building a real project! Make sure you have Figma installed so you can practice and learn by doing. It’s free! Looking at the Future - What Designers Need to Know Technology is evolving. Are you ready for it? This webinar walks you through the future of design, with a particular focus on AR/VR, automation, and voice design. Future-proof your career in UX/UI Design! An Introduction to The Design Thinking Process Design thinking is a human-centered, iterative process that designers use to understand users, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems. This webinar will introduce you to the design thinking process and show you why it’s so important. UX/UI Design 101: Customer Journey Mapping Customer journey mapping is building a visual representation of your customers’ interactions with your brand. In this webinar we’ll explore this design concept from both a theoretical and practical perspective, and you’ll learn what to keep in mind when applying it, along with best tips. Build Your First App Prototype With Figma Figma is a collaborative prototyping tool that helps generate user interfaces in an efficient way. You’ll learn about the basics of this amazing design tool, and apply what you’ve learnt by building your first prototype! UX/UI Design Basics: Further Reading Don’t stop now! Your brain is buzzing and hungry for knowledge. Check out these great resources to keep you inspired and keep you learning. Learn how to build a UX/UI Design portfolio that recruiters and employers will love Find out how this Ironhack student went from artist to designer with an Ironhack bootcamp Check out these 8 books that we think every designer should read Learn UX/UI Design From Anywhere With A Remote Bootcamp! These masterclasses are just a taste of what you can get done with Web Development. If there’s nothing that fuels your fire more than learning new skills, and you’re excited about becoming a part of the tech industry, check out our remote UX/UI Design bootcamp ! While you're here, did you know that we wrote a whole eBook on becoming a digital nomad in tech? That's right! We did! Get your free copy for all the tips, tricks, inspiration, and non-nonsense advice.

What to Look For and Who To Work For So, you’re looking to leave the office life behind and become a digital nomad. We’re here to help make sure you find the right company for you.  Here are a few things to look for in a tech company as a digital nomad: Remote-friendly workplace Generous compensation Career growth options Positive company culture And to make it easier for you, we’ve made a list of some of our top choices: Doist Doist is a software company that builds productivity tools such as Todoist and Twist to help companies, teams, and individuals communicate with others and achieve their goals. With 100 remote workers in more than 30 countries, the team boasts 15 years of experience as a fully remote company. Their core values indicate a focus on working independently without borders, which can be seen in their emphasis on the asynchronous work of their virtual team of designers, engineers, and communicators. Doist provides industry benchmarked salary compensation and comprehensive health and well-being benefits, in addition to up to one month per year to work on a passion project. Toptal Toptal is a web-based app that connects businesses with freelancers. With over 1,000 remote workers across more than 90 countries, Toptal curates a network of skilled freelancers in various fields and helps companies scale teams on demand. A remote-first company since its founding, Toptal is one of the widest reaching companies in the world, offering positions in publication, business operations, and products, with flexible time off in all departments. American Express American Express is a financial services company with over 50,000 employees around the world. Although they are not a remote first company, AMEX offers remote or travel-friendly positions in many of its departments with one caveat – you need to have a quiet, dedicated office space with company-provided high speed internet.  American Express has been named one of the top 20 companies for remote workers for multiple years in a row and has positions not only in credit and banking services, but also insurance, travel, and other financial device services. Automattic Automattic , a tech developer with the goal of democratizing online publishing and commerce, is the parent company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and Simplenote.  With 1,971 remote workers across 96 countries speaking over 120 languages, Automattic is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their remote workforce.  Most roles available are in engineering, business development and marketing with additional roles in sales, finance, and design. Appen Appen , an IT company that uses crowdsourcing to collect and improve data for artificial intelligence and machine learning products , has been ranked one of the top remote employers by Forbes. With 350 permanent employees and over 1 million contractors, Appen has a wide reach in over 130 countries – and 180 languages – around the world. FlexJobs has ranked Appen one of the top companies with remote positions multiple times in the past 5 years and the company offers a commitment to fair pay, inclusion, communication, and well-being. Multiple remote positions are available, including roles in software engineering and project management. Swifty Swifty , a transit data software platform, manages public transportation and urban mobility . With 85 employees across the U.S., Spain, and the U.K., Swifty strives to offer a flexible work environment as a fully remote company. Their platform is used in over 300 cities to analyze real-time passenger and vehicle information as well as historical transit data. The company offers flexible work environments, unlimited PTO, education reimbursements, and paid family leave, among others. With open positions in customer success, sales, and engineering, they’re a great place to start your journey as a digital nomad. Atlassian Atlassian , a software company that creates project management and software development tools like Jira, Confluence, and Trello , has over 5,000 employees with offices spanning across seven countries.  With flexible schedules and remote work options, Atlassian strives to give their employees more control over where they live and work. Atlassian offers a competitive salary, robust benefit offerings, and professional development opportunities and strives to recruit and retain top talent in various departments such as Technology, Product, and Business Operations, so they’re a great place for enterprising digital nomads to work. Octane AI Octane AI, a Facebook Messenger & SMS platform for Shopify brands, helps merchants create quizzes, recommend products, and sync marketing data . Octane AI employs around  30 remote workers in 12 countries with a focus on fully remote work, unlimited time off, and professional development opportunities. If you’re looking for a smaller startup, this is the place for you. Articulate Articulate , a e-learning app used for workplace training, provides an all-in-one training system for small businesses . With than 400 employees located in more than 90 cities, Articulate gives employees the flexibility to decide where they work. Join Articulate’s goal to make it easier for the world to learn by creating products with easily customizable courses and training. Buffer Buffer , a business toolkit that helps small businesses build their social media audience to grow their businesses, employs 82 remote workers across 21 countries while supporting over 140,000 customers around the world. Buffer tries to offer transparency in everything they do by making their salary data, code, and product roadmap publicly available. Their commitment to quality products and trusted relationships can be seen through their company benefit offerings, including 4 day workweeks, professional development fund, and paid family leave. Are you looking to learn some new skills before you make the pivot into remote work? Check out our bootcamp offerings: Learn Web Development, Data Analytics & UX/UI Design | Ironhack Or read our new digital nomad eBook: Digital Nomad eBook (ironhack.com)

So, you’re thinking about learning Web Development. Perhaps you’re just looking to pick up some new skills to boost your current career, or maybe you’re a budding entrepreneur with dreams of building something for yourself. Or maybe you’re on the outside looking in, imagining what an amazing career in the tech industry might look like. Going back to college or university to start learning Web Development might sound like overkill-- especially when you can pick up new skills anytime, from any place. What better way to spend the summer than Learning From Anywhere? We’ve picked some of our best online masterclasses in Web Development so you can have a taste of bootcamp life, and get yourself ready for the adventure of a lifetime! We’ve also selected some great beginner resources to help you get started. Looking for something different? Whether you’re building apps in Bali or studying data from the comfort of your own sofa, we’ve got plenty to keep you busy and get your mind moving. Check out the rest of the Learn From Anywhere series: UX/UI Design Basics Cybersecurity Basics Data Analytics Basics Web Development Basics: The Masterclasses Grab yourself a coffee (iced, if you’re somewhere tropical) and dive into these beginner masterclasses. Give yourself the full bootcamp experience from the comfort of home or…wherever you are! Coding 101: Writing Clean Code Writing clean code should be the number one goal of any aspiring web developer. This helps you find and fix bugs, helps other developers review and build on your code, and ultimately leads to a better and more efficiently run program. In this webinar, you’ll be guided through some of the best practices to help write clean code. Remote Web Development: Intro to Git, JS, HTML, & CSS With remote working becoming increasingly common, we need tools that can allow us to simultaneously work on projects from anywhere in the world. For developers, Git and Github are THE tools that help us do that. In this webinar you’ll be introduced to Git and Github, and practice using them while coding your first mini project using HTML, CSS and Javascript. Build a Website in 60 Minutes with HTML & CSS HTML and CSS form the building blocks of any web application. In this workshop, you will learn some important HTML & CSS basics and apply what you’ve learned to build your very own website in just 60 minutes! Time to get creative! Blockchain 101: Coding the Basics Do you want to understand the exciting world of Blockchain? In this webinar we will cover the basics of blockchain to help you understand how this promising technology works, and how you can take advantage of it. Build an eCommerce with Javascript Have you thought about launching an e-commerce, but you don’t know where to start? If the answer is yes, this is the tutorial for you! You will learn the basics of coding to build your first MVP for your e-commerce. Web Development Basics: Further Reading Don’t stop now! Your brain is buzzing and hungry for knowledge. Check out these great resources to keep you inspired and keep you learning. Take our free JavaScript short course and master the basics. Find out if you have what it takes to be a developer . Learn how to overcome imposter syndrome as a developer . Find out how to land your first job in tech with no experience . Check out our YouTube channel for more free knowledge and tech-industry fun! Learn Web Development From Anywhere with a Remote Bootcamp These masterclasses are just a taste of what you can get done with Web Development. If there’s nothing that fuels your fire more than learning new skills, and you’re excited about becoming a part of the tech industry, check out our remote Web Development bootcamp ! While you're here, did you know that we wrote a whole eBook on becoming a digital nomad in tech? That's right! We did! Get your free copy for all the tips, tricks, inspiration, and non-nonsense advice.

So, you’re thinking about learning Cybersecurity. Perhaps you’re just looking to pick up some new skills to help your day job, or maybe you’re a budding entrepreneur with dreams of building something for yourself. Or maybe you’re on the outside looking in, imagining what an amazing career in the tech industry might look like. Going back to college or university to start learning Cybersecurity might sound like overkill-- especially when you can pick up new skills anytime, from any place. What better way to spend the summer than Learning From Anywhere? We’ve picked some of our best online masterclasses in Cybersecurity so you can have a taste of bootcamp life, and get yourself ready for the adventure of a lifetime! We’ve also selected some great beginner resources to help you get started. Looking for something different? Whether you’re building apps in Bali or studying data from the comfort of your own sofa, we’ve got plenty to keep you busy and get your mind moving. Check out the rest of the Learn From Anywhere series: UX/UI Design Basics Web Development Basics Data Analytics Basics Cybersecurity Basics: The Masterclasses Grab yourself a coffee (iced, if you’re somewhere tropical) and dive into these beginner masterclasses. Give yourself the full bootcamp experience from the comfort of home or…wherever you are! Cybersecurity 101: Learn the Basics If you are thinking of joining the cybersecurity world, with this talk you'll understand why Cybersecurity specialists have one of the most in-demand skill sets nowadays. Cybersecurity: Risk Management and Strategy David Garcia, Global Head of Cyber Security and Security Operations Center in Boehringer Ingelheim, explains in this video how to perform a risk assessment as well as how to design a Cyber Security Strategy. Become the Hacker of the Future Enrique Aparicio is the founder and CEO of Hackrocks, the cybersecurity learning platform which encourages you to continue learning by doing challenges. In this video he explains what you need to be a hacker. Thinking Like a Hacker: How Hackers Bypass Anti-Malware Software In this video you will learn from cybersecurity experts and gain insights into the mind of a hacker. You will learn how hackers plan and execute cyberattacks and see firsthand how attackers work. Defending Networks like a Spartan Do you know what it takes to defend an organization from cyberattacks? Carlos Valderrama - SOC Director at Proficio - will show you what it is like to defend networks like a spartan. Hacking campaigns affect Banks, Governments, Critical Infrastructures, all the industries, users, you name it. It’s the most critical issue we face as a society. Cybersecurity Basics: Further Reading Don’t stop now! Your brain is buzzing and hungry for knowledge. Check out these great resources to keep you inspired and keep you learning. Discover Ethical Hacking , and perhaps meet your next career path Understand the basics of password hacking , and understand how to keep your accounts secure Find out how this Ironhack student went from Aerospace to Cybersecurity with a remote bootcamp Learn Cybersecurity From Anywhere With A Remote Bootcamp! These masterclasses are just a taste of what you can get done with Web Development. If there’s nothing that fuels your fire more than learning new skills, and you’re excited about becoming a part of the tech industry, check out our remote Cybersecurity bootcamp ! While you're here, did you know that we wrote a whole eBook on becoming a digital nomad in tech? That's right! We did! Get your free copy for all the tips, tricks, inspiration, and non-nonsense advice.

