The Ironhack Blog

You're reading the next installment of our Tech Voices series! We want to make sure we share diverse voices from the Ironhack tech community so you, as a budding tech professional, get to know your peers and learn from their experiences. Tech Voices: Nicolaas Spijker, Growth Marketer at Rock Starting your first remote job opens up a lot of exciting opportunities in terms of personal and career development. After graduating from university I got a fully remote job in a globally distributed team. We have no office and people across 7 different time zones. My name is Nico and I work for Rock , a San Francisco based tech start-up with a globally distributed team. The team works together across continents and time zones by adopting an asynchronous by default work style. This allows me to travel the world as a digital nomad while keeping a full-time role. Here, I will write about what working as a digital nomad can look like and what skills I think you should invest in to succeed. I’ll also add in some personal productivity tips to get the most out of your work day. What working as a digital nomad can look like Working for a startup is super exciting, but learning how to stay organized and productive is crucial to also make sure you have enough time for the fun stuff. When working remotely, you have to reimagine what collaboration with team members, freelancers, clients, and partners actually looks like. Interactions must become more intentional without the convenience of casually bumping into someone in the office, or meeting over coffee. Creating a flexible work schedule with asynchronous work Within our team we follow the philosophy: “Communication should be asynchronous by default, and synchronous when really needed”. This comes in response to a corporate culture where meeting is often the default , causing people to burn out more often and be less productive. In response to this, our team tries to prioritize asynchronous work . We minimize the number of meetings and communicate more through tasks, messages, files, and notes. This opens up our schedule to maximize deep work hours. Additionally, it gives work flexibility and allows us to work from any location or time zone. What does this look like in practice? Well, my schedule typically has about 5 meetings for the week, and the rest of my day is spent on day-to-day tasks. Pick and choose where you want to work from Because my job is remote and my schedule is flexible, I can work from any location or time zone. Earlier this year I worked in San Juan del Sur for a few months. It’s a quaint little surfer town near the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I would often wake up at 6 am, get in a 2-hour surf session, and start my work day afterward. Alternatively, as you can’t really control the tide, I would sometimes surf from 3 to 6. Work flexibility allows me to wrap up my work day by starting earlier or adding another hour after surfing. Currently, I’m working from Lisbon, Portugal. Because I only have 5 meetings a week and they are not our default communication channel, it was easy to reschedule most of them. This means that while the time difference is a staggering 7 hours, my work day has barely changed. Future locations I’m considering include South Africa, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. As you can see a lot of these countries are in different time zones. Thankfully, our team communication allows me to pick any location without negatively impacting my productivity. What skills do I typically use in my remote work job? There are a few different skills you can already start leveraging if you’re looking into a remote marketing or growth job. I’ll quickly walk you through a few I leverage on a daily basis for my different projects. Project management Mastering project management was naturally part of my job as Rock is an all-in-one messaging and project management application. Understanding the basics of project management is crucial in any remote tech job, even if you’re not a project lead. If you’re new to project management, it basically consists of juggling different communication channels (i.e. messages, task management , files, and notes) in order to move a project forward. There are a few frameworks such as Agile and Waterfall that you can use to structure the phases of a project. Following these frameworks is often easier said than done. Fully understanding them takes time. Nevertheless, once you master them, you’ll see more and more projects crossing the finish line in time. Digital Marketing and SEO As a growth marketer, I leverage different digital marketing and SEO skills to get more brand visibility and ultimately get new users to sign up for our platform. You don’t need to be a full-fledged expert with over 10 years of industry experience to start making an impact. Typical activities include ideating new content that fits with the interests of our audience, configuring the SEO of our website, working on backlinks with corporate partners and so much more! Fear not if you have no experience with digital marketing or SEO yet. Nowadays there are digital marketing and SEO bootcamps that can already position you in a great way if you’re trying to break into tech marketing. Data Analytics I have a data analytics background from my university studies. It’s important to measure the impact of the different activities you do on a day-to-day basis. Throughout growth projects, I have used tools such as R, Tableau, and Python. It’s important to understand what metrics you are trying to improve, how to measure them, and how to properly interpret the data. How does seasonality affect your data? Is there bias in your data or interpretation thereof? While data analytics can come off as an intimidating or daunting skill to build up, I have found that there is a steep learning curve once you get started. It also doesn’t have to take years or a full bachelor's degree to set up a strong data analytics foundation. Some data analytics bootcamps can already set you up for success within weeks. Some personal productivity tips Now, there isn’t really a playbook on how to stay productive while working remotely. Some people like to work from home, others from a coworking space or a cafe. There are also early birds and night owls, and different workspace setups. In the following section, I’ll discuss a few habits and activities that have helped me stay productive while working remotely. Say no to meetings Is it relevant for you to attend the meeting that has just been added to the schedule? If the answer is no, then you might want to consider declining it. It’s not common business practice but really should be. Of course, you shouldn’t just cancel and not communicate with your team. Ask the person who invited you what to expect from the meeting and what you’re expected to bring to the table. If the person struggles to understand what your role in the meeting is, they will most likely agree with either canceling the meeting or hosting it without you. Document as much as possible Documentation is key if you are looking to work remotely and asynchronously. Make sure that information and updates are easily accessible to anyone. This allows team members to find project details or track your progress without having to personally ping you. My two go-to’s for documentation are a task board and file integrations. A task board allows you to see what work is on someone’s plate. With filters such as assignee(s), labels, priority, and due/start dates it’s easy to keep track of who is doing what and what the progress is. File integrations: I store loads of information on Google Drive but it can often become tricky for team members to find information back. By adding relevant folders and files to spaces or individual tasks, it becomes easier for team members to find back important information. Keep a small to-do list Looking onto your task board and seeing 30+ tasks being assigned to you can be daunting. Instead, I like to add a few priorities for the day to a weekly to-do list. Our application has a unique feature for this, Set Aside. I can move any message, task, note, or file to this dedicated panel and check back on it later. Once I finish the activity I remove the object from the panel in order to make sure there are not too many items on it. My preference is between 5-10 items max on the panel. If there are more items, I try to reprioritize my activities in order to stay within the limits. This gives me a clear picture of what to work on in the short term. This can also come in handy when I have to answer someone but need to think about my answer a bit more. Adding it to Set Aside means I don’t have to scroll across spaces or chat history to answer this message as it’s directly connected to this panel. Stop context switching too much A remote setup can quickly get confusing with too many apps open while working on different tasks. Context switching is the practice of continually changing between tasks, tabs, or different platforms in order to get work done. It’s hard to focus if you have to think about two tasks at the same time or navigate different user interfaces across apps to communicate with your team. Try setting up communication strategies that are more streamlined and don’t require you to switch between platforms too much. Keep communications centralized so you don’t have to constantly switch between messages, tasks, notes, and files. I personally keep all my communications on Rock and integrate my video, cloud storage, and design files to the space so I can easily switch how I communicate with my coworkers or people outside of my team. Last but not least: set up a good tune list I spent vast amounts of time on Spotify listening to different playlists. I often find myself switching between deep house, techno, rock & indie, or pop tunes depending on my mood. Trial out a few different playlists and see what works for you. I find it much easier to get into a productive flow when the correct playlist is on. Setting up a good playlist makes it easier to zone into a task while reducing the noise of your environment.

You're reading the next installment of our Tech Voices series! We want to make sure we share diverse voices from the Ironhack tech community so you, as a budding tech professional, get to know your peers and learn from their experiences. Tech Voices: Magali Bejar, Product Manager at Toptal Magali Bejar is a computer engineer from Argentina, creator, and podcaster in tienequehaberalgomas.com . She worked as a technical product manager and became a digital nomad to travel the world in 2018. She has been recently recognized as Emerging Leader in 2022 by the London School of Economics. Magali organizes BA Digital Nomads in Buenos Aires, is an ex-TEDxUTN organizer, part of the Singularity University chapter in Buenos Aires, and is a hip-hop dancer. How to be Productive While Traveling as a Digital Nomad Around the World Working from home could be challenging already depending on your job and adding traveling on top of it is even more complex. When you travel, there are always a lot of distractions and things you could be doing instead of your job but the good news is that you can still be productive while you are on the road. I believe you need to be in a good personal place to perform at work so if you want to keep your productivity up, you need to clearly understand what you need and what works for you. Let's start with the basic know-your-self questions. Have you ever thought about what gives you energy and what depletes you? What activities do you like doing besides work? How do you have fun? If you are unsure about any of these answers, the next step is to go experiment. Travel by yourself, with family, and with new or old friends. While you do this, pay careful attention to what you feel comfortable with. Work What has worked best for me is when I was working in a safe place with a positive work culture. No matter if you are traveling or not, it is always better if you have clear responsibilities, and independence to execute your tasks and you are surrounded by a good accountable team. Choosing where you work is key. Would you rather work from a cafe, your own Airbnb, or a coworking space? You need to be comfortable without the extra stress of thinking about closing hours, safety, and plug availability. Most jobs require you to be online or on calls with either team members or clients, so the first step to picking a destination will be considering the time zone you need to be in. Have you thought about your work type? Ideally, you can ask for much asynchronous work as you can but if you have a lot of calls, when are those happening? In my case, I organized the day to be overlapped with the office during their morning so I worked by myself before they started their day and later had 4 hours of calls. When I started traveling in North and Center America, I was working for US west coast which could mean up to 5 hours difference. After a few months, I felt more comfortable traveling to Europe adding an extra 4 or 5 hours difference. I had 6 months with a 9-hour difference while being a team lead. During this time, my day was upside down. I had my morning free to go to the beach for a tour and then I worked from 4 pm to 11 pm. It was crucial to find a 24-hour coworking space with a kitchen that allowed me to cook and have dinner in between calls. If you have an employer they could pay for your membership cost. What always helped me is overcommunicating to get ahead of possible problems. I document as much as possible so the information is available for people to see when I am offline. Remind yourself to be flexible. Accessing your information on your phone, having backups and a local SIM card with internet can save you a lot of headaches. Destination You can design your life based on what a place has to offer. You could easily go to a place where you can visit a museum every morning or head to the beach after work. It is very different to pick a vacation destination than a digital nomad one. Think about the places that you want to visit and ask yourself these questions: What is the place's vibe? Are things happening during the day or at the night? If you are a morning person, you will have a lot of 7 am healthy plans in Bali but if you are a night owl, you could have dinner in Buenos Aires every day until 1 am. How do you feel about the high or low season? How does it affect your economy when places are packed and prices go up? Are there other digital nomads there? Does the place offer activities you like to do? In my case, I am a pool type of swimmer which is a very inconvenient sport when traveling. Also, being at the beach near the water is a good way for me to recharge so I keep that in mind to pick a summer location. Build a routine When you travel, you are constantly making so many decisions: where to go next, how to get there, where to sleep, what to buy in a supermarket, and what to do after work or during the weekend. We all have decision fatigue which is the idea that after making many decisions, our ability to make additional decisions becomes worse. Avoid this trap by making one choice that solves many because it could be really draining depending on the city. For example, with my diet that one decision was becoming vegetarian which crosses out 80% of the menu options. Now, it is much easier to decide what to eat. Physical health When you are on a two-week vacation it is not a big deal if you go off track with exercise, sleep, or food but in this type of trip, you constantly need to remember that this is your long-term lifestyle. There are some basic and very logical things that are hard to maintain on the road. Figure out how can you keep working out regularly. In order to keep a balance, you need to eat healthily, drink a lot of water and avoid eating out every night. Depending on where you are staying it could be challenging to have a good 8 hours of sleep. If you are sharing a room in a hostel you might not be very comfortable or if you sleep in a hotel check-in and check-out times might be an issue for you. Mental health During 2022, I have already traveled more than one round around the globe so I try to not normalize what I go through as part of my digital nomad travels. I know it still is very privileged to have this lifestyle so gratitude journaling keeps me grounded. My best trick to work on happiness is to invest in new and old relationships. Do not forget to keep in touch with friends and family back home as often as you can. This requires extra work but I sometimes schedule catchup calls with friends just to see what they are up to. As my way of meeting new like-minded people, I always join coworking spaces and meetups wherever I go. Ask another nomad what is the best way to connect with similar people in a city maybe you can find the right coliving space or Whatsapp group to integrate yourself with the city. If you are in Buenos Aires, you can join the digital nomads' meetups I host . Conclusion I always keep in mind that working allows me to travel long-term. I might only see a few new things a week but I still get to be somewhere else for an extended period of time instead of having 3 weeks of vacation each year. Having this lifestyle helped me become more efficient to finish my work and enjoy the city where I am. Parkinson's law shows that we will use all available time to complete a task. Figure out how long are you staying in each place to avoid being stressed that you will miss seeing attractions. A good idea is to stay at least a month or two in each place. Being a digital nomad is challenging because your mind and body might experience extra stress if you are not exposed to it back home. You have always the choice to design a trip that works well with your style. Remember that there is no right or wrong way of doing it, what is important is to enjoy the ride and have fun!

