The Ironhack Blog

We all love to browse the internet and make the most of the online world. After all, digital technologies now rule most of our lives, from social media to online banking, shopping, services booking, entertainment streaming, takeaway ordering... you name it, it's online! But with this vast online eco-system largely ungoverned, how exactly can we make sure we are safe when we use the internet? Cybercriminals are motivated and highly skilled and they will stop at nothing to get hold of your precious personal and financial data. So it's essential that you take steps to safeguard yourself online. Follow these tips and enjoy the best of the internet - without becoming the victim of a cybercrime. Limit your personal information Remember that almost everything you post online is permanent and open for anyone to see if they are motivated enough - regardless of your privacy settings. So be mindful about what you post and where, especially if you are likely to be job-hunting at any point! Keep private data such as your DOB, address and relationship status off social media. Add information about your career history, skills, expertise and professional contact details. Always be mindful about the personal data you are sharing and err on the side of caution. Watch those downloads! Cybercriminals want you to download malware that will steal your information and they often look like apps that can be as innocuous as weather reporting or games! Always check the validity and authenticity of apps in your app store. Plenty of positive reviews are a must. Browse safely You'd be mindful about where you went in person, so do the same online. Clickbait can be a device used by cybercriminals. If an article looks dubious, pass it by. One thoughtless click could download malware onto your device, or mean that your data is stolen. Just visit sites that are reputable and stay away from anything that just doesn't look right! Only shop at secure sites Always check that you are shopping online at authentic and verified stores - look for the HTTPS: address, and a padlock icon next to the address bar. Authentic sites are also populated with corporate information, address and contact details, privacy information, trust marks and other indicators of quality. Again, also look for positive customer reviews on Trusted Reviews and similar websites. Watch those privacy settings Take charge of your data by adjusting your privacy settings away from the default and to the level that suits you. You can do this on mobile operating systems, web browsers and big websites such as Facebook. These can be difficult to find because marketers want your data and extract value from it. But if you enable your privacy safeguards, you instantly boost the safety of your time online. Stranger danger There are a lot of fake social media profiles that are basically hacker fronts. Be extremely cautious about people you meet online. They may be fakes in a variety of ways. Up your password game Consider using password manager software to create and manage highly secure passwords that are genuinely randomised and use a mix of characters, symbols and numbers. 'Password1' just won't cut it anymore! Regularly change your passwords too and try to have different passwords for each website. If you no longer use a site, delete your account. Also, be wary about saving credit card details 'for ease', in case the website is hacked. Always keep your antivirus software updated There's a great range of internet security software and it does detect most malware and remove it - although it can't guarantee 100% safety. but you must make sure that it's up to date to be effective, so always enable your system updates for that vital security layer. Where additional security layers are offered too on websites, such as two-factor authentication, be sure to enable it. Consider a VPN Some people use VPN networks - Virtual Private Networks - to establish a secure connection that no one can access or monitor. These are well worth investigating and they can be used across all devices to greatly enhance your privacy online. There are other measures to take as well, such as avoiding public wifi connections that have no security controls. Don't ever use public wifi to carry out activities such as banking. Use your mobile data network, or wait until you are on a trusted and secure wireless network. Think before you post Once it's out there, you can't delete it! Any image, comment or post will stay online because you have no control over copies people may have made - even if you delete the original. Use the parent test. if you wouldn't want your parents - or an employer - to see it, don't put it online. And if you haven't been quite so careful in the past, limit the potential damage now by going back through your social media accounts and removing any information that might not want someone to scroll back through and see. Equally, you can Google your details and see what anyone searching for you would see - and take action as necessary and where possible. Find out more Want to know more about the world of technology, digital and the internet? Visitor Ironhack to find out more about our exciting digital courses - delivered online (safely and securely!) or in person, by experienced tutors. Ignite your passion, start a new career direction or boost your knowledge at our Global technology school.

As part of Ironhack’s US expansion, we are launching our Hybrid campus in NYC. Now, students and companies can take advantage of Ironhack regardless of where they are in the tri-state area. You know the saying, If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere! The best part of Hybrid is tapping into the hustle and bustle of NYC, without the grind of a daily commute on the subway or train system. Regardless of where you live in the 5 boroughs or neighboring states, take advantage of this booming tech scene that’s been driving America’s workforce since inception. A quick search for “developer” on Indeed’s job search site shows a robust 16,000+ open roles..and that’s just in NYC! If you’ve been looking for a sign to learn a new tech skill, this is it! The diverse range of companies in industries and sizes make this the perfect city to boost your tech career. NYC is home to the top and most innovative companies in the world that are moving the needle in tech. Even fostering bootcamp grads on apprenticeship and early career programs. How do Hybrid Classes work? Ironhack NYC students will take Ironhack’s remote-live programs while meeting up 1-2x a week in the city with their classmates to collaborate and come together to work on projects, hang out and network. Build your network with like-minded students that have similar goals and are as ambitious as you! Why should you enroll in Ironhack NYC? Ironhack is one of the only global coding bootcamps with campuses across 3 continents. Since 2013 (yes, we’ve been around that long) we’ve graduated over 10,000 students globally and ready for the next 10,000! Our students have gone off to start successful careers in tech and landed roles as Software Engineers, UX designers, Data Analysts, Product Managers, Tech Recruiters and much more. Not to mention that Ironhack’s tuition is one of the most affordable for coding bootcamps! To give you a better idea of what you can expect to pay, our bootcamp courses range from $12,500 - $13,000 including your initial deposit. We also offer financing options available to give you peace of mind while you focus on your studies. In celebration of our US Expansion, we partnered with Climb Credit to give away $1,000 scholarships. This is the first of many scholarship contests that will be available throughout the year! In total, over 20 students in 2022 will win tuition assistance through various Climb + Ironhack scholarships. Apply here and inquire with an Ironhack admissions manager . APPLY to Ironhack New York here

If you’ve been hovering around the tech industry for a while (whether you’re looking for a career transition or you love binge watching tech reviews on YouTube), chances are you’ve heard of APIs . Maybe someone has mentioned them to you in conversation, and you nodded enthusiastically and made a mental note to look it up later. Many tech-enthusiasts have a vague idea about the term, but often without detail. Time to fix that today. What Does API Stand For? Let's start with the basics. API is an acronym for 'Application Programme Interface' . Don't get it mixed up with an IPA (Indian Pale Ale.) Unless of course, you're in a bar and have sunk a few of the latter already. APIs are everywhere and most large organizations build them for either internal use and/or for customer use. Here are some common examples of APIs: Weather or traffic snippets The ability to log into a system via your social media account Twitter bots that automatically refeed or share content Paypal payments within a website Travel booking sites that aggregate third-party data -Weather or traffic snippets -The ability to log into a system via your social media account -Twitter bots that automatically refeed or share content -Paypal payments within a website -Travel booking sites that aggregate third-party data How APIs Rule the Internet APIs act as primers to remote servers and the web . The web is basically a vast network made up of interconnected servers. Each web page is stored on a remote server somewhere - your laptop for a staging site, or at a commercial remote server perhaps. Type a URL in your browser and it will go to the relevant server. When the browser picks up the response, it will read the code and display the correct page. In this instance, the server is the API. So when you visit a webpage, you are interacting with the API of a remote server. The API is the part of the server that takes the requests and submits coded responses. APIs may also be packaged and delivered as customer products, perhaps to sell access to traffic, weather or inventory data for example. Say you want to create an appointment reservations system for customers booking in for a car service at your garage, with the option for them to automatically add a Google calendar event to their calendar. You'd use an API, so that your website server would send a request to Google's server, providing the given details so that Google would return with a code response, for your server to receive, process and send to the browser in the form of a user confirmation message. Your browser might actually also be able to bypass your server altogether and get straight to the Google server. What's a client in the context of APIs? If an API request is made by your website server, then it's the client. This is similar to your browser becoming the client when you use it for website navigation. For users, the API lets them carry out defined actions within a single website. For this reason, most modern websites use a range of third-party APIs for the best possible, smoothest customer experience all within the site. We've got an API for that Where a potential problem exists on a website, there will usually already be a third-party, off the shelf solution in the form of a service or library. It tends to be easier - and likely more reliable - to make use of an existing and trusted solution. Development teams use APIs to allow multiple servers to talk to each other. Often these servers act as helpers to a primary application server - and they're known as microservices when they do. To Recap: If an organization offers a customer API, this simply means they've developed a set of custom URLs that deliver responses in a pure data form. This means that the response won't be formatted or presented in a reader-friendly way - like the graphics you'd usually see with a website page. It's just data. You can often make the same requests with a browser, as HTTP transmissions also occur in the text and your browser will display the best response it can. Can you make these requests with your browser? Often, yes. Since the actual HTTP transmission happens in text, your browser will always do the best it can to display the response - often a JSON response that can be used readily in code. It's easy for developers to extract data from the returned text and use it for their application. An application can be many things. For example, it could be a piece of functional software designed to do one thing. It can also be a small part of an app, the entire app or even a whole server. Basically, if a piece of software can be stripped from its environment, it can be classed as an application in the context of an API - and furthermore, it will probably have some variety of API in its own makeup. Here's an example: When developers use object-oriented design, they organize code into objects. There may be hundreds of these defined objects interacting with each other in the application. Every object will have an API that will be a set of public properties and methods to allow it to interact with other application objects. The object may also have a private inner logic which is hidden from the external scope and not an API. Ready to Learn Web Development? Now that you’re familiar with APIs…are you hungry to learn more? A Web Development bootcamp can fast-track your career in tech and get you building something that you love. With remote, hybrid, and on-campus options, Ironhack’s bootcamps are ready to help you change your life! Whether you want to learn new skills to kick-start a career, to change your career path, or simply to place yourself firmly at the heart of the new digital economy, you will find courses to meet your needs, all delivered by experienced, engaging and exciting professionals in the field. So, are you ready to learn Web Development with Ironhack?

Like every job, programming requires various tools for you to code effectively. Tools help you to work smarter instead of harder. Using the right tools will simplify your work and boost your productivity. As a new programmer, you’ll come across so many programming tools. If you learn how to use them, you’ll add more credit to your resume. But then, you don’t have to know every programming tool available. Some are more important and used more frequently than others. Below are five of the best programming tools that every programmer should know. The best thing about them is that they’re all free. 1. Figma Figma is among the best web-based tools for user interface design. It’s a perfect alternative to other design tools like Photoshop. What makes it more outstanding is that it allows live collaboration by a team of developers. All you need to access Figma is a web browser. Plus, you can access it from any operating system. A team of designers can log in and make changes simultaneously. And if your team members aren’t present in real-time, you can communicate with them through a chat feature on the platform. Moreover, they can always stay up-to-date with the latest changes since everything is in the cloud. So there’s no need to share files with each member. With Figma, you can work for a client from any location—and your client can also log in to see the progress. And if they suggest that you make some changes, you can make them in real-time as they observe. This allows you to work with the client until the design becomes what they want. Figma allows you to design graphics for web development, create prototyping design, and mobile app interface. It also helps generate CSS codes, SVG, android, and iOS codes. 2. Docker Docker is a perfect replacement for virtual machines. Virtual machines allow you to run different operating systems on the same server. It does this through hardware virtualization. That means allocating each operating system a section of the computer hardware. This ability eliminates the need to buy several computers for each operating system you want to run. Docker also allows you to run multiple operating systems on the same computer. But instead of using hardware virtualization, it uses operating system virtualization. It does this by creating containers that help to isolate computer processes. You can have many containers sharing the same resources, but each operating independently. Previously, developers could face problems with app compatibility. For instance, they could make an app on one computer, but it could fail to work when taken to a different computer. Docker solves that problem. Now, you can use Docker to create an app with everything it needs to run in different environments. This tool is free for personal and non-commercial uses. And unlike virtual machines, Dockers are lightweight, fast, and flexible. 3. Postman Postman is a free web development tool used to test API. Application programming interface (API) is a code that allows two applications to communicate with each other. API takes requests from the client to the server and delivers the results. Every software needs an API to interact with other programs. One role you’ll often have to perform as a developer is testing your applications. Testing helps detect and remove bugs before the software goes into live operation. Postman is one of the best API testing platforms used by leading companies. You can download it to your windows, Linux, or Mac computer. Postman is highly useful in web development as it helps test web APIs. It has a request builder section that allows you to type your HTTP requests and customize them as you want. Then the response section helps you see the results of your request. You can test different parameters and authentication methods, including headers and cookies. If the coding has a problem, you can correct it early in the development process. 4. Git In coding, developers make changes every time to improve the application. Git is free, open-source software that helps store these changes in a place called a repository. Git is the most used distributed version control system. It comes in handy when coding involves a collaborative effort. A centralized version control system runs the risk of disruption if the central server fails. But in a distributed system, each developer has a copy of the project on their computer. Plus, they can make changes to the project. Then these changes are synchronized with those made by each team member. Git helps to track all the changes made to a program. If the software encounters errors, you can go back and identify the changes that caused the bug. Then you can restore to the previous version as you work on the bug. Git version control system is an essential tool if you’re working as a team of members from different locations. It helps to ensure that each member is working on the latest version. 5. Dash Dash is a Mac OS desktop app used for API documentation and managing code snippet. Code documentation is a description of how a code works. It helps in code maintenance by reminding the developer how the code works. Being a desktop app, Dash can help with the offline search of over 200 API documentation sets. It’s compatible with android, python, JavaScript, iOS, and many other platforms. Moreover, it can search for over 100 cheat sheets. It also allows you to create your Docsets or download them from third parties. A docset is a folder that contains HTML documentation, including an index that helps you search for files in the database. Learn with Experts The above programming tools are available for free. Some come with two versions, a free one and a paid one. And even the free versions have a lot to offer in non-commercial coding. As a programmer, you need to learn how to use them. Most working environments involve the use of such tools. And you’re more likely to be hired when you have these skills. If you’d like an experienced trainer to guide you on using these tools, Ironhack is here to help you. Our professional trainers will take you through these tools and many others to give you a head start in programming. We have a variety of programming courses and flexible study modes. Come and learn with the experts to become a pro.

