Before immigrating to the U.S. in 2014, Sagar worked as an analyst at one of the most respected data consultancy services in India. Despite his experience, however, he found it difficult to land data-related jobs in his new country. “I didn’t have a degree or a professional certificate from the US, so it was difficult to show companies why I was the best fit for a role,” he says.
Sagar had to build his career all over again. He took a job in the automotive industry, but knew that he wanted to return to data analytics one day.
When the COVID-19 pandemic slowed business in the automotive industry, Sagar had more time to think about his long-term career goals. He enrolled in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and spent evenings studying the course material while juggling family responsibilities.
Sagar took several breaks in his studies for caregiving duties, and ultimately completed the certificate in about a year. He started applying to data-related roles as he was finishing the program and feels the certificate on his resume helped him land more interviews. During the interviews, employers would acknowledge his certificate, which made Sagar finally feel his skills were appreciated. In the end, he landed a data analytics role at his dream company.
Sagar has these 3 tips to others who may feel discouraged while learning new skills and who may be considering giving up:
When things get tough, keep going. “You might find the first few courses easier to understand and complete them quickly, especially when you are all pumped to learn something new. As the certificate program progresses, it might take longer to understand things. Don’t let this demotivate you. Consider it time well-utilized in understanding the course offering at its best.”
Manage your time. “Allocate the time of the day or week when you can best learn something new. Then stay committed to it. Block your calendar for that time so that nothing else can distract you.”
Don’t pressure yourself. “Instead of thinking about finishing the course ASAP, set a goal of spending a certain amount of time each day, week, or month to learn. This will help you stay motivated and on the right track.”
Just like Sagar did, you can begin laying the foundation for your next career move. If you are interested in building in-demand job skills, consider enrolling in a Google Professional Certificate program. [Explore programs]
After double-majoring in education and spending four years as a teacher, Megan realized the profession wasn’t for her. However, she wasn’t sure what her next step should be. She hoped her existing experience could translate to another career, but she wasn’t certain.
That’s when her cousin told her about the Google Project Management Professional Certificate. Megan enrolled and found the program flexible enough for her to learn while simultaneously working, managing her household, and applying for new jobs.
In her applications, Megan mentioned her certificate enrollment and expected completion date, which helped catch employers’ eyes. And during her interviews, she tried to demonstrate how her experiences as a teacher gave her valuable project management skills. Right before Megan completed her program, she landed a position as a program manager at a higher salary than she expected.
Based on her experiences, Megan has 3 tips for people want to gain new skills but need to balance learning with their other obligations and responsibilities:
Make every moment count. “Take a hard look at how you spend your downtime and create habits that will help you reach your goals. I realized I spent a lot of my downtime scrolling mindlessly through social media. By becoming more intentional with my time, I could make progress in my course every day.”
Create small, attainable milestones. “I’d set mini goals so I could see tangible evidence of my progress. Then I’d find a reward for each goal I achieved.”
Think about your “why”. “It can be really challenging to focus on changing careers when you’re currently stuck in a position you don’t love. Remembering the reason why you decided to pursue a new career can help you focus on where you’re headed instead of where you’re at now.”
Just like Megan did, you can begin laying the foundation for your next career move. If you are interested in building in-demand job skills, consider enrolling in a Google Professional Certificate program.
Whether you’re looking to launch a career in tech or you just want to start building things for fun, there are tons of reasons to learn how to code. But it can be hard to know where to begin, since there are so many different options out there. Which programming language should you learn first? And of all the different jobs in tech, which one’s the right one for you? (Spoiler: There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to either of these questions.)
Choice overload is real, and it’s one of the biggest obstacles for new programmers. So we’ve put together three new courses to help you find your direction and start learning today.
Learn the basics of programming
Our free course Learn to Code with Blockly offers an introduction to the world of coding. You’ll use the drag and drop language Blockly to learn the basics of programming without getting into more complicated syntax. It will take you from total beginner to someone who is ready to get started with their first programming language.