So, you’re thinking about learning Data Analytics. Perhaps you’re just looking to pick up some new skills to help your day job, or maybe you’re a budding entrepreneur with dreams of building something for yourself. Or maybe you’re on the outside looking in, imagining what an amazing career in the tech industry might look like. Going back to college or university to start learning Data Analytics might sound like overkill-- especially when you can pick up new skills anytime, from any place. What better way to spend the summer than Learning From Anywhere? We’ve picked some of our best online masterclasses in Data Analytics so you can have a taste of bootcamp life, and get yourself ready for the adventure of a lifetime! We’ve also selected some great beginner resources to help you get started. Looking for something different? Whether you’re building apps in Bali or studying data from the comfort of your own sofa, we’ve got plenty to keep you busy and get your mind moving. Check out the rest of the Learn From Anywhere series: UX/UI Design Basics Cybersecurity Basics Web Development Basics Data Analytics Basics: The Masterclasses Grab yourself a coffee (iced, if you’re somewhere tropical) and dive into these beginner masterclasses. Give yourself the full bootcamp experience from the comfort of home or…wherever you are! Data Analytics 101: Python Programming Basics Python is one of the most popular languages among programmers for writing clear, logical code.  This free, interactive workshop will cover the basics of Python programming including objects, variables, and types. Python for Office: Automating Company Tasks How many times a week do you need to perform a repetitive task using tools like Powerpoint, Word, Excel, or email? In this video, we will take one of those examples and perform the automation of all the steps using Python. Machine Learning 101: Introduction to Decision Trees Interested in learning more about machine learning? Decision trees are one of the most popular machine learning algorithms. In this workshop, we’ll review some general concepts in machine learning, go over the main steps behind the decisions taken by the Decision trees algorithm, and show some use cases. The session will then follow up with a brief demo in Python. Machine Learning 101: No Code Concepts Interested in learning more about machine learning? In this webinar we’ll get a high-level view of machine learning domains and develop an understanding of the applications using very visual examples. We’ll cover examples of each type of ML domain, Supervised Regression, Supervised classification, and Clustering. Intro to Data Storytelling and Data Visualization with Tableau Learn the basics of Data Storytelling and a practical introduction to Tableau, the data-visualisation software, to help you build better insights. If you want to learn-by-doing, make sure you have Tableau installed. It’s free to try! Data Analytics Basics: Further Reading Don’t stop now! Your brain is buzzing and hungry for knowledge. Check out these great resources to keep you inspired and keep you learning. Find out how to tell compelling stories with data , and why it’s important that you do Get inspired by all of the cool ways that Data Analytics is changing the world Understand how to choose the right machine learning language Learn Data Analytics From Anywhere With A Remote Bootcamp These masterclasses are just a taste of what you can get done with Web Development. If there’s nothing that fuels your fire more than learning new skills, and you’re excited about becoming a part of the tech industry, check out our remote Data Analytics bootcamp ! While you're here, did you know that we wrote a whole eBook on becoming a digital nomad in tech? That's right! We did! Get your free copy for all the tips, tricks, inspiration, and non-nonsense advice.

How are you working on your professional abilities these days? Right now, everything is changing so fast. The skills you need to grow professionally are constantly changing, and fitting coursework into a busy schedule can be a challenge. Sometimes it makes more sense to get structured training and certifications to show off your skills, and remote learning is a great way to go. Going to school is time consuming and expensive, right? It doesn’t have to be. There are remote options that allow you to upskill on your own time . Since there are no brick and mortar establishments involved, you will get so much bang for your buck from wherever and whenever you want. We know it can seem like the only way to get ahead is enrolling in a full or part-time traditional in-person classroom, but with advancements in technology and lessons learned as work shifts to the home office, it’s definitely possible to get a quality education in a remote environment. There are some major benefits to keeping things remote. Here are some tips to make the most of it and continue your professional growth on your terms. Managing your time You are in charge of your time, which is priceless. When you enroll in a traditional, in-person learning experience, there are a lot of things that you’ll get to enjoy, but making your own schedule is not one of them. With remote learning, you have so many options when it comes to how you engage in your courses. You can watch recorded courses when it’s convenient for you, or you can join live events across time zones to match your schedule. Of course, part of this freedom and flexibility means you must be able to effectively manage your time. We suggest creating a weekly or monthly calendar for yourself , with dedicated blocks of time to focus on specific aspects of your professional development. It can be a hard habit to adopt, but without the structure of a schedule from a job or university, you may find yourself falling behind on your goals. Create the schedule for yourself and stick to it to make sure you keep moving forward. Time management is also critical for when you learn best. Whether you like to wake up early and knock your courses out of the way, or you’re a night owl who absorbs information best when the sun’s gone down, with remote classes you know you can find a group of people who learn in the same way. Plus, with remote, you get to connect with people all over the world. Setting up your workspace Remote learning might invite thoughts of sleeping in and watching videos passively while in your bed. Don’t do that! It’s really important to set up a work/study space that is devoted to the time you spend learning. Psychologically, if you work or study where you sleep, it will make it hard for your brain to separate work and rest, which leads to restless sleep and unfocused days! We suggest creating an office area somewhere in your home, or even choosing a local coffee shop or coworking space to create a clear boundary between work or study and relaxation. Don’t burn yourself out! Put on some music or a podcast that helps you concentrate and get down to business in your happy work space. Be sure to invest a little in a comfortable chair if you’re going to be at the computer for a long time, and set an alarm to remind yourself to get up and walk around throughout the day. We know it can be easy to get super into whatever you’re working on and time may fly, but physical movement is very important. Don’t get stuck at your desk. Connecting with your classmates We know socializing is a big part of going to school on campus. But online connections can be just as valuable, if not more. Imagine connecting with a classmate in Portugal or the United Kingdom during class, and going on to meet them in person when the course is completed! You’ll be networking with people all over the world, and the connections will allow you to make big bold moves when you’ve completed your studies. Ironhack bootcamps come with plenty of group and partnered tasks that will have you working closely with other Ironhackers who have a similar mindset to your own. Plus, when you attend an Ironhack bootcamp, the career enhancing skills you will learn are going to position you for international work. You’ll be training for the real world needs that come with the skills you’ll be acquiring. Tech jobs are increasingly remote, so studying remotely makes sense if this is the career track you want to pursue. Pick one thing and stick with it Focus, focus, focus! When learning remotely, focusing can sometimes be difficult. You may get distracted by friends and family, and life in general. With the freedom you’ll have schedule-wise, it can be very easy to try to take on a lot of new skills or projects. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can develop a solid understanding of one topic without putting in the time and dedicated effort. Unfortunately, that usually leads to nothing getting done well. We suggest you take on one main new project or skill at a time. That way you can truly master whatever it is you are studying. Then move on to the next thing. Basically, don’t try to learn data analytics, Korean, and the guitar all at once without prioritizing! Pick your battles or you’ll only end up getting confused, and probably won’t become an expert in any of the three. Focusing on a single main skill will help you retain information much more effectively! Give learning from anywhere a try! With just a few adjustments, you truly can learn important career-growing skills from anywhere in the world. If you can manage your time effectively and create a dedicated space for your learning and growth, you’ll be able to benefit from international colleagues and networks, and hone your focus. You will be taking a great step forward to building your career in the technology industry. Whether it is programming or design, there is definitely a masterclass for you. Just be sure to consider these tips to get the most out of your learning experience! Remember that you can always join an in-person bootcamp, but learning online is truly just as effective. Ironhack is guiding people who want to learn from on-demand masterclasses to upskill in the technology sector and land their dream job. Our Learn From Anywhere series is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the online learning opportunity. Try out a series of online masterclasses that we’ve handpicked to introduce you to the tech world… from wherever you are! Whether you’re comfortably nestled in your own home, on your lunch break at work, or deep in the Amazonian rainforest (OK, maybe that one’s a stretch) pick up the fundamentals of: Web Development Data Analytics UX/UI Design Cybersecurity Or if you’re really committed, take the leap into tech with our fully remote tech bootcamps. Level up and land the job of your dreams. All you need is the Wifi and the will to try!