To those who aren’t familiar with cybersecurity, the word might conjure up mental images of robot security guards jangling huge sets of keys. While the reality is a lot less futuristic, cybersecurity is definitely one of the hottest digital careers out there. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the cybersecurity field is expected to grow by 22% over the next decade, and it’s predicted there’ll be 1.4 million jobs in cybersecurity by 2024. That growth is driven in large part by an increased need for cybersecurity professionals — especially as more companies move their operations online and into the cloud. If you're curious about what it takes to be a cybersecurity professional, you've come to the right place! In this guide, we break down exactly what a career in cybersecurity entails; including what kind of cybersecurity jobs you can get, and how hard it is to break into the field. Let’s get right into it! What Kind of Jobs Are There in Cybersecurity? As you break into the field of cybersecurity, it’s important to get a sense of the different directions you can explore within the field. Being a cybersecurity bootcamp graduate can mean there are multiple different roles available to you, which all involve a variety of different tasks and responsibilities. Some of the most popular entry-level cybersecurity positions include: Security auditor. Security auditors will audit and assess a company’s systems and processes to ensure they remain compliant. They’ll also flag any potential risks, and provide actionable steps for better protection against cyber attacks. Information security analyst. This is one of the most popular cybersecurity roles, and entails developing security strategies, researching IT security trends, and monitoring networks in order to protect an organization’s computer systems. Forensic examiner. Forensic examiners recover, analyze, and preserve digital evidence and data in the case of cyber attacks or breaches. They’ll also work out how the person was able to breach the system in the first place. Gaining entry-level experience, and building up your understanding of security systems, can take you into mid-level cybersecurity roles such as: Penetration tester. Also known as ‘ethical hackers,’ penetration testers will test and hack a company's security systems to identify weaknesses and opportunities for non-ethical hackers to strike. Security engineer. Security engineers design, test, and maintain security systems that protect companies and employees from cyber attacks. They’ll also lead incident response teams when security breaches occur. Experienced cybersecurity professionals can climb the career ladder to the very top, which includes c-suite roles like Chief of Cybersecurity or Chief Risk Officer (CRO) . What Kind of Companies Hire Cybersecurity Professionals? Accelerated by the global pandemic, a growing number of companies are recognizing the need to be protected from cyber attacks and data leaks. In 2022, there’s an average of 1.2k cyber attacks happening every week — which affects almost every industry and sector under the sun. For cybersecurity job seekers, this is great news: There are truly more cybersecurity jobs than ever, and you’ll be spoilt for choice with the kind of company (and industry) you can enter into. The industries which are fertile ground for cybersecurity careers tend to be the ones that handle sensitive information, including: Financial institutions (e.g., banks, credit unions) Telecommunications companies (e.g., wireless and landline carriers, internet service providers) Government agencies (e.g., law enforcement agencies and military branches) Healthcare companies & national health services Retailers & e-commerce companies Major companies like Deloitte , EY , and Accenture are also known to regularly hire cybersecurity professionals at every level. To keep abreast of new vacancies, we recommend bookmarking cybersecurity job boards like Cybersecurity Jobs and Infosec-jobs . Can You Work Remotely in Cybersecurity? Remote work is here to stay, so it’s important to understand how flexible your new career path is (and how much scope there is to work from home). Like many digital careers, cybersecurity is a job that can easily be performed remotely — especially with the addition of remote-collaboration tools that make it easier to update and sync with colleagues across time zones. External pen-testing, malware reversing, and other cyber-intelligence activities are usually best performed in a focused and autonomous way — making remote working an even better option for cybersecurity professionals who get distracted easily. Ironically, many cybersecurity professionals are hired into companies to help them manage the risks of remote work. As cybersecurity professionals help create — and act as the guardians of — cybersecurity and data protection guidelines around working from home, they’d certainly have the companies trust when it came to performing their job remotely in a responsible way. To learn more, check out our on-demand sessions on being a Digital Nomad in tech . Is Cybersecurity Hard to Get Into? Protecting a company from cyber attacks is a significant undertaking, so companies require at least 5 years of professional experience in order to trust someone to do the job, right? Wrong! As we’ve seen, there’s a global talent shortage for cybersecurity professionals — which means employers are looking to hire as soon as possible. They’re much more concerned about the technical skills needed to perform the role’s basic tasks than your previous experience or college degrees. When it comes to learning in-demand cybersecurity skills, beginners are spoiled for choice. There are multiple credible cybersecurity bootcamps designed specifically to transform you from complete novice to job-ready professional. On the Ironhack Cybersecurity bootcam p, you’ll get the chance to work on several projects that will establish and solidify your skills as well as doing a final review on risk and security management processes and security models. You’ll also get bespoke career support from industry leaders who know exactly what employers want to see, and how to succeed in your first cybersecurity position. In short, no — cybersecurity is not hard to get into . All you need is a laptop, the time to dedicate to an intensive bootcamp, and a vested interest in the field! We write more about this in our guide to breaking into cybersecurity with no previous experience . What Skills do Cybersecurity Professionals Need? In order to land your first role as a cybersecurity professional, you need a resumé that showcases the in-demand skills employers are looking for. Let’s unpack some of the most important hard and soft skills you’ll need to learn: Computing skills. Cybersecurity professionals need to understand how systems work, from the hardware level up to the application and software levels. They need to be able to identify vulnerabilities in these systems and find ways to defend against them. Problem-solving skills. The ability to investigate incidents, identify patterns, and resolve issues directly with stakeholders is essential for a cybersecurity professional. Communication skills: Part of problem-solving involves explaining technical details in ways that others can understand — and speaking with stakeholders who aren't technical experts themselves. Analytical skills: You'll be analyzing data from a variety of sources all day long as part of your job description, so if you’re considering a career in cybersecurity — chances are you already have an analytical mind! It’s equally important to master these soft skills as it is to get to grips with the technical skills. Employers want personable, proactive cybersecurity professionals who are able to slot seamlessly into tech teams and directly impact business goals. To give yourself the best shot, it’s worth investing in an intensive Cybersecurity bootcamp. There, you’ll go from complete beginner to job-ready cybersecurity professional in just 12 weeks. What Does Cybersecurity Career Growth Look Like? As an entry-level cybersecurity professional, you won’t have any trouble landing your first role. But what about beyond that? How much scope is there to grow and develop — and what does a typical cybersecurity career path look like? As they first start out, many junior cybersecurity professionals opt for jobs that’ll give them the most exposure to security systems — like cybersecurity specialist or security administrator — so that they can specialize down the line. After a few years of experience, you might find yourself getting promoted to a more specialized mid-level position, like penetration tester or forensic analyst. As these roles require a keen attention to detail, and a comprehensive understanding of security systems, you’ll need a few years of preliminary experience first. With career progression comes the opportunity to specialize — both in the work you do, but also in the industry you work in. Many industries have specific requirements when it comes to cybersecurity, so you could decide to build a niche as a healthcare or finance cybersecurity professional. This will allow you to get to know specific systems incredibly well, and understand exactly what cyber threats are most commonly faced in your industry. With enough years under your belt, you’ll also have the choice to explore management positions; like security manager or incident response team lead. That’s not to say that individual contributors won’t benefit from limitless career growth: If you’re passionate about cybersecurity, the sky’s the limit! What Makes a Good Career? There’s a reason cybersecurity has had 0% unemployment for nearly a decade. With a growing number of major companies investing more in their cybersecurity efforts, cybersecurity bootcamp graduates can take advantage of the numerous opportunities and steady career paths available. But cybersecurity might not necessarily be the right path for you. When searching for a new career path,  it’s important to consider what kind of work will be the most rewarding above all else. Here are some questions to ask yourself when figuring out your dream career: Do I like this field? Do enjoy learning about new things in this field, and networking with industry professionals? Will this field still be relevant in 10 years' time? After all, you don’t want to find yourself in the same boat a few years later. Is it lucrative? If you can comfortably sustain yourself while doing what you love, you’re onto a winner! If you’re still unsure which path to take, we recommend checking out our Career Vision Planner .

All education is good education and there are multiple ways to learn whatever you want through every possible medium, but when it comes to tech classes, there’s one burning question: are online or in-person bootcamps better? Let’s take a deep dive into the pros and cons of taking remote or in-person tech bootcamps so you can find an answer, make your choice, and get started on your tech journey. Remote Tech Bootcamps: Pros and Cons The advantages of remote bootcamps Pro: remote bootcamps boast flexibility and can be adjusted to your schedule. If convenience and flexibility are top priorities, then there’s no doubt that a remote bootcamp is perfect for you. Online bootcamps let you set your own pace so you can study the way that works best for you while getting the same quality education as an in-person course; on top of that, you can study and attend lectures from home, a cafe, a park, or wherever you want. And if you can’t make a class in real time, don’t stress out. Recordings are available online so you can watch lectures at a more convenient time. Pro: remote bootcamps get you ready for the increasingly remote corporate world Right now, working remotely is the way to go! Over the last few years, remote work has gained popularity around the world and workers are loving the change. Remote bootcamps give you a leg up by preparing you for the online business world, teaching you priceless skills like collaborating with team members in other parts of the globe, using Slack to communicate smoothly, and running efficient and productive online meetings. The disadvantages of remote bootcamps Con: remote bootcamps can trigger FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) Our campuses are always buzzing with awesome activities (ask the survivors of our Water Balloon Wars!) so it’s the perfect environment for social butterflies. Remote students are always welcome to join the main events, but you’ll find that outside of the main Ironhack events (Like our Friday Ironbeers), you won’t have much interaction with your classmates or teachers. Pro/con: remote bootcamps keep you in your comfort zone Whether this is a pro or con depends on you; if you’re someone who works best in your comfort zone, then maybe you should stay comfortable so you can learn more efficiently. On the other hand, maybe you need a little push to help you adapt to new surroundings and meet new people, helping you to grow and thrive. Either way, the decision is up to you. In-person Tech Bootcamps: Pros and Cons The advantages of in-person bootcamps Pro: In-person bootcamps offer an unparalleled community One of the pros of in-person bootcamps is connecting with your community. There’s always something happening on campus; at Ironhack, there’s rarely a dull moment. Attending classes in-person lets you spend time with your classmates (on and off campus), interact with teachers and staff, and participate in more on-campus activities. Pro: In-person bootcamps get you work ready Learning how to navigate the wild world of commuting and work in an office-like environment every day is guaranteed to prepare you for the in-person business world. If you decide that working in an office is perfect for you, then adapting to a new daily routine will be no sweat. The disadvantages of in-person bootcamps Con: In-person bootcamps require commutes That dreaded commute. Depending on where you live, it can be a blessing or a curse. As a commuting student, you’ll enter a magical world filled with traffic jams, packed trains, delayed trains, missed buses, no buses, and much more. The possibilities are endless! Now, there are ways to turn this con into a bit of a pro. You can always use that commute time to read, study, meditate, or listen to podcasts (ideal if you’re driving). If you can’t avoid the commute, embrace it! Pro/con: In-person bootcamps get you out of your comfort zone Yes, it bears repeating–whether this is a pro or con is entirely up to you. If you’re looking for a way to meet more people and expand your network, then getting out there and making some friends might be a great idea. But if you’re the indoor type, commuting and in-person classes may be more than you’re willing to take on. And don’t worry: you can meet people and make connections online as well. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable and make the choice that’s right for you. Choosing Between Remote and In-person Bootcamps So which option is perfect for you? Before you throw your hat into either ring, here are a few more things to consider for both remote and in-person bootcamps: Remote bootcamps: Frequently remove the stress of feeling scrutinized. If a student has a question or needs clarification on an issue, they can message the instructor or a classmate to ask privately without the pressure of feeling singled out. May require more discipline than in-person classes. It’s easy to get distracted in front of a computer screen, especially with phone alerts, social media, and more, so you must have great time management skills and ensure you’re able to focus on your coursework. Tend to be far more accessible than in-person classes. If there’s internet, you can access your coursework and attend lectures using multiple apps like Google Meet and Zoom. They also offer more flexibility to those with other responsibilities, such as childcare or jobs. In-person bootcamps: Often have set times and schedules so they don’t offer students much flexibility. In-person classes and lectures are rarely recorded–if you miss a lecture and can’t reach a fellow classmate for notes, you may be out of luck. Require a commute . On top of class time, you’ll also need to factor in time (and money) spent on travel and preparation. This means that in some cases, online classes may be the more budget-friendly option. Offer more in-person interaction between students and teachers, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get to know your teachers with remote classes! On the contrary, online classes let you touch base with your teachers at any time, so you can always ask for help or feedback. Still not sure which option is best for you? No worries, that’s what we’re here for! The Ironhack Admissions team is more than happy to provide you with personal guidance to help you find the best option to fit you and your career goals.

You're reading the first of our Tech Voices series! We want to make sure we share diverse voices from the Ironhack tech community so you, as a budding tech professional, get to know your peers and learn from their experiences. Tech Voices: Maria Samoshenkova, Senior Product Manager at FitXR 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. What Does a Product Manager Actually Do? Building a product is the most exciting and unique process. Unfortunately, there isn't a well-defined path to gaining the required skills and knowledge to be an effective product manager. There are no standard products to build and there is no degree or certification that product managers get before they start their careers. Everyone has their own journey and professionals come from very different backgrounds, which adds uniqueness to the way they manage the product. Before jumping into my personal story I will recap the fundamental hard and soft skills. While Product Management is a multi-dimensional role that looks very different across organizations or even teams. The key principles to understand would be: the ability to validate the opportunity and present it to the stakeholders; the design and development of the product process within your team; and how to launch and iterate that feature/ product. In the other words, naturally, you have to like to collaborate with people, be a quick learner and be extremely efficient in your actions and communication. Learning the fundamentals of product management through the courses, Bootcamp or being mentored at the start can be instrumental to accelerate your professional growth. Teenage years When I was in school I wanted to become a designer. I was not very clear about what kind of designer however, I do remember having piles of sketchbooks full of drawings of evening gowns, cars and some interior design bits. It wasn't just drawing of a real-life objects, it was re-imagined objects, my view on how cars and dresses should look like. Nowadays we call a “prototype” in Product (I didn't know the meaning of that word back then). I come from a relatively conservative family when it comes to studying, so going to study design at University was not “serious” enough. I had to choose to study Banking, Business Economics or Law. I was advised to select something “generic” which will “open many doors” once I finish. I am sure you did hear that too, didn't you? I chose an International Business with Spanish and convinced my parents I have to study in London. University I moved to London 3 weeks after turning 18. As an international fresher, I had to live in a Student residence as per University rules. So much free time. Nobody was managing my schedule. Psychological shock! Back home I had a busy schedule since I can remember myself. School, homework, additional tuition, sports, music lessons, swimming lessons, dancing lessons. You name it- I’ve done it all. Some days I had gymnastics before school at 6 am. My first year at University looked totally opposite. My mates and I were staying up late, sleeping through the afternoon lectures and even after completing all the homework, I felt like I had more free time than I ever had in my entire life. The first month I was kind of enjoying it but soon I started to get bored and wanted to do more. To begin with, I joined our local thousand-square-meter health club with a massive gym floor, multiple group exercise studios and an Olympic swimming pool. That's how my journey in fitness started. Fitness I could get lost at the gym for a good 3-4 hours every day after lectures. I trained and played sports all my life, so being around a buzzy evening environment at the gym felt so natural. Meantime, many of my university mates were getting their first part-time jobs. A typical student job was waiter, barista or receptionist at a hotel. Considering I cannot hold more than two plates at a time, without dropping them, neither of those appealed to me. One day I bumped into my trainer at our local coffee shop with piles of study materials preparing for a Kettlebell Workshop. I found out that getting a certification to teach fitness group classes does not require a full-on degree but a series of certifications that I could easily combine with my University studies. The next day I was already enrolling in my Personal Training course. I promised my parents that this is only my “little student” job and that after graduation, I will be looking for a “serious job”. Well, just over 10 years later, I guess it is safe to say that the Product Manager is serious enough and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else now. If a personal trainer with a business degree could switch to Product Management, I believe anyone can do it too and perhaps even quicker. Here are my five steps to transition and learning highlights for a successful transition. Making the Transition to Product Management Step 1. Understanding my natural ability I started my story by explaining my ideal job as a teenager and what kind of lifestyle I had. This is important. Because I believe this is the time in our life’s when we genuinely lean towards the things we enjoy doing without worrying about social status, average salary or “the seriousness” of those jobs. I wanted to be a designer. This is how I explained it back then. What I actually enjoyed doing is creating new things. Re-imagining objects, products and things that I saw daily around me. I truly think this is what drove me through my career and led me to Product Management. As this is the core principle in product management. We are constantly looking for ways to improve, re-imagine or make the product/ feature more efficient. I also mentioned that I was used to being “back-to-back” and doing multiple things in one day. This turned up being an important skill. As Product Managers, we wear so many different hats, and we manage so many different meetings and stakeholders, so it is essential to be able to switch concepts and topics jumping from one meeting to another. How to figure out what's your natural abilities? Think about what did you enjoy doing as a kid or what would you love to spend most of your time on if you would not need to worry about getting a job? If you like to lose yourself playing video games over the weekend, there are high chances you could be a good game designer with your experience understanding a consumer. If you like watercolour painting, why don't you try to paint in Gravity Sketch- an app that allows artists to sketch in real-life 3D format? Or if you are good at math, a data analyst could be a great place to explore your potential. Analyse, where your skills might be truly valuable and unique. You will be surprised how many horizons it might open. Step 2. How my personal trainer's skills helped me to grow A successful personal trainer is a product manager, where the product is you, and your user is a client with a real problem. Yes, it took me about ten years to figure it out. Working as a personal trainer taught me to focus on a user's problem. A good product is solving a real-life problem. As strange as it might sound, I see so many businesses/ products fail or can't find product-market fit, because founders would focus on the idea first, and then try to find what kind of problem and for whom it may solve. Working as a freelance personal trainer, taught me to listen to the clients, understand what worries them, prioritise what is important and focus on it. After hearing the similar problems, I started to see the patterns. Eventually, I had 2-3 types of clients who had common goals, were in a similar age group and had similar psychographics. Thanks to word of mouth, social media and primitive email marketing my client base expanded. I was sending emails manually at that time as I didn't know about email automation and CRM for small businesses didn't exist at that time. I had 30-60-90 days of outreach to all the prospects and a newsletter with fresh recipes for existing clients. These small actions helped me with retention and engagement. Later I managed to build training methods around those client groups and even moved some parts online before it was actually a trendy business model. Eventually, I wanted to grow professionally and be a part of a bigger organisation. My Business Degree and several years running different fitness projects got me a job as Operations Director for a fitness boutique scale-up. That's where the transition started. Step 3. Skills in Operations that lent me my first Product job Setting up and running operations for a new brick-and-mortar fitness studio concept is like Product Management in the digital world. My team and I were responsible for ensuring an excellent customer experience, engaging workouts (which is a core product) and of course very precise sales protocol to follow. The role in Operations helped me sharpen my skill across three important divisions: marketing, core product and customer experience. It also allowed me to have a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the users. I was seeking a customer's feedback in every conversation. That continuous feedback helped me to understand our database better and improve sales funnels via the CRM system. Additionally, our studio had a strong digital integration. I had a chance to act as a key stakeholder in multiple third-party product teams like our fitness wearables integration project, CRM and email marketing automation and content-based mobile app creation. This is where I understood that I want to be on the other side of the projects. Step 4. Once you got that first job, what are the main ticks in the boxes? Once I had it clear that I want to move into Tech, I invested a lot of time and resources in various digital courses and Bootcamps. From Digital marketing & growth hacking to Agile SCRUM master courses. I was actively involved in workshops, was connecting with mentors and was speaking to many experienced product managers. All of that led me to a unique opportunity to build a content-based multi-platform hardware + software product. I am not going to go into details about the role and responsibilities. However,  I do want to highlight that the reason my profile stood out for the hiring manager was my versatile experience in the fitness industry as opposed to other, perhaps more technical candidates. It was very clear to me that to succeed in that role I had to focus on delivery and achievements. My main objective was to work on the strategy of the product, however, I had to learn from top to bottom and I also dove into Jira management, sprint planning and backlog management. Luckily, I had an amazing engineering team and tech lead who were there at every step. Step 5. What's next? The achievements-based approach helped me to get my next job within health and fitness, which is a more innovative organisation and allowed me to expand my professional portfolio by working on various technologies such as virtual and augmented reality. I believe in finding a niche which will help to continue building my career on top of that core expertise. I found my niche within FitTech B2C content-based products. It doesn't mean that I will never move industries or platforms but I believe it is important to have a consistent theme in the experience, which serves as a hook for the next exciting gig. The best advice that I can give, is to follow your natural passion and do what you enjoy doing. With this approach even the most difficult digital tools or the skills you thought you will never be good at, seamlessly become achievable.

