By Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer at Coursera
Today, I am excited to announce the Global Master of Arts in English Language Teaching (ELT) Leadership from National Research Tomsk State University (TSU), ranked one of the top five universities in Russia. This English-language degree is the first fully online master’s program in ELT from a Russian university.
On Coursera, we now offer six degrees from Russian university partners, having added five degrees over the last year.
The newest degree on Coursera from TSU is designed for students anywhere in the world to jumpstart or advance their ELT or education management career, preparing them for a wide range of roles, including a senior teacher, leadership position in a language school, or a job within the government sector.
English is by far the most commonly studied foreign language in the world. In Russia specifically, there is an acute need for English teachers with over 30,000 open jobs, according to Gartner TalentNeuron™ data.
To best prepare for their ELT careers, students can tailor the program’s curriculum by choosing one of two tracks — or combine courses from both. The Advanced Classroom Practitioner track is for teachers who want to further their careers, while the Education Management track prepares future ELT leaders and educational administrators.
In this two-year online program that contains bi-weekly live sessions with world-class faculty, students will learn and apply the latest pedagogical, leadership, and management strategies to teach online or in-person. Students will create and deliver lesson plans, practice classroom management, and even teach virtual classes. Upon graduation, students earn an internationally recognized TESOL certification along with their M.A.
“At TSU, we pride ourselves on the international environment we have created on campus. Our online degree program on Coursera truly breaks campus boundaries. Now, people all over the world can earn a TSU degree, without relocating or moving,” said Eduard Galazhinsky, Rector of TSU. “We are eager to welcome students from different countries — from India to Chile — to the TSU community, where they can make life-long connections and networks with their peers.”
All courses in the program are taught by leading international faculty members, including professors from the University of Oxford, University of Sheffield, and TSU as well as industry experts from Shanghai, Stockholm, and Moscow. The teachers integrate their global perspectives into the curriculum to prepare students for positions anywhere in the world.
TSU has already reached nearly 500,000 learners through their open courses on Coursera. We are honored to work with them as they expand their offerings and enable students from around the world to earn a high-quality, flexible degree from one of Russia’s best universities.
As industries continue to change and evolve, the labour market changes with them. Disruptive technology, pandemics (!), shifts in consumers habits, all of these can result in sectors having to rethink how they operate. These industrial reorganisations can have knock-on effects at every level of the business, including supply chains, marketing and, of course, hiring.
Over the last twenty years, a consistent trend across almost all industries has been the growing frequency of freelancers. In part, this can be attributed to automation resulting in businesses needing less hands on deck 24/7, and instead bringing in experts on a need-by-need basis. Freelancers are flexible and so are well-suited to contract work of this kind.
However, there is another reason behind the growth of the freelance jobs market in recent years. Many consumers would rather engage with a small business owner or entrepreneur than do business with a large, faceless firm. Freelancers usually deal with less clients than large businesses and so are more engaged with their customers and can offer a more personalised service.
This consumer-driven demand for freelancers has spread across a wide range of industries and isn’t just limited to tech. From plumbing to pet grooming, freelancers are springing up everywhere!
If you’re looking to convert your passions into prospects, earn some extra money or start your own business, then you can do so by taking advantage of this changing jobs market. With Alison’s free online courses you can gain all the qualifications you need to start your career as a freelancer. Here are 10 great ideas to get you started!
Are you a flower enthusiast? By learning the secrets to professional flower design and arranging, you can start your career as a freelance florist! From weddings and small-scale family get-togethers, to large corporate festivities, flowers play a are always in demand for all manner of events!
YouTube is still one of the best opportunities for freelancers, as the monetisation of videos can be extremely lucrative. With more than 2 billion monthly logged-in users, you can make money by creating engaging, interesting videos. All you need to start is a good camera, some video editing skills, and, of course, the internet!
Do you have a passion for photography and want to share your talent with others? From lockdown weddings to corporate photography, freelance photography opens up countless opportunities! Depending on skill level, freelance photographers can earn as much as $150 to $200 per hour.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way events are conducted has changed drastically. From small gatherings to digital get-togethers, the event landscape has shifted and clients are on the lookout for event planners with new, innovative and safe event ideas.
If you’re passionate about bikes and great with your hands, then a bicycle repair and maintenance business can be a reliable source of extra income. If you gain a reputation as being reliable, you’ll have customers for life!
If you’re a Yoga or fitness fanatic, then becoming an instructor is a great way to share your favourite hobby while earning money on the side. From summer Yoga classes, to corporate relaxation sessions, there is no shortage of opportunities. You can even teach Yoga online!
Do you have an affinity for animals? Sales in pets have spiked during lockdown and all associated markets are also on the up. Pet grooming can be an extremely well-paid job as people always want the best for their pets and will become regular customers if you’re good at your job.
Are you a subject-matter expert? No matter what your field of expertise is, you can start freelancing in online courses creation by making courses for popular e-learning platforms, including Alison!