Technology has been making our lives easier for centuries. But art and creativity have always been at the heart of humans and with good reason: machines are incapable of feeling, choosing, inventing. Without personality, emotions, cultural context, political struggles... How could they create? And what for? In the 2000s, machines first entered the sphere of creating art as a medium. And for several months now, digital art has been making the most of the possibilities offered by AI and is now exploring the metaverse and NFTs. But it goes even further. Today, the development of sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence and other technologies, such as blockchain, make it possible for machines to create works of art from scratch . For the time being it still functions on human request, but for how long? So how does digital art interact with new technologies? Can an AI be creative? What is the future for art and the profession of artist? Let's dive into the most exciting and terrifying things about Web3. Web3 Refresher: What Is It Exactly? Web3, also known as the "decentralised Web," is a new generation of the Internet. Compared to the two previous ones, its key is data immersion and decentralisation. This version of the Internet was designed to repair the shortcomings of Web 1 and 2, which concentrated control of the Internet in the hands of a few companies. 3D will be at the heart of Web3's graphics as it will be focused on a virtual environment. The two most important pillars of Web3 are NFTs and metaverse; these two technologies will make a great deal possible, especially for brands that want to communicate with original and immersive content. What’s Happening to Art in Web3? Digital art and the metaverse were expected to meet. As early as 2004, the curator of the Whitney Museum in New York, Christiane Paul, distinguished between art that uses the digital as a mere tool for creation — for example, photography, printing or music  — and art that uses the digital as a medium in its own right. This form of art suggests that the digital, in the broadest sense of the term, becomes the material for the creation, transformation and/or functioning of a work. So, as soon as new possibilities open up (to host, sell or even create digital art), it rushes in. Hosting Art In The Metaverse Since the idea of this new Internet is to further immerse Internet users , the role of the metaverse is central. This new technology invented by Mark Zuckerberg's company (renamed Meta for the occasion), is a virtual universe in which people can interact with the environment and other users. It can be virtual or augmented and immerses users in a stimulating experience. It's a bit like the "Matrix" or the parallel universe experienced by Di Caprio's character in Christopher Nolan's "Inception." What is revolutionary and new in the art world is that established artists are taking on this new space while playing with the medium by constructing digital art pieces made for it. For instance, at this summer's edition of Art Basel, German artist Albert Oehlen presented his augmented reality avatar in the metaverse. This parallel space seems to be a new playground for digital art, a new branch of art established in the 2000s. Buying Stuff — And Art — Through NFTs Thanks to the NFTs, the mechanics of acquiring and owning digital works has reached a new level. What exactly are NFTs? This acronym, which stands for "non-fungible token," refers to a good or asset that can be exchanged for another good or asset of equal value. So it's no surprise that some well-known NFTs are crypto-currencies (e.g. bitcoin), since they are easily exchangeable. But we are also talking about works of art (digital art, films, music...) or digital products (for the record, the first SMS and the first Wikipedia page in history were sold as NFTs). When you buy an NFT, you become its sole owner and you also receive a certificate of authenticity. To prove the uniqueness of an NFT, it must be digitised and registered on the blockchain. Once digitised on the blockchain, the history of a work (purchases, resales, date of creation, name of creator, etc.) is recorded forever. This is why auction houses specialising in art, such as Christie's or Sotheby's, have adopted the technology behind NFTs. Jeff Koons, one of the most prominent American artists in recent years, has pioneered the interaction of his work with the metaverse and NFTs. Moon Phases , a 2022 creation, was composed both of physical sculptures that he sold as NFTs and placed on the moon (in the metaverse). Creating New Kinds Of Artworks With IA Now, the two previous examples were peripheral to human-made art. But what if art was actually created by a machine? This is exactly what is happening thanks to new software, which allows digital art to be created via artificial intelligence. This is the case with tools like DALL-E 2 , Craiyon , Disco Diffusion and the young Google Imagen . How does it work? You describe what you want to create. For example, Donald Trump as a bagel. Or a drowning gorilla plane, Claude Monnet style. Or Sleeping Beauty's castle in horror movie style. Are you still with me? AI is unique in that it can create intersections and synergies between things that have absolutely nothing to do with each other; it can quite naturally make mixtures that a human would not imagine or picture. AI has no historical or cultural background and no personal limitations; it does what it is told to do (for now). As John Mauriello, YouTuber on the By Design channel, states, “ this technology is like a distortion portal that reinterprets all the human experience and shows you a new world." So, what does it look like? I’ve tested Midjourney for you. Sunshine on the street at the parade, psychedelic A drowning gorilla plane, Claude Monnet style Paris Hilton in the style of Caravage Bagel Donald Trump Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in a Horror Movie Big Bang in the style of Joan Miro A crying antdog An animal that does not exist (original and 2 upscaled versions) A funny joke. Quite poetic this one! Several schooners flying underwater Vintage theme underwater Iceberg dark logo The Big Question: Can AI Learn to Be Creative? In the future, will works created by artificial intelligence and works by human artists be sold at the same price? Will there be a need for a dedicated property rights and what status would these works have? These are the questions we will have to ask ourselves if artificial intelligence continues gaining importance. It is clear that it is capable of learning. John Mauriello explains: “ I’ve dedicated my whole professional life creating designs. This IA created created more designs that I could do in several weeks. Now, to be fair, a lot of these designs are not finished concepts. (...) A lot of them probably could not even be manufactured. But if I wanted to get anything even close to this level of quality a year ago, it would have taken probably 100 times more time. (...) The fact that’s is this good that early tells me it’s going to be a revolutionary concept." The question remains: an AI can improve its algorithm, becoming faster, more precise, more relevant. But can it be creative ? In the opinion of Arvind Krishna, Senior Vice President of Hybrid Cloud and Director of IBM Research, we are still a long way off. “ Teaching AI what’s melodic or beautiful is a challenge of a different kind since it is more subjective, but likely can be achieved. You can give AI a bunch of training data that says, ‘I consider this beautiful. I don’t consider this beautiful.’ And even though the concept of beauty may differ among humans, I believe the computer will be able to find a good range. Now, if you ask it to create something beautiful from scratch, I think that’s certainly a more distant and challenging frontier. ” To sharpen her eye for art, but not to become an artist in her own right. And that is to be expected. Indeed, if we ask ourselves what makes up the substance of art , we notice elements that could a priori be compatible with creation by an AI (a touch, a technique...) but also other elements that are just as important, if not more so, that are specific to the artist's personality and choices. Their experience, sensitivity, the angle chosen, what they want to convey at any given moment. A work of art is also an evolving process: unlike the work of an AI which would have a beginning, an end and a mechanical pre-constructed process to get there, an artist iterates on a work of art, whose creation takes the form of meanders, with sometimes, according to the artist, a good dose of improvisation, errors, changes, forced compromises... And this is what makes the work unique and sometimes spectacular, touching, impressive, rough or shocking. The Future of the Arts Let's start by saying that AI will only be able to create digital art, music and film for the time being. The day we connect AIs with machines capable of automating the creation of sculptures, paintings or automating the movements of mannequins and sets to perform their own play, this will become a global issue. For now, AI brings both opportunities and risks for digital art, music and film, which must be contained. With its ability to improve so much faster than humans and to bridge seemingly unrelated objects, AI can be a tremendous source of creativity for artists. A kind of infinite reservoir of surreal ideas, to stimulate human creativity. Marcus de Sautoy, author of The Creativity Code , believes that artificial intelligence is indeed more likely to emerge as a collaborator than a competitor . In the opinion of this Harvard mathematics professor, one part of the art market will remain unchanged, while another will use this new tool to open up its creative possibilities, just as the camera or camcorder was once seized upon. An opinion shared by Mario Kligemann, a visual artist: “ As an artist, on the one hand, you want control over your work. But at the same time, you also want interesting accidents to happen. Using AI allows me to find the right balance between the two." And while a UK study has shown that artists' jobs won't be affected by the existence of AI, the technology is likely to raise issues that will require legislation in the medium term. An AI was able to create an original song in the same style and with her exact vocal pitch by listening to Ella Fitzgerald's discography. While specialists have doubts about the ability of this piece to become a new jazz standard, it does raise questions about the ability of an AI to industrialise the copying of original visual, musical and cinematographic creations, at low cost and on an industrial scale. Will the sale of these works be banned? Should their creation be restricted? Might we introduce a notion of plagiarism via AI? Only time will tell.

You’ve heard of the allure of study abroad, but do you know what it can do for you? While it may be hard to sum up all the advantages of studying abroad, the main points to consider can be grouped into the following three categories: social, educational, and professional. Curious? Here’s everything you need to know: Social Benefits of Studying Abroad Culture This might be the most obvious advantage: learning about a new culture. And although obvious, it’s crucial. There’s nothing like a complete cultural immersion to open your eyes to new experiences, different realities, and things you’ve maybe never considered before. Taking in a culture first-hand for an extended period of time will help you both connect deeper with your culture and learn more about surrounding ones. Friends Moving abroad, even just to study, may seem daunting at first, but there will always be others in your shoes. Studying abroad is the perfect opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people; there’s nothing like common experiences to bring people together. If you’re concerned about meeting new people, check out expat or student groups on social media before you leave to get a head start on making connections. Discovering new things There’s something to be said for the chance to be surrounded by new things: food, people, customs, traditions, and much more. When you study abroad, the world is your oyster and it’s up to you to make the most of the experience. Live a little and say yes to new things - you never know what you’ll discover! Educational Benefits of Studying Abroad Language The majority of students studying abroad will have the chance to improve their skills and pick up a new language. There is no better way to connect with a new culture than by speaking a language. Learn what you can and make an effort to talk to locals; even a few words can go a long way. As the world becomes increasingly globalized, the importance of multilingual employees is skyrocketing. If you’re studying abroad in a country that speaks your native language, don’t worry! There are ways to still connect with locals. Try to learn local slang and engage in traditions. Or make friends with other exchange students: you can learn from them too! Opening your mind Learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom; there’s nothing like regularly interacting with people with different backgrounds to help you open your mind, think in new ways, and consider new perspectives. And you never know: you may learn a new way of handling a tough problem or a new tool that will transform your learning process. Independence If you ask any study abroad alum about their time abroad, there will definitely be an anecdote about getting lost, trying to navigate a new school system, or having to look in six supermarkets just to find one specific thing. And there’s a reason for that: studying abroad will help you learn how to problem solve effectively in complex situations. Professional Benefits of Studying Abroad Soft skills It goes without saying that studying abroad helps your professional career, but do you know how? Studying abroad is associated with the following soft skills that are essential for careers in tech: communication, problem-solving, teamwork, confidence, and time management . And that’s not even mentioning the increasing importance placed on cultural sensitivity, a global perspective, intercultural communication and global awareness. Your CV 85% of employees look for candidates with international competence ; adding a study abroad experience to your CV could be the reason you get your dream job. The soft skills we just mentioned are key for a wide range of positions and employers are on the lookout for candidates that demonstrate an ability to adapt to new situations, work with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures and, most importantly, are up for a new challenge. Multi-sector needs Employers are no longer looking for candidates to fill just one role; the most attractive candidates can support in various fields, have a wide range of experiences and can use their diverse backgrounds to provide the team with innovative solutions. Combine the soft skills gained from studying abroad with your hard tech skills that you learn in your course and you’ll become the ideal choice for a wide range of companies and roles. Studying Tech Abroad Tech and similar fields have long been associated with the inability to study abroad due to the technical language and intense study times. At Ironhack, however, we’re committed to providing you with the necessary tools to both launch your career in tech and have that valued study abroad experience . Here are some of the main benefits of studying abroad with Ironhack: Remote programs : with the option of remote courses, you’re unstoppable. Our remote courses are designed for those who can’t make it to campus everyday - for whatever reason. Flexible learning programs: choose from part-time or full-time options Part-time: looking to get away for a longer period of time and fully explore your new city? Our part-time option is for you. Full-time : only have a short window you can dedicate to your course? All you need is 9 weeks to make your tech career a reality. Worldwide campuses: with 10 campuses across three continents, Ironhack’s bootcamps offer you both an intensive education and unbeatable experiences. Study Abroad with Ironhack At Ironhack, we offer wide range of locations across the globe: no matter your preference, you’ll find the perfect place to study: Madrid, Spain : take web development, data analytics, UX/UI design or cybersecurity courses in the heart of Madrid while taking advantage of the Spanish capital’s growing economy that hosts many start-ups. Barcelona, Spain : offering the same courses as in Madrid, head to sunny Barcelona where big name start-ups are based to kickstart your tech career. Berlin, Germany : Germany’s tech-friendly economy is on the rise; did you know that it’s the biggest start-up hub in Europe? Berlin is the place to be. Paris, France : head to the city of love to find your new passion: tech. Our home in the 11th arrondissement is the perfect place to get into tech. Miami, USA : With close to $1 billion raised last year in venture funding, Miami is the ideal place to get into the US tech market with courses in web development, UX/UI design, and data analytics. São Paulo, Brazil : located in the heart of this bustling Brazilian city, Ironhack São Paulo is here to help you get your start in the Latin American tech market. Mexico City, Mexico : with a unique connection to both the American and Latin American markets, studying tech at our Mexico City campus is your key to success. Amsterdam, the Netherlands : our unique hybrid method in Amsterdam allows you to learn remotely and collaborate in person, letting you learn on your own while still benefiting from making connections in this bustling city. London, UK : connect with locals while studying remotely in London; with a wide range of student events and support, you’ll get the full Ironhack experience in an incredible city. Lisbon, Portugal : Portugal is one of the most popular locations for those looking to get into tech, thanks to the availability of visas for entrepreneurs. Ready to make your tech and travel dreams come true? Click here to apply to one of Ironhack’s tech bootcamps today.