You're reading a guest article by Dialpad's Grace Lau. If you've got tech experience you would like to share, and you want to write for the Ironhack Blog, get in touch. Join our mission to elevate the diverse voices of tech! For SaaS companies whose website is their business, a good user experience is essential. But how do you monitor and improve it? The customer experience starts from your brand's monogram and runs through your site navigation, checkout process, and delivery. Real user monitoring isn't just important for the site developers, it's essential to the entire brand. In this article, we'll go over the art of real user monitoring, and what you need to track and improve your site's interaction performance. What is real user monitoring? Real user monitoring, or RUM, is a monitoring system that examines how online users are engaging with a website to analyze consumers' digital experiences. Real user monitoring analyzes everything from page load events, to HTTP requests, to frontend application crashes. It is also referred to as user monitoring, end-user experience monitoring, and digital experience monitoring. Google Analytics provides high-level information about the digital journey of your users: their origins, the pages they visit, etc. However, it doesn't gather the information required to quickly determine how satisfied they are overall. In this situation, RUM is useful. It gives you the ability to maintain control over your site's user experience. RUM enables you to map out friction points in a user journey with performance metrics based on a single user or multiple users' journey. With the help of this performance and user experience data, you can identify where anything went wrong and take steps to correct it so that fewer users are affected. Components of real user monitoring A RUM cycle has four major components: capturing data, turning it into real user sessions, automatic problem detection, and individual visit reporting. Let’s go through each component: 1. Capturing An application monitoring system that uses RUM collects object and page hits from sources like JavaScript within a web browser and server logs. RUM tools record information such as JSON and resource requests. 2. Sessionization An organized database of individual visits is built up. In "sessionization", the collected data is then divided into sections like pages, page components, and timing and duration information for each visit. 3. Problem detection An inspection of all items, visits, and pages is performed to look for any issues such as errors, navigational issues, delayed processing times, and other issues with your site’s user experience . All objects, pages, and sessions are examined for any odd behavior such as slow response times, system issues, and anything that looks like a navigational mistake the user shouldn't be making. 4. Individual visit reporting Individual visits can be recreated and examined by the tech team. Some tools repeat the screens exactly as they appeared on the visitor's device, while others provide a summary of the visit. With this captured data, developers can go deep into the sessions of particular users and see what they're doing as if they were looking over their shoulders. To determine whether there are any issues with performance across specific browser types or user categories, aggregate data is reviewed by the team regularly. Like many technical meetings, templates for meeting notes will make sure the team covers everything they need to. Best Practices Customers won't accept anything less than a quick, dependable experience in today's fast-paced world. Because it only takes a few clicks to visit a competitor, a business that makes its online clients wait for page load times will lose those customers. That's why tools for assessing the performance of websites are crucial. Identify objectives Setting clear goals is crucial to the long-term success of any online strategy. Businesses, especially newer ones, frequently fail to see the importance of defining and monitoring precise goals when developing a website. Whether it's social media analytics or a global parcel tracking service , enterprises can guarantee long-term success by setting measurable KPIs and focusing on improvement there. The tech team can match these goals with overarching business goals by using RUM to pinpoint and monitor metrics related to specific business objectives. For example, RUM can track a real rise in conversion rate in accordance with business objectives. Enhance mobile testing strategy Businesses are making significant investments in mobile apps, and this trend necessitates thorough testing of mobile apps across platforms and industries. It typically takes a lot of resources, extensive infrastructure, and experience to test smartphone applications. Mobile testers are employing RUM to increase visibility into the usability of native mobile applications in order to address these issues. Link performance to business operations Performance management is based on the idea that a busy worker does not always deliver beneficial or even noticeable results. Traditional training and supervision practices no longer provide the same outcomes as they once did as employment shifts to remote and online platforms. Tech teams' remote performance management metrics are quickly changing their emphasis from efforts to results. Organizations are making performance management measures that encourage employees to be effective rather than busy. These performance management metrics help to make sure that organizational objectives are achieved consistently and successfully. Performance management metrics can be tailored to concentrate on the performance of the organization as well as that of a department or team, no matter what web analytics tools you’re using. Productivity tracking techniques are evolving as more businesses move to remote work. In making sure that business objectives are satisfied, RUM can be used as a tool to monitor the productivity of tech teams. This is accomplished by contrasting actual measurements with anticipated trends and using RUM as a dashboard to track progress toward achieving business objectives. Monitor performance of new features As businesses strive to maintain a strong online presence, website performance monitoring solutions are developing to accommodate the speedy integration and testing of new features. However, it's not always enough to test out new features in a test environment. RUM can assist in identifying genuine issues experienced by genuine users and spending developer time on those real issues. Ensure transaction tracing, infrastructure, monitoring, and log management When a client transaction needs to be examined, transaction tracing gives the IT team a thorough overview of that transaction. Available database calls, function calls, and external calls are among the data that transaction tracing records. The value of real user monitoring Any digital platform's security, performance optimization, and troubleshooting are demanding tasks that call for a variety of helpful tools. In the end, the fundamental tasks for every customer-facing software organization are straightforward: improving performance, eliminating bugs, cutting down on downtime, and making sure consumers have a positive digital experience. RUM allows for the quick and effective identification of faults in code, databases, hardware, transactions, servers, and other areas of the online customer experience. About the Author Grace Lau is the Director of Growth Content at Dialpad, a contact center as a service solutions provider for better and easier team collaboration with services like international long-distance calls . She has over 10 years of experience in content writing and strategy. Currently, she is responsible for leading branded and editorial content strategies, partnering with SEO and Ops teams to build and nurture content. Grace has also written for other domains such as Whatfix and Polly . Here is her LinkedIn .

Bootcamp classes can open doors to a different dimension where your career possibilities are endless and thrilling! However, Fear of Failure makes the other side look like the Upside Down - dark, spine-chilling, and filled with winding paths leading to an uncertain future. Think of a time when you let a golden opportunity pass you by. Are you still haunted by the memories of amazing chances slipping right through your fingers? Well, it’s time to stop running from The Ghost of Missed Opportunities Past™ and face what’s behind the curtain: Fear of Failure (cue sinister laughter here) Fear of Failure, also known as "atychiphobia", is more common than you think. Ask around and you’ll find that many of the people you know have some example of how, at one time, the Fear of Failure stopped them from taking a chance in their lives. Let’s take a look at some of the root causes of Fear of Failure, figure out where they come from, and learn how to beat them in the future. Understand Where The Fear of Failure Comes From The first step on the path to beating the Fear of Failure is understanding it. There are several reasons you may feel afraid to leap into the unknown, even if the outcome is extremely promising. You probably don’t even realize some of the things that are holding you back. Insecurity We all experience insecurity at some time in our lives so it’s only normal that you do too. Perhaps you don’t feel qualified enough for a higher position, you think your experience doesn’t justify taking on more responsibility, or you don’t feel ready to enroll in a Bootcamp course. It’s possible that your insecurities are activating your Fear of Failure response and preventing you from seeing any positive outcomes that come from stepping outside your comfort zone. You want it too much Call it Witchful Thinking but sometimes you want to achieve a goal so badly that it seems almost irrational. When you discover a new specialty your excitement and imagination take hold. You arrange your life to accommodate it and spend every waking moment creating a future with this new endeavor at the forefront. However, the line between ‘Passion and ‘Infatuation’ is a thin one and at times it might be hard to tell the difference. After a while, your drive may become a deterrent. Before you know it you’re questioning why you even wanted to try something different in the first place. You think the stakes are high This one is usually spot on because without a doubt - every new opportunity has a cost, including a Bootcamp class. That doesn’t always mean money, though. “Cost” appears in different forms: time, resources, materials, etc. Not everyone is a gambler and it’s difficult to justify making an investment when there’s no guarantee of an outcome that will benefit you in the long run. Sunken investments Losing your investment is one of the top fears that hold you back when making big decisions. The thought of all work and no reward might make you run for the hills. Some commitments already feel like you’re jumping from the frying pan into the fire. The possibility of taking a risk, working constantly to meet a goal, and ending up with nothing is not the best incentive. As a result, some will decide it’s just not worth the effort, or stress, and move on to a project that may be less fulfilling but at least it’s easier. Someone else’s failure… or your own Everyone has a story about taking a chance and falling on their face. When people tell their (or someone else’s) stories of failure it’s usually a warning that ends with “don’t make the same mistakes I did” so when faced with a similar circumstance, our first instinct is to heed that previous warning and save yourself from what could be a bad situation. When we don’t succeed at something we worked hard for, it’s not a good feeling. That makes it hard to stick our heads out for something else. Self-preservation will kick in when we think it’s needed and to save ourselves from future pain and embarrassment, especially if we’ve already failed in the past, we tend to steer clear of anything that could put us in that position again. You think you don’t deserve it Fear of Failure often goes hand in hand with Imposter Syndrome, the fear that you may not be as capable as others think you are. It causes you to constantly doubt yourself, your skills, and your talents. Living in constant fear that you’re hiding behind a mask plays on your insecurities and sends your anxiety through the roof. A person plagued with Imposter Syndrome will simply avoid promising opportunities that come their way because they believe someone else deserves them more. Facing Your Fears Now that we understand exactly where our fears come from, we can take the necessary steps to face them and, most importantly, fight them. If your issue is insecurity, think about where the insecurity stems from and turn it on its head. Use your insecurities as motivation to push yourself further. For example: if you don’t think you’re ready for an advanced Bootcamp class, take an intermediate class instead. That way when it’s time for the next level you’ll move on with confidence. Embrace your passion! There’s nothing wrong with showing enthusiasm for learning new skills, think of it as drive . If something sparks your curiosity, pushes you to the next step, and excites you, then honor your feelings and follow your intuition. If you’re afraid the stakes are too high or you can’t stop thinking of what you may lose, remember that at the end of the day you’re investing in yourself and your future - the most rewarding investment possible. When you gamble on yourself you’ve always got a winning hand. Don’t let someone else’s past failures affect your present. Cautionary tales are helpful and come with good intentions but remember that your choices and experiences are yours alone. There are many reasons why something you worked for may not find success, and some of them we may never know. Everyone experiences failure but what’s important is that you learn from it and keep it moving. If you fall: get up, dust yourself off, and try again. Believe in yourself. Take that self-doubt and show it the door. The best way to deal with Imposter Syndrome is to remind yourself that you deserve great chances that cross your path. You already have the skills, knowledge, and tools for the brightest future possible and you are more than capable of handling any challenges you face. Beating the Fear of Enrolling in Bootcamps Don’t let Fear of Failure stop you from enrolling in a Bootcamp one minute longer! At Ironhack our admissions process will address any questions or doubts so you know you’re making the right choice. Our career services team is always on hand to make sure you get everything you want (and need) out of the Bootcamp. At Ironhack, you’ll have a built-in support system. Our network is made of outcome teams, teachers, TAs, and community managers who are all there, rooting for you. On top of that, your fellow Ironhackers will be right by your side, every step of the way. Now’s the time to leave your fears behind you and take the leap. Contact our admissions team and find the right Bootcamp that will take your career to places you’ve only dreamed of.

Every job is different and sometimes you realize that your current job just isn’t the right fit for you. If every day feels like you’re working at the Office on Haunted Hill it may be time to quit, and that’s okay! Going out into the great unknown is scary enough so how do you know when it’s time to Get Out? Here are some things to consider so you make the right decision… or escape plan. How to Know When It's Time to Quit Your Job: When something isn’t right at work, you know. There may be signs all around you but it’s easy to miss one when you’re focusing on deadlines, meetings, and answering emails. Here are some of the warning signs and, in some cases, glaring red flags to help you trust your gut and pack your bags. There's no room for growth When you start a new job everything is fantastic! There are training sessions, meeting new coworkers, working with new technology/projects, etc. Learning the ropes keeps you busy, It’s a relief when the turmoil dies down and you can focus on work. That is unless you don’t get proper training and have to figure things out on your own, there’s no mentorship to encourage you, you’re disconnected from management (especially in a virtual office), and the work never changes from day to day. After a while of doing the same tasks repeatedly, you’ll get chills (careful, they’re multiplying!) down your spine once you realize that you’re stuck in a loop and everyone in the company is going places ...except you. There’s no room for mistakes They say it’s a dog-eat-dog world but that’s not always a selling point when it comes to the workplace. Forget about trial and error, environments like this are unforgiving and if you have trouble keeping up, you may feel the need to hide it. It’s demotivational enough to work in a place that tears you apart for a mistake but on top of that, you’ll have to watch out for colleagues who will gladly throw you to the wolves to save their own skins. The only way to lift your spirits is to pack your bags and hightail out of there! When you're not excited about the mission Most times when you join a company it’s because their values align with yours. Something about the company mission drew you in and made you excited to work there. Unfortunately sometimes once you get a foot in the door, you realized those promises were just a bag of tricks and treats. Or perhaps you learned that not everyone seems to practice what they preach. If you and your company lose common ground it’ll be much harder to find the motivation to work on projects and meet your goals. Sometimes work is hard and stressful enough. Do you really want to spend your time and dedication on a mission you don’t believe in? You're not aligned with leadership This one isn’t a one size fits all situation, there are a few reasons why you may not feel comfortable with your superiors. Perhaps your company is going in a different direction and you’re not in line with their new values. Maybe you have difficulty with how your supervisors handle conflict or you don’t agree with their problem-solving strategies.  These conflicts rarely end well, so if the broom fits - ride it out of there and don't look back! Enjoying this article? Check out Ironhack's Career Vision Planner! The culture doesn't suit you Some companies like to have a workplace environment that reflects their philosophy but it can also send a message: “Come as you aren’t.” With startup chaos, boys' clubs, and tech bros running rampant, you might feel left out when you realize that you and your coworkers aren’t on the same page. The corporate grind is a thing of legend but let’s creep it real, it’s not for everyone. If the company motto is “Go hard or Go Home” and the latter option excites you, that’s a good sign to follow your instincts and head for the exit. There’s no work-life balance It starts slowly: You’re asked to stay late to help the team catch up with work or meet a deadline. The next time, you get an assignment five minutes before quitting time and end up staying an hour or two. Your work day goes from eight hours to twelve, you’re going in on weekends, and holidays are a thing of the past. After a while you find yourself canceling plans, medical appointments, etc. to stay late or just assuming you’ll work extra hours and adjusting your life accordingly. Congratulations, you now live at work. If your supervisors like to burn the candle at both ends, they will expect the same from their team. Some managers expect you to be on call at all times, sending emails and Teams messages at all hours or on weekends. When your life takes a back seat to your job, it’s time to make like Jack (Skellington) and hit the road! You feel unappreciated There are numerous reasons why you may be uncomfortable at work. Sometimes it may seem that your job doesn’t take you seriously. Perhaps your bosses are playing favorites, assigning better projects to your coworkers while you grow cobwebs at your desk. You spend a lot of time on busy work and unproductive tasks while your superiors constantly monitor your every move, even when working remotely. Maybe there’s the feeling that your ideas/feedback aren’t actually welcome and you’re annoying the ones in charge. If you find that you’re holding your tongue more than contributing useful ideas, it’s time to move on to a company that makes you feel valued and heard. You're ready for change While all of these are valid reasons to leave your job they may not apply to you. Everyone has their reasons but maybe your reason isn’t so cut and dry. Sometimes there’s just a feeling in your bones that says: you need to leave. Intuition is important so if you’re haunted by the urge to fly away, listen to what your spirit tells you. If the idea of a career change has you under a spell, then you’re in the right place. Ironhack is leading the way to new and exciting jobs with coding and development Bootcamps for every level. The tech world is booming with job opportunities. Our Bootcamps help you get in on the ground floor, so you’ll learn the skills that help you take your career to the next level. With our support team, teachers, and community behind you, you’ll be on your way to an exciting new career and an asset to any team you join. At Ironhack, we make sure you never settle for less when it comes to your career goals. Ready to see where we can take you? Contact our admissions team to find the perfect Bootcamp and get started right away!