Regardless of pandemics, recessions or anything else, people always need plumbers. This disaster-proof profession is a job where reputation is everything. If you have happy customers, then you’ll have lifelong customers!
With many schools and colleges moving online due to the pandemic, the demand for online tutors is also rocketing. There’s great money to be made tutoring as many parents seek extra tuition for their kids in these unprecedented times.
Monster.com, one of the leading job listing sites, recently reported that the unemployment rate for cybersecurity analysts is 0%. Yes, zero percent. So, if you want to push your career in that direction, you’re making a good decision. However, this begs the question: What does a cybersecurity analyst do? Below, we’ll break down what a cybersecurity analyst does and describe some of the tools they use to protect IT systems.
Monitoring cyberthreats
A cybersecurity analyst serves as a guardian of an organization’s entire IT system. Most of the time, this involves monitoring threats to the networks, applications, computers, and other endpoints used by the organization.
In some organizations, a cybersecurity analyst is also in charge of supporting the safety of end-users outside the company, such as customers and partners that use the organization’s network.
However, in some situations, a cybersecurity analyst may also have to implement and manage physical security measures, particularly when it comes to keeping passwords, authentication devices, and servers secure from thieves, saboteurs, and other hackers.
Installing and managing firewalls
Firewalls filter a network’s traffic by examining the data sent to and from it. A major part of a cybersecurity analysts’ job involves installing and managing firewalls. This often involves more than just plugging a firewall in at the network’s edge. A cybersecurity analyst has to:
Decide the best places to put firewalls, which may include within the network to prevent the lateral movement of threats
Choose the settings that best protect the company’s and users’ data
Periodically update the configurations of firewalls to suit the evolving threat landscape
Configure firewalls as gateways for virtual private networks (VPNs)
Encryption is, in many ways, a failsafe measure for sensitive information and communications. Encrypted data can’t be read by anyone without the decryption key, so even if it’s stolen, it’ll be useless to the thief. A cybersecurity analyst uses encryption tools for:
Encrypting company secrets, such as proprietary information, blueprints, and emails
Securing communications within a virtual private network (VPN)
Using secure socket layer (SSL) encryption to secure the company’s websites
Hiding the banking information of customers using the company’s online payment system
Mitigating and reporting breaches
Depending on the monitoring tools used in the network’s security portfolio, a cybersecurity analyst may receive an alert signaling an imminent breach. So what comes next? At this point, a cybersecurity analyst has to:
Decide which systems need to be shut down to prevent the attack from spreading
Choose which resiliency and continuity measures to enact, such as spinning up servers, connecting to backup devices, or migrating employees to different workstations
Inform the necessary stakeholders within the company about the breach
Make data-based recommendations to workers and executives regarding a course of action
Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities
A cybersecurity analyst’s job is far easier when vulnerabilities are discovered and mitigated before they get exploited by an attacker. Identifying vulnerabilities often involves a few different tactics, such as:
Conducting penetration testing to see which kinds of attacks can get through and where
Checking the dependencies of applications for vulnerabilities. Dependencies are what an app uses to provide outputs for the user, such as databases, caches, message queues, or application programming interfaces (APIs)
Restructuring the flow of data in a system to avoid a vulnerability
Replacing vulnerable code with secure code
Adjusting the architecture of the network or applications to eliminate vulnerabilities
Implementing anti-malware solutions
Anti-malware solutions prevent viruses, Trojans, and other malware from penetrating a network. Often a hardware or software solution will come with anti-malware measures. But, as a cybersecurity analyst, you’ll have to carefully study each anti-malware solution to ensure it suits your organization’s needs.
For example, you may need a malware solution that gets updated regularly with information gathered from global threat intelligence systems. Otherwise, known threats may sneak through and impact your organization’s network.
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tools can provide several cybersecurity solutions under one umbrella. These include:
Threat intelligence
Threat monitoring systems
Correlating event logs
Analyzing event logs
Intrusion detection
Some cybersecurity software includes a more comprehensive list of capabilities, such as the ability to quarantine devices, show device histories, display the locations of various endpoints, and scan for vulnerabilities. A cybersecurity analyst has to decide which tools best protect the organization.
Keeping up-to-date with IT trends
The threat landscape, attack vectors, and defense tools are constantly changing, so cybersecurity analysts need to keep up with the latest methodologies and technologies impacting the industry. This may involve some or all of the following:
Reading peer-reviewed journals about cybersecurity
Attending conferences
Researching the latest malware-based threats on the landscape
Keeping up-to-date with the latest tools hackers are using to penetrate networks
Educating others about cybersecurity
Educating the rest of the company should be a top priority in your role as a cybersecurity analyst. Even if they never specifically ask, you should be sure they understand what your job entails and how they can support your efforts. By ensuring that everyone in the company has a basic knowledge of cybersecurity, you empower the organization because:
Employees will better understand how to secure their login credentials
Everyone in the organization will gain a better appreciation for the value of strong passwords and other cybersecurity practices
Employees and other stakeholders can be encouraged to keep access devices, including physical keys to server rooms, secure
All stakeholders will gain a better appreciation of the importance of logging out of sessions and workstations to prevent unauthorized access after they finish work
Education can significantly decrease the severity of many organizations’ biggest vulnerability: its people.