Are you a user experience (UX) designer? Then, you have almost certainly come across the term “information architecture” at least once during your professional career. And if you think that aspects such as information and data architecture are not necessarily going to involve you directly, you might need to think again. In our guide below, we will be delving deeper into the world of information architecture, its role within the user experience, and why you should definitely pay attention to it. What Is Information Architecture? To understand what information architecture is, it can be helpful to focus first on the term “architecture”. In construction and engineering, architecture describes all the processes involved in the planning, designing, and sketching of a building. Now, simply apply this concept to technology. Information architecture refers to the planning, designing, and sketching of data and information within a digital environment. Common examples of these digital products include websites and apps. Information architects, therefore, are tasked with working out how to best structure the content of that digital environment to enable users to find the information they need quickly and easily. This could be aided by using information management software . Image Sourced from Finances online Information Architecture and User Experience: Two Sides of the Same Coin? At this point, you might think that information architecture is pretty much the same thing as user experience. This, though, is incorrect, as we are going to find out in this section. As a user experience expert, you are routinely involved with processes that are aimed at making an online user’s journey on a specific web page or app as smooth, pleasant, and valuable as possible. Whether you are working on a mobile game app, or on something used by professionals such as digital signature software , your goals as a UX designer will revolve around ensuring that the person using that digital product can do so in a way that truly enriches their life and addresses a specific need. Things you will be focusing on are the usability, friendliness, and emotional enjoyment that users gain from that product – not just the way the product’s content is structured. Going back to the construction and engineering parallel that we drew earlier, we could say that, if an information architect is the digital equivalent of an architect, a UX designer is the digital equivalent of an interior designer. Information architects help lay the foundation for a digital product that needs to be ordered, well-structured, and informative. A user experience designer, on the other hand, takes that well-structured digital product and adds some finishing touches that can help users fall in love with the product itself. It's also important to remember that UX designers are not the same as web designers or web developers . The latter category, in fact, works on software programs to develop internet applications through a client-server model. The Importance of Information Architecture in UX So, now that we know exactly what UX and IA are, and what their main differences are, you might finally want to find out why information architecture is so crucial to the user experience. The reasons are many. One of the most significant ones is customer retention. With the average human attention span shrinking further and further over time, experts have calculated that you only have a maximum of 8 seconds to make a good impression on an online user who visits your website or app. If during that incredibly short timeframe, you don’t provide what the user is expecting, they will swiftly move on to one of your competitors. Therefore, solid information architecture is crucial to creating a user experience that is positive, engaging, and enriching. Digital content that is not only compelling and interesting but also easy to find, read, and digest is what can help you win against your rivals. On the other hand, even the most exciting type of content that’s not presented in a way that’s clear, organized, and well-structured can rapidly turn into an epic flop. Content that loads too slowly, doesn’t load fully, or is difficult to find or understand requires the prompt intervention of a capable user architect who can sift through the chaos and restore order and meaning. Let’s imagine, for example, that you are a user experience designer working on the content for a company selling voice over internet phone systems . The company’s likely clients – or potential ones – are going to be busy businesspeople with little time (and patience!) on their hands. This means that the content on that web page must be to-the-point and informative, but also straightforward to find, quick to access, and easy to remember. You may wish to consider developing SaaS roadmaps so you can connect managers directly with users and share what you have been working on. The Takeaway UX design is not always associated with information architecture. This, though, is a mistake, as our guide has demonstrated. If you truly want your digital product to hit the mark, in fact, you need content and information that is both valuable and compelling, as well as well-structured, organized, and quick and easy to find. This is exactly why combining a solid information architecture with a great user experience is a winning choice, whether you are working on a website for interactive voice response (IVR) systems , an e-commerce store, a tech product, or anything else. By doing so, you can attract more users, retain them, and get them to come back to you for more. About the Author: Jenna Bunnell - Senior Manager, Content Marketing, Dialpad Jenna Bunnell is the Senior Manager for Content Marketing at Dialpad, an AI-incorporated cloud-hosted unified communications system that provides valuable call details for sales representatives and business owners running an outbound contact center with Dialpad . She is driven and passionate about communicating a brand’s design sensibility and visualizing how content can be presented in creative and comprehensive ways. Jenna has written for other domains such as MacSecurity and CEO Blog Nation . Here is her LinkedIn .

If you're thinking of starting your new life as a Digital Nomad, we've made a new book for you! In partnership with Tropicfeel (the experts in gearing up for adventure), we're excited to bring you... Wild Tech: Becoming a Digital Nomad This is an all-you-need-to-know guide on taking your remote job on the road, finding work-life-adventure balance, and building a life you life. It's totally free - because we're just that nice - but if you're not ready to hit download, here you'll find the first chapter and a sneak peak of what's inside... Starting the Digital Nomad Journey There are two kinds of people who dream of becoming a digital nomad. There are the ones who have all of their backpack options bookmarked months in advance, carefully weighing up the pros and cons of each. They’ve got a shelf (digital or otherwise) full of guidebooks for all of the amazing places they want to see. They’ve already joined online communities and started chatting to locals and other fellow travelers. Theirs is a world of to-do lists, itineraries, and reservations. Then there are the more ‘by the seat of your pants’ digital nomads. They’ve got nothing but a one-way ticket and a thirst for adventure. (And hopefully, y’know, a job !) Whichever type of aspiring digital nomad you are, whether you’re someone that has every detail planned to a tee or you’re working with nothing but a hope and a dream, we made this book for you. Why Digital Nomadism? Why Tech? At Ironhack, we’re inspired by our community of career changers. People who join us knowing that they want a job they love, and having the ambition and conviction to go out there and get one! So it’s natural that in this community of fearless career changers, we’ve got ourselves a few digital nomads. In fact, the tech industry at large is ripe with them! Thanks to the great shift to remote in 2020, the working world at large has seen a great reduction in presenteeism. This means that bosses no longer feel like they have to see you physically sitting in your chair at the office to know that you’re getting your work done. From 2020-2021 we the tech industry learned how to work remotely, with those who have been remote work champions from Day 1 leading the way. In tech, all kinds of roles discovered that they could work from home quite easily. Digital tools and video conferencing recreating the office experience without having to factor in commute times, forgetting your lunch, and not being able to take lunchtime naps. Web developers, designers, data professionals, product managers, tech leads, digital marketers…the whole tech team managed to stay at home whilst getting their jobs done. Then in 2022, we got the summer of revenge travel. As countries opened their borders to tourists, many remote workers decided to take their jobs abroad, alongside the horde of regular tourists! Some of them took short ‘workations’ as they came to be known. Others launched full digital nomad lives, packing up everything they own for a life on the road. Digital nomads have been a popular topic for years, but now they’re experiencing a kind of renaissance. Do you want in on it? Why this book? You don’t have to fall into the latter camp to be a digital nomad in tech. If you prefer to call yourself location-independent, just taking a trip, or going full DN, we applaud your adventurousness! This book is for you if you’re… …just starting to dream about becoming a digital nomad …planning your first ever workation to test the waters …looking to take your current remote job to a new country …looking to apply to a new remote job ….already on your way and looking for something to read on the plane! What Else is Inside? 🏝 Reaping The Benefits of Remote Work in Tech by Valentina Thörner At the heart of digital nomadism is a much broader topic…remote work. Before you start your journey, you need to understand the benefits of remote work (to make sure you’re taking advantage of them all!) In this chapter Valentina Thörner, an expert at Remote-How, will take you through the highs and lows of remote work to help you make sure you’re doing it right! 🔧 Web Development on the Road: Traveling While You Work by Dan Parry Building a digital nomad lifestyle is an amazing adventure, but it does come with a few challenges. And we know from experience that the best way to learn is from people who have been there, done that. For this chapter, we spoke to Dan Parry, a Product Manager and Developer Relations Engineer. Dan has a long history of digital nomadism, and relocating for a remote work life. Now he’s bringing his five year experience of successfully combining work and travel to show you how it’s done. 😱 Tackling The ‘What Ifs’ of Digital Nomad Life by Rowena Hennigan Rowena Hennigan is an expert in remote work and digital nomadism. A speaker, professor and a globally acclaimed expert in the digital nomadism area, she has recently launched a successful LinkedIn Learning course on “ Becoming a Digital Nomad ”. Rowena is a long-tested digital nomad, and has lived in over 60 countries over the past 30 years. Her impressive nomadic career (she moves around with family in tow!) provide us with a treasure trove of tried-and-tested tactics! 🎓 Learning On The Go: How to Study as a Digital Nomad To grow, we need to always be learning. And that’s especially true in tech, as every day seems to bring a new innovation or methodology to learn. With the rise of remote learning, especially remote tech bootcamps, fitting education into a busy schedule is easier than you think. You just need to set yourself up for success. “But how do I fit study around work and play?” This chapter is all about how to throw studying into the mix, and carry on learning as a Digital Nomad. 🎨 Life as a Remote UX/UI Designer by Yasemin Acar Here’s another take on digital nomad life, from a different perspective. Remember the more you can research the lifestyle, and gain tips and tricks before you start out, the better. Yasemin Acar is a UX/UI designer (and Ironhack graduate!) working and living as a digital nomad. Currently in Berlin, she was a project manager in the pharmaceutical industry, but during the Covid pandemic she decided to completely change her career. She wisely joined an Ironhack bootcamp and today she is working for an agency in a fully remote position as a UX/UI designer. 🌎 Networking and Finding Communities Abroad by Cassandra Le Cassandra Le has been working and traveling for five years in countries like the United States, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Spain, where she is at the moment. She’s in the city of Toledo, a historic city outside of Madrid, it is full of culture. However, it’s not necessarily a digital nomad hub. So building a digital nomad life in a city that isn’t a tech hub can be a challenge. After living for three years in Madrid, Cassandra finds Toledo a little more relaxed, and she tends to interact more with the local community as opposed to the tech/digital nomad community. In this chapter, Cassandra is going to help you re-define what being a Digital Nomad means to you, and help you figure out your own way of making it work. ✈️ Leaping Into Remote Life by Juliana Rabbi Juliana Rabbi is a recruiter-turned-career coach. After working for over 15 years as a recruiter and part of the human resources teams in multinational corporations all over the world, she has been working remotely for the past 8+ years and now helps professionals to create a career and a lifestyle that makes them happier. 🎁 The Digital Nomad’s Toolkit In this final chapter, we'll help you understand where to go, where to stay, what to take, and which tools to use. We'll also give you some top tips straight from Team Ironhack! So what are you waiting for? Your Digital Nomad life awaits! Grab your free copy right here .