A background in technology such as web design and coding opens many career doors such as video game design, business analytics, digital marketing, web development, animation, graphics, product design, and more. Despite the potential of these careers for job satisfaction and generous pay packets, there is still a notable shortage of women working in tech industries. Recent figures highlight the fact that only around 5% of CEO positions in the tech industry are filled by women. These five documentaries were created to be a source of inspiration for women thinking of technology as a career path whether they're interested in being engineers or entrepreneurs. If these documentaries have inspired you, check out our Ironhack courses in web development, data analytics, and UX/UI Design. 1. Chasing Grace Project (2017) Getting smart women into tech can be difficult, but retaining them can sometimes be even harder. Twice as many women as men leave the tech world despite really loving their jobs. Jennifer Cloer spent many months talking to such women and asking them why they left. She then used her research to launch the Chasing Grace Project ,a six-episode documentary about women in tech. Each episode focuses on a different topic such as entrepreneurship, accessing the best jobs, and harassment in the workplace or online. The name of the series was inspired by Grace Hopper who was a rear admiral in the US Navy as well as being a leading pioneer in computer science. Jennifer Cloer hopes women will watch the episodes and be inspired by how the women featured overcame adversities. They'll be given the confidence to overcome their own difficulties and achieve career success. 2. CodeGirl (2015) While the Chasing Grace Project focuses on why women leave the tech world, CodeGirl focuses on encouraging them to get involved in STEM and choose related careers. Directed by Lesley Chilcott, CodeGirlfollows teams of girls around the world as they take part in the Technovation Challenge. Held annually, this highly-respected competition invites girls of high-school age to learn new technology skills and use them to build mobile apps that solve real-world problems such as supporting those living with Alzheimer's and tackling climate change. Since its launch in 2010, over 5,000 girls from 60 countries have taken part in the challenge, and Chilcott documents their journey from identifying a problem to creating their app. 3. She Started It (2016) In the award-winning feature-length documentary She Started It , five young women (Thuy Truong, Brienne Ghafourifar, Stacey Ferreira, Agathe Molinar, and Sheena Allen) are followed over two years as they pursue their dreams of breaking into the world of tech startups. It was shot in New York City, San Francisco, Mississippi, France, and Vietnam, with the aim of showcasing inspirational female tech entrepreneurs. Directed by Nora Poggi and Insiyah Saeed. lt it's the first film to give a graphic illustration of the ups and downs young women have to go through and doesn't shy away from filming the self-doubt and aversion to risk, traits that hold many young women back. The five young protagonists show endless grit and determination as they break into a male-dominated world, pitching ideas, putting teams together, designing products. The value of failing and starting again is also shown as ambitious plans are turned into reality. Also featured are interviews with women who have achieved success in the world of tech and eCommerce such as Megan Smith, Debbie Sterling, and Ruchi Sanghvi. 4. Code: Debugging the Gender Gap (2015) Directed by Robin Hauser Reynolds, Code: Debugging the Gender Gap focuses on the shortage of female and minority engineers and designers in the American tech industries and attempts to give an explanation for this. The documentary opens with an important question, 'What would society gain from having more minorities and women in tech?' Interviews with tech entrepreneurs from popular brands are recorded while the steps being made to make the programming community more diverse are shown. Much of this film is both eye-opening and awareness-raising. For example, it looks at why many products are designed to be unisex but are unsuccessful because they're designed by men to meet male specifications! Examples of this include early car airbags that injured women and voice-recognition software that didn't recognize the female voice. 5. Go Against the Flow (2016) Directed by Raeshib Aggerwhil and Charu Sharma Go Against the Flow is a short documentary film comprised of interviews with US and UK female entrepreneurs. They share their success stories at startups such as Getaround, Cloudflare, Mightybell, and more. In a similar vein to other documentaries about women in tech, Go Against the Flow stresses that it's not enough to just have a good idea. Hard work, determination, resilience, and courage are also needed. Despite its short length, this film inspires women to dive into their dreams. Get Into Tech The gender gap is tech isn't going away overnight, but the industry is opening its eyes to the lack of diversity among its workforce. The best thing you can do, as a woman, to break down the barrier is to get into tech! Did you know that from top to bottom Ironhack's staff are 55% women? We work hard to make sure that absolutely everyone regardless of gender, nationality, ethnicity, or background are welcome at Ironhack. And we can help you launch the tech career of your dreams! Check out our bootcamps and start your journey into tech.

When you're getting into the web and digital design field, it's important to have a grasp of the best tools out in the market. And that world is evolving constantly, giving designers the chance to work with a huge array of tools that allow them to deliver fantastic work. Even better, many of these tools are now free, which means that designers can build their skills and portfolios without needing to invest large sums in software licenses. So if you're new to the digital design world and growing your skills, these are some of the best free tools to know and experiment with: Prototyping tools As a website designer, your job is to start with the end in mind. Prototyping tools make it easier for you to visualize how the webpage will actually display after development and design are both applied. There are several great tools to try: Mockplus is quick, easy and very simple to use out of the box. The basic edition is decent - and free - and there is a pro edition too that you can pay for. Mockplus can be used for mobile and web designs alike. Wireframe.cc isn't just free, it's super fast and you can access it immediately. Again, it's easy to use, has a great recall option if you leave the site, and it has an excellent simplistic style. Vectr.com - ideal for creating UI prototypes and vector graphics. The offline version is good and it's suitable for mobile and web pages. There are also some decent tutorials available that run you through the basics in rapid time - not bad for a free product! Design and editing tools Also called 'core' tools, these are the basic design packages that do everything in one - and every web designer needs one or two to flow through the process. Canva is perhaps the best all-in-one and completely free editor that any designer will need. It can be used for creating templates, infographics, eBooks, logos, cards, signatures and more. It has a mobile version that is also ideal if you're designing on the go and it's often recommended by designers and clients alike. Font tools Every designer needs to work with a wide array of fonts. There is basically one to recommend in this category as it's so good - Google fonts! It's free, open-source and packed with every font for every purpose. Link fonts to your webpage online or download your choices for future designs. Infographics Every client loves a beautiful, detailed and intuitive infographic. And with infogram.com it's easy to make these look great. Create highly interactive, stunning and data-rich infographics that fit the bill in no time at all with this fast and intuitive package. Images When you're working with design you're always considering the visual feel which comprises a blend of pictures, graphics, colors, fonts and video. Sometimes an entire brand story can be told with a hero image, or presented against a backdrop image. The right visuals can make or break a website, so a good image website is absolutely essential. Pixabay is renowned in the industry for its completely free and extreme;y high quality graphics, illustrations and videos, with vector versions for editing. Pexels is also well worth a look, and again it's completely free. Website Builders Even new designers can build a website and develop its basic functionality with ease if they use a website builder. If you know what you're doing you could create a website in under a day with the associated domain name. hosting, maintenance and SEO optimization in place! Even better, from a designer's perspective, these tools are packed with beautiful templates, app compatibility and other useful design features. There are two main sites that designers tend to recommend most: Wix is the best website builder by far and it has a completely free version. Even the paid-for basic plans are very affordable though. With a drag and drop editor, this flexible interface makes it easy for beginners to pros to build and design a great looking, highly functional website. Squarespace - alternatively try this site which has flexible designs, top-quality features and attractive pricing models. Finding the right free web design software These are some of the best free tools in the business and you'll be amazed at what you can achieve without even paying for a service. And if and when you want to use more powerful features, or customize beyond the parameters of the free version, you can pay surprisingly affordable subscription fees to unlock premium features. It's well worth keeping an eye on the design landscape to see which tools are being developed and released, as many new website design tools are created all of the time, often via apps and usually with open-source coding. It just shows how much the industry has changed in just a few years, and how motivated, talented and hardw-w0rking designers with even a little experience can rapidly learn how to create beautiful and functional websites that their clients will love. Grow your digital skills Keen to grow your digital skills and forge an exciting and rewarding career in this fast-paced industry? Ironhacks is a global tech school with a wealth of high-value courses on offer for coders, designers, developers and more. Whether you are completely new to tech and digital or a more seasoned professional, we have remote and in-person courses that can propel your career forwards! Find out more.

Over the years, women have been encouraged to pursue technology with increasing frequency. But today, there’s still a wide gap between men and women in tech. Even though women make up about 47% of the U.S workforce, only 26.7% have jobs in the tech industry. According to Fortune, women ran 8.8% of businesses on 2022’s Fortune 500 list. Many women get overlooked in tech despite their great feats. Take Angelica Ross, for example. She’s a transgender woman who founded TransTech Social Enterprises, which helps gender-nonconforming people land technical roles. And what about Susan Kare? She’s responsible for what remains of some of Apple’s signature graphics. Women’s importance in tech is everywhere. When applying to college, fewer women than men choose technology-related careers. And after graduation, even fewer end up actually working in tech positions. But there’s no reason women shouldn’t be in technology; the tech industry needs gender diversity to continue thriving. Let’s discuss why and how women can venture into the tech industry. Challenges of Women in Tech Like other industries, the tech sector can be biased and it’s true that women have fewer opportunities to work in tech. Traditionally, tech was a male-dominated field, so only a few women made it to the top positions and as a result, women may feel discouraged about venturing into tech. Another hindrance to women’s success in tech is societal pressures surrounding parenting and home responsibilities. But times are changing and more women are gaining ground in tech; there’s a slow but steady increase in the number of women in tech. And as this growth continues, more and more women will be in tech soon. But why is this essential? The importance of diversity in tech Studies show that diversity is good for business; team diversity in terms of gender, race, and age is likely to accelerate innovation. Women in tech: Improve performance: studies show that gender diversity can be profitable to a business. A survey carried out on 22,000 firms globally showed that firms with 30% female leadership were associated with a 6% net profit margin . The reasons for the increased profitability were diversity in skills and less gender discrimination. With more women at the top, the companies' hiring policies were less likely to discriminate against women, focusing more on skills rather than gender and as a result, these companies had more talented workers. Encourage sector growth: tech is among the fastest-growing industries in the world, requiring more labor supply to thrive. Women make up almost half the workforce population and their exclusion can deprive this industry of the crucial human resources it needs to grow. Help design balanced products: an increased number of women in tech can foster the growth of women-related tech products. The men in tech are less likely to design products not associated with them, but women with tech skills can help make products more balanced. How to Get More Women in Tech Women are as good at technology as men and it’s not the lack of interest that keeps women from pursuing tech-related occupations, it's an unsupportive culture that undervalues their capabilities. A good starting point to get women into technology is creating a supportive culture in homes, schools, and the workplace. Let’s explore four key ways to encourage women to dive into tech. Avoid unconscious biases Most kids who spend time with computers are likely to develop an interest in computer studies; allowing girls equal access to computer systems can help encourage their interest in tech and pursue a career in tech. Sometimes, parents can become unconsciously biased. For instance, a parent can send their son to a summer camp to learn to code and their daughter to an arts summer camp which can lead to girls feeling intimidated in a computer class full of boys who learned to code at a young age. Parents should take care not to be unconsciously biased against their daughters and encourage equal opportunities. Encourage the younger girls you know to explore STEM subjects, gathering all the resources you can give them to learn. By actively suggesting resources for them to learn from, you facilitate pro skills at a young age. The earlier girls get started, the more beneficial it will be. Create a supportive culture Organizations should create gender-neutral job descriptions to encourage women to apply through the following ways: Offering equal payment opportunities to men and women Having women’s representations to avoid gender bias during the hiring process. Training staff to detect and prevent gender bias Creating inclusive workplace culture Promoting women at the same rate as men Encourage inclusive practices at companies you work with; change starts with speaking up, so don’t be afraid to say something when you know it could be better. When everyone contributes to making the workplace a better environment , change becomes more active and realistic. Provide financial support Some organizations like AnitaB.org provide support to women in tech by providing financial support. This kind of support enables women entrepreneurs to start tech-related businesses. Others offer indirect support, such as childcare help or flexible parental leave. Emphasize tech education A career in tech starts with education. If you want to pursue a career in tech, it’s always good to choose subjects in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). Remember, many women have made it in the tech field, which means you can as well. Don’t feel intimidated by classes filled with men; while it may seem overwhelming, those classes need you there and you have tons of ways to explore tech outside of traditional classes with self-guided learning, bootcamps, and more. There’s no need to feel limited in how you make it to the top. It’s High Time for Women to Venture into Tech As time passes, the demand for tech workers keeps on growing and skilled workers of all genders are needed to meet market needs. Diversity in tech helps to look at problems holistically, providing effective solutions; the participation of women in tech can help restore balance and speed up innovation. It’s not too late for women to venture into tech and with the support of experienced instructors, you’ll be well accompanied as you begin your tech journey. If you’re interested in working in tech, Ironhack is prepared to provide you with the skills needed. We offer bootcamps that teach exactly what the market demands, preparing you to enter the workforce. Study with us online or on-campus, depending on your availability; join our next bootcamp today to help you secure a job in the tech industry.