The job of a cybersecurity analyst involves finding and implementing the tools and techniques needed to protect any element of an organization’s infrastructure that could interface with the internet. In a business world that hinges on connection, this often includes every aspect of a company’s IT environment.
Along with the responsibilities listed above, many cybersecurity analysts use programming languages like Python, SQL, and PHP to perform penetration testing, mitigate security breaches, and more. To learn more, check out our article on cybersecurity programming languages.
If you’re ready to pursue a career with a 0% unemployment rate, take your first steps into the field with our introduction to cybersecurity course.
Understanding coding languages as a cybersecurity professional is essential so you can “speak” the language of those you’re trying to defend an organization from. But, it can be hard to know which one you should learn when you’re just starting out in the field. Even though hundreds of programming languages are used worldwide, only a few of them are used by cybersecurity professionals.
Understanding how different programming languages are used in cybersecurity will help you ascertain an attacker’s methodology and mitigate any potential damage. Plus, you can use them to build tools that can defend an organization’s systems and networks against cyberattacks. Below, we’ll explore some of the most popular programming languages used in cybersecurity and their applications in the field.
Command line
While technically not a programming language, every developer needs to be comfortable with the command line. While discussing the languages used for cybersecurity in our forums, Carolyn Y., one of our Curriculum Developers, explains why it’s so important:
“Every cybersecurity student must become comfortable with the command line whether that’s in the form of Powershell in Windows or terminal in Mac/Linux. You should also learn bash (or shell) scripting. These are a must! These commands and scripts allow you to work under the hood of whatever OS you are working in.”
As Carolyn explains, the command line allows you to interact with a device’s operating system. Learn how in our introductory Command Line course.
Python
Python is one of the top cybersecurity languages because it allows developers to automate certain tasks and detect and analyze malware. Carolyn, who we heard from earlier, explains:
“In general, Python is a powerful, readable language to use in security work because it can integrate many security tools like Wireshark and Metasploit, as Python libraries. Python scripts can help you automate and search through files and ports easily, especially during malware analysis.”
You can also use Python to do penetration testing, which is when you try to infiltrate a client’s cybersecurity defenses to see where its vulnerabilities lie.
With knowledge of Python, you can qualify to be a security operations center (SOC) specialist, creating tools designed to guard web applications against penetration by cybercriminals. To get started with the language, check out our Learn Python course.
C and C++
While Python is categorized as a high-level language, Carolyn tells us that C and C++ “are low-level languages that directly access RAM and system processes.” For this reason, some hackers’ most effective weapons are written in C/C++.
To defend against their attacks, cybersecurity professionals use these languages to see how malware is built, how it spreads, and what may happen if it successfully penetrates a network or device.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prominent, useful coding language, and it’s no surprise that cybercriminals use it as well. While you can use JavaScript to build functional, user-friendly websites, it’s just as effective at taking advantage of users.
For example, an attacker can use JavaScript to execute cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Carolyn explains that “learning JavaScript gives you an understanding of how vulnerabilities in a web application can be targeted by cross-site scripting attacks. You can identify where a hacker might be able to modify site elements and manipulate event handlers or forms.” In other words, if you know JavaScript, you can recognize the behavior of attackers who use it as well as identify the code that is impacting an organization’s website.
HTML
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, and it’s important to know because it’s an essential building block for most websites. Some hackers write HTML that can be inserted into a web page’s code and then used to execute an attack.
Like JavaScript, HTML can be used in cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. This method involves finding and exploiting vulnerabilities, injecting malicious code into a web-based application, and stealing data or other private or sensitive information.
HTML is also used for content spoofing. In this kind of attack, the attacker uses HTML to create a fake website that looks real to visitors. The visitors may then be invited to enter personal or financial information that attackers use to steal money or execute identity theft. If you know HTML, you can spot signs of these attacks and prevent an organization from being victimized.
SQL
Structured Query Language (SQL) is a programming language used to build and interact with databases. Data has become increasingly prevalent over the years as more and more businesses implement it into their systems and processes. This makes databases a prime target for criminals. Carolyn explains how “SQL injection attacks exploit SQL code vulnerabilities to store or modify data.”
With knowledge of SQL, you can recognize when an attacker has written scripts designed to steal sensitive company data from a database. They may also try to get access to personal identification information (PII), so they can use it in identity fraud or theft. With SQL, you can detect and prevent these attacks.
PHP
PHP is another popular tool for web development. It’s estimated that over 80% of websites use PHP. Carolyn explains how the prevalence of PHP leaves the majority of the web vulnerable to DDoS (Denial of Service) attacks.
