“What is IT?” is a broad question to answer. It’s almost like asking, “what is the Earth?”

Even if they aren’t technologically inclined, most people know that IT stands for information technology. Still, many systems fall under this category, with almost as many different functions.

The term “IT” was first coined by authors Leavitt and Whisler in the Harvard Business Review. While defining information technology, they broke it down into 3 main parts:

1. Processing information rapidly using computers.
2. Applying statistics and math to make decisions and solve problems.
3. Simulating higher-order thinking with computer programs.

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) gives us a more general definition of IT, describing it as the “study, design, development, application, implementation, support, or management of computer-based information systems.”

Breaking down IT

SearchDataCenter.com provides a more current definition of IT — calling it “the use of any computers, storage, networking, and other physical devices, infrastructure, and processes to create, process, store, secure, and exchange all forms of electronic data.”

They also provide several examples of IT work, such as:

• Server upgrades
• Security monitoring
• Data collection and processing
• Creating and applying new software
• Technology upgrades to serve a business
• The practice of user support

Including software in this mix means transactions systems, email and web servers, and even CRM systems can all be considered “IT.”

The communication element

Another, more modern way of thinking about IT considers its integration with communications, more commonly known as ICT (information and communications technology).

In short, ICT emphasizes IT’s role in communication, encompassing cell networks and digital TVs — and even older technologies such as landline phones and radio and television broadcasting.

With ICT, we can do things like use AI (artificial intelligence) to answer and route phone calls. ICT also enables actions like transcribing a voice message and turning that into data. This can be useful for replying to the message more easily or entering the data into data processing and management systems.

Computer science and IT

Aspects of IT and “computer science” can overlap. But, while IT tends to be about how technology serves businesses, computer science is purely about the logic and technology that’s used or being developed.

Computer science is a math-based discipline for programming technological systems to run. IT professionals don’t necessarily need a background in computer science, but it can definitely lead to more job opportunities.

Computer Scientists write code to create software that makes use of IT. They’re also more qualified to analyze systems than professionals who only have basic IT qualifications.

If you’re interested in a career in computer science or IT, you’ll need to learn the programming languages underlying IT systems, such as:

Each of the languages above is both versatile and powerful. Their uses include data analysis, hardware programming, back-end development, and more.

Or, if you’d prefer a more tailored course that’ll teach you everything you need to know, check out our Computer Science Career Path.

Data science and IT

As with computer science, you can work in IT without a background in data science — but it’ll definitely open the door to more opportunities.

Data science involves using various tools to collect, manipulate, and analyze data for valuable insights. Often, data visualization techniques are used to make it easier to understand.

Programming languages like Python, R, and SQL lie at the heart of data science. To learn more about these languages — and their associated libraries and frameworks like pandas and Matplotlib — check out our Data Scientist Career Path. Or, take a look through our data science career guide.

The answer

Having asked, “what is IT?” the answer appears to be “many things.” In short, it includes all the technologies used to handle information and the communications between them.

Then there’s hardware and software, which are also information technologies. Hardware can mean anything from security systems to user interfaces — even something like virtual reality goggles. Software usually involves coding to create and implement any application for a wide variety and range of purposes and tasks. Without that, neither hardware nor communications will work.

For those interested in working in IT, the most important part of the answer is the science behind programming languages and data management. These are expressed through computer science and data science. You can be an IT professional, but to be a good one, these disciplines are a key part of the answer to “What is IT?”

Computer Science Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Computer Science, often referred to as “CS,” is a broad term that covers many sub-disciplines, including the worlds of software *and* hardware. It can be found in every piece of technology you use, from a smartphone or gaming console to a car or ATM. With so many applications for Computer Science, t…

If you’re ready to pursue your career in software development, there’s no question that knowing about Scrum will help you stand out as a strong job candidate. When you understand Scrum, you rely a lot more on teamwork and how developers interact with each other on group projects.

We’ve put together this video and quick guide to Scrum to help you understand more about it.

Scrum and Agile

If you’ve heard of Scrum before, chances are that it was in connection with Agile software development. But what do we mean when we talk about Scrum as opposed to Agile?

Scrum is a software development framework that incorporates Agile values and principles. And, while Scrum is one of the most popular Agile methodologies out there, it’s not the only one.

In short, all Scrum projects incorporate Agile philosophy, but not all Agile projects necessarily use the Scrum methodology.