Strong women in the tech world are powerful role models for young women entering the industry. However, most tech companies are still founded and led by men, with, at present, only about 5% of CEO positions being filled by women. Women are, however, blazing a trail with each year seeing an increasing number of female-founded tech startups. These success stories are fuelled by innovative ideas and market knowledge backed up with patience, diligence, inspiration, and a good grounding in the tech industry (such as provided by Ironhack courses). Hopefully, before long, women at the top of tech industries won't be newsworthy novelties. 1. Anne Boden: Starling Bank Anne Boden shows enterprising women what's possible. Starling, her award-winning digital bank, was founded in 2014. Within five years, it had received $300 million in funding. Boden studied computer science and chemistry at Swansea University before starting her career at the UK's high-street bank Lloyds. While at Lloyds, she saw that digital technology could revolutionize the way individuals and small businesses banked. The resulting Starling Bank app allows customers to manage their finances in real-time. 2. Tania Boler: Elvie Women's health expert Tania Boler founded Elviein 2013 and is now its CEO. Elvie improves women's lives with simple, innovative, and effective products. These include a Kegel pelvic floor trainer that has been recommended and prescribed by hundreds of healthcare professionals and a wearable breast pump that works silently while women go about their daily lives. At Elvie, Boler leads a team of female engineers, designers, and scientists. 3. Whitney Wolfe Herd: Bumble Whitney Wolfe Herd helped make Tinder a success before creating a dating app of her own creation in 2014, Bumble. In many ways, it is a conventional dating app. Bumble's unique twist is that women are in control of the interactions. Although intelligent, savvy women were striding through the corridors of power, their dating lives were outmoded. Wolfe Herd believed they shouldn't have to wait for men to contact them. The first month saw 100k downloads, and today, there are over 100 million Bumble users. Even better, modern Bumble isn't just about dating. It's a powerful networking tool. 4. Limor Fried: Adafruit Industries Limor "Ladyada" Fried (an MIT engineering graduate) founded her open-source hardware company, Adafruit Industries in 2005. Adafruit designs, manufactures, and markets electronics products and is so successful that in 2018 Fried was named by Forbes as one of "America's Top 50 Women in Tech." Determined and hard-working Fried is a wonderful role model for women starting in the tech business. 5. Leah Busque: TaskRabbit Founded by Leah Busque in 2008, TaskRabbitis simple in concept but successful in action, matching people requiring odd jobs with taskers in their neighborhood. Needing someone to quickly pick up some dog food for her from a store when she was too busy to do it, Busque realized there was a gap in the market and TaskRabbit was born. Nearly 10 years later, IKEA matched the success of Busque's company with a demand for flat-pack assemblers and bought her out. Now, assembling IKEA furniture makes up 10% of TaskRabbit's business. 6. Gina Bianchini: Mighty Networks Gina Bianchini has given Mark Zuckerberg a run for his money. Her platform Mighty Networks, launched in 2017, is often referred to as an 'alternative to Facebook'. It allows brands and content creators to build social networks and capture online traffic. Bianchini isn't new to the tech world, in 2004 she was co-founder of Ning, a content-creation platform. Within three years, Ning had attracted 100 million users and was bought by Glam Media in 2011. 7. Alicia Thomas: DIBS Technology Getting the pricing right for surge-demand industries (such as Uber) is tricky, but Alicia Thomas does it with DIBS, an all-in-one bookings platform. Used by boutique gyms and fitness centers, DIBS' dynamic pricing technology adjusts prices according to demand, allowing for maximum revenue and customer satisfaction. Satisfied customers are repeat customers. Three years of market research into consumer behavior went into the software's development. 8. Madeline Parra: Purple Dot Stock control is an important part of retail success, and Purple Dot, launched by Madeline Parra in 2019, offers a seamless way of managing stock and customer demand. With eCommerce, converting searches into sales is vital, but very often this doesn't match up with stock on shelves, causing delivery delays. Alternatively, surplus stock can sit on shelves and end up being too heavily discounted or even destroyed. A serial entrepreneur, Parra designed a business that uses waitlists and smart analytics to move more stock and reduce waste, leading to a better profit margin. 9. Professor Sabine Bahn: Psyomics As a professor of Neurotechnology and Neuropsychiatry, Sabine Bahn understands mental health but knows that accessing accurate diagnoses and care is often difficult. Her 2015 start-up, Psyomics, brought a powerful mental health assessment tool to the market. With Censeo, busy family practitioners can accurately assess the mental health needs of their patients. This leads to prompt and targeted care and improved long-term outlooks. 10. Professor Clare Grey: Nyobolt While not involved directly in tech design, Professor Clare Grey is making an impact on how technology is powered. Devices depend on batteries but compromises have to be made between power, longevity, and sustainability. Founded in 2020, Nyobolt produces high-power ultra-fast-charging batteries using niobium tungsten oxide. Their extended life is ten times longer than the lithium-ion batteries traditionally used with modern tech devices. Grey is no stranger to eco-friendly tech. It was during her time at DuPont that her interest in the conflict between battery development and the environment started.

According to our research, Düsseldorf can be the perfect starting point to break into tech. This is because of its mature tech companies, high levels of investment, and it being home to some of Germany’s most interesting Start-Ups. More than 420 startups are profiting from Düsseldorf’s ideal conditions for building and growing a newly funded business. And our Campus is located just perfectly for you to connect with founders and future entrepreneurs, at STARTPLATZ Düsseldorf . The digital sector in the region is constantly growing and in the need of top tech talent. The city understands the importance of a growing tech talent base, and started to invest in education. Düsseldorf’s public system aims to help everyone who is in search of job opportunities, especially those who want to transition into tech. Thanks to the Bildungsgutschein (a voucher for studies given by the German Job Office, that covers the tuition fee for Unemployed or in Kurzarbeit students) many people have joined Ironhack and started their career in tech. The new job market is more digital than ever, and the tech industry is booming. The moment to start a new career is now! So, this is your opportunity to break into tech while enjoying Düsseldorf’s high standard of living, greater than Berlin. And your future salary in tech will match the high standard, with an average of €50.000 - €70.000. Why start your Web Development career in Düsseldorf? Growing Tech Scene Düsseldorf is a hub of entrepreneurial innovation and tech. We see more and more brands and tech companies and startups in the city. There is even a week-long event dedicated to startups called Startup-Woche where entrepreneurs can network with experts, potential investors and other companies to drive their business ideas forward. And with a growing tech scene the need for Web Developers is growing as well. Supportive government Düsseldorf does have a wide traditional industry, so the government has been helping the tech scene everywhere they can. The mayor has even said they’re eyeing potential locations for developing new startup hubs, there is even a week-long event dedicated to startups called Startup-Woche. Positive Outlook We are seeing growing demand for Web Developers in Düsseldorf. The city’s public system aims to help everyone who is in search of job opportunities, especially those who want to transition into tech. Thanks to the Bildungsgutschein (a voucher for studies given by the German Job Office, that covers the tuition fee for students) many people have joined Ironhack and started their career in tech. The new job market is more digital than ever, and the tech industry is booming. The moment to start a new career is now! Enjoy the Medienhafen The Medienhafen is home to numerous companies, mainly from the fields of media and communication, fashion and architecture, as well as art and culture. The harbor owes its special charm to the mix of “old and new”: the old quay walls, the steps and rail tracks of the old loading line have still been preserved and are classified as historical monuments. The perfect location to start your career in tech. Why start your Data Analytics Career in Düsseldorf? Düsseldorf’s Data Boom Düsseldorf is one of the biggest tech hubs in Germany, and this incredible boom has brought with it a higher attention on Data. Big corporations such as Henkel are relying on Data Analysts to help optimize supply chains and increase profits. This is just the start. A growing workforce While Düsseldorf  might seem flooded with tech talent already, the truth is there are new jobs sprouting up left and right. Only in 2021, we saw more than 20.000 open positions in those fields and we expect the number to grow only further in the next few years. Why start your UX/UI Design Career in Düsseldorf? A creative community Düsseldorf has a history of creativity in fashion, design and art. Artists and the community they formed drove this one-of-a-kind city into a new age of development and growth. In turn, these communities have formed effective lobbies to promote their spaces, rights and events. Within this affordable, safe, inclusive and collaborative atmosphere, the UX/UI sector has exploded and helped push Düsseldorf to become one of the top startup hubs in Europe. Hands-on UX/UI gatherings Düsseldorf’s massive UX/UI ecosystem is also home to hundreds of meetups and work-groups that gather in all manner of spaces and formats to focus on the bleeding edge of the sector. The constant conversation has led to more hands-on events. Why start your Cybersecurity Career in Düsseldorf? Cybersecurity investment growing nationally The BMBF has provided funding of around €66 million for projects in IT security since 2009 and supports innovative procedures and technologies to protect IT systems where data protection plays an important role from attack and unauthorized access. Germany is the leading software market in Europe There are 5 different hubs gathered all over Germany, plus 6 Institutes for Cybersecurity, and a promising landscape that keeps growing in the innovative software and cybersecurity solutions environment, helping to consolidate Germany's position as Europe's leading software market. The rise of hybrid tech education - Leveraging the best of the online and In-person experience - The Ironhack experience Over the last two years we have learned that both studying and working remotely are here to stay. In the digital sector, we can be more productive and reduce the commuting to physical spaces. Technology keeps improving the way we work and learn in the digital sector. However, there is an undeniable human aspect that helps us connect with others and grow with our communities . As part of these changes, there are new approaches to learning where students can use the best tools for online development, while being able to interact with fellow students, hiring companies, and fellow professionals. Having trained more than 10,000 tech professionals over the last 8 years, Ironhack is now in Düsseldorf , offering fully remote bootcamps for anyone in the region, while establishing a hub to help those in-person interactions come to life. Our first hybrid campus in Germany is now open to provide this community approach and open its doors to aspiring tech professionals. Together with our hiring partners, as DKV Mobility , we’re helping people to transform their lives. This is an exciting time to start your journey in tech.