Mistakes happen all the time . So why do they feel so horrible? Does it really have to be this way? Here is a mini guide to getting out of your mistakes and even making something of them. You will see that you can come out of a mistake unscathed, and even learn useful things for your work. Let’s get started. You’ve Just Made Your First Mistake! What Now? The package has just arrived. You open it in a hurry, eager to see the beautiful mugs and water bottles with the company logo for the new employees. And then you realise that you forgot to send the new logo and the rebranding colour to the printer. There are 500 goodies, the entire remaining budget for the year is gone and you have to tell your boss about the mistake. Ready to faint, you sweat profusely and lose your tongue. What should you do? At the coffee machine, you tell your story to your fellow developer. She tells you that she made a code error that broke the JavaScript infrastructure of one of your clients, who hasn't realized it yet, and that she can't fix her mistake. You both realise that mistakes (even those with serious consequences) can happen to anyone. Really anyone! You put it into perspective by saying to yourselves that you do not work in a hospital or in a nuclear power plant cooling area. Taking a step back and staying calm is the first step in dealing with a mistake , no matter how big or small. Take a deep breath and put your brain in solution mode . What can you do to fix the problem? If you acknowledge your mistake and come up with a solution at the same time, your boss shouldn't hold it against you for long. Why It’s Important Not to Hide Your Mistakes To confess or not to confess, that is the question... This Shakespearean dilemma is in fact not one at all. Like a boomerang, your little or big lie may come back in your face if you cover up your blunder. You will live with a sword of Damocles hanging over your head, you don't want that, do you? So get up the courage to tell your bosses everything. How do you phrase it in the most appropriate way? - Explain clearly and ask for help. ➤ "I made a mistake and I'd like to tell you about it so that you know about it and we can fix it together. - Say that you are coming with both the problem and the solution. ➤ "It's embarrassing, but I'm going to give you two ways I've thought of to fix my mistake. - Summarise the mistake. ➤ "In short, I... it had these consequences... etc". - Elaborate in a concise but precise manner, providing only the important details. - Propose the solution(s) you have thought of. - Be humble, calm and listen to your boss's reactions. You can say you are sorry or explain where the mistake came from, without trying too hard to clear your name or justify it. This posture will surely make your boss more empathetic! Good Companies Let You Make Mistakes Good companies and good leaders know that mistakes are part of the process. But they have their limits, and you have to make mistakes in the right way… Here are three tips that will help you make mistakes with panache and to make the most of your mistakes (for yourself and others). Own up to it The stress of being wrong can lead anyone to be defensive, self-justifying or even unfaithful or aggressive. Avoid these common parts and assume your mistakes with a clear head and composure. This mature attitude will make you a much more trustworthy professional. Your bosses will also feel more reassured that you are taking responsibility and keeping a cool head. This will be a much better basis for the discussion you will have about how to fix what you did. Don’t Make the Same Mistake Twice The key to successful mistake-making is to show that you learn from them. One of my bosses used to say that I could make as many mistakes as I wanted but never in the same way. And he was right. To err is human and some mistakes are inevitable. But the important thing is to understand how they came about and why, so that you don't fall for them again. If we take the two examples given at the beginning of this article, drawing up a checklist before sending a brief to the printer will ensure that next time you do not forget the graphic elements. Similarly, the developer can rely on experienced colleagues to sort out the bug at the client's premises and set up a team to ensure that this does not happen again. Here are three tried and tested tips to show that you learn from your mistakes: - Adjust the process that led you to a mistake to ensure you don't make it again. - Train yourself on what you didn't know how to do that made you go wrong. - Share the reasons for the failure with your colleagues to avoid the same unfortunate situation for others! Run a post-mortem In fact, sharing what you have learned by making mistakes is important at the company level. It does several things: - Let everyone understand how the mistake happened. Was it fatigue? Was it a moment of inattention? Were the company records confusing? - For the team to draw up a plan to ensure that the mistake does not happen again in the future. There are several ways to do this: - Simply a note by email or on a corporate social network channel (Slack...) - On the company's internal documentation, for example by creating a Notion sub-page on a project - At a meeting where you are given a small amount of time to talk about the subject - By giving a mini conference in front of colleagues during lunch break, if it was a very big mistake. Talking about your mistake to your team or even the whole company is impressive the first time. But it is the professionals with the most distance who do it best. It is therefore an indisputable mark of professional maturity. And if you can believe our long experience with dumplings at work, it will only make you more respectable in the long run. In a nutshell It's a bit of a vicious circle... We make more mistakes when we are stressed at work, but admitting them puts a lot of pressure on us. Owning up to mistakes is the best solution to make the office climate more conducive to a calmer way of working. We hope these tips will help you grow in your handling of mistakes, big or small.

The internet is evolving, and fast. On the web as we currently know it, information is stored on servers, which we can read on our computers. Today, we're moving towards a new type of internet called Web3; where data is decentralized and stored in many different places. From small startups to tech giants, a growing number of companies are investing in Web3, blockchain, and cryptocurrency — and are looking to hire skilled professionals to drive these exciting new technologies forward. But what does a career in Web3 actually entail? And how do you get started? In this blog post, we’ll explore what a career in Web3 really looks like: From what kind of jobs are available, to the skills you need to break into this emerging and innovative field. Let’s dive in! H2: What Kind of Jobs Are There in Web3? Web3 is an emerging space, with the scope for some really exciting and specialized roles in the future. But there are also multiple well-established entry-level Web3 roles; which include tech disciplines like software engineering, web development, community management, data analytics, and design. To give you a sense of what’s out there, we’ve pulled some examples of existing roles from a Web3 job board . Backend engineer @ Kodex UX/UI product designer @ Obol Data Analyst @ P2P.org What Kind of Companies Are Investing in Web3? The next generation of internet technology is happening right now. New, innovative companies are populating the space to create pioneering products and services that will change how we interact with the web. According to 101 Blockchain , the The web3 market could reach a total value of almost $81.5 billion by 2030 — making it a lucrative investment for companies across multiple industries, including finance , healthcare , and government services . Web3 companies are mostly startups, but there are also blockchain projects within larger companies (such as IBM and Twitter ). Most of these companies are working on infrastructure or tools for decentralized systems like Ethereum. Some examples of web3-specific companies include: ConsenSys ; a company offering consulting services, as well as development teams, focused on building applications on Ethereum's platform; and Melonport ; a Swiss startup who aim to create an autonomous community where individuals can manage their digital assets without intermediaries. Among the growing number of companies foraying into Web3 are tech giants like Twitter and Instagram , as well as FinTech companies in the crypto currency space (like PayPal and Alchamy ). Is Web3 Hard to Get Into? As a newcomer to Web3, you’ll be joining thousands of talented professionals seeking to help shape this new technological landscape. But before you do, you might be wondering how hard it is to break into the space. So, is Web3 hard to get into? Well, yes and no. As a new space, there are far fewer ‘guarantees’ than you’ll find in other digital discplines. It’s still unclear what long-term career progression looks like in Web3, as the workforce is technically still being formed. As so many Web3 and blockchain products are still being built, the baseline requirements for entry-level Web3 professionals can vary massively depending on the industry. On the plus side, joining Web3 as one of the early professional cohorts makes the Web3 job market a lot less competitive than other tech disciplines. You’ll be up against fewer candidates for Web3 roles, which means a higher chance of finding a job quickly and more leverage to negotiate a higher salary. Learning Web3 skills also demonstrates a commitment to staking your claim in this rapidly-growing space — which is bound to give you the edge you need when it comes to landing your first role. What Skills Will Web3 Professionals Need? Web3 is a complex and multidiscplinary field which requires a lot of problem-solving and analytics. Entry-level Web3 professionals are expected to be proficient in a wide range of technical skills, including: Front-end development. This includes frontend programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — as well as object-oriented programming, DOM manipulation, version control, and ReactJS. Back-end technologies. You’ll need to know how to create a MERN stack application, set up a NoSQL server, and use ExpressJS, NodeJS to create and deploy robust applications. Blockchain and cryptography. Web3 professionals need to be well-versed in the blockchain trilemma and how hash functions, digital signatures and proof of work and proof of stake consensus mechanisms function in practice. Etherium, smart contracts, and token standards. You’ll a working knowledge of smart contract development, Solidity and the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) through writing and testing smart contracts. Decentralized applications (dApp) development and tooling . Understanding how to develop and deploy dApps using front-end libraries such as ethers.js and web3.js. For complete beginners, this list might seem overwhelming — and even intimidating. Worry not! Beginner-friendly courses like IronHack’s soon to be launched Web3 bootcamp will see you learn all the skills needed to forge a career in Web3 — as well as benefitting from tailored career support to help you land your first role. Sign up now to be the first to hear when spaces are available! What Makes a Good Career? Web3 isn’t just a hyped-up buzzword: It’s already a well-established space with limitless potential to transform the way we use the web, forever. With a growing number of big tech companies recognizing the value of Web3, it’s safe to say the field is here to stay — and the demand for forward-thinking Web3 professionals is only set to climb. Web3 might be fertile ground for a new career opportunities, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right career path for you. High salaries, remote work, interesting projects, a future-proofed career, and other compelling factors might all sound good on paper — but in order to do the job day in day out, you need to feel passionate about the work. In the absence of a crystal ball, you might be wondering how to figure out what career path is right for you. We’ve come up with a resource to help you along your way, with our Career Vision Planner . Check it out!