Knowing PHP can help you detect and stop attacks aimed at taking advantage of PHP-based applications. Also, as a cybersecurity analyst, you can use an application called RIPS to perform automated analyses to detect anomalies. You can also use PHP to manage how data gets shared between servers and users. In this way, you can create more secure data exchanges, preventing the data from getting into the wrong hands.
To be a cybersecurity professional, you don’t need a background in all of the several hundred coding languages of the world. A solid foundation in a relative few is enough to empower you to defend organizations from cybercriminals. To get started, check out our introduction to cybersecurity course. After that, explore our catalog of courses and tutorials to start learning any of the languages listed above.
Today, the tech industry is more diverse than ever, but there’s still more work to be done. That’s why last week, we went live with a panel of talented women from the Codecademy team and our larger community to learn more about what it’s like to navigate the tech industry as a woman.
Hosted by Codecademy community manager Fede, our Women in Tech Panel featured stories about successes and challenges in the tech industry, how the industry has changed for women, and what advice our panelists have on finding mentorship and community with other women in the industry.
As Calla, one of our panelists, shared: “This is valuable for everyone to hear, not just women. It’s a great learning opportunity for people both in and out of tech — women, men, everyone.”
To watch the entire conversation, check out the full recording of our Codecademy Women in Tech panel and read highlights from the event below.
Meet the panelists
From software engineering to data science to curriculum development, these are some of the talented women who are paving the way in the tech industry.
Sanam A., Codecademy: Sanam is a Software Engineer at Codecademy, where she works on features to keep learners engaged.
Julia D., Autobooks: A former Accountant, Julia is learning SQL and tech skills on the job. She also leads the Codecademy Detroit Chapter.
Calla F., Codecademy: As a DevOps Engineer, Calla primarily focuses on monitoring, infrastructure, and CI/CD at Codecademy.
Mariel F., Codecademy: Mariel is a Senior Curriculum Developer specializing in Data Science, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing. She was a teacher and then marketing strategist prior to joining Codecademy
Shirley L., Codecademy: Shirley improves Codecademy’s learner experiences. She started as a fashion designer before going into web development.
Mackenzie P., Honeywell Aerospace: Mackenzie is an Accountant for Honeywell Aerospace and the leader of Codecademy’s Phoenix Crypto Chapter.
Sophie S., Codecademy: Sophie is a Curriculum Developer focusing on Data Science content. Sophie is a former classroom teacher with a background in learning analytics and education research.
Negar V., Elara Tech: A Junior Machine Learning Engineer and the Founder/CTO of Elara Tech, Negar leads the Codecademy Georgia Chapter.
Q: In what ways has the tech industry changed for women since you’ve started?
Sanam, who has worked in tech for 6 years:
Every job that I switched into, there have been more women. The tech industry as a whole has become more open to non-traditional backgrounds and pathways into tech, and that has benefited a lot of folks who growing up were excluded from being talked about as going into tech. The fact that there are so many different resources to learn from —and now it’s very public that you don’t need a CS degree to work at a lot of the larger tech companies — I think that has helped diversify the field overall.
Culturally and politically, we’re in a moment where people are more open and more aware that they have implicit biases and unconscious biases. So that awareness also helps — it’s not necessarily that we mean to discriminate, but we all grew up in this society that’s shifting, and now we’re talking about it more.
Calla, who has been in tech for 8 years:
As we’re seeing more and more women in tech, the general awareness of microaggressions, of these pre-existing issues in the tech culture — people have become more aware of them.
When I started, there wasn’t much in the way of training on microaggressions or on how to interact with people. But as awareness increased, the recognition that trainings like that did need to exist increased.
Every company that I’ve been at in the last few years has had some sort of training about what microaggressions are, how to avoid them, and how to deal with them. So there have definitely been some major strides and improvements.
Mariel, who started in tech 3-4 years ago:
I got into tech at a point when a lot of women were just starting to get into the field more. I started out with a lot of peers who were really new to everything, but one thing that I’ve noticed is that there’s been an increasing number of women in more senior positions over the past few years. And that makes for an easier situation because you start to see the pathways forward as you’re gaining your start.
There was an engineer at Codecademy who was particularly inspiring to me as I was getting started. Having her there made it easier for me to feel like I can do this. This is a place where I belong.
Q: Who are some of your role models in tech who are women?
Calla: Most of my role models have been people within my own realm of existence. Not necessarily someone I’m watching from afar, but my own peers. There’s something really great about getting to know someone personally and getting to understand their story. And working with them means you can help to support each other.
Shirley: When I started my first job, one of the most important things was having a woman there whom I looked up to and became close to. For me — and for a lot of people I’ve talked to in the industry, especially women —it’s really important to have a supportive group of coworkers that you can relate to and talk about things with. Especially when you’re entering the industry and you’re new and everything is so scary. It’s really valuable to have role models and mentors who’ve been in the industry that can share their experiences, and you can share your experiences and what you’re going through. At Codecademy, we have a really great supportive group of engineers, curriculum developers, and women in tech, and that’s really valuable.