Picture this: you’ve just started the Ironhack Web Development Bootcamp and you come across a job posting from a tech company that you’d love to work for when you’re done with the program. When you’re looking at the job title, you’re confused…what does “Front End Developer” do? Will I have the skills needed to apply? What does the day-to-day look like? Well, have no fear, Ironhack is here... to break them down for you. In this blog, we’ll go over the various web development positions and the essential skills for each. Decoding Web Dev Job Titles First of all, you’re probably wondering, what does someone working in web development do? Well, the simple answer is that web developers create, modify, and manage functional websites. But, what does that entail? Web developers not only program the site, they also develop the user interface, maintain databases, and perform functionality testing, among other things. For that reason, to become a web developer, you’ll have to have at least a basic knowledge of programming languages, such HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Additionally, you’ll also have to work closely with UX/UI designers, product managers, and other IT professionals to ensure the website or application fits the needs of the consumer. Even though your day-to-day will look different depending on your focus, no matter the web development position you choose, you’ll be able to use your programming expertise and problem-solving skills to develop technical solutions to common website and software issues. Since the discipline covers such a wide scope, encompassing information design, aesthetic design, and interface design, web development positions are broken down into several core categories; programmer, developer, and engineer. The term developer can be split up even further based on application type, such as web or software, and architecture specialty, such as front-end or back-end. Knowing this makes it easy to figure out the basic job requirements when you’re looking for a job. Just look at the base title and development focus to sort it out. Some popular positions to look out for include: Computer Programmer Front-End (Web) Developer Back-End (Web) Developer Full Stack (Web) Developer Mobile (Software) Developer Software Engineer So, what do these different job titles mean? Let’s break down those categories to get to the crux of it... Developer vs Engineer vs Programmer Let’s start off with the root classification: job function. When looking for a web development role, most positions you’ll find will fall into one of three categories: programmers, developers, or engineers. These titles can tell you a bit about what your day-to-day looks like in terms of job responsibilities and essential duties. Programmers tend to write basic code for specific phases of the project and then pass it on for someone else to build, test, and deploy. They’re often considered the most entry level position in the web development hierarchy. Developers are considered a step above programmers, since their job responsibilities encompass a broader scope.They’re usually the person that takes on the next step of the web development process when programmers are finished. Like programmers, developers write code, but they also build, test, and deploy the sites. Engineers , on the other hand, often perform minimal coding, instead focusing on the design and build of the web application. Since they guide the development of the site as a whole, similar to how a director oversees a play’s creative vision, they are considered the most senior of the three. Want to know which other jobs are trending in 2022? Check out the full list of most in-demand tech jobs! Software Developer vs Web Developer Now that you understand the differences between those three labels, let’s break down the category of developer even further, in terms of application type. There are two main types of developer: web developers and software developers. You can differentiate the two based on the complexity of the interface. Whereas website developers just focus on building web applications and websites that work across a range of browsers, software developers concentrate on creating intricate computer and mobile applications and programs that function on various OS platforms. Website and software development processes contain similar phases, including planning, analysis, designing, implementing, testing, and maintenance, although software development as a whole is often considered much more involved. Front-End vs Back-End We can break down both software and web developers based on application architecture layer, or more specifically front-end vs back-end. Front-end developers manage the client-side aspect of the application to create the look and feel of the website. They use programming languages, such as Javascript, CSS, HTML, to create visual user interfaces, aesthetics and layouts – the parts that people interact with – to ensure a functional user experience. Back-end developers , on the other hand, shape the server-side features of the application to streamline the implementation, performance, and functionality of the remote system. They utilize programming languages, such as Javascript, Python, and Java, to control the inner workings of the site by building and maintaining the server, application, and database – the areas that people usually can’t access. If you were to think of front-end developers as stage designers who create and organize the scenery, then back-end developers would be the stage managers who work behind the scenes to make sure the show runs smoothly. Enjoying this article? Check out Do I Have What It Takes to Be a Developer? What Does ‘Full Stack’ Mean? Okay, but what about “full-stack developer?” Well, {like Star Trek, or even Hannah Montana,} with a full-stack developer, you get the “best of both worlds.”  A full-stack developer excels in both front-end and back-end development, and, consequently, they can create a fully functioning website all by themselves. So, how do you learn to become a full-stack developer? Ironhack has your back... Our Web Development Bootcamps , available both online and in-person, teach you both sides of the web development process. Want to become a software engineer? Our course is a great first step. Just interested in front-end or back-end development? Our class works for that, too! Whatever path you choose, our web development course will help you develop the technical expertise and people skills needed to succeed in your next position. You’ll learn how to use programming languages, such as HTML, Javascript, and CSS, and how to display your creativity, by building games and sites for your bootcamp projects, so when you come out of it, you’ll be able to develop websites and web applications either on your own or with your team!

Bootcamps: Are they worth it? Should you take advantage of the overwhelming amount of free information out there and just teach yourself? Or should you stick with the tried-and-true bootcamp method? Is a set curriculum and sense of community overrated? Here we break down the pros and cons of each. So, you’ve decided to “break into tech.” You’ve done your research and found some interesting career paths. Well, the next question is... how are you going to learn the skills you need for your next position? If you’re on this site, you’ve already taken the first step to figure that out. We know that there’s a lot of information out there, so we’re here to help you decide which path works best for you. The Case for Self-Teaching Starting off, the most obvious pro of self-teaching is definitely the fact that it’s free. There’s a low financial barrier to entry. Plus, if you’re not positive what area of tech you'd like to focus on and you’d like to just dip your toe in the water, it’s a great idea to shop around and see what free resources are available before you jump into the deep end. Another pro is the flexibility that self-teaching offers. If you’re currently working and can’t dedicate a full-time schedule to a boot camp, self-teaching is an easier way to work around your schedule. Because you’re the one setting your “curriculum,” you also get to decide the topics to focus on. You can learn what you want when you want. Best of all, you can get started right away! The Downsides of Self-Teaching The flexibility of self-teaching can also be seen as a detriment, however. Since you have to research, gather, and organize the subject matter independently, it may be more time intensive than if you were to follow a set curriculum. You also need to make sure that you’re staying on track without any built-in moral support. Often, you require much more self-motivation to keep you going, since there’s no consequences for quitting. Even with all that, it’s difficult to know if you’re even learning the right things. What self-teaching gains in flexibility, it loses in reliability. The Case for Bootcamps Bootcamps, on the other hand, are structured in a way to make sure you’re successful. Since they are based on in-demand skills, you can be sure that you’re learning the right things. Bootcamps employ project-based activities to make sure you’re getting hands-on experience in your desired field. You’ll learn not only how to implement the necessary tech skills, but also why you’re using them. Throughout the course, you’ll always have someone to turn to when you need answers or support, since you’re led by and instructor and surrounded by a community. You’ll be able to collaborate with others to enhance and reinforce the learning concepts. All of this allows you to face the challenge head on, and since you already paid for the program, you’re more motivated, and therefore more likely, to complete the course. Even after completing the course, bootcamps continue to provide you with job search benefits. Not only does the community aspect of bootcamps allow you to network with other developers-in-training and tech recruiters, most bootcamps, including our own, supply career guidance . Our tech fundamentals programs at IronHack help you discover top job prospects while providing you with resume tips, portfolio assistance, and interview strategies to secure the position. Bootcamps not only teach what you need to know, but also how to show it. Making A Bootcamp Work for You So, you’re thinking about joining a bootcamp to gain the skills needed to take the next step. But, how do you make it work for you? Some things to consider: Time – How many hours can I set aside to focus on this? Can I organize my week to ensure that I finish all the work involved? Would a part-time bootcamps better fit my schedule? Money – How much can I afford to spend? Can I apply for financial aid or scholarships? Would I be able to enroll in financing options ? Energy – How much effort am I willing to put into this? Will putting the work in now make it easier for me down the road? Would a remote bootcamp work better for me? In the end, you’re the only one who can answer these questions. But, here at IronHack, we hope to make our bootcamps as accessible as possible, so we’ve developed some possible solutions to these common issues. We’ve made sure that all of our bootcamps have financing options and scholarships available to help you out with cost. We also offer part-time bootcamps to help you find flexibility and balance in the midst of other responsibilities and commitments. We’ve developed remote bootcamps to make sure that you can learn tech skills from the comfort of your own home, while still getting the same high-quality education, community atmosphere, and career support as other campus bootcamps. We also have an admissions team that can answer all your questions and walk you through all your options. If you want to test your skills before embarking on a bootcamp, check out our free short courses in UX/UI Design and JavaScript . Figuring Out What’s Better for You Before you start, you need to figure out which path is right for you. Depending on your needs and priorities, either way might work better for you – or possibly even both! How can you weigh your options? Maybe, write a pros and cons list to outline your options. Think about what has worked best for you in the past. Talk to friends and family that know your work style and schedule. Possibly even, try a free course to see if it fits your learning style. All in all, it’s your decision to make, since you’re who will have to put in the work. If you decide that a bootcamp would work best for you, check out our tech bootcamps! We offer courses in the following areas: Web Development Data Analytics UX/UI Design Cybersecurity Have a look at our FAQ to answer any questions you may have or apply to one of our bootcamps to get the process started.  After you apply, you’ll have the chance to sit down with the admissions team to make sure that IronHack is a good fit for you and vice versa. Once accepted, you don’t have to commit to a bootcamp until you’re absolutely 100% ready. We know that it can be scary to decide to change your career goals, so we’ll be here when you’re all set to go!

Ready to see where a career in UX/UI design can take you? The tech world is always on the move and if you have the right skills, the possibilities are endless. These days it’s not about who you know, but what you know. So how do you get started on the path to becoming a UX/UI designer? That’s where Ironhack’s new UX/UI Short course comes in. It gives students an inside view into what it takes to work in the tech world, consider it a sneak peek, and it’s absolutely free. What’s In The Course? The UX/UI Short course features a text-based scenario game that puts you in the shoes of a Junior UX/UI Designer working for a startup. Every step of the way you’ll learn the basics of UX/UI Design while developing the skills needed to work as a UX/UI Designer. The video instructions and core concepts you encounter throughout the game will guide you through the process of app creation step by step while emphasizing how each element of UX/UI Design is essential to the app development process. At the end of the course, you will know and understand core concepts such as Design Thinking, User research (with an emphasis on Survey and user interviews), identifying Problem Statements, Wireframes, Prototypes, and Usability Testing. The course will also leave you with a much better understanding of Ironhack, as well as the ability to define and list the stages of design thinking that create UX/UI context, know the keywords relative to each stage of the design process, and have the confidence to tackle a full Ironhack course on UX/UI design head-on. Who Should Take It? This course has something for everyone. Seriously, anyone can take it -  basic beginners searching for a quick intro to UX/UI design, graphic designers or visual artists looking to dip their toes in the tech pool, or anyone who feels like shaking things up career-wise. If you’re thinking of a career change and are new to the tech world, this course is just what you need to get started. Ironhack will teach you the basics, give you insight into the field of UX/UI Design, and give you the tools to build an app from the ground up. Ready to dive in? Check out Ironhack's new UX/UI Design course here ! At Ironhack, we specialize in working with students from diverse backgrounds, so previous knowledge of UX/UI design is always great but it’s not necessary to take this course. Neither is a university degree or any other specific education. If you have an eye for design, a passion for creativity, a knack for problem-solving, and a burning curiosity about the tech field this course is right up your alley. UX/UI is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the world of technology. If you’re ready for a change, now is the time to learn the skills that will help you climb the ladder toward a new career. With Ironhack in your corner, you have nothing to lose and the world to gain.

The tech job market has gone through a fair amount of change since 2020. As technology continues to develop, new career paths have taken their place in the spotlight as being the most sought-after for tech teams. Naturally, you want a career that reflects your interests — but you also want to make sure the career you’re pursuing has serious longevity (and earning potential). So what roles are employers currently hiring for? And how do you get your foot on the career ladder without a tech background? To help you along your way, we’ve rounded up seven of the most in-demand tech jobs in 2022 — and the bootcamp courses to take if you’d like one of these job titles in 2023. Let’s dive in! #1 Full-Stack Developer A full-stack developer has mastery over both the back-end and front-end aspects of a web application. With a growing number of companies needing people who can build applications from scratch as well as maintain existing ones, demand for full-stack developers has skyrocketed. Apple , Microsoft , and Zapier are a few examples of companies that regularly hire full-stack developers — but the list is endless. Due to the highly technical nature of the work itself, full-stack developers can expect rewarding salaries and plenty of opportunities to climb the ladder. For the best chance at a full-stack developer career, opt for a comprehensive course like IronHack’s Web Development Bootcamp where you’ll develop a deep knowledge of core principles, such as coding languages (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) and version control software (Git and Github). #2 Cybersecurity Specialist Cybersecurity encompasses any activity involving computer security; including protecting data from unauthorized access or modification and ensuring appropriate use of information technology. As technology continues to become more and more integrated into our daily lives, the need for talented cybersecurity specialists has never been higher. In general, cybersecurity professionals are tasked with keeping an organization's systems safe from cyber attacks or other cybercrime activities such as phishing schemes or ransomware attacks. Among the most compelling reasons to consider a career in cybersecurity are low to no unemployment, generous compensation, and plenty of room to grow. You’ll also get to work on a variety of cutting-edge technology; from robotics to big data. The path to a cybersecurity career is also more accessible than ever. Beginners have several fantastic courses to choose from, including Ironhack’s intensive cybersecurity bootcamp. #3 Technical SEO Specialist Technical SEO specialists are responsible for optimizing the backend of a website, in order to increase its visibility in search engines, and drive more traffic. Unlike on-page SEO, technical SEO involves more technical skills like coding and data analysis. Typically, a technical SEO specialist might spend their time creating sitemaps or indexing metadata for locating content online. With search becoming increasingly competitive, more and more companies are hiring technical SEO specialists to make sure all their SEO bases are covered. You’ll find technical SEO roles across industries, from tech startups to marketing agencies — and everything in between. Where there’s a digital presence, there’s a need for technical SEO! #4 Data Analyst Data analysts use data to help companies make decisions, improve products and services, and ask important questions that can lead to new discoveries. Data analysts perform a variety of tasks; including collecting and analyzing data and presenting the results of their analysis in reports. They also work with other IT professionals to determine what information is needed to accomplish business goals. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics , the field of data analytics is set to grow a whopping 23% between 2021 and 2031 — meaning there’s truly never been a better time to enter the field. All you need is a comprehensive data analytics bootcamp to teach you the in-demand skills you need to land your first role. #5 Product Designer Product designers work at every stage of the product lifecycle; from ideation and execution, as well as distribution and maintenance. Product designers are often part of an interdisciplinary team that includes engineers, marketers, and UX/UI designers who collaborate on all aspects of the design process. Their job isn’t just about creating beautiful visuals, but also making sure everything functions as expected (or even better). Due to the highly creative, technical, and innovative nature of the role, it’s no wonder it’s fast becoming one of the most sought-after roles in tech. You’ll find product designer roles at companies like Meta and Salesforce , to name a few. The best part? You can become a product designer by learning the foundations of UX and UI design . #6 Java Developer Java is a popular language for building web applications, Android apps, desktop applications, enterprise applications, and microservices. As coding languages go, it’s one of the most versatile — which is a big reason why so many companies are on the hunt for skilled Java developers. The demand for Java developers has grown consistently since 2017. As Java is a core programming language for modern tech like big data, blockchain, IoT (internet of things), and AI, Java developers are being hired to work on some of the world’s most exciting and innovative projects in industry-leading companies like IBM and Accenture. Wondering how to get your foot on the ladder of this up-and-coming career path? Start by building your foundational knowledge at a highly credible web development bootcamp, like IronHack . There, you’ll learn how to build (and think) like a job-ready developer. #7 UI Designers UI designers are responsible for the look and feel of a digital product. They create the visual aspects of a website or app; including buttons, menus, and icons — and use tools like Sketch and Figma to create wireframes and mockups. They also create and enforce design style guides; often working collaboratively with UX designers and web developers to make sure their designs are implemented correctly across the business. A career in UI design promises creativity, longevity, and a lucrative salary to boot. In 2022, the average UI designer salary in The States sits at $98,795 with Verizon , Nuance , and Amazon among the highest-paying companies. Keen to kickstart your design career? Due to its high demand, you’ll want to make sure you’re going for a bootcamp that teaches in-demand design skills ; like color theory and typography. How to Land an In-Demand Tech Job It’s a common misconception that you have to have a technical background — or fancy IT degree — to land a sought-after tech job. Just call us myth-busters, because the reality couldn’t be further from the truth! In today’s red-hot tech job market, employers look for technical ability and mindset over background or college degree. What’s more, technical skills and mindset are two things that anyone (yes, anyone!) can learn at a tech bootcamp. Most tech bootcamps, like IronHack, are built to turn complete beginners into skilled, job-ready tech professionals in less than a year. With IronHack’s remote bootcamp option , you can learn the hard and soft skills you need to forge a fulfilling career in tech from absolutely anywhere in the world . Remember: It’s never too late to take the plunge and change your life!