Did you know that with +1.5% of growth per year, Bordeaux is one of the most attractive cities in France ? Bordeaux has many assets including its incredible architecture ( classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site ); its ease of travel by bicycle or public transport; its privileged geographical location (proximity of the ocean); its dynamic student life and its wonderful heritage (world capital of wine!). Plus, the actual living cost is lower than in Paris, so you literally and figuratively get more out of life if you decide to settle down here! Why start your tech career in Bordeaux? Bordeaux: growing tech scene with major players in tech Thanks to the awarding of the FrenchTech label in 2014 , the digital sector has expanded! This digital scene is driven by the dynamism of an entire ecosystem strongly mobilized around the FrenchTech Label. With 4,700 companies and 22,400 jobs, Bordeaux Metropole is one of the leading regions in terms of job growth in the tech industry , and this is just the beginning! Many digital companies are launching in Bordeaux and recruiting. The biggest French unicorn Back Market announced recently that it was moving its headquarters to Bordeaux . Other great startups and tech companies such as Ubisoft, Deezer, Lydia, ManoMano or Mirakl are also starting to set up shop here. The new job market is more digital than ever, and the tech industry is booming. The moment to start a new career is now! Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a supportive Region for tech professionals The Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region supports the dynamism of its digital sector through ongoing support for innovation. At the same time, it is committed to helping economic players face the urgent need to digitize. Nouvelle Aquitaine is a region in which the digital economy is still moderately developed, but it is booming, with a 33% increase in employment between 2014 and 2019 , particularly in IT consulting (one-third of regional employment, and +45% increase) and computer programming (14% of employment, and +131% increase). A positive future for web developers and data analysts… We are seeing growing demand for Web Developers and Data Analysts in Bordeaux . The city’s public system aims to help everyone who is in search of job opportunities, especially those who want to transition into tech. Thanks to the French government and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region financing aid, many people have joined Ironhack and started their career in tech. …but also for UX/UI designers… In France, Covid has also preserved or even favored UX employment: 8 managers continued to recruit in 2020, 7 out of 10 plan to do so in 2021. In addition, many other digital professionals train in UX and product design without wanting to become a designer: to add a stimulating dimension to their job and much needed strings to their bow. Developers and product owners, project and product managers, marketing managers... for many jobs, recruiters now ask for UX skills! All the indicators are green: already very concrete, the dynamism of the French UX job market is a basic trend that will accelerate. …and for cybersecurity professionals Discreet by nature, t he cybersecurity sector is nonetheless one of the most buoyant in France : it has been growing at an average rate of 10% over the past few years and should continue to do so thanks to real French know-how. In addition, as part of the "Plan France Relance" and the Future Investment Program, the Government is launching a Cybersecurity acceleration strategy. By 2025, the objective of this strategy is to reach a turnover of €25 billion for the sector (i.e. a tripling of the current turnover), to double the number of jobs in the sector from 37,000 to 75,000, and to create three French cybersecurity unicorns. The rise of online tech education - Leveraging the best of the remote experience - The Ironhack experience Over the last two years, we have learned that both studying and working remotely are here to stay. In the digital sector, we can be more productive and reduce commuting to physical spaces. Technology keeps improving the way we work and learn in the digital sector. However, there is an undeniable human aspect that helps us connect with others and grow with our communities. As part of these changes, there are new approaches to learning where students can use the best tools for online development while being able to interact with fellow students, hiring companies, and fellow professionals. Having trained more than 10,000 tech professionals over the last 8 years, Ironhack is now landing in Bordeaux , offering fully remote bootcamps for anyone in France, in addition to our historic campus in Paris (launched in 2017). Together with our hiring partners, we’re helping people access the best tools to get started. This is an exciting time to start your journey in tech! Discover our bootcamps in web development , UX/UI design , data analytics , and cybersecurity , and get started with our 100% online courses, wherever you are.

After a few years of virtual events, we are finally headed back to a somewhat normal in-person conference experience! This year’s 2022 Synapse Summit was held at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s home, Amalie Arena. The 5th annual innovation event brought together over 5000 attendees with over 150 speakers gathering to further drive the fast growing entrepreneurial ecosystem of Florida. This event brings together all tech industries with a big focus on Web3, Metaverse, HealthTech, VR and Cybersecurity. With our new Hybrid Campus now open in Tampa, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to attend this amazing tech conference. We sent over Kevin Perez, our Partnerships Manager at Ironhack US to connect with some of the most game-changing companies in the Florida’s tech scene. Check out his recap and insights of the Synapse Summit 2022 in Tampa, FL. _____ Hey, it’s Kevin here. As the Partnerships Manager at Ironhack, I was excited to learn about all the new tech giants that have made a new home in Florida within the last couple years. Having the opportunity to attend the Synapse Summit was great because I was able to really understand the main objectives these companies have when it comes to innovating in tech. After working at eMerge Americas (the premier tech conference in South Florida gathering over 16,000 attendees) for about 5 years and now at Ironhack, I was ready to explore the conference with a unique perspective on Florida's tech industry. I am a believer in the Sunshine State becoming the Startup State, so I was more than excited to be a part of one of the largest gatherings of tech in Florida. While there was so much to learn from this year’s Synapse Summit, I’ve narrowed it down to the top 3 takeaways I found were most valuable: Web3, Metaverse and NFT’s are here to stay Throughout the last couple of years there has been a lot of chatter surrounding the latest evolution of the internet, Web3. With Web3, the Metaverse and NFT’s being top of mind, there was a huge buzz that seemed to have everyone talking. Many companies are slowly but surely devising strategies to ensure that they are not left behind in the “real world” and are equipped for the future that lies ahead. As a result of this, they had the Godmother of the Metaverse, Kathy Hackle, on center stage as one of the keynote speakers. Kathy is the CEO and Chief Metaverse Officer of The Futures Intelligence Group. She is globally recognized as a metaverse expert and business executive with experience working at companies like Magic Leap and AWS. Hackle discussed how the metaverse is bringing people, companies, and products together in virtual environments to create new economic and engagement opportunities. After listening to her keynote, I am confident that this Web3/Metaverse theme will be the topic of choice for the foreseeable future. Florida Entrepreneurship is Leveling Up The idea that Florida as a whole is transforming from being the place where senior citizens come to retire and young people come to party is steadily taking a backseat. Now, Florida is the place to start a company and raise capital. Companies from all over the world are recognizing how Florida is becoming the tech capital of the world and have now started to relocate to what Florida Funders believes is the “Startup State”. With over 300 exhibitors representing new and innovative ideas and over 800 accredited investors and VC’s with open checkbooks, companies in Florida are seeing growth and capital like they’ve never seen before. Some of the big names seen at this year’s Synapse tech conference were Blockspaces, Pokt Network, Rapid7, Flymotion, Jabil, Celcius, and Relic. You’ll want to keep an eye out for these companies because they have some exciting projects in the works. Florida Working as a Team When you compare Florida to other states, you quickly realize how isolated the major regions are from each other. For years, each of these regions have operated on their own, only focusing and driving their effort in their immediate communities. What we’re seeing now with the development in Florida as a whole is these communities or ecosystems working together. Their  centralized mission is to make Florida the tech capital of the world. One example of this collaboration is how eMerge Americas became an official partner of Synapse. Instead of competing against each other as the two largest tech events, they partnered and worked together to strengthen the ecosystem that will eventually leave Florida as the face of tech. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Orlando got together for a great panel discussion on driving Florida’s culture of creativity, collaboration, and innovation. They left us with one piece of advice on how to make Florida better for innovation, talent, and opportunities. Melissa Medina, President of eMerge Americas, noted that the best way to get this done is to “pay it forward, help make connections, and be able to connect the dots within your own network to open that door for other people”. This is something we're seeing now with the collaboration of all the major cities in Florida. Synapse 2022 was a great reminder that getting in front of people face to face forms a connection that’s hard to replicate over the internet. While that might be true, it also gave great insight on how the world is evolving with Web3 and the metaverse to make these virtual connections as seamless as if you were in person. Florida is on its way to becoming the face of tech and maybe one day we’ll find ourselves in the Florida metaverse. But although our dream of meeting in a Florida inspired metaverse might be years ahead of us, at Ironhack we’ve found a way to build online learning experiences while having the connection of meeting people in person. This is the concept behind our new Hybrid Campus in Tampa! To learn more about Ironhack Tampa, how you can take part of this hybrid model of learning, and how it integrates into Florida’s growthing tech scene, check out the Ironhack Tampa Campus page.

Many people ask - Does Ironhack offer scholarships? We sure do! One of our goals this year is to make Ironhack more accessible to everyone by offering multiple scholarship opportunities and financing options. We understand that changing careers is a big investment, so we want to make sure that when you’re ready to take the leap into tech you feel empowered by your decision. The best part is that Ironhack’s tuition is one of the most affordable for coding bootcamps! Therefore you’ll get an even bigger bang for your buck when you take advantage of the scholarships and discounts we have available this year. To give you a better idea of what you can expect to pay, our bootcamp courses range from $12,500 - $13,000 including your initial deposit. According to Career Karma , a tech bootcamp matching platform, the competition’s tuition is thousands of dollars more with the same placement and job outcomes. But don’t just take our word for it, take a look at how we stack up against the competition. When you pair Ironhack’s affordability, quality of courses, community, job placements and our current scholarship/discount opportunities, you can rest assured that you CAN build a career in tech with confidence. So without further ado, let’s jump into Ironhack’s 2022 scholarship opportunities and promotional discounts in the US! Ironhack Early Bird Applicant | 10% Discount To make sure you begin your new tech career on the right track, we're excited to offer upcoming students 10% off your bootcamp tuition! Classes begin March 21st, so before the courses fill up we’re offering early applicants an opportunity to save on their tuition. This offer will only be available until March 2nd, so make sure to submit your application before then to take advantage of the discount. Apply Here: Early Bird - Web Development Course Early Bird - UI/UX Design Course Early Bird - Data Analytics Course Ironhack Women in Tech | 10% Discount This scholarship is exclusive to women that are looking to enroll in Ironhack’s Web development and Data Analytics programs. These fields have the largest gender gap when it comes to tech which is why we’re looking to support more women in this field. Once you apply and schedule your Personal Interview, make sure to tell our admissions manager that you’re interested in the women in tech discount. To get started Apply Here Tampa Hybrid | 20% Discount We’re looking for 5 NEW Ironhackers to be one of the first to enroll in Ironhack Tampa’s Hybrid campus. Discounts are only valid for those within the greater Tampa region. Secure your name in Ironhack history and receive a 20% discount in March courses. Discounts are first come, first serve so you don’t want to miss this. Make sure to apply by March 10th to take part in the next bootcamp cohort. Apply here: https://www.ironhack.com/en/remote ClimbCredit x Ironhack Tampa Scholarship | $1,000 To celebrate the opening of our new Hybrid Campus in Tampa,FL we’ve joined forces withh Climb Credit to give away $1,000 towards your tuition. Scholarships are open for applicants living in the Tampa-St.Petersburg metro-area who enroll in Ironhack Tampa. Five (5) winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship to kickstart their careers in technology! Apply before March 10th to be considered. This is the first of many scholarship contests that will be available throughout the year! In total, over 20 students in 2022 will win tuition assistance through various Climb & Ironhack scholarships. Keep an eye out for more opportunities! Read more about how to enter the giveaway and review the Scholarship rules here. WomenWhoCode | $1,500 Women Who Code members get $1,500 off tuition to attend Ironhack US Remote, Hybrid or in-person campuses. WomenWhoCode’s mission is to inspire women to excel in technology careers. Scholarships are only valid for WomenWhoCode members and must apply at: https://www.womenwhocode.com/opportunities Wherever you are in your career journey, Ironhack is here to support your goals and so that you can break into the tech industry. If you’re ready to make a career change while saving time and money, now is the time! Keep in mind that these scholarships are time sensitive and are available on a first come first serve basis. So don’t hesitate to submit your application! Please note, scholarships cannot be combined or used with discounts. Scholarships are subject to change based on availability. The next cohort starts March 21st! See you in class!