Q: Where can we find role models and other women to connect with in tech?
Sanam: Back in 2015, I joined the Women Who Code DC chapter. And more than anything, that community taught me that there are so many people getting into tech at all different ages. I felt like I was behind because I didn’t major in software engineering, and I didn’t do an internship in the summer with a tech company. But there were just so many people who had switched careers and were working in tech at good companies. On top of being a good place to go and practice your skills and hear of what companies were hiring in the area, it helped solidify, Oh I can do this. Plenty of people are doing this. Everyone’s background is different. So that was something that was really helpful for me.
Sophie: I ended up taking classes and enrolling in graduate school to learn more technical skills. I enrolled in a graduate program called Applied Statistics for Social Science Research because I was specifically interested in the social sciences and education. And that also attracted a lot of women. As we went through the program together, we saw how people were graduating and getting jobs in tech, but were able to still contribute, for example, to education. So if you can find things that you’re interested in, and use that to wind your way into a tech career, you meet a lot of people along the way.
I also joined an R-Ladies group in NYC and went to some of the talks and met people and networked through that. That was another really great community of women.
Mariel: The CodeNewbie community is a really welcoming community for people of all genders. It’s for people especially interested in web dev, but they have folks across the spectrum of tech. It was started by Saron Yitbarek, who is just a phenomenal person. She’s a great role model for any person getting started in tech.
Mackenzie: One of my first on-ramps was this group called SheFi, which is a DeFi educational program for women. That was one of the first things that got me really interested in crypto. And the woman who runs that, Maggie Love, she is just so smart about all things crypto and DeFi. That was a really big inspiration for me. I don’t think she’s a developer, but she is just so inspirational and knowledgeable about this space. And I was like, You know what, I can do this too.
I’m also part of another group called she256. There are a lot of women in crypto groups, and it’s really heartening to see that they exist. New ones are being started all the time, and there are a lot of role models in that space.
Calla: I’m relatively active in the Codecademy community Discord server, and one of the things I enjoy most is watching people interacting with each other and helping each other figure out answers to their questions — whether it’s technical or career-oriented. Community can be super valuable and super important in navigating this field. We’d love to hear from you!
What advice do you have for people who want to get into tech?
Julia: I think people get really bogged down sometimes with, Where do I start? What should I do first? I think the answer is, What is interesting to you? What sounds like it could be fun? Or even if it just sounds easy to get started, just to get you hooked. I feel like there’s not one correct way to start.
Online learning through Codecademy is really great. Or, if you have any, local meetups. Here in Detroit, we have a code bootcamp called Grand Circus that I’ve done free classes through. Or code workshops. Anything where you can get your feet wet, meet other people, and just learn what you like before you commit to trying to learn a skill.
Negar: I think the main question would be, Are you good at coding? Rather than, What should I do with coding? Because coding is fun, but it can be really frustrating. And dealing with that frustration, I think, is the main key to if you will become a successful programmer or not. So I would say, Go learn C. And if you survive, pursue coding. That’s my advice.
Mariel: Start with what you’re actually interested in, and also what your current background is in. I kept thinking, when I was getting into tech, that I was starting from nothing. But in fact, I had several careers behind me already, and those contributed to the direction I went in tech.
Having a master’s in education meant that I not only knew tech after going through a bootcamp, but I could figure out really innovative ways of teaching that tech. And knowing linguistics meant that I understood how languages work. So when I came across programming languages, I was like, Oh these are just languages. This is just another way of working with essentially nouns, verbs, and adjectives. And all of these components basically work together in the same way. So start with where you are and your interests.
Mackenzie: If you want to get into tech, you don’t have to be a programmer or developer. You can do something non-technical but still be in a tech company and get that atmosphere. You can do community in tech. That’s why we’re all here today. A lot of tech companies want to have really strong community leaders because it makes the community better for others when you’re learning or using a product.
Shirley: There are so many spaces in tech. Especially as more and more industries go into tech and need technology and need the Internet, there are so many aspects of technology that you can be in.
Are there any topics you’d like to hear about in future panels? Drop a comment below!
Each school day we publish a new Student Opinion question, and students use these writing prompts to reflect on their experiences and identities and respond to current events unfolding around them. To introduce each question, we provide an excerpt from a related New York Times article or Opinion piece as well as a free link to the original article.
During the 2020-21 school year, we asked 177 questions, and you can find them all below or here as a PDF. The questions are divided into two categories — those that provide opportunities for debate and persuasive writing, and those that lend themselves to creative, personal or reflective writing.
By Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer at Coursera
Today, we’re excited to announce an entry-level Bookkeeping Professional Certificate from Intuit, our latest industry partner. The new certificate has no prerequisites and is designed to help anyone launch a bookkeeping career—from recent grads seeking their first job to retirees looking for a part-time gig. Day-to-day, bookkeepers are responsible for monitoring the financial health and stability of an organization, so learners who consider themselves detail-oriented and good with numbers may be especially well-suited for a bookkeeping career.