Getting a new job is scary…but the spooks don’t stop once you’ve landed in your new role. Every job on earth comes with its little heart-attack moments that make you go ‘oh dang.’ (Or something a little more colorful!) The good thing about being an Ironhacker is that we can help you see them coming! Once you’re aware of the most spine-chilling moments that are coming your way, you’ll be less like Barb from Stranger Things (who deserved better!) and more like Ellen Ripley. Ready to take on the world and shoot those aliens (AKA last minute additions to the backlog) in the face! Scariest Things You’ll Hear in Tech HR: “We need you to complete this Health and Safety Training. It should only take about 6 hours…” “The CEO wants an update, can you put some figures together by EOD today?” (Basically anyone asking you for things by EOD today!) Marketing: “We need a new landing page for launch next week…you guys have time to build/design that right?” Work bestie: “So I’ve got a job offer somewhere else…” The day to day running of a tech department or a tech company is really no different to any other office-type environment. You’ll have your office gossip, your work friends, your all-hands meetings, your roundup emails… On the face of it, a tech job looks remarkably similar to any other! The only real difference is the hard skills that you have to use if you’ve transitioned into a new role. So if you’ve ever faced a last minute calendar invite from your manager with no context, or you’ve sent the wrong Slack message to the wrong person, you’ve already faced 99% of the difficult and confronting situations you’re likely to face. Scariest Things You’ll Hear as a Web Developer “We don’t know why it failed, but it seems it’s not failing anymore, and now it’s working fine!” “I have this app idea…very similar to [insert well-known app name]. It would probably take you a few days to build.” “We want to be the Netflix of [completely unrelated industry.” “Can we add this to the next sprint?” “Let’s just hotfix it!” “This should only take you a few minutes.” “We can get an algorithm for that by tomorrow, right?” The scariest things you’ll hear, specifically as a web developer, all stem from the same thing. A fundamental misunderstanding of all the things development involves. It’s hard for other departments to wrap their heads around how meticulously developers have to plan their sprints, and how long it really takes to make ‘simple’ things happen. You’ll be seeing a lot of last minute requests, and a lot of people depending on you! The best way to get around this, is to build transparently. What does that mean? It means making what you’re working on visible to the entire company. You can do this by hosting routine sprint reviews and demos, and having your roadmap publicly available to anyone internal. Yes it’s a different kind of scary to feel like everyone is looking over your shoulder, but the truth is that they’re not. They’re too busy trying to hit their own targets and get through their own day-to-days. But if you manage to foster a general understanding of your workload between your development team and other stakeholders in the company, your life will be much easier! Are you ready to kickstart your career and code your way to success? Check out our Web Development bootcamps! Scariest Things You’ll Hear as a UX/UI Designer “Can you help me with a quick logo?” “Can you make the logo bigger?” “Can you put our logo on it?” (Most designer nightmares are down to logos…) Client: “The team doesn’t like it, but it’s hard to describe why. Can you just…try again?” Manager: “We’ve decided to outsource this to a freelancer we found online yesterday.” “This should only take you a couple of hours.” UX/UI designers face a similar problem to web developers. When you make your job look easy  (because you’re so talented and hard working), people think it must be easy! So naturally it should only take you half an hour to make a new logo for a project that doesn’t have a proper brief. And OF COURSE you can come up with a new button for an A/B test at the drop of a hat. The key here is the power of saying ‘no’ in the right way. Help your teammates to understand that you’re working on other, more impactful things than their last minute request. If the development team has made their roadmap public, you can easily point out which projects are dependent on you. So instead of just saying ‘no’ you get to say… “I’m afraid I’m at capacity right now. If you look at the roadmap, you can see that the product team needs me to deliver the final wireframes for the new homepage by the end of this week.” And when you get those terrible, half-filled out briefs that don’t tell you everything you need to know to begin a project, come up with a template brief. This will help your teammates understand how to ask you for things instead of just saying ‘new logo plz’. Ready to kickstart your career and solve problems with design? Check out our UX/UI Design bootcamps! Scariest Things You’ll Hear in Data Analytics Marketing: “Can you make us a new dashboard? We need it by EOD today.” “Data is accurate across all sources.” “Don’t worry, we have a backup.” “No, no, no, no, you said this was the test database!” “What do you mean ‘we need to test reading the backup tapes.’ We’ve never done that.” A data professionals job can be challenging, because everyone needs you! But not everyone understands what they need from you. People are looking for answers from their data, but they often don’t know what questions to ask to get there. So you’ll be asked for ‘a dashboard’ with not much else to go on. It’ll be up to you to use your A* communication skills to figure out what they want, and make sure you can work with them in a way that’s helpful and impactful (AKA, not a waste of your time!) Data is also something that can easily go wrong. Tools can go down, databases can break, and Google can (and do!) change their analytics platform entirely. There are some things that are out of your control, and they’ll impact the day to day running of the company and the lives of your teammates. Scary stuff, right? But if you’re in data, you’re tough enough to handle it! You’ve got what it takes to keep calm and solve the problem. Work with Operations to handle tool-related problems, and stay open on your progress figuring out what went wrong. If you stay level-headed and keep on top of things, you’ll overcome any scary situation in no time. Ready to kickstart your career and become a data-hero? Check out our Data Analytics bootcamps! Scariest Things You’ll Hear in Cybersecurity Boss: “I think I left my work phone on the metro…” Intern: “Did anyone else get this weird email? I clicked the link and I think it downloaded something…” SERVER OUTAGE “So we got an email from this random person identifying some software vulnerabilities, and offering to fix them for us.” Cybersecurity is, arguably, the profession with the highest stakes. You’re literally there to defend a business against threats. You’re like the James Bond or the Black Widow of the tech world. So basically, your entire job is to face scary situations so your teammates don’t have to! And that’s your superpower. You can face these threats with a 2 prong strategy. First is honing your hard skills, and making sure you’re armed with the knowledge you need to be the ultimate defender. The second is keeping your own mental health in check, and making sure you’re able to keep calm under pressure! Ready to kickstart your career and gain superhero skills? Check out our Cybersecurity bootcamps!

In a world where your smartphone is attached to your hand and even your appliances have access to the internet, companies have more information about you than ever before. But what is this data used for and, more importantly, how can you use it to guide decisions in your industry? You’ve probably heard the term “big data” thrown around in the news, but never fully understood what it means. Here we break down the term and explore its relationship to data analytics. Defining Big Data Starting off, you may ask, what even is “big data?” Well, the most basic definition would be the huge amount of information available rapidly growing day by day. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, big data can be defined as “extensive datasets—primarily in the characteristics of volume, velocity, and/or variability—that require a scalable architecture for efficient storage, manipulation, and analysis.” Since we are constantly connected to the internet in this day and age, not only through our personal devices, but public equipment as well, companies can gather an immense amount of information through our daily activities. Just going to the grocery store produces tons of real-time information for businesses, since they garner data from our car, our smartphone, the credit card portal, the store’s cameras, and more, all of which is connected to the internet. In the last few decades, there has been an exponential increase of diverse sets of data generated through smartphones, social media, consumer wearables, point-of-sale terminals, and environmental sensors, among other things. Some of this information can come structured, as in transactions and financial records, which is easy to organize, but most comes unstructured, as in images, text, and multimedia files. You can see why traditional data management tools have trouble storing or processing the data efficiently. When these large datasets are refined, due to the sheer amount of information big data possesses, businesses can use this to address company issues and find solutions that they previously would be unable to address. Since there is just so much data out there, businesses can also mine data to discover patterns about their customers to make their business more efficient or predict future consumer needs. Data analysts are a key function in  helping companies use big data to drive innovation and digital transformation. The Three Vs of Big Data The easiest way you can differentiate big data from traditional data is by the unprecedented magnitude of each of the 3Vs: volume, velocity, and variety. Volume refers to the large amount of data, which makes it necessary to process high magnitudes of low-density, unstructured data Velocity refers to the fast rate at which data is received, and lesser so, the speed that data streams must be processed and organized Variety refers to the diverse sources (smartphones, social media, etc.) and multiple formats (text, video, images, audio) of data available, including the vast majority that is unstructured data Due to the 3Vs, big data analysis can cause challenges but also bring immense opportunity to anyone trying to glean information from the sources. Companies often struggle to bring value due to the immensity. Since big data is useless without curation and preparation from data scientists, big data analysis requires specialized tools and techniques. Once this data is organized in a meaningful way, companies can gain more complete answers due to more thorough information, leading to more confidence in their conclusions. Where Did ‘Big Data’ Come From? Large datasets go back to the time of the 1880 census, the first time in US history that the Census Bureau required 7 years to process the amount of data it collected. However, the concept of big data didn’t begin until the tech boom in the 1990s. It wasn’t until 2005 that it became glaringly obvious the amount of data companies amassed from their users through sites such Facebook and YouTube. Businesses realized that they needed a way to store and analyze big data sets, which led to the development of several tools – such as Hadoop, NoSQL, and later on Spark – to get a handle on the sheer amount of information they had collected. Hadoop, an open-source framework that stores and processes huge amounts of structured and unstructured data on clusters of commodity hardware running parallel with each other, was one of the first systems created. NoSQL databases, which are data management systems that do not require a fixed scheme, came soon after. These programs allowed businesses to collect more data than ever before. Still, none of it compares to the boundless amount of information we have today. The amount of data has skyrocketed, not just from user inputted data, but through wearable devices and internet connected appliances. More objects in our homes, offices, transportation, and general public are connected to the internet, gathering data on consumer usage, and communicating to each other. This rise in the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to a larger set of consumer intelligence, like never seen before. Enjoying this article? Check out: Data Analytics is Changing the World - Here's Why You Should Care What Is Big Data Used For? Companies can use big data to address a variety of business issues within multiple sectors, such as healthcare, finance, entertainment media, agriculture, and more. Working with big data doesn’t just entail simple data collection and analysis. There is a myriad of positions types that you can explore, such as: Product Development - forecast consumer needs by creating predictive models for products and services using data from past and current offerings Predictive Maintenance - detect abnormalities and analyze warning signs to maximize efficiency in fixing issues before breakdowns occur Customer Experience - collect data from various sources, such as social media, web visits, and call logs, to improve the user experience and manage potential issues Fraud Detection and Compliance - identify potential fraud indicators, such data abnormalities or unusual data patterns, as well as organize large datasets for regulatory reporting Machine Learning - teach machines through data instead of programming Operational Efficiency and Innovation - enhance decision making and anticipate future demands by analyzing production, consumer trends, and customer feedback Environmental and Medical Research - monitor and mitigate environmental concerns by constructing accurate and up-to-date analysis of patterns and trends used by scientific experts Best Practices for Big Data No matter the purview, crafting a strategy using big data will follow the same basic steps: integration, management, and analysis. First, integrate the data by processing and formatting the information to make the data accessible for business analysts. Then, manage and store the data with a storage solution that fits your company’s needs. Next, conduct a visual analysis and examine the data to uncover new findings. The information you garner from these huge datasets may lead you down a path that you never expected. When working with big data, data analysts should always follow the technology industry's best practices. Some specific guidelines include: Utilize big data to support business goals and company priorities Standardize approaches to minimize costs Identify and address potential skill gaps Share knowledge and manage communication throughout company networks Connect structured and unstructured data to make new discoveries Create high performance work areas for interactive exploration of data Ensure resource management using cloud operating model Interested in making big data work for you? Check out our Data Analytics bootcamps to learn how you can drive decision-making in your industry.

What Is Spoofing? Spoofing is a cybercrime that involves someone pretending to be a trusted contact or brand to gain access to sensitive personal information. While phishing involves sending messages with links designed to get a user to click and share information, spoofing takes the scam to another level. Spoofing involves disguising a malicious website, text, or other network entrypoint as a legitimate, well-known brand with the aim of tricking people into voluntarily giving up sensitive information. Different Types of Spoofing There are a few different types of spoofing, including website spoofing, text message or SMS spoofing, man in the middle (MitM) attack spoofing and even facial recognition spoofing. Let’s look at each variety in detail. H3 Website spoofing Website spoofing is when a cybercriminal creates a website designed to look like a known brand or company site, and even recreate a domain that is similar to the trusted brand. The objective is to attract a brand’s customers, suppliers, partners and employees to false websites so they will voluntarily share information including login credentials, social security numbers, credit card information or bank account numbers. Website spoofing is a serious crime that involves hackers taking over a company's intellectual property (IP) including logos, existing content, product identification information, and sometimes even domain names. While the main goal is to obtain sensitive data, spoofed websites may also infect hardware with malware. Brands need to be extremely careful to monitor their sites and detect spoofing instances to protect their reputations. Spoofed websites steal sales that should go to the brand itself, which already impacts the bottom line. On top of that, when customers purchase merchandise from a spoofed website and receive falsely branded products or merchandise, they’re unlikely to purchase from the brand again. Once a bad taste is in a customer’s mouth, they’re probably gone for good. Text message spoofing Text message spoofing is a little trickier to identify. This type of spoofing is extremely easy to execute since there are thousands of services available online to mask phone numbers and send messages. Text message or SMS spoofing involves changing sender details like a phone number or contact name to commit fraud. An extremely common example of this type of spoofing is the Santander bank scam. Mobile phone users receive text messages from users purporting to require additional information to maintain access to their Santander bank account. However, we know from experience that many of those mobile phone users don’t even have Santander accounts! The messages are meant to elicit sensitive personal data and hack an account in case one does exist. There are a few different kinds of text message spoofing fraud. They include sending a phishing scam as a reputable company (as we saw in our example), asking for money as a friend or family member, or making personal attacks on someone’s character using a false identity. SMS or text spoofing is extremely hard to identify, especially when it comes out of the blue. That is its main differentiating factor from other types of spoofing. MitM attack MitM stands for Man in the Middle, and refers to a kind of cyber attack where a cybercriminal intervenes between two parties’ communications. They intercept messages and manipulate them, while the communicating parties believe they are having a private, secured interaction. It’s a kind of cyber-eavesdropping that allows the attacker to manipulate the conversation. MitM attacks can take a few different forms. They may try to access private information, or spy on private meetings like boardroom meetings at major companies, financial institutions, or governments. The attacker may engage in wi-fi eavesdropping, DNS spoofing, IP spoofing, HTTPS spoofing, ARP spoofing, Email hacking, session hijacking, or SSL stripping. Facial spoofing Facial spoofing is where a hacker's sophistication is really highlighted. This kind of spoofing involves imitating a person’s face to pretend to be that person and gain access to data using biometric identification control systems. This type of spoofing can be used to commit financial fraud by gaining bank access, and can also be used for digital identity theft. Facial spoofing has become more popular in recent years as technology continues to improve, which is why online applications increasingly require more stringent identification verification checks when setting up sensitive account information. Organizations that may host sensitive data need to have mechanisms to certify that a person is who they say they are, that they are not being forced to self-identify, and that any imaging is not a deep-fake. Controlling the online image environment continues to increase in difficulty. How Spoofing Works and How to Detect It As we’ve described with the different types of spoofing, the tactic involves using trusted, well-known brands, user information or images to trick victims into voluntarily sharing sensitive data that can then lead to a variety of more sinister threats. So how does spoofing work? Let’s start with the basics. Data that is communicated over the internet is broken up into packets that are sent individually on their own and then reassembled at endpoints to complete the communication. Each packet has its own Internet Protocol (IP) address encompassing information regarding the source IP and the destination IP. With spoofing, hackers are able to modify the sources IP in the packet information to trick the receiving system and convince it that the data is coming from a trusted sources. Since the tampering happens at a network level, there are no clear signs of any tampering. This kind of data manipulation can help hackers get past IP address authentication checks which is why we increasingly see more multi-step authentication with most apps pertaining to healthcare or banking in particular. How to Protect Against Spoofing First, look for the obvious signs of spoofing! A very common red flag involves messaging with poor spelling, multiple grammar mistakes, and awkward spacing. Also be sure that the coloring and logo on a website, email message or text message are in line with the brand that you’re dealing with. Another great solution is packet filtering, since it can filter and block packets that have conflicting information sources. Cryptographic network protocols like HTTP Secure (HTTPS) and Secure Shell (SSH) give your network added levels of security. Virtual private networks (VPNs) are another added protection to save yourself from spoofing attacks. VPNs keep your network protected using encryption, so even if there is an attack, the attacker can’t access your database and steal sensitive information. Now that you’ve got a better idea of what spoofing is, how it occurs, and how it can be prevented. you’re another step in the right direction on your cybersecurity career journey. The more you know, the better you can show off your cybersecurity skills and wow your colleagues! Great job taking the initiative to boost your career in cybersecurity. Remember, Ironhack is here to help you as you develop and grow your skill set. Get started on your Cyber career with a Cybersecurity Bootcamp !