70% . This is the proportion of recruiters who start their search for talent through their network. 40% of jobs in total would never be published, because they are filled in the so-called "hidden job market", since they can only be accessed by... networking. In his book Find the right job thanks to networking, Hervé Bommelaer writes: “ 75% of the hiring of senior managers is done through the network (...). The higher one is placed in the hierarchy and especially the more one advances in experience and age, the more this percentage increases. However, many of them rush to online advertisements, which account for only 20% of available jobs, or to headhunting, which places only 5% of managers in employment”. 20% of jobseekers only are actively networking. So, what is networking? How can you get the ball rolling and, above all, maintain your network on a daily basis to boost your career? Here are some tried and tested tips. Networking And String-pulling: What’s The Difference? If you think it's the same thing, we're sorry to say that you haven't (yet) understood anything about networking. String pulling happens when you put someone in a position. It is an act of authority that often has little to do with the suitability of the profile to a position or the hard skills or human qualities of the person. String-pulling is becoming increasingly rare, as recruiters have an interest in seeing the graft take hold. Moreover, for a high-level position, you need to have a very long arm to succeed in imposing someone. The network allows you to have access to hidden offers and sometimes to be recommended. Is this recommendation string-pulling? No, because we only recommend this person if he or she fits the position, if we have complete confidence in him or her. It is not imposed: if another candidate is better, he or she will be recruited. It is therefore important to understand that when you substitute string-pulling for quality networking, you are showing bad faith, jealousy... With this important distinction out of the way, let's dive into the heart of the matter. What Does Networking Mean? Networking is simply the art of building, nurturing and activating your own network . The professional network is the set of peers, colleagues and acquaintances that you know and can contact in the course of your work. What is the purpose of this famous network? It is the keystone of a flourishing professional life. It serves both to : - Develop your knowledge, by learning from your peers or other people - Explore the hidden job market by accessing offers before they are published or to apply for a job by being recommended - Or, on the contrary, to recruit your future colleagues - Develop your business or freelance activity - Find new prospects and clients - Build partnerships - Select suppliers - Nurture your relationships, whether you are employed, self-employed, an entrepreneur or even, who knows, retired... because man is a social animal! In short, whatever our professional situation, the network is a powerful tool . But you have to know how to activate it and avoid its pitfalls, so you don’t play yourself in the eyes of its members. Networking: The Don’ts Let's get to the heart of the matter with the common mistakes made when networking. Remember them well to avoid leaving a bad impression and never being contacted again. In his book, Hervé B lists the mistakes made by beginners: Making contact when you are still angry or in mourning with your former company . You are looking backwards, fragile, and your contacts can feel it. Not being clear about your professional project and therefore not being able to communicate clearly about it. We are not ready, not credible... We don't give people the desire. Looking for a job at any price , quickly. But who is capable of finding a job for someone, especially if they don't know it well or at all? Reading this networking expert, one understands other common errors. In a nutshell: Networking is NOT a one-way street. For a network to work, you have to give as much as you get. If possible, before you receive. Breaking someone's trust by not keeping a promise or sending an untrusted peer. Networking: The Best Practices So how do you build and nurture your network effectively? 1. Respect the values of the network The key value of the network? T.R.U.S.T . I send Y to Z if I have full confidence in her or him and if I think he will bring something to the table. There is nothing worse than getting negative feedback on someone you have introduced to a contact. It undermines trust with your intro but also the person you sent it to! Trust is built around other values, such as mutual respect, courtesy, tact, generosity, reciprocity, loyalty and discretion. When meeting people, active listening, solidarity and empathy will make you not a network robot but a sensitive and solutions-oriented person with whom you can build strong relationships. 2. Build a crystal-clear professional project It cannot be repeated often enough, networking with a flawed project is ineffective and detrimental to your personal branding. You can use the network to validate your project . In this case, you contact professionals and tell them that you need their opinion to know if what you imagine for your career is viable. Once you have clearly defined what you want to do, apply these simple rules: Communicate about one project . Do you want to do different activities? Make sure they fit into a coherent whole that you can talk about in no more than 2 sentences. Keep it silly simple . Simplify your project and use simple, well-known job titles. The more complex you make it, the less likely you are to be memorable. Work on your elevator pitch . You should be able to communicate your project clearly in 10, 30 seconds and 1 minute. Work in front of a mirror, recording the audio on your phone. Show this pitch to your closest network before releasing it into the wild. 3. Be clear about your target Choosing means giving up. You will not be able to meet everyone. Don't risk going around in circles without a goal, ask yourself the right questions to meet the people who will help you advance professionally: What is the list of companies that interest me? Who should I meet in these companies? (Leave the HRs in peace!) Which person in my close network can help me access this second network and what can I bring to him or her in exchange? Think about : Creating a spreadsheet of your dream companies, prospects, contacts Forcing yourself to make one networking appointment per week Passing on job offers, articles, resources that may be of interest to others in a selfless way 4. Ask for what you can get: anything but a job! Save yourself a lot of loneliness and embarrassment from your interviewers, never ask for a job . Instead, ask for... Information (job, sector, market…) Advice, an opinion on a specific subject or your project’s validation Sharing hard-skills Contacts and intros Partnership ideas A profile on a specific vacancy Or simply connecting to learn about each other’s activities. If you are pertinent, respect the networking rules and don't allow yourself to beg for a job or a recommendation , it will probably come by itself. That’s the way it goes! 5. Keep in touch and say 'thank you’ Did you get an intro, info, reco? You might be tempted to forget to inform your initial contact. Wrong! He or she wants to know if the meeting was successful and to be thanked. It will take you 5 minutes, at the same time as you do the follow-up with your new contact (to say thank you for his or her time and send the resources mentioned) to send a little note to the person who made the introduction. You can, depending on your level of familiarity, do this by email or LinkedIn message, by SMS or Whats'App, or even pick up the phone. "Hi Y, thanks again for connecting with Z. You hit the nail on the head, we found plenty of synergies! Don't hesitate if I can return the favour. I hope we can chat / have lunch / coffee soon". Why is this crucial? This completes your networking, gives you an additional opportunity to connect with that person and will leave them with an even better opinion of you. Where Does Networking Happen IRL? Networking can take many forms. In person, it can take place: In the office, in a coworking space, in an incubator In a café, in a restaurant At a recruitment event At a professional event (conference, etc) At events specifically dedicated to networking, for example within a school alumni network Woody Allen once said what he thought he owed his success to: 'I showed up'. Don't underestimate the power of the IRL meeting. Where Does Networking Happen Online? Online networking can be done: During informal video-conference cafés On LinkedIn instant messaging or directly in the comments (tagging someone on a job offer, for example) At online events: conferences, summits On Whats'App or Signal alumni groups You see, you have no excuse for skipping your networking routine. Do I Need Business Cards? The short answer: yes and no. When you network in person, a business card can help your interviewer remember you, especially if they have met many people in a short time. You can also offer to add them on LinkedIn, and send them a follow-up message. This will have the same effect. I would say that if you are an entrepreneur or in a stable position, the business card is useful. In other cases, an updated and attractive LinkedIn profile will be a good start. Bonus: How Long Will Networking Take? You now know what's in it for you in networking. But will you have the time? In her Ted Talk on Time Management , Laura Vandekam explains that time is elastic and that you put in what you prioritise. We advise you to make room for networking. The initial stake is a little higher than the cruising speed. But it is well worth it. Once your network is established, maintaining it will become a reflex, second nature. It will only take you a few minutes a day and a couple of 1 hour meetings a month. And it will pay you back a hundredfold, guaranteed.

As of 2022, there are almost a billion active websites in the world — with new websites and apps being built every day. It’s a user experience (UX) designers job to make those websites and apps easy to navigate, and enjoyable to use. It’s no wonder LinkedIn featured UX/UI designer on their list of the 10 most in-demand tech jobs in 2022 . With high salaries and low barrier to entry, a career in UX design has a very long list of benefits. But before you jump feet-first into a UX design bootcamp, you first want to know if a career in UX ticks all your boxes. What kind of companies could you work for? What kind of UX roles could you progress to? And how hard is it to break into the field? We address these questions (and more!) in this quick-fire beginners guide to a career in UX design. Before you know it, you’ll have all the answers you need to confidently foray into the exciting and innovative field of UX design. Let’s dive in! What Kind of Companies Hire UX Designers? If you’re thinking a UX design qualification will tie you to the tech industry for the rest of your life, think again. Today, almost every industry has an online presence; which means they need UX designers to facilitate a positive user experience. In fact, most companies recognize that good UX = good business — making UX design one of the most hired digital roles in the world. Beyond the tech industry, you’ll find job ads for UX designers in education, finance, non-profit organisations, healthcare, government, media, and sustainability (to name a few). A lot of the companies that hire UX designers tend to be those that have a strong focus on user experience, product design, and customer service. Some of the top (and highest paying) companies that hire UX designers include: Apple IBM ServiceNow Google Amazon Can You Work Remotely As a UX Designer? UX design is a highly collaborative (and versatile) discipline. Throughout the product design process, UX designers find themselves communicating with business stakeholders, conducting user interviews, and running live whiteboarding sessions with the rest of the design team. With so many moving parts, UX design might seem like a job best performed in the office. So what is the scope for UX designers to work remotely? As we saw throughout the pandemic, there are very few tech jobs that can’t be done from home — and UX design is no exception. Today, there’s an abundance of remote tools that make a UX designers life easier, from collaborative wireframing tools like Balsamiq and Figma , to user research tools like Maze or Userzoom . With a growing number of tech companies going fully remote, it’s never been easier for UX designers to wave goodbye to office life — and say hello to remote working benefits, like a better work-life balance and more autonomy over your working hours. To learn more about remote working in tech, check out our on-demand sessions on being a Digital Nomad in tech . Is UX Design Hard to Get Into? UX design is one of the most accessible careers in tech. It’s also a popular choice for career-changers, because it involves tasks and responsibilities that overlap with so many other disciplines — like psychology, research, and visual design. It’s one of the few tech careers where being a career-changer is seen as a huge plus — as it means you’ll likely be better at empathizing with the end-user, and advocating for their needs. What’s more, beginners have access to a vast number of UX courses and bootcamps, like Ironhack’s UX/UI design intensive bootcamp . This bootcamp seeks to train complete beginners in the in-demand skills and methodologies that today’s employers are desperately looking for. You’ll also learn how to think like a designer, and work collaboratively at every stage of the product design process. The best part? You don’t need any qualifications to enrol in a UX bootcamp. All you need is a laptop, enough time to learn the right skills, and the drive to make the switch! What Skills do UX Designers Need? UX design is a versatile and multidisciplinary field, which means UX designers need a diverse array of skills that stretch far beyond the confines of design. Entry-level ux-ers are expected to have skills in user research, wireframing, user journey mapping, user testing, and visual design. They should also be familiar with UX methodologies and frameworks, like design thinking and lean management. So, what about soft skills? UX designers are responsible for making sure the digital product is accessible, usable, and intuitive — which means putting themselves in the users shoes. To do this, they need empathy and curious; constantly striving to understand the users’ needs. They also need strong communication and collaborative skills, so they can work closely with UI designers, interaction designers, information architects, copywriters, and other stakeholders across the business. Overwhelmed by how much there is to learn? Worry not — beginners can master all of these skills (and then some) on a UX design bootcamp . What Does UX Design Career Growth Look Like? The phrase ‘the world is your oyster’ is particularly applicable to entry-level UX designers. UX design is a broad field, which can take you in a number of different directions across various sectors. Most UX designers stay in their entry-level position (like UX designer or junior UX designer) for a few years to get a lay of the land. Then, you might find yourself branching off into more specialized mid-level roles like interaction designer, UX researcher, UX architect, UX analyst, service designer, or motion designer. All these roles relate to specific parts of the product design process, which is why it’s so important to build up your portfolio as a UX designer first. You could also go in the opposite direction, into a more broad-scope position like product designer. Product designers work on every stage of the design process across both UX and UI design — even dipping into some frontend web development where necessary. They won’t be as involved in the day-to-day design as a UX designer; instead, they’ll be more focused on overall strategy and creative direction. Mid-level UX designers can quickly progress into more senior roles; like product manager or senior UX designer — as well as C-quite level roles like UX director, or VP of user experience. Don’t see yourself as a manager? You can continue building up your skills as an individual contributor, and choose a niche based on the types of products you design and the industry you work in. What Makes a Good Career? UX design is a popular career choice for a reason. It’s in high demand, offers rewarding salaries, and it opens the door to more specialised (and lucrative) career paths. But while these factors are all important, a good career boils down to one thing: How much you enjoy the work. The last thing you want is to go through the process of investing in a bootcamp course, and working hard to land your first role — only to realise it doesn’t fulfil you. Career changes are a commitment, so it’s worth taking your time with research. To help you figure out your dream career, check out Ironhack’s Career Vision Planner .