To progress in the modern business world, the more tech knowledge and skills you have under your belt the better whether this is a detailed knowledge of web design, web development, cybersecurity, or data analytics (DA). What is DA and how can it help your career? Just about anything we do in life generates mountains of data and this is just as true in the business world. To keep their edge, businesses need to collect, analyze, and make meaningful use of this information which is why knowledge of DA is an invaluable tool along your career path. Using the information created by analytics, businesses can embrace new and existing technologies. For example, sales may be closed using social media platforms alone or Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help you avoid the tricky position of customers filling shopping carts and then abandoning them. Business intelligence (BI) and business analytics (BA) both sit within the scope of DA. They have many points of similarity (which often leads to them being confused) but there are also some definite points of difference between them. Business Intelligence Business Intelligence (BI) looks to the past as well as evaluating the present to make immediate improvements. Historical statistics on finances, performance, operations, media reach, conversions, and so on are collated and summarized into information that is easy for businesses to visualize. BI then uses this information to isolate the source of any issues that might be holding a business back before presenting solutions designed to remove these pain points. With knowledge of BI, you gain a better understanding and perspective on business operations whether it is your employer's business or your own. Use BI alongside reports, briefing books, and audits to make informed data-driven decisions that increase the organizational productivity of any business. When BI such as real-time dashboards, visualizations, decision services, integration features, and online analytical processing (OLAP) is used competently and creatively, readable reports are generated that contain relevant info for businesses to act on. Dashboards and visualizations present information in easy-to-interpret ways, decision services present a more specific focus such as financial reporting while integration features pull information from multiple sources together. Online analytical processing gives a multi-dimensional analysis that is sophisticated in its concept and breadth. When all of these tools are brought together, BI creates the situation needed for successful goal provision and management. To provide BI as a solution, you'll need an in-depth knowledge of software such as Python, Git, API, and SQL. Business Intelligence is the optimal solution for businesses that are satisfied with their performance on the whole but wish to improve weak areas such as decision making, productivity, or specific work processes. Business Analytics Where Business Analytics (BA) differs from BI is that it makes predictions directly based on data mining and past business trends and offers specific solutions when this reveals weak points in an organization. As with BI, it analyzes historical information but with the intention of predicting future business trends. The information BA generates is also presented in easy-to-read and understandable visualizations. BA is generally accompanied by ad-hoc reporting in real-time, allowing business managers and owners to make fast and effective business decisions. At its best, BA can solve a problem before it occurs! Software dedicated to successful BA includes Pentaho BA, SQL, and Tableau. If you intend to make major changes in your business processes or even redesign your entire business model then BA gives you the necessary insight. Having extensive and informed knowledge of both BI and BA is a definite bonus for any successful career path in business. It opens the door to a variety of roles such as database developer (creating databases to handle raw information), database administrator (maintaining and securing these databases), data engineer (creating data sets to help in the analysis of incoming information), and data analysis manager (interpreting and communicating the data to your team so they can make informed future decisions). Along the way, you will also develop transferable skills in the world of computer science, critical thinking, machine learning, artificial intelligence, statistics, and mathematics. Our Ironhack Data Analytics Immersive Bootcamp can be taken over nine full weeks of study or 24 weeks of part-time study. No previous IT background is necessary. You can even start studying without a degree. The course gives you the hands-on skills for success in the fast-growing tech industry. During the course, you'll create and work on your own real-world projects before moving on to presentation and visualization techniques and complete analysis of real data sets. Your training finishes with the basics of machine learning as you build, train, and evaluate models. Your final project challenges you to apply what you have learned in an innovative way. This project then forms part of your data analytics portfolio, your first step towards success.

According to publications such as Forbes, London has been named the Silicon Valley of Europe . This is because of its mature tech clusters, high levels of investment, and it being home to some of Europe’s top tech companies. From early-stage startups to IPOs, there is a great environment for firms to grow - attracting talent from around the world. The digital sector in the UK is a real success story as it accounts for 7.7% of the GVA - the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy. It is not surprising that such a mature economy offers a wide range of opportunities for up-and-coming talent to grow and develop their careers in tech. Over the past years the need for digital skills has made some of the top consulting firms work with the government to build initiatives and schemes that will help and encourage people to take part in the digital economy. This sector employs 2.98 million people representing 10% of all jobs in the UK . As our digital economy is accelerated by factors such as Remote working, there is the potential for more than three million jobs to be created by 2025 . From creative industries to financial services, technology is becoming a focal point to develop all over the country. London itself is a capital for fintech where most of the global financial services are located. The investment in technology keeps growing, helping new and scaling companies grow and hire more people in tech. All these factors along with the surgance of remote working have helped people from all over the country work in companies based in London, with the opportunity to develop other areas. Starting salaries range from £30K/year upwards with average salaries of £60K and above . Why start your Web Development career in London? Supportive developer communities London is known for its strong and supportive developer communities.  There is always an event to attend and a group to join whether it’s in-person or online. Being a developer in London means being part of a bigger community. This brings opportunities for networking, career progression, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this city, a developer never gets bored and is never alone. Leading tech companies based in London Being the Silicon Valley of the UK, London provides access to some of the leading global tech companies - established companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, and recent IPOs including Wise, Trustpilot, Deliveroo, and many more. Developers are at the forefront of these companies, and most of them host supportive developer advocate programmes. Being part of the London tech scene can mean being part of the future success stories in tech. A vibrant tech scene that has reached maturity Over the last two decades London has become a key capital for tech, investment and support for tech startups. With the rise of Silicon Roundabout back in 2012 , new tech clusters began to spread to different parts of the city, as well as different regions in the country. Infrastructure allowing for tech startups to grow has been supported by government-backed organisations including Tech Nation, Tech UK and many more. A mature tech ecosystem means a consistent flow of innovation and companies needing to develop new products. Developers are at the core. Rapid career progression and high demand for developers As new startups rise and existing companies experience rapid growth, so do the opportunities for developers to grow. At this rate, developers are able to flourish specialising in the fields that they are most passionate about. As a developer in London, you never run out of opportunities. Competition may be high, but the need for more experienced developers is even higher. It only takes a few projects to become highly skilled. Why start your UX/UI Design career in London? A perfect environment for creativity and digital innovation London is a city for creators and innovators. There is a supportive environment that easily allows people and businesses to create new products, businesses and services. With low barriers for market entry, and high consumer expectations, UX and UI designers are key to company success. There is unlimited inspiration and creativity to tap into all over the city. Vibrant UX/UI community with active meetups, and conferences Starting in UX/UI Design can be challenging. The good news is that you’re not alone. In London there is a high density of groups or meetups helping UX/UI professionals come together, share best practices and network with other experts. The collaborative spirit is key to success. Many have been there from zero experience and they are keen to help the next generation. As a designer, there are a lot of opportunities to work with others and build a stronger portfolio together. Strong job market with diverse opportunities and salary options With such a wide range of digital products and services, the UX/UI Design has multiple career paths and applications. Being the centre of these products and services, London offers multiple roles that you can apply to with the combined skills of a UX and a UI Designer. From UX research to front-end development, some of roles include product design, content design, interaction and information architecture, and many more. A strong startup scene building digital products and apps London is a hub for tech with a high level of investment for new startups, a supportive policy for businesses and freelancers, and a high level of government support. As a result there are thousands of new startups every year. To thrive in this fast-paced market, companies need to be innovative in the way they present themselves to the consumer. UX/UI Design is key for this ever growing scene. Why start your Data Analytics career in London? A supportive environment for data professionals The past few years have seen a remarkable change in the way we use data for business, government and technology. From the rise of Open banking to the changes in policy with GDPR, the UK has invested in the development of data as a field. There are multiple tools and resources available for data professionals, including institutions that help shape the policies and best practices around the field. From the Open Data Institute to Digital Catapults, the UK, and London in particular, are creating the perfect environment to thrive in data. High investment in Research and Development, leading to more available data roles In an effort to establish the UK as a leading economy for technology and innovation, the government has a positive policy on R&D. Every year millions of pounds are given to companies innovating in this space. As a result, there are more opportunities created for professionals working in data analysis and manipulation, as well as developing machine learning algorithms that keep the industry evolving. A surgance of cloud technologies requires more data professionals As we move to a digital economy there is an immense amount of data that needs to be stored in the cloud. Some of the world’s leading cloud companies are based in London. What we’ll find over the next few years is a growing digital skills gap as the need for data professionals grows with this trend. This is the best time to gain skills and find opportunities in this space. Why start your Cybersecurity career in London? London is a capital for fintech and cloud business. With that comes the need for cybersecurity The last decade has seen London become a capital for financial technology (FinTech). This is due to geographic, economic and policy factors that have attracted most of the world’s financial services to have a presence in the city. This means that there is plenty of confidential and sensitive data that needs to be stored in a secure way. The development of cybersecurity infrastructures mean that we need more cybersecurity professionals to get appropriate skills. With jobs on the rise, it’s a great time to be trained in cybersecurity. A growing field with diverse applications and career paths With the diverse application of cybersecurity to safeguard online products, the industry keeps growing year on year. This growth has risen to almost 80% each year, and this has provided a wide range of areas to specialise in. Businesses and governments have different needs - from privacy protection, to protecting the population from hacking and cyberattacks - This field is part of the digital revolution that will only get bigger in years to come. Taking part in a growing community for cybersecurity professionals While most tech communities have matured in London and the surrounding areas, the cybersecurity cluster is still a relatively young and very exciting sector to be part of. Everyday there are new groups and meetups related to the field - with opportunities to become thought leaders and subject matter experts. London is a great space to grow, both personally and professionally when you’re part of this growing community. You can still be part of the early-days of cyber! The rise of hybrid tech education - Leveraging the best of the Remote and In-person experience - The Ironhack experience Over the last two years we have learned that both studying and working remotely are here to stay. In the digital sector, we can be more productive and reduce the commuting to physical spaces. Technology keeps improving the way we work and learn in the digital sector. However, there is an undeniable human aspect that helps us connect with others and grow with our communities. As part of these changes, there are new approaches to learning where students can use the best tools for online development, while being able to interact with fellow students, hiring companies, and fellow professionals. Having trained more than 9,000 tech professionals over the last 8 years, Ironhack is now landing in London , offering fully remote bootcamps for anyone in the UK, while establishing a hub to help those in-person interactions come to life. Our first hybrid campus in the UK is now open to provide this community approach and open its doors to aspiring tech professionals. Together with our financing partners, we’re helping people access the best tools to get started. This is an exciting time to start your journey in tech.

It’s no secret that Florida was one of the top states to benefit from the COVID-19 Pandemic. With remote work taking off, business-friendly rules in the state and beautiful weather, Tampa became one of the top cities to benefit. Just because Tom Brady retired in Tampa, doesn’t mean this is a retirement city. It’s actually quite the opposite, as major companies like Goldman Sachs announce their move to Tampa, and companies like PWC and Accenture open Innovation Centers, the city has attracted a younger crowd to relocate. Not to mention that JP Morgan Chase announced this year that they are hiring over 300 bootcamp grads for their early career program in Tampa. With all of this rapid growth happening, it’s clear that the tech industry is booming in Tampa. Tech Salaries in Tampa Tech continues to be one of the highest paying fields in today’s workforce. According Dice.com - The average tech salary in Tampa falls within the top 25 in the United States at around $97,000 a year. Tampa had one of the largest increases from 2020 which has increased 10% from 2021. This pay range is something Bootcamp grads can aspire to grow into. The average coding bootcamp graduate can expect an average range of $45,000 - $60,000 within their first year of graduating. As their experience grows, they can rapidly progress their income within 2-3+ years. Some of the top high paying tech roles in the job market include, UX/UI Designer at $101,000, Data jobs ranging from $59,000 up to $120,000+ and Software Developers continue to earn up to $120,000+ as well. While this includes years of experience, the market has plenty of room for you to grow and tech companies are hungry for talent. With Tampa being responsible for more than 25% of Florida's tech jobs, it’s an ideal city to start and develop a career in tech. Top Tech Roles with Job Openings According to Global recruitment firm Hay’s 2022 salary guide - there has been a myriad of open roles that are looking for talent to fill. Some of the most in-demand tech roles with open positions throughout the US include Data Scientist, Full Stack Engineer, Dev Ops and Software Engineer to name a few. One of the main reasons companies are struggling for talent is lack of applications. There are just not enough tech professionals in the market to meet the current demand for talent! Nowadays, college degrees are no longer required to get into tech. In order to be competitive in the market, companies are looking at immersive Bootcamps like Ironhack as a source of talent to increase their diversity as well as shorten their onboarding process. Ironhack teaches the technical skills for you to land a job in tech and gain hands-on experience. With the opening of our new Tampa Hybrid campus, we’re excited to continue bridging the gap between career changers and companies looking for tech talent. To facilitate this, we’ve partnered with Climb Credit to offer future students who live in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area an opportunity to win a scholarship to Ironhack Tampa. To take advantage of this scholarship giveaway make sure to review the scholarship rules and apply before February 25th, 2022. Get the full details here. To learn more about why Tampa is one of the best places to grow a career in tech, check out our virtual info session . If you’re ready to jump into tech and change your life, apply to the next Web Development, UI/UX Design, or Data Analytics bootcamp cohort before classes fill up. See you in class! APPLY to the next bootcamp cohort and scholarship here