What Is a Zero-Day Attack? As organizations and individuals around the globe shift their business and communication online, cybersecurity experts are constantly fighting against a growing number of threats. One of these threats, the zero-day attack, is on the rise and is particularly dangerous. A zero-day attack is a weakness or flaw in a software system that the developers of the software aren’t aware of yet. This weak spot is discovered by a hacker, and once it’s discovered, developers have no time to patch the vulnerability before it’s attacked. This is why it’s called a “zero-day” attack: there are literally zero days to fix it. Zero-day vulnerabilities are usually detected by a person outside the organization that created the software. This person inserts malicious code that’s able to exploit the vulnerability. The hacker then releases the exploit. Once the vulnerability has been disclosed, it’s called an n-day vulnerability. Publicly disclosed security flaws are called CVE, which is short for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. Software developers have to work quickly to patch the flaws; otherwise, the system is left exposed. However, many times zero-day exploits aren’t discovered right away - the damage is done and the hacker is long gone before the developers are able to detect it and create a patch. Zero-day vulnerabilities are on the rise in recent years, because the more code is written and published, the more chances there are to exploit that code. These attacks may expose critical files or result in data theft. Who Is Most At-Risk of a Zero-Day Attack? Anyone could potentially be targeted in a zero-day attack, depending on the type of data a cybercriminal is looking for. Individual internet users could fall victim to this type of attack if a hacker believes the individual possesses the type of valuable data or intellectual property they’re looking for, or could have a connection to a network where this information is stored. Corporations are another hot source of zero-day vulnerabilities to exploit. In particular, organizations with sensitive financial or medical information, trade secrets, or security data are likely targets. Any company that uses email and a network could be a potential target, no matter whether it’s Microsoft or a small local startup. Of course, government agencies are extremely vulnerable to zero-day attacks, but they may also use zero-day vulnerabilities to their advantage. They can obtain valuable insights about potential security risks such as hackers and organizations. In fact, government security agencies are driving a huge demand for zero-day vulnerabilities in order to leverage them for surveillance or cyberwarfare. Who benefits from zero-day vulnerabilities? The exploits from a zero-day attack can bring in a lot of money, from a few thousand to several hundred thousand dollars, creating a highly lucrative market for these transactions. Markets for zero-day attacks include the white market, gray market, and dark market. The white market is where organizations pay what are called “white-hat hackers” - otherwise known as an ethical hacker - to find software vulnerabilities so they can patch them up before criminal hackers have a chance to discover them. In the gray market, data from zero-day attacks is sold to intelligence agencies, militaries, or other government organizations. This data could be used in a variety of ways, some legal and others less so. The dark market, just like it sounds, is the place where criminal hackers gather to buy and sell information about vulnerabilities that will allow them to steal valuable data. Famous Zero-Day Attacks It may be hard to believe that zero-day attacks can happen at prominent software companies that employ a large team of cybersecurity engineers in addition to a strong development team. However, despite their robust security, these companies are targeted in zero-day attacks each year. They’re especially attractive because of their enormous user bases, offering hackers a wealth of data and selling opportunities on the dark market. In 2020 Apple suffered a zero-day attack that took advantage of a vulnerability in iMessage. This allowed hackers to install spyware to gain remote access to mobile devices and listen to encrypted calls. Apple issued a patch to protect users from future “zero-click” attacks. Social media giant LinkedIn reported a zero-day attack in 2021 that scraped the data of 700 million users, which make up 90 percent of the platform’s user base. Since then, the hackers have already released data on 500 million users, and have threatened to sell the rest. Another prominent example happened in 2014 at Sony Pictures, where a zero-day vulnerability allowed hackers to install malware and damage files used in creating new films, which caused millions of dollars in damages. Google is no stranger to zero-day attacks. Chrome was attacked several times in 2021 because of a flaw in JavaScript. In 2022, Google Chrome has already suffered several zero-day exploits, and Google has urged users to keep their browsers up to date. Microsoft Windows has been infiltrated a number of times, most notably in 2019 in a large-scale attack targeting users in Eastern Europe. Back in 2017, a vulnerability in Microsoft Word was exploited and millions of users were targeted with trojan malware. Even video call platform Zoom isn’t immune to attacks. Back in 2020, when Zoom started to gain popularity among remote workers during the pandemic, hackers were able to uncover a zero-day vulnerability in Windows 7 users, selling the code for half a million dollars. How to Fix a Zero-Day Attack As simple as it may sound, the number one solution to fixing a zero-day attack is by applying a software patch. Developers are generally able to identify exploits and apply patches quickly. However, on the user end, it’s crucial to keep software and browsers up to date in order to apply these security patches. Companies are strategically investing in cybersecurity, putting it at the top of their priority lists in order to combat zero-day attacks. Cyberattacks are costing companies and governments millions of dollars, with the total cost growing from $1.4 billion in 2017 to $6.9 billion in 2021, and is projected to rise even further in the coming years. Interested in joining the fight against zero-day attacks? In this fast-growing industry, now is an ideal time to transition to a cybersecurity career. Get the hands-on skills you need with Ironhack’s Cybersecurity Analyst Bootcamp ! The bootcamp curriculum is aligned with the NICE-NIST Framework and is designed prepare you to work in roles like Cybersecurity Analyst, Forensics Analyst and Incident Responder.

You're reading an article by two of Ironhack's awesome Cybersecurity bootcamp students, Mag Mach and Carlos Ruiz de la Prada Garrigues, under the supervision of our Lead Instructor, Daute Delgado. If you want to join the ranks, check out Ironhack's Cybersecurity bootcamps ! With remote working becoming more common, companies have forgotten about the different entry vectors for cyber criminals to access sensitive company information. To mitigate this type of activity, cybersecurity professionals run periodic procedures called vulnerability management - which is one of the best ways to proactively manage security. Did you know that there are professionals who charge $200,000 per vulnerability detected? Here, we´ll go into vulnerability management, and cover how important it is for companies to understand their vulnerabilities, how to identify the doors through which an attack could happen, and how good vulnerability management keeps us safe in our daily work. Are you a more visual learner? Catch up on this topic in our Vulnerability Management Workshop, available on demand. What Is a Vulnerability? In cybersecurity , a vulnerability is a weakness that can be exploited by cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. After exploiting a vulnerability, a cyberattack can run malicious code, install malware and even steal sensitive data . To exploit a vulnerability, we need a system weakness can be a system misconfiguration , a lack of configuration in the network component; and out-of-date software , a software that is not maintenance and updated properly; and a zero-day attack , an attack against an application or system that aims at executing malicious code by exploiting vulnerabilities that are unknown to users and to the vendor. In 1965: William D. Mathews from MIT, found a flaw in a Multics CTSS running on an IBM 7094, which disclosed the contents of the password file . That flaw is probably the first reported vulnerability in a computer system. How Are Vulnerabilities Exploited? Vulnerabilities can be exploited by a wide variety of methods including Broken Access Control, buffer overflows, SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and open-source automated software (exploit kits) that look for known vulnerabilities and security weaknesses in web applications. An exploit is a program or piece of code intended to discover and take advantage of a security hole or vulnerability in a program or computer system, generally for criminal purposes such as installing malicious software. An exploit is not the malicious program itself, but rather the method cybercriminals employ to deliver it. Hackers often deploy exploit attacks with code that can automatically spread over a network in search of a vulnerability, like the EternalBlue vulnerability. There are two main types of exploits: Known exploits: As the name suggests, these exploits have already been reported to the developers of the impacted program; the vulnerability is frequently patched and released to users as security updates, making the exploit useless. Unknown exploits: Zero-day exploits, in contrast, haven’t yet been identified and reported on by cybersecurity experts because cybercriminals are the ones who created or discovered them. These are the most severe exploits since they occur when a software or a system has a significant security vulnerability that the supplier is unaware of, which means such attacks are highly likely to succeed. What Is a Vulnerability Scan? A vulnerability scan is an automated activity that scans infrastructure targets such as IP addresses for vulnerabilities that can be exploited by the criminals. It is an assessment of possible security vulnerabilities in computers, internal and external networks, and communications equipment. Cyber criminals have long exploited vulnerabilities in computers, networks, and communications equipment. A vulnerability scan will analyze these target systems for security vulnerabilities. It is an automated process that scans IP addresses for known vulnerabilities. The two types of vulnerability scans are: unauthenticated and authenticated scans. Unauthenticated scans find weaknesses in your perimeter security while authenticated scans find security weaknesses in your internal network. It is imperative to conduct vulnerability scans regularly to ensure that vulnerabilities are identified and the appropriate actions are taken, such as applying patches to fix software vulnerabilities. Vulnerability scanning is generally the responsibility of IT departments if they have the expertise and software to do so, or they may hire a third-party service provider. Some popular vulnerability scanners are: Acunetix , Detectify , Intruder , and Tenable . How Do Vulnerability Scans Help? According to the various reports that have been published over the last few years, it has become clear that minimizing attack vectors and exposure of our assets requires a good vulnerability and patch management cycle. That is why the different tools we find in the market, despite the fact that there is a great deal of competition, all of them must comply with the minimum requirements and all of them will do the same main job: discovering vulnerabilities in our infrastructure. Beyond this, there are different predefined configurations for more specific scanners: PCI, ISO, Web Apps, etc. Another important factor depending on the size and budget of our company, for obvious reasons, is the price. Although we thought that they might all be in the same price range, this is not the case. And this is a good thing because it allows us a free choice depending on our needs. Join The Resistance! Having a vulnerability management policy in your company can help to minimize risks, since it helps to reduce many vectors thanks to a good patching policy. We will never be infallible to attacks, but with more cybersecurity professionals in the world, we can keep as many doors closed. Ironhack’s Cybersecurity bootcamps prepare you for this and much much more. Close the doors on attackers, and open the doors to your new skillset and even your new career. Learn more and schedule your call with our admission team .

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already considering doing a tech bootcamp. Tech ranks at the top of both the fastest growing sectors AND the best paid ones, so it makes total sense that you would consider starting a career in it, or pivoting from your current job. Or not, because turning your entire life upside down sounds absolutely terrifying! So many things could go wrong! But would they, though? Not all of your fears regarding bootcamps are as likely to haunt you as you might think, and we’re here to shine a light on your worst worries and zap them away with facts! What a Tech Bootcamp Is… and Isn’t! If you’re not sure whether a bootcamp is the right option for you, odds are you can find your answers if you dig into it and do your research. Many of the doubts that plague prospective bootcamp students are related to the flexibility before and throughout the process: can I pay in instalments? Will I get help afterwards, or just a diploma and a wave goodbye? If I slip during the course, or crack from the pressure, will someone be there to help me get back on my feet? The answers to most of these questions are kinder than you think. We won’t sugarcoat it: yes, a bootcamp is the most intense type of tech training out there— and yes, you will work your ass off! It’s definitely not for the faint of heart! You can read some of our alumni stories to find out exactly how and why a bootcamp is ‘intensive’, and figure out how much is too much. First and foremost, you must know that you won’t be alone through the process: our priority is that you make it out alive, well, and employed! Because, after a bootcamp, it’s a given that you will have the in-demand tech skills to get the job you always wanted in tech! We don’t want you to start a bootcamp if you’re not completely sure that it’s what you want and what you need, tailored for you. And you can easily find out whether that’s the case: the information is out there— we’ve talked about this a lot (really, a lot); and admissions counsellors are always ready to answer each and every question. But if you’re afraid that you might regret starting a bootcamp, we’ve saved you a lot of trouble and effort, and done the research for you: read on! Are These ‘What Ifs’ Keeping You Up at Night? Like with every significant life choice, you might feel apprehensive at the idea of starting a tech bootcamp, unsure about whether it’ll go well… or terribly wrong! Stop and think: are any of these very common fears getting in your way? “What if I can't afford it?” You might be worried about the cost of a bootcamp! ‘Am I digging my own grave by paying for this?’, you wonder. But a bootcamp is not necessarily a huge upfront investment. Like many other educational, specialised paths (think university!), most if not all bootcamps offer different types of financing options, often tailored to your income and particular needs; and bootcamp admissions teams will help you seek out a solution that works for you, too. When considering whether to invest in a bootcamp, the question you have to answer is this: is the value I will get out of this course worth the cost? Think about what you want to do when you achieve your objective, and how this bootcamp fits into your career goals. Bootcamp alumni who wanted to start a career in tech, pivot to one, or increase their job responsibilities (and pay!) usually achieve this goal! “What if I struggle to manage my time?” Bootcamps are intensive courses, and, therefore, require great time management skills and organisation, especially if you’re working or studying something else at the same time. So naturally, you might be afraid to not be up for the challenge, and end up dead on your feet with an unfinished bootcamp. We can never say it enough: ask about it! Before you sign up for a bootcamp, counsellors should be able to dispel all of your worries. You wouldn’t be the first one to struggle with time management— bootcamps always have measures in place to help out students who are having a hard time. It’s supposed to be intense, yes, but not an ordeal! Ask for what you need, and you will get help: guaranteed. “What if I can't keep up, and fail?” A bootcamp isn’t like a shooting game at the fair— oops, you missed, try again from the start! From the syllabus to the personalised attention, bootcamps are purposefully designed for you to thrive, passing assignments with flying colours and learning practical skills for good. So if you find it difficult to keep up, you won’t be left behind: you will get the help you need. To ensure this, bootcamps are designed to be beginner-friendly, to give everyone enough time to acquire tech expertise without knowledge gaps. You will be surrounded by a very supportive working environment, wired to help you succeed: from your fellow students to your tutors and counsellors, everyone will help you if you struggle. An Ironhack bootcamp is not a lonely experience: we take pride in our sense of community, and our unwavering support to each other. “What if I don't enjoy it?” There are two reasons why you might not enjoy a tech bootcamp: because of the ‘tech’ part, or because of the ‘bootcamp’ part. If you don’t see yourself working in tech, doing a tech bootcamp probably sounds like a bad idea. But what do you picture when you think ‘tech’? If you’re thinking of that scene from Matrix with the green code trickling down the screen, we have news for you: tech is so, so much more! Before you completely discard the idea of working in tech, take a look into the different areas and roles within it: there are jobs for coders, analysts, and even artists! You might not like the experience of an intensive bootcamp. And that’s perfectly fine! Not everyone is suited for it: some of us find it too stressful, and you shouldn’t feel inadequate if you end up deciding that you want to take it slow. And, luckily, there are options for you, too! You don’t even have to look at other types of courses: bootcamps themselves often offer a part-time option, so you can get your tech skills… the chill way! “What if I don't get a job afterwards?” Afraid you will end up dead in the water after finishing the bootcamp, staring at your shiny diploma, but still unemployed and without prospects? It sure is spooky to think of getting an education for nothing, which is why we don’t let that happen to Ironhackers! Just take a look at our Career Services : from career events to personalised aid, when you finish your bootcamp, we bridge the gap from graduate to professional with career support, job-seeking know-how, and a dedicated community— dedicated to getting you the career you want. What Is It Like to Be a Bootcamp Alumnus? Bootcamp students are being increasingly hired by top tech companies, and it’s no wonder! For the longest time, recruiters had to choose between university graduates (with extensive theoretical knowledge but sometimes lacking in their practical sense and abilities) and self-taught talent (with hands-on experience and instinct, but superficial, software/language-dependent skills): as it turns out, bootcamp grads are the perfect middle ground between the two, with a skill set designed to be practical, and hitting the ground running with real projects before even finishing the bootcamp. You won’t face a shortage of interested recruiters, that’s for sure! Tech bootcamps are designed to be flexible to their core, taking in students of all ages, origins and backgrounds— and the results are just as diverse! Just take a look at some of our alumni stories, or the professionals we interview on Ironhack Podcast: with a bootcamp, you can do just about anything. The one common thing our alumni all tell from their post-bootcamp experience: they work in a field with rapid growth and guaranteed longevity, with their value as professionals steadily increasing in a short time! Fears banished and mind at ease, is a tech bootcamp starting to look like THE killer move to turn your life around and start the career of your dreams? Check out our bootcamps !