Anatomy of a Scrum project

Now that you understand the relationship between Scrum and Agile, let’s explore the main components of a Sprint project.

The sprint

A sprint is one of the central parts of a Scrum project. In short, a sprint is a short period of time — typically two weeks, but can also last anywhere from one week to a month — in which a software development team accomplishes a planned list of updates, improvements, and new features.

In keeping with the Agile philosophy, sprints are designed to result in gradual, iterative updates to the software rather than large-scale changes.

The tasks to be accomplished in each sprint are taken from the product backlog and refined into a sprint backlog. But, with Scrum, nothing is ever set in stone. Both the sprint backlog and product backlog can change at any time based on changing business needs, competitor activity, and other external factors.

The product backlog

When a development team decides to create software using the Scrum methodology, it’s understood that the first product release won’t be perfect. Any software features that need to be updated, improved, added, or removed get recorded in the product backlog.

Think of the backlog as a giant software to-do list. Every task in the backlog is assigned a priority, but it’s not expected that the dev team will get to everything at once. Instead, items from the product backlog are reviewed and funneled into sprint backlogs.

The sprint backlog

The sprint backlog is a list of tasks that a software development team commits to accomplishing within one sprint. The specific tasks that make it into the next sprint backlog depend on a variety of factors, including:

• Customer demand for specific features and improvements
• Urgent technical issues that are negatively affecting how people use the app
• Features and improvements that advance the company’s business strategies
• What the development team can realistically accomplish within the sprint timeframe

The product increment

The result of a successful sprint is a new software version that contains all of the promised updates and features in the sprint backlog. This new software version is also known as the product increment.

When sprint teams are transparent with each other during the sprint planning phase, there’s a much better chance of a successful sprint and, more importantly, a successful software product.

The Scrum team

A successful Scrum project needs a successful team to make it happen. The three critical Scrum roles in that team are the product owner, the developer(s), and the Scrum master.

The product owner

It’s easy to agree that the customer should guide app development, but what exactly does the customer want? The Scrum product owner is basically responsible for figuring this out.

The product owner understands the needs and demands of the people who are using the app or software. They communicate this through the product backlog.

One of the product owner’s biggest responsibilities is to organize and prioritize the product backlog as well as the sprint backlogs based on the company’s business objectives and overall strategy.

Product owners typically have a solid background in marketing, product management, and business development. They spend a lot of their time understanding the competitive landscape and market trends to help the development team create a commercially successful software product.

The developer(s)

Whether your skills are in Front-End Development, Back-End Development, or Full-Stack Development, this is where you come into the Scrum project. The developer or development team is responsible for turning the product owner’s backlog wish list into a reality.

Before starting a sprint, the developers work closely with the product owner to determine whether the business requirements are realistic and how long it will take to complete them.

The Scrum master

With the product owner focused on commercial success and the development team focused on writing code, who’s around to check that everyone is sticking to the Scrum principles? That’s what the Scrum master is for.

Along with making sure that everyone is staying “Scrummy,” the Scrum master acts as a team motivator during sprints. In the middle of a sprint with a tight deadline and changing requirements, it’s up to the Scrum master to keep everyone working at full capacity on the appropriate goals.

Scrum ceremonies

As you might imagine, Scrum involves a lot of communication. In fact, Scrum has a special name for planned meetings throughout the project: ceremonies. There are different types of Scrum ceremonies, and each one has a different purpose:

• Backlog refinement to determine what the development team should accomplish and in what priority.
• Sprint planning to review goals, schedule what the development team will do in the next sprint, and determine the sprint duration.
• The daily standup, a meeting in which everyone reviews what happened the previous day and what the current day’s tasks are.
• Sprint review to assess the results of the sprint and confirm that the new product meets the goals and requirements set in the sprint backlog.
• The retrospective, a “lessons learned” review of the last sprint to determine how people felt during the sprint, what went well, and what should be improved for the next sprint.

How to become a Scrum developer

Now that you understand the basics of Scrum, remember that being part of any software development team means having the most up-to-date skills and knowledge on various programming languages.

This includes front-end languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, back-end languages like PHP, SQL, and Python, and many more. If you’re unsure which skills you should be focusing on next, our Career Paths will help you learn all the skills you’ll need to succeed as a new developer.

Web Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Web Development is the practice of developing websites and web apps that live on the internet. Whether you’re interested in front-end, back-end, or going full-stack, the content in our Web Development domain will help you get there.