Who is the course right for?
Anyone who’s interested in programming and needs a lay of the land before diving into their first language. Whether you want to break into tech or simply pick up a cool new hobby, this course is for you.
What will you learn in the course?
Learn to Code with Blockly introduces you to the fundamentals. You’ll learn about the basics of programming and the fundamental concepts and functions shared across every language as you hone your ability to think like a programmer. You’ll explore lists, loops, variables, and if statements — and ultimately learn how coding really works.
Find the best tech career for you
After taking the course above, you’ll have a better idea of how coding works; but before you jump in, it’s helpful to have an end goal. Tech is a broad field with a ton of subdomains, from web development to IT to data science. With so many options, it can be hard to know where to begin — so we break it down for you in our free course Choosing a Career in Tech.
Who is the course right for?
Anyone who’s considering a career in tech and needs a little help figuring out what they want to do and where to start.
What will you learn in the course?
In Choosing a Career in Tech, you’ll explore popular domains like web development, data science, and cybersecurity — along with popular roles and titles in the fields and their standard skill sets. It’s designed to help you get a sense of direction and figure out which tools you should get started with. By the end, you’ll be better equipped to pick a career path, and you’ll know the skills you’ll need to get your first job in the field.
Decide which programming language you want to learn
Maybe you already have a good idea of what you want to do, but you’re not sure which programming language to start with. The good news is, there’s no “wrong” language to choose, since you’ll likely learn multiple languages over the course of your career, and each new language helps you understand programming better. That said, learning a specific language first can help get you where you want to go faster.
For example, Python could be a great choice for an aspiring Data Scientist or Back-End Engineer. So could SQL. But which one is the better choice for you? The answers to these kinds of questions aren’t always 100% straightforward, so we’ll help you figure them out in our free course Choosing a Programming Language.
Who is the course right for?
If you’re ready to start coding but not sure where to start, then this course is for you. By the time you’re done, you’ll be ready to jump into your first programming language.
What will you learn in the course?
In Choosing a Programming Language, you’ll explore popular languages (like JavaScript, Python, and C++), their uses, and their advantages and disadvantages as a first programming language.
Get started (for free) today
It can be daunting to begin learning to code, whether you have an end goal in mind or not. Our three new courses will help you get a better sense of your goals and overall direction in tech so that you can confidently start your learning journey.
And we’ll be there to help you every step of the way. For example, our career paths will teach you all the skills you need to know to find an entry-level job in your preferred role and help you create unique, portfolio-worthy projects; and we can also help guide you through the hiring process with interview prep courses and content, code challenges, and other resources you can find in our Career Center.
Ready to make 2023 your year of code? Sign up now to get started.
Devyn knew he needed to make a change. For years, he had successfully worked as a visual merchandiser who curated in-store displays and customer experiences. But when the pandemic struck, shoppers no longer flocked to stores and Devyn’s working hours were reduced—along with his income. As a result, he began to seek out a more sustainable career.
When Devyn thought about the type of work he enjoyed most, he realized that design had always been at the core of his interests. He turned to the Google UX Design Professional Certificate to help hone his skills and make him more competitive in the job market.
“Completing the certificate is a big task and should be treated like one,” said Devyn, who finished the program in eight weeks. Yet, he believes his greatest challenge was entering a new industry. “At first I was unsure of where I was skill-wise because the certificate was the only thing I had on my resume. I didn’t feel confident because I thought I was at the bottom of the candidate list.”
Despite these worries, Devyn began interviewing. And that’s when he realized that he had more experience and skills than he gave himself credit for. All the side projects he had done in the past—from helping a friend create a business website to entering a design competition—counted as relevant experience.
The more roles Devyn applied to, the more comfortable he became with promoting his talents and skills. In the end, Devyn successfully overcame his self-doubt and landed a mid-level role as an Accessibility Product Designer at a software company.