In the tech world, freelancing is more normal than you might think. Some startups in the technology sector are financed by major banks or businesses, but a lot of them are a little more scrappy. When starting out with a new idea and new technology, getting backing from big finance isn’t always easy, but businesses still need top talent to achieve that financing and grow. That’s where freelancers come into play. Hiring a full-fledged employee is extremely expensive .  Hiring a freelancer that you can have on-call when needed can be an excellent way to grow the business without making lasting investments. And honestly, it’s win-win. Freelancers can make their own schedules and decide their own rates, while businesses don’t have to get tied down with any one service provider. Plus, when it comes to tech, freelancers are location independent! Companies can cut costs by outsourcing work to freelancers working from their own home offices. And freelancers in most countries can discount their working expenses from their income taxes. Everyone wins! How to Start Freelancing Getting started with freelancing can seem scary, but it shouldn’t be. First, if you’re armed with a skillset that you know brings value, you should have no problems. When you decide to invest in your technological skills, you’re directly investing in your freedom. The word “freelancer” spells it out for you – you’ll be free . To set your hours. To set your price. To take on the projects that invigorate you, and say no to the ones that don’t. You will be your own boss both inside and outside of the office. That all being said, there are a few things you’ll want to check out before you head out as your own boss. First, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the legal scene both where you are physically located, and where you want to have clients. With telework becoming more popular, the lines are increasingly blurred, and you’ll want to be sure you are on the right side of the law, without being taken advantage of as well. Then, you’ll need to think about how you want to market yourself, and where. In the following sections, we’ll give you some practical tips to get started on your freelance career. Check the legal requirements Different countries have different rules and tax systems for freelancers. This gets even more complicated when it comes to issuing invoices across state lines. Start with your local self-employment guidelines. Will you need a tax consultant? Depending on where you are located, the requirements to meet your fiscal obligations may differ. Rules may even change across cities or states within the same country. We suggest you go to your local business regulatory agency to understand the steps you will need to take to get set up with your individual tax number and any regulatory norms you will need to follow. Even if you're not a digital nomad, find out what you need to be self-employed. Build your personal brand As a freelancer, you’re going to have to market yourself. While it may feel awkward at first, nobody is going to sell your services for you. Get used to making your personal brand the center of all your communications so you are constantly moving your business possibilities forward. As a technology sector freelancer, you’ll be up against a lot of competition. Creating a compelling online presence is going to be critical to your professional growth. We suggest you invest in a personal website, and social media, enhanced with an excellent content management system if you can. This is what will really set you apart. Learning about search engine optimization (SEO) won’t hurt either if you don’t want to outsource your content management. If your budget doesn’t allow for the full website monty, that’s okay though! LinkedIn is a great place to start maximizing your profile. LinkedIn’s Marketplace is an excellent tool for freelancers to sell their products or services, and even more so for freelancers working in the tech industry. The LinkedIn Marketplace is perfect for connecting freelancers with companies seeking talent on a project basis. Here are a few best practices to maximize your LinkedIn profile: Use your real name! You want to be searchable. Upload a professional profile image. Make sure your introduction section is detailed and well-written. Join groups. Publish consistently. Share your expertise. Get public recommendations. Use your LinkedIn profile to promote your freelance services without investing in advertising! Research your rates Setting your rate may be one of the toughest aspects of freelancing. It’s great to set your own price, but with great power comes great responsibility. You need to learn how to gauge how much work will be required for a project, how much time it will take, and how much you value your own time. At this stage be sure not to undervalue yourself . If you invest in your education and professional development, don’t be afraid to pass those expenses on. You’re bringing value to your clients, so be sure to reflect that when coming up with your quotes. Another consideration when it comes to deciding your rate is how you want to bill. As a tech industry freelancer, you are going to be given a variety of different jobs that you can parse out as you choose. In some cases, for example if the scope of work isn’t entirely clear, it may make sense to provide an hourly rate and use a timetracker like Toggl to track your hours. In other situations where the deliverables are more cut and dry, you may choose to give rates for an entire project, or break it down into milestones. The important thing is to be clear from the outset and maintain clear communication with your client throughout the process. They won’t want to get stuck with an unanticipated bill, and you won’t want to get paid less than what you deserve for your hard work. Pick a platform Once you’ve decided how you want to bill, and what your rates are, you’ll need to consider how you’re going to land your gigs. There are a variety of freelance platforms out there like Upwork and Fiverr which can help you to get started and build your reputation. For tech workers, sites like Toptal , Guru and Freelancer are especially useful. Another excellent resource is Gun.io — it is geared specifically for companies from startups to Fortune 500s to deliver them exceptional software engineers. It will be important to ensure that your personal brand is consistent across the various platforms that you present yourself on. There is nothing wrong with signing up for multiple platforms, as long as you maintain your core brand and values. Changing your profile across platforms could cause confusion for potential clients, so clarity is key as you build your profiles. Tips For Being a Successful Freelancer If you are thinking about going freelance, we fully support you. It can be a great move that helps you find freedom in your tech career. But freedom can be hard to manage. As a freelancer, you’ll be in full control of your time and income, so you may be tempted to burn the midnight oil constantly to see your revenue rise. Be careful! You don’t want to burn yourself out. With your professional freedom, you’ll need to be sure to set realistic boundaries. Give yourself a schedule and try to stick to it. You may have clients from all over the world, and you may find yourself working across different time zones, which is great. However, you will need to remember that you are your boss, and you don’t want to exploit yourself. Schedule meetings when it is realistically feasible for you, and be sure to schedule time for exercise and rest as well. The freelance rabbit hole can become very deep very quickly, so be careful to set boundaries. Also, consider looking into your local self-employed government perks! When it comes to work-life balance, freelancers tend to have lots of resources to pull from. Gyms, restaurants, and community centers generally want to support small, local businesses, so be sure to check with your chamber of commerce to see what kinds of benefits you can get in your neighborhood as a freelancer. Learn which clients to impress and which ones to drop When you’re starting out as a freelancer, you may have to take on some clients that would be considered low-hanging fruit. You may need to do a little pro bono work for references, and to build your portfolio. But don’t let this phase last too long. While it is great when you’re getting started, remember that you are running your own business. You need to stick to your rates and if they go up because your time is becoming scarce (which it surely will!), then you need to communicate that with your clients. It’s never an easy conversation when you have to let a client know that your rates are going up. But it is necessary and the best clients will understand and stick with you. It is a sign that your work is top-quality and you are in high demand. Sure you’ll want to keep legacy rates for your aunt’s best friend, but in general tough love is better for you and your clients. You’ll ensure that the quality of your work remains high, and ultimately, your clients and potential clients will recognize and respect the value you bring them. If you’re ready to get started with your freelance tech career, the BEST first step is to listen to our Podcast highlighting Clémence de Robert’s experience becoming a freelancer after completing her Ironhack bootcamp! This episode is everything you need to know in order to transition into a freelancing lifestyle. The team discusses how to find contracts, set rates, manage time, and much more. Bootcamps are a great way to get ahead with in-demand technology skills, which are changing constantly. They help you stay on top with the expertise that will keep your freelance career competitive. Once you have a few under your belt, you’ll get to start raising your price, and really have the freedom that comes with freelancing. Check out our upcoming bootcamps now!

You’ve done it! You’ve been hired for your new job in tech and, if this is the first time you work in the industry, you might not be sure what to expect on your first day. And it’s natural to have butterflies in your stomach: you probably feel afraid, excited, maybe a tad of imposter syndrome… after all, you’re heading into the unknown! We’ve prepared some advice on what to expect on your first day, and how to overcome first-time jitters. It’s okay to feel fear: what matters most is how you act on it. And, with these tips, you’ll be ready to make the most of your first day working in tech! Preparing for a New Job: The Week Before In most companies, your recruiter or manager will get in touch with you before you start to tell you what to expect and what to prepare for the first few days; don’t be afraid to ask proactively if you need more information to start, like for example the exact schedule! You have probably done some research on the company throughout the interview process: it’s one of the best ways to show your interest in the company and how much importance you place on finding the right fit for you (and not just the first company that wants to hire you). But if you were indeed hired, now is the time to do some extra work! By doing a more in-depth research, you can cover your bases in advance for a lot of the information you’ll have to catch up on when you start working for a new company. Find out what they’ve been doing lately, and you’ll be in sync with the team. Some companies also make their roadmap public– in it, you can check out what they plan to work on in the next few months, and know what to expect during your first year. Preparing for a New Job: The Day Before Excited? You should be: you’re opening a new chapter of your professional life tomorrow! To start in the best way possible, take advantage of the extra time before day one to prepare at leisure. The day before, pick out your outfit (yes, even if you’re working remotely!) so you don’t have to think about it early in the morning. It’s a good look: even if showing your face on camera all the time isn’t the company culture, it will definitely be a thing on your first day, so everyone can meet you properly and recognise you. Looking your best will give a great first impression. Take good care of yourself the night before, so you can start your day well rested and full of motivation: eat a good dinner, as good food will settle the butterflies and give you plenty of energy, and get a good night’s sleep. The devil is in the details! Making a Good First Impression We can’t stress this enough: show up on time! This is such a given that failing to arrive on time is a huge red flag, as it can mean you don’t care about the job. If you’re not sure about how traffic or public transport will affect your journey, leave the house earlier. It’s your first day: it matters! On your first day, you’ll probably be shown the facilities, the main programs and online services you’ll be using to do your job, and get introduced to a lot of people, too. This can be overwhelming, and you might feel the pressure to show your excitement about how happy you are to meet everyone; or even take proactive steps to introduce yourself to people. But be careful: remember that other people have busy schedules, too! Be sure to accommodate, and not just dump a 1-hour meeting in their calendar with no warning just to get to know each other. Go Easy On Yourself Starting a new job can be, more than anything, overwhelming. Don’t feel stressed to be super useful on the first day: remember that you’re there to learn! It’s fine to take your time to figure out how everything works, and get all your questions answered. That’s what the onboarding process is all about. If you rush the process, you might misunderstand or completely miss out on important information that you will need further down the line. For now, breathe, and take it slow: take notes of everything, and try to get a grip of the general picture to know what you can figure out by yourself and what you need to ask about. During this process, you will feel lost a lot, and you may even feel imposter syndrome: that’s okay! A company that expects you to know everything right away isn’t a good company. You’re entitled to time to learn and get acquainted with everything as you start. Be As Sociable As You Can Don’t worry, you don’t need to instantly befriend everyone in your team. But it’s important to show up, have a good attitude, and be interested in others’ personalities and working styles, just as much as letting them know yours! Connecting with your peers doesn’t just make work a much nicer place: it will also make your team stronger, and your work together a lot more comfortable and efficient. If there's after-work drinks or a virtual social, try to go if you can, especially if you just joined the company. Taking a little bit of interest in your coworkers can go a long way! Take It All In and Enjoy! You’re here! You made it! And the next thing ahead can look terrifying, especially if you’ve never done this before. So remember: big breaths! If you feel yourself getting intimidated or overwhelmed by the tasks that first get assigned to you, take a moment to look at the big picture. You’re already doing amazing: you've made a serious career move and you should be proud! Breathe, ask if you have questions, and keep going! Eagerly awaiting your first day in Tech? Ironhack can help you get there with our unrivalled Career Services , built into our Tech bootcamps to help our alumni get a job right after finishing their education! Get the career support you need with our bootcamps !