Are you stressed at work? Does it make it difficult and sometimes even spill over into your personal life? Any job can have its more intense phases and with them, its share of pressure. You can learn to manage them. But the most important thing is to identify the causes of your daily stress: is it the workload? Your work itself? Your environment (the company, your boss, etc.)? Because once you have identified the cause, you can work on it to find serenity at work . This article will help you to take stock of what stresses you at work. It will also give you advice on how to change things for the better. Keep your heart up! Figure Out Where Your Stress is Coming From…And Dealing With It! 1. You care too much Remember. Have you ever dreamt about that project you forgot to do or even talked about your job in your sleep? Your other half noticed and didn't hesitate to laugh at you in the morning. There's no doubt that you take your job very much to heart... A little too much, sometimes? It happens to all of us perfectionists that we find it difficult to compromise on the quality of our work. And when emergencies pile up, we don't always manage to prioritise 20% of the tasks that will yield 80% of the benefits... We sometimes get stuck on this micro-copy issue in a minor email, or on this bug on the front end that has few implications on the overall design of the site we are coding, even though we know it's neither rational nor efficient. And on top of that, we end up feeling guilty for not being productive enough. It's a double penalty. So how can you regain your peace of mind? Your perfectionism is the hidden side of the coin when you love your job. It's a feisty stallion that we'd like to teach you to tame. Tougher people than you have succeeded, so don't give up hope! Remember that : You are competent and your work does not have to be absolutely perfect all the time. It can be of very good quality overall, and no one will hold it against you. If your to-do-list spills over into your evenings and weekends, this is not a tenable situation. Your job is a marathon, not a sprint. Your colleagues and bosses need you to stay on top of things. So you have the right to prioritise and refuse tasks. The trick is to communicate about it . All successful entrepreneurs will tell you the well-known phrase: better done than perfect . I know, you hate that philosophy, it goes against all your work ethics and quality principles. But more often than not, it makes sense. Learn to delegate. Again, I feel you. That's time to train colleagues and freelancers who don't know your stuff as well as you do. But your mental load will thank us for the advice. Letting go is the key! 2. You don’t care at all At the other end of the spectrum of perfectionists who are passionate about their jobs and stress about doing them badly is you . The ones who are slowly dying of bore-out . Who hate their job. Despise their company's activity. Don't find it useful. And only dream of getting out . So how can you regain your peace of mind? Let me tell you a hard but necessary truth. It's ten times more stressful to work in a job you hate . So I'll be brief: if you can relate to this description, there's only one way out: get ready to leave . Whether it's to change companies or even jobs, take your courage in both hands and the bull by the horns and dream big about the next step in your career. And one last tip. In this hilarious TED Talk on procrastination , successful blogger Tim Urban explains that everyone procrastinates, but on different levels. And the power of his argument lies in his genius remark: the most pernicious procrastination occurs when there is no deadline . « Long-time procrastination makes people feel as spectators in their own lives », explains Tim. No one is going to chase you out of that job, except your willingness to leave . Tim shows a calendar on the screen that contains one square per week of a 90-year life. Spoiler alert: all the squares fit in one slide! Life is an extraordinary gift, and a short one. So please, get out of your job quickly and find one you love. Only this will make you feel better. 3. You’ve got too much to do Third configuration, your agenda is full . You work all day, during lunch breaks, in the evening and even on weekends. It's no wonder you're cracking up. So how can you regain your peace of mind? It's very simple. You will have to prioritise better, communicate well and delegate more . As far as priorities are concerned, use the Eisenhauer matrix . Prioritise the urgent and important tasks, plan the important but unhurried tasks. Delegate the less important and urgent tasks. And please, don't spend another minute on non-urgent and unimportant tasks! Just let it go. Also learn to manage your calendar better . Put the most important tasks on it first. Block off time in your calendar to make sure you have time. And specify your working hours. Even put an "Out of office" filter when you are not supposed to be working! On the communication side, it may seem counterproductive, but take more time to promote your work and educate your colleagues… and even your boss! The more visible you are and the more indispensable you appear to be, the more your time will be respected. If everyone is aware of all the big files you are dealing with, they will understand when you explain that there is no room for new tasks or projects. Finally, train your colleagues, interns, teams, freelancers to absorb some of your work . You’ll see, soon you will not be able to do without their help! 4. You’ve got too many meetings Your typical week, meetings from 9am to 7pm with a half hour lunch break . Not even time to take minutes, let alone do any real work. This is absolutely tiring, stressful and frustrating. It can even be blamed on you because as a matter of fact, you are not being productive. Start with Don't worry, it doesn't have to be that way . So how can you regain your peace of mind? Start by checking which meetings you are needed in . Explain to your colleagues that you will leave any meetings where you are not, and read their minutes if necessary. Help organise meetings better. They are often long and pointless, and not often followed by concrete action. Here are some tips: Appoint a facilitator to create the event, write the agenda and send it out the day before, be the timekeeper and take notes for the minutes. Invite only the necessary people and send the minutes to the team for information. Most meetings can be held between 15 and 30 minutes. Don't accept any delays, it will educate your colleagues and save everyone time. Don't run over. These tips should allow you to do two crucial things: fewer people in meetings (including you!) so time gained for everybody more efficiency and shorter meetings. Finally, remember to schedule deep work and no-meeting days in your agenda. Campaign for everyone in the company to have the right to do so, as it's beneficial for you all. 5. You don’t like your boss Are you stressed by your hierarchy? It is said that people do not leave companies, but their managers. Either you got off on the wrong foot with your boss . They are not a bad person, but you have different ways of working, sensitivities, which explains why things are not working out. If this is the case, you can put things right! The best thing to do is to call on a facilitator, someone neutral (from another team or even from outside the company) to help you talk. You can do this with the help of non-violent communication. This is the key. If, on the other hand, you have tried to establish dialogue but you have a toxic, stubborn and aggressive leader in front of you, it complicates things . Firstly, talk to your HR or management about the problems you are experiencing, in a factual way. Give examples of situations and what you have tried (unsuccessfully) to do to improve things. Put that in writing. Perhaps they will have solutions for you or even look to recruit a more constructive manager. If things don't improve, maybe it's time to open your eyes to other professional opportunities... 6. You’ve got real-life stress The last option is that it's not your job that's giving you a sore throat, but rather your personal stress that's spilling over into work . We all have our worries at home, with a sick relative, a child with school problems, arguments, family problems... One way of relieving the pressure is to talk about it (sparingly) to your colleagues or even your management. This is a temporary situation, but depending on the seriousness of your personal problems, it may require adjustments at work . In particular, it is not uncommon for companies to adopt the possibility of taking exceptional leave to accompany a loved one at the end of life, to recover from a miscarriage or to look after children when they are ill. If this facility does not yet exist but you need it, you don’t risk anything if you ask for it. Worst case scenario, your boss says ‘no’. Are you afraid your commitment to work will be questioned? Look at things from another angle. What if you can't concentrate, make mistakes or just have to leave the office? It would be brave and responsible to talk about this so that you can find the best way to organise yourself and no one else has to work twice as hard because you have to be away from one day to the other. Lessen Job Stress: Get a Job You Love To say the least, you now have a toolbox for reducing stress at work. Now, we'd like to give you THE simplest and yet most powerful tip. Love your work. You will do it without constraint. You will be great at it. You will feel useful. Your colleagues (or clients) will congratulate you. You'll be much less stressed, much more aligned with who you are (and want to be!). And if you're not quite there yet, consider enrolling in a bootcamp to retrain yourself.