If you’re looking to make a career move, here are Devyn’s 3recommendations for achieving your goals:
Appreciate each step. “Enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Every step you make is an automatic step in a new direction.”
Value the skills you already have. “A big part of design—or any industry—is having soft skills, and those are transferable from most jobs.”
Overcome self-doubt. “Everyone has imposter syndrome at some point, even the people you’re interviewing with. Advocate for yourself and have confidence.”
Just like Devyn did, you can begin laying the foundation for your next career move. If you are interested in building in-demand job skills, consider enrolling in a Google Professional Certificate program. [Explore programs]
Choosing a programming language to learn can feel like a loaded decision that will determine the fate of your coding career. And while selecting that first language is a memorable step, you always have the option to “take a mulligan,” or a do-over, and try another language.
In fact, you really can’t choose the wrong programming language to learn when you’re first starting out. Most programmers dabble in several programming languages as they advance in their careers, and since many languages share concepts and principles, you’ll be picking up valuable foundational skills regardless.
If you’re still feeling stumped, our free course Choosing a Programming Language will help guide you to a decision. We’ll introduce you to the most popular starter languages, explain the key factors to consider when you’re picking a language, and set you up with beginner-friendly courses and tutorials.
To prove that there’s no singular path to becoming a programmer, we asked members of the Codecademy team to share the very first language they learned and why they selected it. As you’ll see, everyone has to start somewhere — and no matter which language you land on, there’s always an opportunity to learn more.
HTML/CSS and JavaScript
“I learned HTML/CSS and JavaScript for my first languages because my mom needed help making a website.” – Nik Dolan-Stern, Curriculum Developer
PHP
“I learned PHP and MySQL at around the same time. I chose these because I wanted to create a website with content generated from a database; and to be totally honest, at the time PHP and MySQL was simply the most widespread/popular language combo for this.” – Ada Morse, Curriculum Developer, Data Science
Pascal
“I learned to program in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s using a program on my Macintosh Plus called HyperCard. The language used was called AppleTalk. It resembled any procedural language like C and Pascal, both of which I learned shortly after. Pascal was the language used for my AP Computer Science course in high school. Macs did not support a lot of compilers at that time. I had to use friends’ PCs to do my AP CS work, and I carried a copy of the Pascal compiler on a 3.5″ floppy disc in my backpack.” – Jace Van Auken, Curriculum Developer
“The first programming language I learned was Java. It was the language used in my introductory programming class at university, so I didn’t have a choice. After university, I took a few Codecademy courses on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to try them out. The first programming language that I committed to in earnest was Lua, because an engineer friend suggested it to me. There is a game framework called LOVE2D that uses Lua, and he thought I might have fun building a game.” – Nick Duckwiler, Software Engineer
Python
“My first programming language was Python, and I got introduced to it at my Intro to Programming course in college. I’d never done programming before college, and enrolled in the course with a vague interest in the concept of programming. It was really eye-opening to learn programming concepts in Python, which is why I eventually majored in Computer Science
Python is a great choice for a first language into programming because it allows you to learn key concepts without having to worry too much about complex syntax, like you’d have to know about if you were learning it via Java or C. But I have also taught programming concepts using JavaScript and p5.js, which is a visual programming library. p5.js allows you to demonstrate concepts visually, which I know is effective for more complex concepts, like objects and classes.” – Jiwon Shin, Curriculum Developer, Web Development
“I first started to code using Python; it was recommended to me for the simplicity and ease of understanding of the language and relative ubiquity. But I’d say the first language I really learned was Ruby, mostly thanks to the Ruby on Rails community and this book. I’d recommend anyone starting out learn either Python, Ruby, or JavaScript, because they’re all a bit more approachable.” – Connor Baker, Software Engineer
jQuery
“I was obsessed with both Pokémon and the Wild West internet of the ‘90s, so I learned HTML and CSS to make a Pokémon website to share my fanart and Pokémon Pinball high scores. For something that’s a programming language and not a markup language — the first language I learned was probably Python, but nothing came of it besides collecting Linux distributions. For my first web dev job out of college, I picked up the jQuery library. To get something out fast, it was easier for me to learn jQuery than vanilla JavaScript.” – Jasmine English, Software Engineer
Hopefully it’s reassuring to hear how experienced programmers navigated the early days of their coding careers. You have so many options to choose from depending on your goals, and there are unique benefits to learning each language. Be sure to check out the free Codecademy course Choosing a Programming Language — it’ll help you feel confident that you’re choosing the right language for you. And remember: If you change your mind and decide to learn something new, Codecademy has the courses and skill paths you need to get started.