Over the last 12 months, there were over 276,000* bookkeeper job postings in the U.S., many of which did not require a college degree. Beyond the current opportunities, a bookkeeper role can serve as an initial stepping stone to other finance-related jobs that require further education, such as accountant, budget analyst, and purchasing agent.
“At Intuit, our mission is to power prosperity around the world and one way we’re doing that is to prepare people for jobs in today’s innovation economy,” said Stacie Herring, vice president of Intuit Expert Network Services. “The Intuit Bookkeeping Certificate program through Coursera will empower individuals to invest in a transformative learning experience that will open doors to their future.”
The new certificate takes about 80 hours to complete and costs $49 per month. Through lecture videos, quizzes, and hands-on labs that use QuickBooks, the program teaches bookkeeping basics, including how to account for assets, consider liabilities and equity in accounting, and analyze financial statements. The four-course program is designed for learners of all backgrounds and no prior bookkeeping or related experience is required.
We’re proud to partner with Intuit, an industry leader serving millions with its financial software, including Turbotax, QuickBooks, CreditKarma, and Mint. Together, we’re committed to helping learners around the world develop job-ready skills that unlock greater opportunity.
No matter where you are in your journey, focus can be one of the biggest challenges. Both new and seasoned developers alike need a little help concentrating on their projects or courses. We live in a busy, distracted world, but we can use proven productivity techniques to help us stick with our goals.
One of the most popular productivity methods is the Pomodoro Technique, which gets its name from a tiny kitchen timer shaped like a tomato. We love this productivity hack, and many learners have used it to achieve their goals. Below, we’ll explain what the Pomodoro Technique is, the benefits it provides, who uses it, and how it can help you.
What is the Pomodoro technique?
The Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo, allows you to boost your productivity by alternating between scheduled periods of work and rest. We all struggle with constant interruptions dragging our attention away from the tasks at hand. No one’s immune to the silent call of our inboxes, notifications, and to-do lists. But with the Pomodoro Technique, you can use these distractions to your advantage.
Essentially, you could look at the Pomodoro Technique as a way to gamify your focus. Here’s how it works:
Choose a task that you want to work on.
Set a timer for 25 minutes. Commit to focusing 100% on your task for the duration of the timer.
When the timer dings, reward yourself with a 5-minute break. This counts as a single Pomodoro.
Then, set another 25-minute timer and get back to work.
After four Pomodoros, give yourself a longer 20 – 30 minute break.
One of the best mindsets to have when trying out the Pomodoro Technique is to challenge yourself to focus your hardest. You can even bribe your brain by offering it a delicious snack or cup of coffee during your break — if and only if you stay focused for 25 minutes.
What are the benefits of using the Pomodoro Technique?
The biggest benefit of the Pomodoro Technique is that it boosts your productivity. It’s much easier to focus on your work when you know that your alarm will notify you when it’s time for your next break. For many, even the act of physically setting the timer helps put them into “work mode.”
The Pomodoro Technique also helps improve your productivity by giving you a better understanding of your capabilities. Keep track of how much work you completed during each of your pomodoros. We typically underestimate how long a task will take us to complete, but by keeping track of our pomodoros, we can more accurately estimate the time requirements for future projects.
While many developers love the Pomodoro technique for helping them focus, they also love it because it reminds them to take breaks. Fede, one of our Community Coordinators, explains how the breaks can serve as a reminder to take care of yourself:
“A lot of people will sit in front of their computer for hours and forget to drink water. Staying hydrated will help you with concentration and stress.”
As Fede points out, you could tie your use of the Pomodoro Technique to a health goal. Try standing up, drinking a glass of water, and stretching during your breaks. If you’re looking to add some movement in between work sessions, try a couple of push-ups or lunges. It might sound strange, but getting yourself moving and giving your brain a short break could also help your focus.
Who uses the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique has been widely adopted, and its effectiveness has been supported by the professionals at Forbes, The Muse, Lifehacker, and more. It’s also widely used by the Codecademy community. Last month, the technique appeared in our list of tips to help you stay focused. Here’s what one of our learners, LJ, has to say about the Pomodoro Technique:
“I think it helps your brain not only take a break but helps you clear your mind and think differently. So when you come back to your studying or trying to fix a coding error, you might see something that you didn’t before.”
Fede, who we heard from earlier, explains how the technique allows him to stay focused throughout the day:
“I’ll do 25 focus, 5 break if I plan on being engaged all day. For myself, I found it to be the best way I can get to 9 pm and still going strong.”
Yiz, another one of our learners, also describes her experiences with the Pomodoro Technique:
“I think Pomodoro style lets you truly focus on something and make real progress, and then quickly recharge your energy by shifting your focus for a moment.”