On almost every digital marketing team, there’s that one person who actually knows how to code, much to the envy of the rest of the team. Whenever there’s an email template gone awry, or a landing page that needs to be made by EOD and the tech team are too busy to help…the coding marketer swoops in to save the day. In this day and age, every digital marketer should learn at least the basics of code. Before, coding skills would help digital marketers to stand apart from the crowd when job hunting. But in 2022, they should be a basic requirement for the job. Why? Let’s get into it… Benefits of Coding for Digital Marketers While learning to code is nowhere near as difficult as most non-tech professionals think, it does take time, effort, commitment, and motivation. So it’s important to understand your why for learning code before you start that coding bootcamp. While everyone will have their own reasons, generally speaking coding can: Unleash your creativity: Imagine what you can achieve when you learn the skills needed to build things for yourself. Get the most out of your data: Go beyond the more basic dashboards and find new insights. Create automations : Automate basic tasks and free up your time for work that really matters. Destroy bottlenecks : Instead of waiting for your product team/data scientist to help you out, coding can help you to do things for yourself on your own time. Facilitate better collaboration : Make it easier to work with your tech teams by learning how to speak their language, and super-charge your collaboration. Basic Coding Skills for Digital Marketers Once you’ve understood the benefits of coding for digital marketers, the next step is to decide which aspect of coding will be the most helpful to you. 1. Scripting Scripting consists of three categories: Perl, Python, or even Bash. Python is dynamic, Bash acts as a command-line interpreter, and Pearl works for general purposes. These are examples of scripts – complex programs created to help automate tasks plus enhance efficiency. There are multiple activities you can achieve with scripting know-how. For starters, you can easily automate common jobs that IFTT or Zapier can’t execute. Plus, you can create prototypes of valuable internal tools and evaluate them for efficiency before you outsource to a developer. Additionally, you can clean data quickly to foster data visualization. Python is an extensive coding tool that’s more refined than the standard Excel search. 2. HTML HTML instructs the browser on how to define and illustrate the content. So, experts in content marketing should learn how to use meta descriptions, keywords, and title tags. If the program you utilize to upload information lacks a WYSIWYG or Markdown interface for decent formatting, you should find a solution to build spacing, hyperlinks, paragraphs, headings, lists, and images. 3. Data Visualization With data visualizations, information is illustrated in a vivid, graphical form, like a chart or a pictorial slideshow. They allow marketing professionals to see their analytics visually and make conclusions instantly. More importantly, they convey more information in just a fraction of screen time. Suppose you want to learn how to build data visualizations. This move allows you to easily convey your ideas to the stakeholders without losing any important information in translation. Plus, data visualization comes in handy for content marketers when you want to create graphic portraits to explain your arguments. 4. Data Analysis Do you want to pursue a career in Excel and SQL? A common coding language, SQL, can help programmers to manage data held in a database system. They allow data definition and manipulation, as well as control languages. For those in a career in marketing, you can use the querying or manipulation language. On the other hand, Excel is a spreadsheet program that allows seamless data manipulation. Using Excel and SQL requires you to understand how Python or VBA operate macros – specific rules that indicate how the input sequence is mapped on the output replacement sequence. If you are learning coding and HTML, you should learn how to perform data manipulation using SQL or Excel. First, understand how SQL works. Next, if you want to code-heavy text, macros are right for you. After you understand how data analysis works, you’ll look at the data collection process keenly, and thereby seek to develop skills needed to become an expert in coding. That means when you hire developers to perform data analysis, you can ask meaningful questions about the entire process and save on time and money you could have spent cleaning data. Moreover, these basic skills allow easy report writing. Besides that, you’ll not need a professional developer to answer questions on your behalf. You can analyze raw data directly from the sales records using analysis and marketing automation. How Coding Skills All Work Together It is possible to use SQL coding to make interesting findings or write a script geared toward transforming the SQL to data visualization. After that, use the data visualization as a way of showcasing your findings. Thereafter, persuade your software development team to do a test to check if the data is accurate. For example, most people prefer using OAuth instead of authorization systems. Overall, use HTML coding to create blog posts to highlight the results. As you can see, one coding skill is a great asset to any digital marketing career. But a full-stack knowledge of web development is even better! A part-time Web Development bootcamp fits into your life without disrupting your day job, and teaches you skills that you can apply to your work immediately. Ready to supercharge your digital marketing career with web development? Check out Ironhack’s remote, hybrid, or campus bootcamps , and see what your future holds.

Whether you've just qualified as a UX/UI designer or are planning a career change, a strong design portfolio is the key to getting the job you want. Before you start scanning your drawings from high school art class (don’t get us wrong, we’re sure they’re beautiful), think about what employers are looking for in a portfolio: project-based work that shows you can take a brief and turn it into something extraordinary. A good way to get a kickstart is by signing up for a bootcamp , since the work you do can form the basis of your portfolio. Or, if you're already established as a designer, look back over your projects and choose the ones that inspired you most. These will form the backbone of your designer portfolio. Previously, portfolios would have been physical pieces of work carefully bound into a book. Today, they're online and can be easily shared with a few clicks, so prospective employers see a lot more portfolios than they used to. That means your work has to stand out and make an immediate impact. How do you go about creating a design portfolio that will “wow” whoever takes a look at it? The Ironhack team has put together seven inspirational tips to help you do just that. 1. Aim for Quality and Diversity Time and attention spans are short and — wait what were we talking about? Oh yeah, attention spans. Hiring agents have many applications to review so it's important not to overload them with a crowded portfolio. Yours should be compact, crisp, and compelling, delivering an exciting reflection of you and your work. Aim to include (depending on your experience) between three and ten examples of work. Go through your work with a critical eye, choosing pieces that you're proud of and that received positive feedback from clients. Aim to show your range of skill by including, for example, a website designed for one company and an advertising project for another. 2. Bring Examples to Life with Backstories Images are central to your portfolio but they don’t always speak for themselves. Brief accompanying texts should answer these questions: What was your brief? What inspired your idea? What did your design achieve? Did you encounter any problems? If so, how did you solve them? What would you do differently in retrospect? And don’t be afraid to brag a little. If your design gave the client a measurable upturn in business, talk about it! If a project received a glowing testimonial, include it! Not every example needs to be a complete case study but pick one or two and use them to highlight your design process in full. Providing this extra information helps prospective employers decide whether you and your ideas will add value to their design team. 3. Make the Portfolio "Yours" Once you've selected your best designs and created backstories, you need to put them together in a cohesive way that sells you and your work. You need to create your “brand.” Think about how the different examples work together and then choose a consistent color theme and font that complements them. Avoid distracting movements or animations. Instead, let one image roll gently into the next. 4. First Impressions Count Your portfolio's homepage is the first thing potential employers see. It should be as attention-grabbing as an album cover or a movie poster. Easy-to-find and follow navigation links such as "my work" and "about me" are non-negotiable (you’re a UX/UI designer after all!) but the layout and colors of the rest should give readers a clear idea of you, your brand, and your style. Have contact details clearly visible, ideally via a link from every page. Create a standout homepage and reap the rewards with a new career in UX/UI design. 5. Showcase Your Work and Skills with the Right Web Host Your portfolio is ready and now you need a platform for it, one that makes browsing a pleasure. To some extent, this choice of platform depends on your technical know-how. The most flexible ones assume some coding knowledge (HTML or CSS) while hosted websites such as Carbonmade and Dunked are easier to work with but have fewer customization options. If you have coding skills to show off and want a fully customizable platform, choose a self-hosted website or create your own website from scratch. Whichever route you take, ensure that all images are correctly sized for your chosen template. Prospective employers don't have time to wait for oversized photos to download. Make use of tools such as TinyJPG to compress pictures without sacrificing quality. 6. Get it Checked You know when you hear a word over and over and over again, and it just starts sounding like gobbledigook? While creating your portfolio, you’ll be looking at your text and images so much that it’ll all kind of just become a blur, making it easy to overlook errors. Ask someone you trust to check it. Does it look professional? Is it easy to navigate? Does it flow seamlessly? Finally, double (or even triple) check it for typographical, spelling, and grammatical mistakes. You're looking for employment and nothing damages your credibility and chances more than basic misspellings and punctuation mistakes. 7. Promote your work Even the best designed portfolio only produces results if people see it. Promoting it is essential: Join an online design community (such as Dribble or Behance ). Other designers can see your work and give feedback. This improves your portfolio while creating a business network for you. Also, employers visit these sites in search of exciting new designers. Use social media. Publish links to your portfolio on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Remember to keep the links updated. Friends and colleagues will remember your portfolio when they hear that someone is looking for a designer. Channel the power of “word-of-mouth.” Show former and existing clients your new portfolio (especially if their work is in it!) and ask them to share it if they hear of a job opening. Once you've created, launched, and promoted your designer portfolio be sure to keep it current. Schedule regular review dates on your calendar for editing and adding your latest design successes. Taking an Ironhack UX/UI design bootcamp gives you the hands-on skills to succeed in the design world. The design projects you work on during your course can form the basis of your portfolio. You'll have a headstart when it's time to look for a new career.

Put simply, data science is the process of collecting, questioning and analyzing data. Data scientists formulate questions, which form the basis for data gathering or "mining". The data they collect is then trimmed down, analyzed, visualized, and used to create a model that attempts to answer the original question as thoroughly as possible. Who can get into data science? Sounds complex? Don't underestimate your abilities. Entry-level posts in data science are achievable for anyone with an interest in tech, and obtaining data science credentials can open a lot of career pathways. You don't even need to be working in tech already. Whether you're fresh out of education or considering a career change, Ironhack Bootcamp courses give you the knowledge and skills you need for working with data. Making a change is easier than you think. If you've decided to join the world of data science, here are seven tips to get started. 1. Decide on your focus Careers in data science can follow several pathways such as data analysis, machine-learning engineering, or product development. When you start your training, you won't know exactly where your career will take you. However, as your course progresses you'll probably begin to develop a clear interest in a specific area. When you identify this area, invest time and effort in mastering it. Having a specialist niche where you're truly an expert will only benefit your career. 2. Brush up those maths skills Entry-level posts in data science are usually for analysts. This involves some degree of mathematical knowledge such as plotting data points on graphs and finding trends and correlations between different variables. These mathematical topics are generally covered by data analysis courses, but having some initial knowledge of concepts such as statistics, probability, and linear algebra will help. If you're waiting to start a training course, use the time profitably by brushing up your maths skills. 3. Get to know the language of programming Knowing the fundamentals of programming languages such as SQL and Python is a necessary skill for data scientists. A data science course provides basic training in these and other programming languages, but it is worth focusing specifically on one. Aim to acquire an in-depth mastery of its structures, functions, and uses. This gives you a good basis for developing further skills and knowledge such as machine-learning algorithms. 4. Take a data analytics course While there is a lot of overlap between data analysis and data science they're not the same and can offer separate career pathways. Data analysts manage data collections and identify trends while data scientists do a more detailed interpretation of data, applying coding skills and undertaking mathematical modeling. Getting an entry-level post as a data analyst is a great way to start a data science career. At Ironhack, our Data Analytics Bootcamp is a hands-on nine-week full-time course or a 24-week part-time course that equips you to start working in the tech industry. It gives you an excellent grounding in statistics, Tableau, SQL, Python, APIs, and web scraping. As your course progresses, you'll work on individual and collaborative projects that can form the basis of your resume and portfolio. 5. Get some practical experience Finding a first job can be a challenge as most posts advertised are looking for some practical experience. Take every opportunity you can to get this experience even if it's poorly paid or even unpaid. Search platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork for freelance work that fits your skill-set or apply for part-time jobs or internships using job boards and social media sites. At the same time, use platforms such as Leetcode to enhance your skills and practice technical interview questions. You can even have some fun solving Leetcode's coding conundrums. 6. Showcase what you know - build a portfolio and more As your training comes to an end and you start to apply for technical interviews, a portfolio will be your biggest asset. Resumes and covering letters are important, giving interviewers a chance to review your education and training as well as understand your reasons for applying for a post. However, your portfolio showcases your skills, allowing you to stand out from the crowd. Take time creating a concise portfolio with examples of the projects you worked on during your training or any freelance work you have done. Use the best-quality images you can and accompany one or two of the projects with a back story. Explain why you undertook it and the stages you went through. Point out anything you are particularly pleased with, talk about any difficulties you overcame, and say what you might do differently in the future. It's also a good idea to create both a physical and online portfolio and add links to it on your social media pages. 7. Never stop learning You'll acquire a lot of skills and knowledge during your training course but don't stop learning once you've landed your first entry-level data science post. Focus on areas where you need to improve as well as learning more about subjects that interest and motivate you. Take training courses at work or online courses in your spare time as well as reading around your subject in books, blogs, and periodicals. Kaggle competitions are a fun way to hone your data gathering skills while taking part in open-source projects allows you to collaborate with others. Put some data science conferences in your diary such PyCon US . They keep you up-to-date with the latest tech developments while also offering great networking opportunities. And don't be afraid to sign up for future data science bootcamps with Ironhack. New skills emerge all the time, and mastering them can make or break your career.