From virtual reality to cybersecurity to office productivity and bookkeeping, the applications of technology continue to expand into almost every aspect of our daily lives. And, because of this growth, learning to program can not only lead to a stable, fulfilling career but also help you reach out to and help those in need.

There are a variety of tech-based jobs and volunteer opportunities where you can apply your programming knowledge to social good projects. If this is something you’re interested in pursuing, our courses can give you the skills you need to improve the world around you however you choose. Continue reading to learn about just a few of the many opportunities available for you to do some social good.

Open-source projects

Open-source projects for social good can range from helping a non-profit organization create an app to helping improve government services. These projects encourage collaboration from people around the world and allow anyone to use the final product for whatever purpose that can help their organization.

Contributing to these open-source projects can help countless individuals that may not otherwise have the resources to access technological guidance. But not only would your skills help support those in need, you’d also be joining a community of programmers helping each other to assist organizations and non-profits, which is a great networking opportunity.

If you’re interested in building your coding skills to pursue a job or volunteer position in the open-source sector, our courses can get you started with the basics.

And, if you’re not sure where to start, check out our Learn Java course. Java is one of the most popular programming languages — used for software development, large systems development, and mobile applications — and it’s a great place to begin your coding journey. Another popular language is Go, which powers much of Google’s cloud platform and can be used in web and application development. Take a look at our Learn Go course for more information.

Each of these programming languages will give you a strong base to start working on whatever open-sourced project you’re interested in.

Teach coding

The programming community is one of collaboration, and whether you’ve been a long-time programmer or are just starting out, you’ll always have something to learn and share. Using the programming knowledge you’ve gained — whether it’s to build websites, mobile apps, or chatbots — to teach others can make a world of difference in someone’s life.

For teaching opportunities, there are several organizations that focus on teaching the youth of varying backgrounds to focus their talents on learning tech skills they can use now and in the future. Two popular organizations are Teens Exploring Technology and Girls Who Code Another great nonprofit is MotherCoders, if you’re interested in teaching adults.

Support social change

Humanitarian projects are often in need of technical support to both organize their efforts and keep them running smoothly. This is an opportunity for you to use your programming skills to help organizations continue their vital work while not having to worry about technical issues.

Some organizations, like Bayes Impact, focus on creating new public services under the support of local governments. The citizens themselves design and promote services that are relevant and aid the people in their communities.

Other projects involve using programming skills to assist non-profit groups around the world, like Code the Change. This has resulted in meaningful work, such as programmers creating an application to track malnutrition in foreign countries. Using your coding skills for projects like this can have impactful results that you’ll be proud to share with others.

Computer science is a Career Path we offer to help you gain a strong foundation for a professional programming career. Learn Python is another course that can teach you skills to use for anything from software and web development to scientific applications. These courses can give you the skills to support a variety of projects aimed at promoting social good.

Work remotely

Using your programming skills can do a lot of good for many different types of companies, non-profits, and educational programs. A number of these positions can be done remotely. This could increase the opportunities you have to help organizations not only in your neighborhood but around the world.

You may be able to help create applications for projects that don’t require you to be on-site. This can allow you to collaborate with a nationally or globally distributed team working toward the same goal. Each of these jobs requires different skills, so starting your coding education can get you on the right track to support social good without needing to leave your home.

Also, keep in mind that there are organizations that support remote workers and volunteers in their own continued education. So  while you’re helping an organization meet their goals, you can also continue advancing your career goals as well.

Our courses are a great stepping stone to first educate yourself, which enables you to then educate and support others. Organizations around the world need programming and technical support to accomplish their missions. They need programmers willing to give their time and resources to support them so they can help those in need.

To get started with web design, check out courses like Learn HTML, Learn CSS, and Learn Navigation Design. You can also start a Skill Path towards creating web applications by taking Build Python Web Apps with Flask.

Each of these courses will help you to gain the knowledge necessary to start helping organizations around the world that need your technical skills. Begin your path to programming for social good by signing up for our courses today, free of charge.

Web Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Web Development is the practice of developing websites and web apps that live on the internet. Whether you’re interested in front-end, back-end, or going full-stack, the content in our Web Development domain will help you get there.

Java Tutorial: Learn Java Basics For Free | Codecademy

Learn the basics of the popular Java language in this introductory course. ☕️