Computers & Programming
IT - Cyber Security - Development
Computers & Programming
IT - Cyber Security - Development
Basically everywhere you look around you - there are computers - besider the regular Desk/Lap top computer, your mobile phone, cars, medical devices, refrigerators etc, etc, ... are computers! Working with computers and the internet provides a huge opportunity to make a good living, However, learning about Programming & Development, Computer Networks, Web and Mobile App Design, and/or Cyber Security can be daunting if you have no prior experince. But if you really want to work within the IT/Computer field! Start with a Google IT Certificate then grow from there.
IT Support Certificates.
There are currently about 400,000 U.S. job openings in IT! The best introductory certificate within the computer industry is an IT Support Certificate. This certificate usually contains stackable courses, meaning that you can easily build on this course for further education. One program is Google IT Certificate, a professional training designed by Google and offered by Coursera. It will prepare for a career in the growing field of IT, and no prior experience is required. The industry standard to get certified is to pass CompTIA A+ Certificate Exam. A great prepation course to pass this exam is offered by Udemy. Many programs are between 15 weeks - six months, and often self-pased so you can be done sooner.
Front-End Web Development
The 'Front-End' of a website/web-app is what you see on your screen. The output that frames a website is build on HTML, the colors, sizes and position of 'boxes' is build on CSS, and movements - how maybe a title/image is faded in or entered from a side is coded with Javascript. These are the three components you need to learn to become a Front-End Developer. Being a Front-End developer is quite visual and creative, so if you are an artistic person who is looking to enter the computer industry - Front-End Development is definitively for you. The salary of a skilled Front-End developer has significantly increased. This is what a user see when coming to a website/app - and if skillfully desinged, it cathces the user's eye and stays on the site. There are many free learning platforms to get you started, such as FreeCodeCamp and W3 Schools to see if this is for you. To ensure a great employment, many prominent university extensions offers Front-End Certificates, such as UCLA Extension and Cornell elearning. These programs run about 12 weeks full-time, 24 weeks part-time.
Back End & Full Stack Developer
A Back-End Developer is responsible for coding the functionality of a web-app in terms of having the website being able to upload and update information via database storage. For example, when you create(d) a social media account, this website was coded to store your information and encrypted password on a database. When you login, the social media app makes a database connection to check if your credentials exist and if the id matches with the password. Becoming a Back-End Developer requires more 'real' computer coding, understanding of databases and the server versus the client side of the app. side of a web app. Popular back-end languages are Python, Ruby (Rails), NodeJS, JAVA, and PHP and databases you will learn to use are SQL, MySQL, Oracle, MongoDB, and/or PostGREs. A Full Stack Developer combines Front-End and Back-End knowledge. Being a Full-Stack Developer can definitively give you an edge on the job market. If you're allready a Back-End or Front-End, you may want to consider getting the 'missing' skill. Becoming a Back-End/Full-Stack takes about six months,
Computer Programmer
Software Developer
If your desire is to become a software programmer/developer it usually takes a little longer than a Back-End/Full-Stack Developer. A Software Programmer works with languages that uses machine compiled languages such as C and C++, FORTAN, Rust, and JAVA. When studying progamming you will learn to understand the difference between Object Oriented Languages (C++, JAVA and later) and languages before this concept was develped (C and FORTRAN). It involves completing/understanding mathematics courses in Algebra 2, Binary Code, Descrete Mathematics, Statistics/Logic or more. If this is your goal, we recommend to focus on learning C++ and/or JAVA and taking math classes for 2 semesters, then enroll in a three month all imersive CodeCamp program.
Mobile App Developer
A Mobile App Developer codes the apps we use on our phones. The two major OS systems for cell-phones are Android (used on phones like Samsung and LG) and iOS (used on iPhones). Although to become a full scale Mobile App Developer requires real fundamental programming skills, there are many 'Developer App Environments' that simplifies the process and comes with build in libraries that can get you to be an App Developer in as little as six months! A great place to start to explore if App Development is for you is at Google's Android site (Google owns Android), download Android Studio to your computer and then take the beginning Android courses offered. If you're interested in becomming an iOS developer, then look into Apple's Developer Program and learn to use SWIFT. Online learning platforms such as Coursera.org and Udacity.com offers 6 months Nanodegree Certificate Programs based on 10 hours per week. Thus, if you can spend 20 hrs or more per week, you'll be done in 3 months or less!
Cyber Security
The demand for people with Cyber Security skills are currently growing 12 times faster than any other
U.S. job market! according to NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR CYBERSECURITY CAREERS AND STUDIES
( NICCS ). There are many various certificates and degrees within this field.
You may think that there are prerequisite computer knowlegde for these course, however for some courses you
can start from a Basic Level, such as the 18 months Cyber Security Certificate at
DeVry.
If you just want to see if this is something for you, you can audit introductory Cyber Security
class at Coursera.org.
Are you Ready for a new career in
Computer Technology
Now when you've read about all the possiblilites you have to start a future within the computer techonology industry, it's time to look at what is best for you. If you have no prior experience, a recomendation is to chose an inital short program that you can build on, this way you can later on, when you're ready, go back for further education. Given your current life situation, can you commit 4 weeks or 4 months? Great short programs is learning Website Front-End Developmet, then next step is learning Back-End Development. If you're interested in fundamental knowledge of how computers work, an IT Support Certificate Program may be right for you. And who knows, you may begin with one short Certificate Program, and end up with a Ph. D !! You never know what you're capable of, unless you try!
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