You put on a VR headset and are transported to a meeting room. Avatars of your coworkers greet you, each of them logging in from a different time zone. One of them has a presentation prepared, and she uses a virtual chalkboard to illustrate her points. Afterward, you all pop into a gallery to check out some new NFTs. That’s the metaverse. Or, well, it’s a metaverse. One of the most important things to know about the metaverse is that it’s not just one thing. It’s a bunch of different persistent virtual worlds that today’s biggest companies are creating. Metaverses are all about immersive social connections in virtual space and they’re already transforming our social media experience. Their impact is probably most evident in online commerce — Fortnite skins, anyone? — but they’re also establishing a new paradigm for online transactions and collaborations. That makes it crucial for the leaders of tomorrow to understand metaverses and harness their power to radically impact the future. Let’s get to it. What is a Metaverse? So why is a metaverse not just World of Warcraft in VR? Well, metaverses are 3D digital representations based on the VR gaming experience. For example, multiplayer online games like Fortnite already possess some of the key elements of a metaverse as places where you can buy and sell digital inventory online using cryptocurrencies. And some top fashion brands also have gotten into selling virtual clothes within metaverse-adjacent spaces, like Ralph Lauren’s collaboration with Roblox. But metaverses are more expansive than the standard online game. They allow players to log in using persistent identities and utilize these platforms to shop, work, or just hang out. Imagine a Fortnite world where instead of trying to outlast your friends, you can collaborate on a project together, hit up the mall, and get your kicks from some simulated skydiving. Metaverse for Productive Meetings Metaverses create vivid and more productive meetings for businesses through hightech 3D virtual reality headsets. Microsoft is rolling out a program known as Mesh which caters to Microsoft Teams, allowing for seamless online collaborations while making them more interactive and engaging. Metaverses help people connect through virtual reality, allowing for more relaxed and exciting conversations. Create Better Understanding Before industry leaders can completely understand the full realm of possibilities metaverses open for business, they need to get a handle on the digital tools that host metaverses. Facebook is designing a metaverse reality and is sure to profit from the user data it’s going to collect. At the same time, alternative options of the metaverse reality are being developed and decentralized, protecting the privacy and rights of users. Companies Need to Create New Roles in Their Organization Understanding the difference between “closed” and “open” metaverses is vital to grasping how fast online media evolves, changing how we work. Closed metaverses don’t allow content to move in and out. But the most effective metaverses will need to be decentralized and open, which means every company will have to analyze their business models to avoid business process disruptions. Organizations also have to consider how they intend to deliver value while protecting their clients’ intellectual property across the entire metaverse community. Combining artificial intelligence with cryptocurrencies, digital platforms, and decentralized applications will drastically change the way organizations operate, creating a need for new business roles that don’t yet exist. Importance of Scalable Enterprise Architecture Before organizations embrace metaverses, leaders must first develop the platform vision. That means identifying the architecture and logic that best suit multiple digital platforms.Leaders should determine how these digital systems translate into a scalable and coherent architecture. Organizations will have to hire experts well-versed in metaverse ecosystems. It pays to find specialists with strong understandings of blockchain, computer vision, artificial intelligence, high-speed networks, data analytics, and quantum computing to lead your digital transformation endeavors. Are Metaverses Dangerous for Personal Data? A lot of people have concerns about extentensively mixing their social media profiles with their careers in such an intrusive manner. Since metaverses require analyzing personal data, it might feel like they’re infringing on your privacy. Companies need to recognize how integrating metaverse into their digital worlds can impact their employees' morale, which means they have to demonstrate that all data from personal accounts is safe and secure. Also, they need to invest in experts who understand how the metaverse platform works to ensure that employees don't complain of intrusive monitoring and controlling management strategies. For these reasons, organizations are starting to look for metaverse analysts with backgrounds in artificial intelligence to perform more profound analytical decision-making. An Immersive Workplace While only time will tell how metaverses redefine work, we can already see the digital and physical worlds blurring. So, suppliers should bear in mind the technological flexibility and agility that the workplace demands — since these changes in tech use at work will ultimately impact how companies interact with suppliers. Virtual reality is moving beyond online gaming as businesses look for ways to create virtual office settings. Metaverses offer solutions to some of the challenges company’s face in replicating personal interactions. Some companies are also looking to use digital tools like intelligent heating and occupancy monitoring in order to create more efficient hybrid work environments. Metaverses Promise Engaging Collaboration Online Companies can use metaverse technology to work and collaborate online in imaginative ways. Nonetheless, leaders should ensure this vision doesn't lead to burnout and privacy infringement. It's also vital to create measures to control employees' time in metaverse virtual worlds. That said, hybrid work now becomes more than just a home-to-workplace split and allows organizations to achieve the ideal equilibrium between their physical and virtual worlds. HR departments need to develop new and improved working strategies to foster healthy metaverse integration practice. Metaverses aims to create powerful canvases that enable companies to create new offerings for their customers. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality at the workplace present exciting options for employees to collaborate and work. As a result, organizations will flourish when they effectively engage a team of talented metaverse professionals. With metaverse integrations that focus on human connection with technological practices, organizations can build innovative cultures that encourage a more conscious approach to work. Whether metaverses turn out to be utopias or dystopias, research is still vital at this early stage. Like any emerging technology, metaverse networks will become more meaningful as organizations start integrating the technology into their business practices. Above all, experts believe that metaverses offer huge opportunities for businesses if they combine them seamlessly into different departments of their organization.

Interviews for entry-level tech posts - steps to success As your Ironhack tech course progresses, thoughts turn to future career plans. But, applying for an entry-level tech job brings with it the challenge of a technical interview. These are designed to rigorously test coding, design, and problem-solving skills along with a host of soft skills. While you may have extensive programming knowledge you haven't yet acquired industry experience. The tech interview, however, is your chance to demonstrate your marketability, your skills, and, most importantly, your willingness to learn and develop. Technical interviews are usually broken down into stages such as remote chats and coding challenges as well as onsite tasks and interviews. Knowing what to expect and being fully prepared are key to successfully landing your dream tech job. We've put together a guide to the steps tech interviews often take followed by some other tips for success. Step 1: The application To get as far as an interview, you need to make job applications. The key to a successful application is a top-notch (but not overloaded) resume accompanied by a well-researched and well-written cover letter. If you have examples of projects from your training, creating an online portfolio is an additional way of showcasing your skills and talent. It's worth investing money in a resume-writing service. Give the service provider as much relevant information as possible. If producing your own resume, it should be professional-looking and tweaked to reflect the criteria of the advertised job. Your cover letter should also be targeted at a specific person. You may need to do some research to find this name but it shows that you have initiative and are truly invested in your application. In your cover letter, explain clearly and concisely why the job excites you and what you can bring to the company. Step 2: The phone chat (or screening) If your resume is a success, the next step is often an invitation for a phone chat. Give yourself a pat on the back as this is a great achievement. While it gives companies a further chance to screen applicants, it's also an opportunity for you to share your tech knowledge and show off your communication skills. Be ready and waiting at the proposed time of the call and then let your interest shine through by having a few questions ready to ask. You may know the answers already from your research but asking relevant and intelligent questions showcases your enthusiasm and professional approach. Step 3: Engaging with the hiring manager (usually remotely) Do well during the phone screen and you'll be invited to an online meeting. This may be conducted by your potential line manager. As well as assessing your technical skills, the interviewer will also be checking your professionalism and deciding whether your personality is a good fit for the team. To maximize your chances, show enthusiasm for the advertised role and the company as well as showing off your skills and interests. Be honest about any areas of weakness that would require ongoing training, you're not expected to know everything when you start. On a more personal level, make sure you're ready and logged on for the start of the interview, dress smartly, and speak clearly and concisely. Again, have some questions ready to ask. Step 4: The technical challenge - wowing them in person If you're invited to a physical interview at your potential site of employment, serious congratulations are coming your way. This really is the time to shine and show everyone that you're perfect for the job. You'll meet the hiring manager in person and have a chance to talk more about job specifics (such as salary, dress policy, and other working conditions). The interview questions will be more specific and technical and almost definitely accompanied by practical tasks such as a coding challenge completed on a whiteboard. These half-day or day-long visits often include a tour of the company and a chance to meet future colleagues. You may even be interviewed by a panel of your future team colleagues. Be sure to act in a professional and engaging manner with everyone you meet. Other useful tips Make sure your soft skills are spot on While your coding know-how is the vital key to an entry-level role, there are other essential skills prospective employers look for. These include: Communication: Not only will you need to communicate clearly with your team you should be able to explain complex tech concepts and problems in a simple concise way that clients can understand. On the subject of communication, everything you write from your resume onwards should be free of typos, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes! Self-starting: Can you work independently? Are you motivated? Can you take tasks to the next level? Are you confident enough to ask for help if you need it? Teamwork: It's more than likely that you'll be working as part of a team so your ability to relate well to others is vital Personal development: To develop your career and move on from entry-level posts, you need to constantly improve your skill sets and be willing to go on training courses to further develop your knowledge. You should be able to accept constructive criticism graciously and learn from it Cracking the dress code The dress code in most tech companies is casually relaxed and this is something that will be highlighted during the interview. For the interview, however, always dress smartly in a way that's one step up from the normal office code. Do some research and if, for example, the dress code is jeans and tees, for the interviews wear a business casual outfit.

Wondering what the difference is between a product manager and a product owner? Who is superior between the two? Can one function without the other? Well, there's no specific answer to these questions because these roles usually operate differently. Different factors come into play to determine what a product owner or product manager does. In the tech world, these terms are generally used to refer to software or digital products. Primarily, it’s in the interest of a business to create quality products that provide value to the company's target customers and investors. To achieve this goal, it's essential to ensure the product is optimized accordingly and delivered on time to the customer. But that can be difficult to do when there's no clear distinction between these two roles. Identifying the key differences between a product manager and a product owner can help bridge that gap. The success of the organizations means that the optimization and delivery processes should be the goal for both the product owner and the product manager. While these two roles usually have similar roles in the organization, the functions have different responsibilities. The project owner and product manager should work collectively to achieve the desired outcome. The Product Owner For most people, this term is somewhat confusing and misleading. Keep in mind that the product owner doesn't necessarily own the end product or act as the company owner that makes the product. The terms come from the scrum framework, an agile system that supports all the complex effects within the company. The product owner is responsible for improving the product's value and ensuring the development is aligned with the product roadmap. But this sounds confusing, right? It means that product owners work to generate customer stories to be operated on by the company's development team. They help to voice the customer's needs. Product owners are mainly responsible for supervising the product throughout its development. That means they inspect all new features and modify existing products, fix bugs, and so on. So, a product owner supervises the development team to ensure all tasks are running smoothly with the goal of achieving the desired product outcome. In addition to grooming the product in all the development stages, a product owner also performs these responsibilities: Builds the production process according to priorities plus ensures the development team understands their respective roles. Understand customers' needs, draft their complaints and problems into detailed user stories, and create actionable steps. The product owner must be present at team meetings to consult with other critical stakeholders like the scrum master. Team meetings ensure the development process follows the road map provided by the product manager. Product managers are the link between customers and the product's development team. Product owners represent the customer's needs and act as their spokesperson. They also offer constructive feedback to encourage necessary changes on the product and the development roadmap. And as such, encourages transparent communication between the product manager and the product owner. Product managers are involved with the product from conception until its launch. However, the product owner isn't involved in the product's development process. The Product Manager A product manager helps to guide the product toward the expected outcome. They are part of a team that improves the product's quality and recommends extra features. Therefore, a product manager acts as an organizational leader who outlines the strategic roadmap to follow along the product line. Product manager responsibilities often vary from one company to the next. This role isn’t necessarily limited to forecasting, marketing, and analyzing loss and profit. They also collaborate with the product's project manager, project owner, and other members to ensure a successful product launch. Product managers analyze the competition and market while creating a realistic vision for the product. They work to create a unique product that meets customers' needs and demands. Their role is tactical and strategic and must encourage functional leadership across all departments within the company such as sales, marketing, engineering, and customer service. Product managers help define what specific product the company will build and collaborate with the product owners to ensure the product launch is successful. Additionally, product managers do comprehensive market research. They help analyze what consumers want and need, plus utilize prioritization strategies to determine what products achieve those demands. These are the steps that the product manager follows to ensure the company creates quality products: Create a comprehensive strategy that focuses on the company's long-term plan Researching to understand what customers want with a focus on making a functional product that's needed. Create the product roadmap and ensure all the collaborative teams work on similar goals throughout the development process. Coordinate the product development teams, stakeholders, and partners to ensure all understand the strategy and work toward the product's success. Recommend what features to build on upcoming products. Create and deliver products with unique features that make them indispensable to customers. The product manager also supervises the entire product lifecycle. That responsibility involves the initial product conception, recommending changes on the product to meet customers' demands. Moreover, they speak as the end-users, which helps them create a quality product that matches the market. So, will the product manager or product owner operate the shop? Who should take the supervisory role? It depends on the company, your vision and what you desire to achieve long-term. That said, finding talented people with the right skills is the only way to achieve your objectives. A product manager and product owner are valuable assets in any business as they work to meet the company's changing needs. Remember, while defining these roles, it's crucial to adapt because the marketplace is susceptible to change from time to time and is constantly evolving.