At Ironhack, we often share advice on how to start a career in Tech. Whether you’re applying to tech jobs for the first time , or pivoting from a different job , we have the tips for you! But very few articles tackle the trickiest, most unpredictable part of the job hunt: the messy middle. Once you’ve figured out what you really want from your career, and planned out how to get it ( for this purpose, we made a Career Vision Planner and Job-Hunting Checklist , so you can decide what you want and how to get there!), you’ll take the leap and find yourself in the worst part of the job hunting process: intensively sending out resumés, having interviews left and right, doing trial assignments for various interview processes… If you’re not sure if you will survive through the storm, this post is for you! These steps will help you disentangle your job search methods and save time by working smarter, not harder. Because job hunting doesn’t have to feel like purgatory! Overhaul Your Networks The best time for learning how to network professionally is when you have a steady job: you can connect with all your coworkers on LinkedIn, ask your manager for networking tips, and dedicate time to reach out to other professionals without having to ask them for help out of nowhere. So, if during your job hunting process, you’ve found that your networking skills aren’t great, this might not sound like great news for you. But you don’t need to have the perfect network (myth alert: there is no perfect network!) to find a job through it. There are some ways to use your existing network of friends and acquaintances that you might not have thought about. Of course, most of us tell our closest friends to keep an eye open for roles that might fit our profile; but they probably have networks they haven’t considered at first. If they’re in closed groups in social media or instant messaging apps with other people who might be in pertinent industries, or able to pass your resumé along, you might get lucky! Write up an elevator pitch about your career and expectations, and ask your most connected friends to send it around: it might reach just the right person! While reaching out to strangers on LinkedIn and asking them for a job is considered a bit rude, you can also try writing a short post, similarly tailored for recruiters, detailing your story as a professional and what you’re looking for; and ask your contacts to share it, both on and off LinkedIn! Job Hunting, But Make It Smart Especially if you’re looking for a job in tech, don’t make the mistake of sticking to one job board! While the most popular job boards are chock-full of postings and often overlap and link to each other, by not keeping an eye on smaller, more specialised job boards, you might be missing out on more uncommon openings. Startups in particular tend to avoid large job boards and stick to more niche sites, like AngelList or Y Combinator. Do your research! LinkedIn tends to be the most used job board for tech professionals, however, and you might have heard a thing or two about how recruiters ignore you if you use the Easy Apply option. This is false: Easy Apply is okay to use! But you might want to check if there is a different form to apply on their website (hint: these are sometimes favoured!). Lastly, remember that having a curated online presence will bring recruiters to you, too. A well written, good looking LinkedIn profile might just do the work for you, by showing you at the top of recruiter search results and making you look like exactly what they’ve been looking for! Track and Organise Your Job Applications If you’re doing an intensive job search and applying for several postings every day, you will soon get confused– and it’s not a good look to tell the recruiter who just called you that you have no clue what they’re calling about. Track your applications on a spreadsheet, kanban, or whatever method works for you: list the companies and positions, the link to the job posting, the date on which you applied, and the status of the application; establish a limit to decide which companies have “ghosted” you so you can move on. Nothing compares to the bliss of having a recruiter call you when you have the spreadsheet handy, and giving a great first impression by not making them read the entire job description to you! Remember to be mindful of how much time you dedicate to job hunting: it is important to limit the hours a day you spend sending out resumés and cover letters. This applies to every phase of the hunt: send a set maximum of applications a day, track meetings on your calendar, and carefully time-block and control the time you spend working on trial assignments. Your time is valuable, and your peace, too! Apply What You’ve Learned as a Job Hunter Job searching can feel repetitive: you send out the same resumé, the same cover letter, the same portfolio; you answer the same questions, in forms and in interviews; you write the same email over and over. Don’t rest in your laurels: switch it up! The job hunt process can be very time consuming if there isn’t a constant effort to optimise its processes– which very often get hindered by “rules” and expectations. Don’t be afraid to seek efficiency and hack your system! Refine your elevator pitch and write it down, instead of reciting it from memory; better yet, conduct A/B testing, trying out different ones and seeing which works best or makes you feel better. Do the same with your interviews: write down your most inspired answers so you can reuse them, and rethink the ones you weren’t happy with. Ask interviewers for feedback on your resumé and on how you interview, too! Turn interviews into an opportunity to improve, and it won’t feel like wasted time. You can find great resources on how to conduct great interviews, too, but you can ask the interviewers themselves, who will, more often than not, appreciate a candidate that proactively seeks improvement. Also, remember that the work you made for trial assignments (for companies that didn’t hire you) is yours to keep. Put it to work, and showcase it in your portfolio! Take Care of Yourself Job markets move very fast, with thousands of companies and millions of people constantly on the go; and companies receive tons of applications, resulting in candidates often being ghosted mid-process. Job hunting can take literal months to give results, and generally be very exhausting and terrible for your self esteem. So you have to put your physical and mental health first. It’s easy to feel inadequate when you start getting lots of generic rejection emails, but, if you’re confused because you thought you were a good fit for the position, you might have been right: resumés often get discarded by automatic software, or by recruiters who looked at them for all of five seconds. Don’t take rejection or ghosting personally: it has nothing to do with your value or your skills! Take breaks –seriously, job hunting can burn you out very fast if you don’t!–, get support from friends and family, and remember: neither you nor your career are stuck in amber until the next job pops up. This transitional period does not define you: it’ll be over before you know it! Keep Learning As You Go As we said before, while you hunt for a new job, you’re not stuck. Keep moving forward! If you’re between jobs, making use of your free time to do some extra courses to list on your resumé is not only a great way to motivate yourself: it also shows recruiters that you’re willing to keep learning. Now is the time to get the education that is specific for the role you’re seeking, and that will set you apart from the rest. There’s a plethora of educational resources available online, from short video courses to bootcamps, which are more intensive and arm you with the most demanded skills in the market– and with Ironhack, you’ll get much more than a certificate. Join our Ironhacker community, get access to our Career Services, and kickstart your career in Tech! Check out our bootcamps !

Data analytics is changing the world and shows no signs of slowing down. If you’re curious about the world of data analytics, you may be wondering what exactly is a data set and what it is used for. What Is a Data Set? The term data set refers to a collection of data records that are related to each other in some way. Data sets are stored with specific names that can be used to retrieve the data at a later time. Data sets are put together by data analysts by finding and cleaning the data and then categorizing it into relevant collections that can be used by organizations to measure different metrics. For example, a shop might use a data set to study their sales and customers, or a multinational company may find a data set useful for analyzing marketing or financial metrics. Scientists regularly use data sets to analyze things like climate and research findings. Even things like medical or insurance records are data sets. It would be hard to find a field that didn’t use some type of data set! Why do data sets matter? They make it easier to conduct analysis and perform mathematical operations because when data is in a set, it’s categorized. They also help make sense of an overwhelming amount of numbers and information. Data analysts perform a variety of techniques on data sets to extract valuable insights. They might find the mean, or the average, such as the average number of hours of television watched. Or they may want to know the range, to know how far the data extends. The Difference: Data Sets vs Databases You may be thinking that a data set is another name for a database. Isn’t a database a collection of data? While this is true, typically, databases are much larger and broader than data sets. While data sets are related to one specific topic, databases hold a greater amount of information about a number of different data sets. In general, data sets need to be stored in a computer system so they can later be accessed, updated and manipulated. A database provides the structure and the space for a data set to be stored and worked with. Data analysts learn how to work with databases using language such as SQL, which allows them to query and update the data in an organized way. Now that it’s clear what a data set is and how it’s different from a database, diving deeper we see that there are a variety of types of data sets that a data analyst must choose from when storing data. Types of Data Sets: Sequential vs. Partitioned Firstly, it’s important to distinguish between sequential and partitioned data sets. A sequential data set is data that is stored and retrieved consecutively. Data that needs to be used in sequence, such as an alphabetical list, would be best stored in this way. A partitioned data set is more like a library, where the overarching structure holding the data is called a directory. The components inside the directory are called members, each one holding a smaller data set. Data partitioning is particularly useful when working with very large data tables to break them up into more manageable parts. Permanent vs. Temporary Permanent data sets existed before a task begins and they won’t be automatically deleted after working with the data. These data sets need to be saved into a library on a computer to be accessed later. On the other hand, temporary data sets are only used during a specific task, or “life cycle.” They may be used to pass some type of data from one step to another. These data sets only exist during the current session, and once the session is closed, the temporary data set will be deleted. Other types of data sets Numerical data, also known as quantitative data, is expressed in numbers instead of in what we know as natural language. This is the type of data that’s used to perform mathematical operations. Bivariate data sets contain only two variables. The interesting thing about bivariate data is being able to find the relationship between the two variables; for example, a data set about height of basketball players and how many points they’ve scored. Multivariate data sets contain at least three variables that are somehow related. You could study the color, size, and number of sales of a particular item of clothing using a multivariate data set. Categorical data sets are about the characteristics or qualities of an object. For this reason, it’s also known as qualitative data. Categorical data can be broken down into two types. In a dichotomous data set, variables can have one of two values - true or false, for example. Polytomous data sets can have many possible values, such as color. Correlation data sets involve relationships between variables that depend on each other. Correlations can be positive, negative or zero. Positive correlations show the related variables moving in the same direction, while in negative correlations, variables move in the opposite direction. If there’s no relationship shown, it can be called zero correlation. You can take a look at our free Data Analytics Basics masterclasses if you want to know about these and more data analytics concepts, and start your journey in Data! Common Data Sets You Use Every Day We can see data sets all around us every day, from statistics reported on the news, to stock performance, to the scoring averages of our favorite sports teams, and many more. One data set that is commonly used across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, politics, and even marketing and advertising, is census data . Census data gives decision-makers key information about constituents or potential customers. Another data we all rely on is weather and climate data . Meteorologists analyze climate data to come up with forecasts that allow us to plan trips and events, not to mention dress accordingly each day. If you’re intrigued by how useful data sets are and want to try working with them yourself, you can get some hands-on practice with the following free data sets: Housing Price Data looks at home sizes, prices, locations and other details. You can use this set to practice making regression models. Die-hard football fan? Premier League Match is a data set exploring English Premier League football scores, teams and games. If you’re curious about world health statistics, the World Health Organization supplies a multitude of data sets around a variety of public health issues. FiveThirtyEight is another great source of data sets related to politics, sports, and more. How to Learn More About Data Analytics After getting a handle on what data sets are and how they’re absolutely everywhere, are you ready to learn the tools you need to work with data? Ironhack can take you from beginner to career-ready in the world of data analytics: check out our Data Analytics bootcamp !

Choosing the right career for us isn't just about the field itself: its culture will also impact our lives. Many people that pivot into tech seek more flexible workplace cultures, or a different type of fulfilment from their job. We talked to Rosa, a former architect from Düsseldorf with a passion for volunteering, who became an Ironhacker by completing one of our bootcamps and subsequently becoming a UX/UI Design Consultant. Tell us a bit about yourself. I'm Rosa, I'm 29 years old, and I come from the Architecture sector. I studied my Bachelor's and Master's in Architecture in Düsseldorf and Munich. I love to travel, I've visited many countries: I did a semester abroad in Ljubljana, I went to New Zealand to work and travel, and after I finished my studies, I spent some time in India and completed yoga teachers' training. I also enjoy volunteering: during my Bachelor's I helped build a youth theatre. Last year, I built a camper van with my husband to go explore Europe. In my free time, I love to do sports, such as running, bouldering or hiking. In the morning I always start the day with some yoga practice, too. What were you doing before you decided to join an Ironhack bootcamp? Before Ironhack, I quit my Job in an architecture office and tried to figure out what to do, and I came across the UX/UI Bootcamp and was really interested. I enrolled and before it started I self-studied a bit in Figma and tried to get ready. Why did you decide to make a career change? I was not happy with my previous career. I wanted to work in more flexible, less conservative structures. What convinced you that Ironhack was the right choice for you? I heard about it in a podcast. I liked the idea of a different structure than in more classic studies, especially because I already spent some time getting my Bachelor's and Master's. I liked that it seemed really close to practical experience, so you get a good preparation for the real work experience. What was your experience like on the course? I got along with most of the other students: everybody was nice and brought some new insights from their different backgrounds. My instructor, Juno, and Teacher's Assistant, James, were super nice– I always had the feeling I learned a lot and didn't need to hesitate to ask something. They gave great insights besides the Ironhack materials, sharing lessons from their real-life experience, which was super helpful. What interests you most about your bootcamp topic, UX/UI? I love the psychological aspect of it: thinking about how people use the product, and figuring out what they actually want or need, instead of designing what I think is going to be good for them. And then, being creative and building something for them to use intuitively. For me, it's about the process, which is super fun and interesting because I don't just create something– I learn so much during every Design Thinking process. Did you take advantage of Ironhack’s career services? How did your bootcamp prepare you for the job market? I was always in close contact with my career coach, Inese. it was super helpful to have someone to ask if you don't know how to handle a situation. The best part of the career week was the preparation of my CV and LinkedIn. I felt really well-prepared to know how to talk in an interview and how to show my skills and background. What have you been up to since graduating? The job hunt went well! After less than 2 months of "hunting", I had 3 job offers and could pick the one I liked the most. What are you looking forward to in the future? I'm excited about my new career path, and working in a cool team with great people in a flexible work environment: I look forward to learn something new every day, and get great insights from all kinds of people with different backgrounds and interests. Interested in switching careers to UX/UI Design, like Rosa did? Take a look at our bootcamp !

Data is everywhere. Just kidding– don’t close the tab! We know you’re tired of reading the same line all over again. We get it: data analysis is a fundamental part of how we make decisions in areas like politics, economics, business, etc. But the fact that data analysts and related roles are among the most hired roles within tech is something that you’ve heard before, and it doesn’t reassure you that it’s the path that works for YOU– for your background, your personality, and your interests. Read on: we want to help you figure that out! A Career With Data, or a Career In Data? Data analytics is a very large field: working with data could involve a lot of different roles, responsibilities, and tools. It doesn’t all just come down to spreadsheets and pie charts (though these are fairly common). In very rough lines, you could distinguish between data analyst types and data scientist types. Where analysts apply stats skills, tools and software to data to obtain tangible results, usually for business purposes, data scientists work on a more advanced level, trying to develop predictive models and machine learning algorithms and generally study and improve the way data analytics are carried out. Naturally, the latter will require more advanced statistics and programming skills! Within this rough separation, there are multitudes. Many jobs involve a heavy data analytics component, from those who are basically dedicated to it, like Data Analyst or Business Analyst, to others that are dependent on data but touch on more areas, like Operations Analyst or Marketing Analyst. Even in seemingly unrelated areas, you might have to acquire data analytics skills, as they’re being increasingly demanded for roles like Product and Project Manager. So the odds (pun intended) that acquiring these skills will impact your career heavily are pretty high! The Skills You Need to Work in Data Analytics Have we mentioned spreadsheets? In all seriousness, a good grasp on spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Sheets is unquestionably a must, but that’s not all there is to it. You’ve probably figured out by now that wrangling data necessarily comes with statistics, which you will be using on a daily basis: but you don’t need to be a world class expert. Some data analytics roles really do require just a high school level expertise in statistics, as they’re more reliant on handiness with software and programs that do the math for you. Nowadays, data analysts often make use of programs that facilitate data cleanup and the extraction of valuable information and insights from it: examples are SAS, Power BI, Tableau, MySQL, TensorFlow… don’t worry! You don’t need to know all of these to make a career out of it. Some programming languages are also heavily used in data analytics– like Python, R, SQL, and other multi-purpose languages like JavaScript and Scala. Don’t get discouraged by these, either: some languages, like Python, are extremely easy to learn. There’s much more to data analytics than we can fit in a couple of paragraphs, so don’t be afraid to explore the different roles within the field, and read up on which skills are required for those that catch your eye or that overlap with your existing skill set! When Is the Right Time to Learn Data Analytics? As you’ve seen, learning data analytics doesn’t necessarily end up in having a generic ‘data analyst’ job. The particular ways in which technology and coding overlap with statistics and data science leave space for many different ways to work with data analysis– and the outcomes of the journey are as varied as the reasons to start it! When You Want to Climb the Career Ladder It doesn’t really matter which type of business you’re in: as responsibility increases in roles that involve more leadership, the need to wrangle data and make decisions based on it increases. After all, you can’t be everywhere and see everything to know what is going on. You and your team will smartly summarise their results in graphics that give you a clear picture of what is going well and what isn’t (and how to change it!). The person who knows the data also has the upper hand in negotiation: if you know how to handle the information and extract insights and trends from it, you can use these to back your arguments, reinforce your strategic approach, and present an informed point of view that will be respected and taken into account… and better paid, too! When You’d Rather Punch Yourself in the Face Than Work With Spreadsheets… but You Have To! Data analysis is an unskippable part of a lot of jobs nowadays, regardless of industry. Working with computers is unavoidable now, and they make it very easy to collect and analyse data: it’s no wonder why data-driven approaches are so popular. As many as 77% of top companies consider data analysis a pillar of their success. If you hated reading that, picturing yourself surrounded by spreadsheets, formulas and pivot tables (what even are those?). We won’t lie to you: you’ll probably have to handle a spreadsheet every now and then, and statistics are unavoidable. But data analytics is so, so much more than spreadsheets. Excel and Sheets are the Swiss Army knife of data: handy, versatile and good for just about any task (and great news here: it gets A LOT more entertaining when you explore its possibilities). However, spreadsheets can fall short when it comes to larger amounts of data, more complex tasks, or just needing to present it all in a way that is interactive and easy to understand! So if you don’t love math or spreadsheets, don’t worry: you can still find a place for you in data analytics. When You Don’t Want to Be Tied to One Industry Data analytics is, arguably, one of the most flexible job types to have when it comes to industry switching. Every industry out there needs people to handle their mountains of data and rework them into nice, straightforward graphs, understandable bullet points, and crystal clear insights that tell you what is working and what can be improved. With skills in data analysis, you might start your career in one sector, be it the one you switched careers from or the one that hired you first. But this doesn’t tie you down for life to the same industry, or require you to acquire a lot of new skills to change your path– with very little to no effort, you could go from, for example, logistics to communications or fintech. Just like that! When You’re Ready for a Career in Data Are you someone who already LOVES data? Maybe your head perks up when you see bar charts or histograms on the news, or you spent hours reading up on how the data was gathered, cleaned up, wrangled and presented during the confusing pandemic. Liking data is a wonderful start, and you only need one good kick to start working on something you love: a certification! Taking a course can formalise your skills and give you a qualification that you can show off to prospective employers. If you go for an Ironhack Data Analytics bootcamp , you’ll also have your own portfolio of real work to show, and lots of help to get the job you want! What are you waiting for?