Your heart is set on changing your career and diving into tech, but you’re facing one big question: whether to attend a full-time or part-time bootcamp . On one hand, you're eager to learn and to change careers as soon as possible and start your new tech job, but you do have a job and responsibilities and studying full-time is a serious undertaking. Both options have their advantages and drawbacks and in this article, we’ll dive into both, helping you make an informed decision that works for you . Part-Time Bootcamps Let’s first chat about the benefits of choosing a part-time bootcamp: Part-time bootcamps are more flexible If you choose to attend a part-time course, you’ll be able to continue working , be it in a company or freelancing. Some are lucky enough to have an employer to sponsor them, but if you don’t have this, you may need to rely on a steady income during the bootcamp; a part-time bootcamp will therefore allow you to combine your studies and work in a fairly flexible way. Generally speaking, the practical work of a bootcamp can easily be done asynchronously and in the case of group work, you can agree with the other participants to work online or schedule face-to-face meetings for evenings or weekends. With just a little organization, you're all set! Part-time bootcamps can be easier to follow There are as many ways of learning as there are learners; it's all a question of sensitivity and wiring: some learn by listening, others are more visual, and the last ones have to see everything written for it to stick. And still there are those who need to let the knowledge settle in over time. Sound familiar? If this is the case, then the part-time bootcamp will be the ideal choice for you. Less dense than its full-time counterpart, you’ll have time to reflect on what you discovered and plenty of room between classes to do additional research, reread your notes, dive deeper by listening to a podcast, or reading articles. Part-time bootcamps reduce the mental load In the same vein, bootcamps help to reduce the information load received in a short period of time. Just think about it for a moment: if you’re weighing the pros and cons before choosing, your life is probably quite full. Your job, whether salaried or self-employed, demands brain juice. Add to that your personal life, with family and friends who want to spend time with you. Sprinkle in your hobbies and add your 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Food shopping. Housework. The list goes on and on. Studying part-time can relieve some of your stress. Part-time bootcamps are still effective You’ll end up with the skills you were looking for at the beginning and some recruiters may even be impressed that you managed to hold down a job while taking a bootcamp, even if it was part-time. This will project the image of a dynamic professional, eager to learn and commit to continuous learning. Full-Time Bootcamps Full-time bootcamps dive right in If you're reading this article, you must be interested in a bootcamp and maybe a career change. So you’re probably eager to learn and to improve your skills; a full-time bootcamp will allow you to jump into a new field of study with both feet. It's a chance to get right to it: start that new job as soon as possible, plain and simple. Full-time bootcamps are incredibly fast If your goal is to quickly gain competence in specific hard skills to perform better in your job, full-time is the way to go. And if your aim is to reskill and start working as quickly as possible in a job that you really like, even better! Life is much too short to spend your days earning a living doing a job that doesn't feed you intellectually or make you grow and full-time bootcamps help get you ready for a new role in a matter of weeks or months. Full-time bootcamps help you focus Scientists tell us that the human brain is not designed to switch from one subject to another all the time, going so far as to say that multitasking is harmful to our neurons and our careers. Full-time bootcamps, designed to be incredibly intensive, allow us to focus on just one thing at a time, devoting ourselves to our subject of study for the duration of the bootcamp, allowing your mind to center itself. Full-time bootcamps hello you create strong personal connections Networking is an underrated yet central topic in career management and full-time bootcamps are more conducive to creating strong bonds with your fellow classmates, as you are all focused on the same thing at the same time, spending hours and hours together over the length of the course. For example, going out for drinks is easier after class sessions because you don't have work to do in the evening. And if your bootcamp is remote, this is still an option: you can use video calls for chatting or working on projects. However, it’s up to you to make the effort to reach out to other participants and make as many connections as possible. Full-Time or Part-Time: Questions to Ask Yourself We’d like to be able to tell you what to do, but this decision depends entirely on your individual circumstances and is something you have to decide on your own. But luckily for you, we’ve listed some crucial questions to ask yourself and help you make that decision once and for all. About your professional situation Will I continue to work while I study? Is it realistic to combine my job with a part-time bootcamp or will I have too much to do? Can my employer grant me a career break? If I'm self-employed, can I take a break for a few weeks or even months? About your personal circumstance Do I have any personal commitments that might be too much to handle alongside a full-time bootcamp? Am I surrounded by supportive people? Can they take on more organizational elements at home so that I can concentrate on my training? How will I organize my work/life/training balance? Is it better for me to have only two things to manage and therefore to do the training full-time? About your goals How soon do I want to graduate? Do I want to study continuously, without breaks? Am I looking to change jobs quickly? About your way of learning Do I love to switch from one subject to another and therefore won't have any problems with multitasking? Or is that challenging for me? Do I want something intensive or do I want to be able to take the time to rest and deepen my knowledge between sessions? In short, you have to find the option that suits you and your personal circumstances. As you can see, there are no good or bad choices, but there are trade-offs to be made. In relation to your career, your objectives, your personal constraints, and more, there’s lots to consider. We wish we could wave a magic wand to make your doubts disappear and help you decide, but we don’t have that power (yet!). The decision is yours but we hope to have given you something to make it with a clear conscience. Our awesome Admissions team will make sure you enroll in the bootcamp that'll work best for you–whether that's part-time, on campus, full-time, remote, or any of the options in between! Check out our bootcamps and start your journey!

Listen, jobs in tech are so hot right now. The Tech world is constantly evolving; no matter which specialty you choose, you can bet there’s a job with your name on it. That’s not all, with great jobs come great benefits and tech is an industry well known for its job stability, flexible work hours, paid time off, great pay, and don’t forget remote work! Yes, these things are all tempting, especially to workers just entering the field, but before you leap at the first opportunity that comes your way, you must take the time to find the right company for you. Here’s a little list to help you make the best choice for your future. Miami’s Tech Scene When it comes to the tech game Miami is at the top, no doubt about it. For years it’s been an industry secret. Now others are starting to catch on and it’s about time. Miami, The Magic City, has it all: fantastic weather, seaside properties, a culture that thrives on diversity, and a mayor who’s “all in” when it comes to cementing Miami’s status as the mother of all tech hubs. Miami is leading the charge in the tech world. It’s a trillion-dollar industry, drawing some of the biggest names and companies in tech and there’s no slowing down. The good news is that there’s always room for you to get in on the ground floor. Thinking of studying tech in Miami? Check out our Ironhack Miami campus! Best Tech Companies Hiring in MIAMI: Papa Let’s start things off with Papa , a healthcare company that’s truly one of a kind. Their focus is on human connection, pairing senior citizens with “Pals” to help them with daily tasks, arrange transportation for appointments, help with housing needs, or just provide clients with companionship. Papa is an employer known for taking the time to engage with its employees, offering diverse programs and initiatives for all, and striving to find ways to foster an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. A career at Papa has all sorts of benefits like competitive salaries, great insurance, 25 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) + some paid holidays, access to impressive wellness and financial services, and gender-neutral paid leave. Right now, Papa is looking for more talent on their tech team, offering roles for Senior Product Designers, Senior Software Engineers, and IT Security Managers. Blockchain.com Next is Blockchain.com , the place to go for all things cryptocurrency. It’s one of the world’s most popular and longest-running wallets, working with individuals and institutions alike to provide a safe space to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrency. Founded in 2011, Blockchain.com boasts a network of 37 million users located in over 200 countries. On top of that, it’s backed by power players like Lightspeed Venture Partners and Google Ventures. They’re especially on the hunt for engineers: Back End Engineers, Data Engineers, Front End Engineers, Mobile Engineers, Low Latency Engineers, and Site Reliability Engineers. There’s even room for a Data Analyst or two. MoonPay Since we’re already talking about crypto take a look at MoonPay , a simple app with a simple goal: to let users buy and sell crypto-currency quickly, smoothly, and safely in one place. It offers various forms of cryptocurrency and conversions. On top of that, MoonPay is currently active in over 160 countries and has access to over 250 leading wallets and payment applications. It’s a small company with between 200-500 employees so there’s plenty of room for growth and since MoonPay is a startup, you’ll be working in a fast-paced environment where every day comes with exciting new challenges! Right now, MoonPay is hiring Full Stack Engineers, Front End Engineers, and Solutions Engineers. Kaseya When it comes to IT management solutions our next company, Kaseya , is the leader of the pack. Kaseya provides businesses around the world with the tools to manage, organize, and secure their operations using cutting-edge cloud solutions and on-premise software. Currently, Kaseya’s solutions use over 10 million endpoints worldwide to assist businesses in commanding every aspect of their IT departments, both centrally and remotely. Right now the career track at Kaseya is on fire, they’re searching for IT support, Senior Salesforce Developers, Helpdesk Specialists, DevOps Engineers, Software Development Engineers, Security Operations Center Analysts, Senior Engineering Managers, Software Development Engineers, and Test Automation Engineers. Note - Kaseya also makes sure to offer entry-level positions. Restaurant Brands International (RBI) Next in line is RBI , a true leader in the restaurant industry running over 29,000 restaurants in over 100 countries so far and with names like Popeye’s, Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs under its belt, there’s no sign of slowing down anytime soon. RBI has been serving guests for decades, working to serve and improve its community through the research and development of sustainable resources for its products. RBI also has a reputation for working hard to keep employees happy. It offers multiple opportunities for training and development, paid holidays and generous PTO, Relocation assistance, company equity, 401K, customized development tracks, plus top-notch Health insurance and Wellness Benefits. They’re on the lookout for Software Engineers, Senior Analysts, Content Designers, Software Engineers, Senior Software Engineers (Python), and Frontend Engineers. Open English Open English is one of the most innovative e-learning sites around, hands down. Founded in 2007 Open Education, the parent company, has earned and maintained its reputation as the best way to make language learning affordable and accessible to students across Latin America. They offer digital English classes, test preparation courses, and level certification certificates, for students of all ages. Since this is an online learning site there is always a great need for talent to help keep things running smoothly so put this company on your ‘Ones to Watch’ list. Open Education is hiring Customer Service Supervisors, Workforce Analysts, Sales Team Trainers, and Quality Managers. Ryder Systems Ryder is a transportation icon, with one of the most recognizable logos in the USA. If you’ve taken a road trip in the last 80 years, there's a huge chance you’ve passed a Ryder truck or three. Ryder is a master when it comes to commercial transportation with a customer base that spreads through North America, Europe, and Asia. Fleet management is Ryder’s specialty, they offer truck rentals, leasing, used vehicle sales, fuel services, safety services, and maintenance services to clients. They also use their own Ryder Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) to manage transportation services, enable communication between drivers and dispatchers, and streamline routing/scheduling operations to keep businesses and their employees operating efficiently and safely. Ryder is actively searching for Hyperion Architects, Functional Leads, .NET Developers, Project Managers, and BPM Architects. OpenStore OpenStore is the new kid on the block. Founded in 2021, it’s become the go-to site for entrepreneurs looking to sell their Shopify stores easily and at the best prices on the market. It’s perfect for entrepreneurs looking for a unified experience using data and capital to connect to their target audience. It’s a smaller company but among the positions available you’ll find a lot of opportunities. With OpenStore, the magic word is “lead” - opportunities for Product Leads, Diligence Leads, Fulfillment Leads, People Operations Leads, and Procurement Leads abound. That’s not all, there’s also room for Software Engineers, Graphic Engineers, Webmasters, Search Specialists, Search Analysts, and Data Scientists. UKG Next up is: UKG , an innovative company that teaches companies how to operate every aspect of their business smoothly and efficiently, no matter the industry. Their mission statement is “Our purpose is people” and it shows in everything they do. It’s not hard to see why their rankings are so high! The reviews on Glassdoor are glowing, full of testimonials from employees expressing thanks and appreciation for the ways that UKG makes them feel valued and supported. Not only does UKG care for its employees, they go above and beyond to ensure that its clients feel the same passion for their workforce. UKG is a beast in the tech field, offering jobs for multiple positions including support analysts, data analysts, software engineers, test engineers, full stack developers, mobile developers, and that’s just the beginning! The company boasts great benefits, competitive pay, 401K, and numerous opportunities to learn and grow in whichever department you choose to join. Reef With thousands of offices and employees worldwide, REEF is one of the heaviest hitters on this list. This company specializes in showing companies ways to utilize extra spaces in office parks in a functional manner. REEF is best known for its ghost kitchens which operate in office parks and parking lots across the world. At last count, REEF has over 300 food trucks run by different international and independent restaurant brands. They are currently looking for an IT Asset Management Analyst and have several open positions for Project Managers. How to Land Your First Tech Job If you’re already imagining palm trees and long walks by the beach, you’re not alone. Think this is just a pipe dream? Well, think again! Don’t second guess yourself: landing a job at one of these incredible companies is doable! Ironhack knows what companies like these are looking for and will make sure you have the knowledge and skills to get your foot through the door. From Novice to expert, there’s a Bootcamp to fit everyone’s needs regardless of background. If you’re ready to change your life, start a new career, and work where there’s always an ocean view: check out our tech bootcamps today !