[This article was updated for 2022.] It's a dream for many people to work in a renowned tech company. Thousands of tech enthusiasts seek to get their foot in these companies as they are known to offer excellent perks and professional growth opportunities. Equally, their reach attracts talent from different parts of the world. You don’t need a full Computer Science degree to get hired by these companies, though. Bootcamp alumni have a unique combination of skills and assets and the value they bring into the workplace increases exponentially for years– which is why companies are now turning their attention towards bootcamps. While tech companies have very different products and look for a variety of profiles, some paths in technology and computer science are growing in demand . Let’s look at some of the top tech companies that invest in talent in the competitive tech world. 1. HubSpot Renowned among digital marketing companies, HubSpot offers a wholesome platform of sales, marketing, customer service, and CRM software to cater to small and large businesses alike. HubSpot values its employees' input the same way they value their customers. Many employees express the company's willingness to assist and work with skilled people while also providing opportunities for career growth. If you can comfortably work under strict deadlines and high expectations, HubSpot is an excellent organization to help you achieve your career goals. Great for: startup-lovers with an interest or experience in digital marketing. 2. NVIDIA All employees who show dedication and hard work to advance their careers in tech will receive abundant rewards securing employment at NVIDIA. Influencing changes in the tech world and working on trailblazing technology are some of the reasons most people desire to work at NVIDIA. Plus, most employees enjoy the work environment and the organization’s strong emphasis on performing tasks as a team. At NVIDIA, you may need to put in some extra hours, especially when you join the company and seek to advance. There’s high competition, and it therefore helps when you show initiative and commitment in the respective roles. Great for: lovers of all things visual, especially in the gaming and CGI spaces . 3. Salesforce Companies like Salesforce provide businesses with marketing tools and customer management strategies. Employees appreciate its culture of excellent benefits, programs, and events that make their contributions valued. The only downside is that programs and events don't always make employees feel valued. Some employees complain of long work hours regardless of position within the company. Great for: data-nerds, who believe in empowering teams through data and smoother workflows . 4. DocuSign While there are emerging competitors in the market, DocuSign is a trusted company that allows you to sign documents electronically. DocuSign have a notable competitive edge since they manage to offer benefits to employees. More employees appreciate the positive morale and work/balance that’s the foundation of the company's culture. With a high Glassdoor rating, the company invests in all its employees to succeed long term. However, some employees state that DocuSign has a confusing onboarding process where management makes hasty changes. Great for: people who highly value a company that invests and believes in its employees. 5. Shopify Shopify is a dedicated company that helps businesses sell multiple products online. It has a good Glassdoor rating compared to other tech companies as a loyal employer. Overall, the company has a commendable employee culture, and they provide good benefits and promote employee events. Even so, some employees feel the company needs to value their input and involve them more in decision-making. Great for: those looking to break into the exciting world of eCommerce, it doesn’t get better than Shopify! 6. Google Google is the most sought-after firm by jobseekers. The search company continues to excel in providing better employee benefits. Working in a tech giant like Google gives you a chance to interact with the brightest talent pool in the world. And to stand apart from the competitors, Google offers attractive benefits to employees that most companies won't match owing to their vast budget. The only challenge of working at Google is having incredibly high expectations concerning loyalty and performance. Other challenges include the unfair competitive hierarchy that limits advancement potential. Great for: impact-chasers who want the work they do to improve the lives of millions (literally!) . 7. Facebook/Meta As the leading social media company, Facebook/Meta aims to create a healthy work environment by treating its employees as assets. Aside from having a superior facility design, the organization has attractive perks for its employees—from 401 contributions to pizza parties. That said, you might have to sacrifice your time as most company positions entail long working hours and a competitive atmosphere. Great for: problem-solvers and future-thinkers, who aren’t afraid to tackle world-changing topics like data use and the future of the Metaverse . 8. LinkedIn LinkedIn has become a valuable tool to connect colleagues professionally, providing businesses with a unique social media podium. The company is making great strides in keeping employees valued and appreciated with a commendable rating. LinkedIn is the best company in the tech world due to its leadership role. Plus, employees state that the company promotes a healthy work culture. Additionally, employees receive many attractive benefits and team-building events that foster teamwork. Great for: anyone passionate about building the future of work, in all of its new forms! 9. Adobe Adobe is famous for its collaborative design interface that allows for superb graphics. The company treats its staff well. The organization offers competitive benefits and focuses on cultivating a healthy work culture based on rewarding commitment and loyalty. However, some employees feel that the company has a lot of bureaucracy that hinders meaningful progress. Advancement openings seem to target the selected few, and employees can sometimes feel like they’re stuck in one position for an extended period. Great for: creatives and visionaries who get excited about what people can make when you hand them the right tools . 10. Microsoft Working for Microsoft is a great achievement as the tech firm is renowned worldwide. It creates most of the computer operating systems that exist today. Microsoft stays dedicated to manufacturing innovative products to solve the industry’s pain points. Employee retention is essential to maintain that edge, where the comprehensive benefits package fosters innovation. Employees also enjoy working in a competitive environment with the most skilled personnel globally. Great for: anyone with a deep love of tech, and the impact this tech giant has had on the industry– and anyone who is even more excited about the future it could build… How To Land Your First Tech Job Working for a prominent company is an achievable, yet challenging goal, if you’re trying to break into the tech industry. But you can land a job in tech even if you’re new to the field. Multiply your odds by getting an education that will help shape your profile into one that tech recruiters are looking for. Bootcamps are about so much more than just learning the core technical skills you need; they show that you’re a dedicated, self-motivated learner with a diverse professional background, which is precisely what tech industry hiring managers are looking for. Piqued your interest? Take a look at our Bootcamps and kickstart your career in tech!

The secret is out - it’s time to announce our next Ironhack US campus! Since the early beginnings of Ironhack, our goal has been to be one of the most student success driven tech bootcamps at scale. Every decision we’ve made thus far has been with the student experience in mind. As we expand our presence further to continue changing lives and helping people build a fulfilling career in tech, we felt it was the right time to open a new campus in the US. Choosing our second US campus was no easy feat. After months of research, location sourcing, and making sure our next location has the best environment for our students, we’re happy to announce that Ironhack will be opening in Tampa,FL. We chose Tampa, FL as our next location because it’s one of the top emerging tech cities! The city is responsible for more than 25% of Florida's tech jobs and over 50 software and IT companies call Tampa home. According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, more than 2,000 new tech jobs are expected this year making Tampa the place to start a career in tech! Not to mention that Tampa is a multicultural city with coastal views, great weather, big city life with small town charm, a passion for tech, and a thriving job market. It’s an environment that’s prime for developing a new career, networking, and achieving goals! To make sure that every student who enrolls in Ironhack Tampa has the freedom to learn from any location, we’re also introducing our Hybrid Campus Model. This means you can take Ironhack’s Remote-Live courses while having a dedicated hub to collaborate in a co-working space multiple times throughout the cohort. We partnered with DeskPass to give our students the flexibility of enjoying co-working spaces throughout Tampa to study, meet up with classmates and teacher assistants, grow your network, or simply grab a beer and have fun at our events. All while taking our remote-live online bootcamps from wherever you want. We've come up with this novel concept to support you with a community and give you the flexibility you need to fit your learning style. But the fun doesn’t end there! To celebrate the opening of Ironhack Tampa we’ve also partnered with our financing partner, Climb Credit to to give away $1,000 scholarships . This is the first of many scholarship contests that will be available throughout the year! In total, over 20 students in 2022 will win tuition assistance through various Climb + Ironhack scholarships. Keep an eye out for more opportunities! If you’re in the Tampa-St.Petersburg area you can take advantage of our Hybrid Campus and have the opportunity to win a scholarship for the bootcamp course of your choice. To take advantage of this scholarship giveaway make sure to review the scholarship rules and apply before February 25th, 2022. Scholarship winners will be chosen by ​​Climb and Ironhack based on the answer to the short answer questions in the application. Winners will be chosen by March 4th, 2022. Get the full details here. We’re so excited to have you at Ironhack Tampa! If you’re ready to build your career in tech in a city where you can be surrounded by innovation, culture, and a supportive community, now is the time to apply to the next Web Development, UI/UX Design, or Data Analytics cohort. See you in class! Apply Now to Ironhack Tampa

As we progress through 2022, it’s an exciting time to plan goals, form new habits, and build an actionable plan for achieving big milestones. If there’s one thing that the Ironhack team has learned from helping over 9,000 students break into tech it’s that goals and milestones are truly achieved when one takes massive action, learns new skills, and uses past experiences to move forward. This is why we pride ourselves on teaching students hand-on skills and assigning practical projects that build off one another. But when it comes to building a career in tech, learning the tools and technology to help you get the job is just the beginning. The journey to the top comes from hard work, consistency, resilience, and an amazing portfolio. To show you what’s possible when you put these traits into action, we’re showcasing the top 5 projects of 2021 from students at Ironhack US who took our Web Development and UI/UX programs. The projects shown below are listed in no particular order. Although we’re only listing 5 projects, it’s important to mention that we’re so proud of what all of our Ironhackers have developed for their portfolios. We can’t wait to see them take the tech world by storm! Without further ado, here are the top 5 Ironhack student projects off 2021: Cuddle 2 Death by Michael Power Cuddle 2 Death was created by Michael Power as part of one of his Web Development projects. We must admit that it’s definitely one of those projects that the Miami team loves revisiting. This “Street Fighter” inspired game brings us memories of button smashing afternoons in arcades. The contrast between cuteness and action makes this a project to remember. Check it out for yourself. Grove App redesign by Alejandro Terra Alejandro was part of our UI/UX program and for his final project he was paired up with Groove, a members only community and app that makes it easy to find hot spots when searching for nightlife venues. This was an exciting project to be part of because Groove was developed by two Ironhack Miami Alumni. His redesign included a 3D map of the neighborhoods with nightlife venues and an easy to follow details page for each venue. Alien on Earth by Carlos Cordon Carlos Cordon created this fun “Mario” inspired game for his 2 week challenge of our Web Development Bootcamp. What’s there not to love about a jumping little alien collecting coins! From the theme of the game, to the design, and overall usability, Alien on Earth is definitely a great project for the books! Play the game here. Natured Ease Website Redesign by Diane Morales For her final project, Diana was paired up with Natured Ease, a broad-spectrum hemp CBD company. She redesigned their website to be more user friendly and have a modern/minimalist aesthetic. Here’s what she has to say about her minimum viable product: “My MVP is to create a referral program for new and existing users to promote customer acquisition. In addition, I will revamp the Natured Ease CBD education on their website to ensure that users understand what they are buying and how it is superior to others in the market. This will bring Natured Ease into the blue ocean of high quality and high educational impact.” Let's Sip by Michael Porreca, Dragan Cicic and Dario Formoso Want to have fancy cocktails at your next dinner party but you’re not sure what to make? Well, this project by some of our Miami Web Development graduates will make finding cocktail recipes easier. Let’s Sip is a web app where you can create, find, and share drink recipes. It’s simple, to the point and easy to follow which is exactly what we need from recipe websites. Not to mention that they even added an exclusive Ironhack cocktail called the “Ironhack Mule.” Check out the recipe here. And that’s a wrap! We can’t wait to see all of the amazing projects the classes of 2022 will make. Ready to be an Ironhacker that will design or build the next big app, game, or website? Apply for the upcoming Web Development, UI/UX Design, or Data Analytics bootcamp cohort before classes fill up. See you in class!