Give the Pomodoro technique a try in your next course
If you find it difficult to concentrate on one task at a time but really have your heart set on learning a new skill, give the Pomodoro Technique a try. Many people are skeptical of productivity hacks, but this one works!
You don’t need to beat yourself up for not being focused. You just need to try using some new tools. When you open up your next project or start your next programming course, start that timer at the top of the screen and set it for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done four focus sessions, sit back and relax. You’ve put in the hard work, and now you can move on to other things in your day.
A resume is used to get a job, right? Well, kind of. It won’t automatically get you the job, but it can help you obtain an interview. Whether or not you actually get the job will depend on how well your skills match those required for the role and how well you perform during behavioral and/or technical interviews.
So, what is the purpose of a resume, then? Essentially, it’s a carefully crafted document that gets you past resume scanners and recruiters. This single-page document is the door-opener to your interview, providing a snapshot of your career, skills, and ability to communicate. It’s used to sell yourself to a potential employer, and it allows them to see what you’re capable of.
It’s generally advised that you adjust your resume for each position you apply to, but there are a few core components that every resume should include. Below, we’ll explore these components and explain why they’re so important.
The 5 must-have parts of a resume
There are 5 sections that every resume should include. Hiring managers expect to see these sections, and incorporating them into your resume will help illustrate your professionalism.
1. Contact information
The entire purpose of your resume is to land an interview, so you want to make it easy for scanners and recruiters to find your contact details. Make sure your name, phone number, and email address are clearly visible at the top of your resume — preferably in a font size larger than 10 points.
Beyond your skills and experience, recruiters also want to know who you are as a person, so add your professional social media accounts along with your contact info. If you’re building a technical resume, be sure to include links to your GitHub account, LinkedIn profile, and portfolio.
2. A heading
Here’s where you can be creative and highlight your specific skills and talents. At the top of your resume, you should have a headline beneath your name that explains what you do and (usually) what type of work you’re looking for. Here are a couple of examples:
The purpose of the heading in your resume is to cast yourself into a technical position. You’ll show confidence to those reading your resume, which could increase your chances of being taken seriously and landing the all-important interview.
3. Skills
Some people will opt to jam their skills and experience into one section, but that’s missing an opportunity to put your skills in the spotlight. People are drawn to lists and point-form, single-word sections because they’re easier to comprehend. Think about when you see a wall of text compared to good use of section headings and bullet points. Your eye is pulled to the latter.
Your skills are a crucial part of your resume, as hiring managers will use them to gauge your proficiency with the competencies required for the job. Plus, polishing this section will help illustrate your communication and organization skills.
Try to keep each bullet in your skills section to a word or two (this is not the place for sentences). Limit the list to 10 skills or less. You may have far more, but you’ll want to emphasize those related to the job you’re applying for. Mix soft skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, reliability) with hard skills (e.g., data science, HTML, JavaScript).
4. Experience
The advantages of a resume are numerous and include having one file that concisely lists all your relevant experience. The keyword here is “concise.” Hiring managers are busy, and they will glance over your resume first to see if it qualifies for the short-list of candidates that will be interviewed.
The experience section of your resume holds two purposes:
Hiring managers can see where you worked previously, whether there are any gaps in your work history, and what types of roles you held.
Hiring managers will also use your experience section to formulate the questions they want to ask you in the interview.
5. Education and certifications
Listing your education and any certifications you might’ve earned shows hiring managers that you’re willing to invest in your professional growth. You can also use this section to list any courses you’ve taken that relate to the position. Self-directed courses also help illustrate your discipline and commitment to higher education.
As with the skills list, you’ll want to keep this section short. List the title of your degree, certification, or course, and the year that you completed it.
What else should be included in a resume?
The five sections above will give you a great place to start with your resume. Be sure to include professional details that show you can handle a challenge, are a reliable employee, and have the skills and experience to do the technical work. Your resume’s purpose is to show through your experience and education how you’ve developed the attributes that a prospective employer is looking for.
If you’re unsure about whether or not to include a detail or previous position on your resume, ask yourself if it’ll make you a better candidate for the specific role you’re applying to. If not, don’t include it.
If adding the information pushes your resume over one page in length, ditch it. You want to try your best to keep your resume one page long. That’s the industry standard, and it shows respect for the hiring manager’s time.
Resumes have evolved over the years, so if it’s been a while since you last wrote one, here are a few things you can leave out:
The summary section (a headline will do just fine instead)
Part-time positions from high school or university years that don’t relate to this new job
References (you don’t need to even state “available upon request”)
What is the purpose of a resume that you can customize?
Because you want to keep your resume one page long, you need to decide what to keep and what to eliminate. You must customize your resume for the specific job you’re applying to. Not only will this help you show you’re a great fit, but HR pros can spot a generic copy-and-pasted resume from a mile away.
So, show you’ve put in some time and effort. Swap in a few skills that are most relevant for the current job. Change up your headline a little. Add in keywords from the job posting. Scour the courses you’ve completed and list the ones that most closely align with the role. Let’s say you aren’t ready to apply for a new job. That’s ok! Find a job posting for your dream position and start rewriting your resume to fit. After you identify any holes in your skills, take a look through our catalog of courses and tutorials to help you fill the gap.
If you’re new to programming, it can be hard to decide where to start. There are just so many programming languages to choose from. Some are named so similarly that it is hard to know the difference between them, like C# and C++.
Learning a programming language takes some time and study, so it helps to know which one will work better for you before you start, although the knowledge you gain from learning one language will help you learn other languages more easily in the future. In this article, we will look at C++ and C# to help you determine which programming language is for you.
History of C++ and C#
C++ is older than C# by quite a few years. C++ was created as an extension of the C programming language in 1985 by Bjarne Stroustrup. He wanted to add features and object-oriented capabilities to the C language while retaining the speed and efficiency for which it was famous. Making the language object-oriented meant that code written in it would be more modular, less complex, and reusable. It would also save development time. The popularity of C++ took off, and it became the language of choice for applications where performance was a necessity.
C# is actually another extension of the C language. Microsoft released it to compete with the Java programming language in 2000 and designed it to run on Microsoft’s .NET framework. It is also an object-oriented language with all the benefits that it brings. For many years, it only ran on the Windows operating system and was one of the most popular programming languages on that platform. Now, C# can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux using the .NET core runtime, and it has become a popular language on all of these platforms.
How are C++ and C# similar?
Considering that both C++ and C# are extensions of the C programming language, there are some similarities between the two languages:
Based on the C programming language: This means that the syntax of both languages is similar. They both use brackets to divide code into blocks and require semicolons at the end of lines.
Object-oriented: Both of these languages are object-oriented. This means you can write code in both languages that are modular, flexible, and reusable.
Compiled: Both C++ and C# are compiled languages. This means that once you are done writing the code, you must run it through a compiler that turns it into an executable file that can run by itself on the platform it was compiled for. For example, you can create a .exe file in either language to run on Windows.
How is C# different from C++?
While there are a few similarities between C# and C++, there are also a lot of differences:
Performance: C++ code is much more performant than C# code. C++ applications are compiled to interact directly with the hardware in a specific operating system. C# applications are compiled for the .NET runtime, which can add more overhead and slow applications down because it adds a layer between your code and the hardware.
Compiler warnings: C++ will let you compile any code if the syntax is correct. But it is a low-level language, so it is possible to write code that can damage the operating system and hardware. C# provides compiler warnings that will notify you when you write code that can cause issues.
Garbage collection: C# handles your memory for you and automatically removes objects from memory when they are no longer needed. In C++, you must handle this memory management yourself and can easily create memory leaks if you are new to the language.
Binary size: Although both languages compile your code into a binary file, they do so differently. C++ applications are compiled for a specific platform and include only those libraries necessary for your code to run on that platform. C# is designed for use with the .NET framework. Much is included in the compiled binary, even if your specific code doesn’t need some of the framework, so C++ executables are smaller than C# executables.
Because of these differences, there are also differences in what type of applications each language is suited for. We will look at that next.
Which language should you use: C# or C++?
Usually, this decision comes down to whether you need high-performance software or a quicker, easier development process. If performance is your top priority, then C++ is the way to go. If performance doesn’t matter that much, you prefer not to get bogged down coding the details of everything, and you want the project done quickly, then you should go with C#.
Desktop applications
C# was originally designed for Windows, and it uses the .NET framework. This framework comes with all the pre-built tools you need to create the graphical user interface (GUI) for a desktop application. While it is possible to make desktop applications using C++, it involves a lot more time and complexity. You will have to use a third-party GUI library, which can be as complex as the programming language itself. For that reason, C# is usually the better choice for desktop software.
Game development
Video games are both processor- and memory-intensive, and 3D video games must interact with the GPU of the computer. The performance that C++ brings to applications makes it one of the most popular programming languages used in game development. You can use C# for game development with the Unity framework, but most of the top video games are written in C++.
Web development
While a website’s performance does matter, the speed that a language like C++ adds is not worth the time it would take to develop a web application using it. For web development, C# is one of the top choices for creating web applications on both the Windows and Linux platforms.
IoT devices
IoT devices include smartwatches, TVs, cars, appliances, medical devices, and more. These devices have limited computing resources because the hardware is embedded inside the device. C++ allows developers to control processes at the hardware level and, in most cases, is the only language you can use on these devices.
Learn more about C# and C++
If you want to learn a higher-level programming language that does some of the work — like memory management — for you and you lean towards building desktop applications, web applications, and server software for Linux or Windows, then C# may be for you. You can get started today with Learn C#.
If you want to learn a high-performance lower-level programming language used to program operating systems, video games, and all sorts of hardware, then you might want to go with C++ and our Learn C++ course. You can also read more about what C++ is used for on on our blog.
What did you decide? C# or C++? Of course, you can always learn both!