At Codecademy, we’re firm believers that there’s no single path to a fulfilling work life. In fact, the route that people take to a job in tech is often full of twists, turns, and detours along the way. If you’ve thought about having a career in tech, you might be looking for a proverbial map or guide that will help you understand your options.
The new Codecademy course Choosing a Career in Tech is designed to help demystify the various roles and career paths you can have in the tech industry. In the free course, we’ll break down the differences between types of programmers, help you narrow down the specialty that’s right for you, and lay out the technical tools that you need to launch your career in tech. It’s a great way to get introduced to the diverse roles that make up technical teams, and find your place in this growing field.
Curious how other Codecademy learners made the leap and chose to go after careers in tech? Here’s how Codecademy learners from different backgrounds decided that a career in tech was the right choice for them. Be sure to read all of the success stories on the Codecademy blog for career inspiration and practical advice from Codecademy learners who’ve been in your shoes.
There’s career mobility
The opportunity to grow at a company was an important factor that Software Support Technician Jacinta Hayward considered when evaluating job offers from a few different organizations. Jacinta, who was a disability support worker for years, learned how to code with Codecademy with the long-term goal of working in cybersecurity someday.
Jacinta accepted a job at a consumer healthcare company because it “had a lot more opportunities to move around within the company,” she says. “They’re really passionate about supporting and encouraging women in cybersecurity and programming as well, and they do a lot of internal hiring.” If you’re trying to move up the ladder at work, read this blog for tips from a recruiter about how to position yourself for a promotion.
You can prioritize your mental health
Software engineer Michael Okta had a steady job in structural engineering, but felt like something was missing. Work stress started taking a toll on his mental health, so he learned to code with the intention of switching careers. “What really motivated me [to learn to code] was my happiness,” he says.
Michael eventually landed an entry-level tech job in customer support, where he was getting to solve problems and help customers troubleshoot code every day. The work felt fulfilling, and it reaffirmed his decision to change careers: “I found that these are the types of questions I like to answer,” he says. “That’s when I said, I really like this. I want a career in this.” He eventually went on to learn with Codecademy and become a Software Engineer.
Unfortunately, many people are pushed to explore new career opportunities because they’re burned out; be aware of these common signs and symptoms of job burnout so you can focus on healing.
You can foster better work-life balance
The pandemic made remote work the norm for lots of industries, particularly tech. Juan Paredes, a Full-Stack Developer in Mexicali, Mexico, values having a job where he can work from home. Previously, he was spending 2 hours a day in traffic commuting to and from an office, which made work-life balance practically impossible. “The new job offers 100% home office,” he says. “I also get better pay and more benefits — like life insurance and all those kinds of benefits for the employee.”
You never stop learning
As a programmer, you’re constantly learning new things — it’s one of the most rewarding perks of working in tech. Serena Isone worked as a Senior Product Owner for nearly 10 years before pursuing a career as a Front-End Engineer. “I had a very comfortable salary, but felt limited because I wasn’t learning that much anymore,” she recalls. Initially Serena faced a steep learning curve, but said it was worth it to challenge herself. A senior engineer that she works with gave her advice that stuck: “You are never going to feel like you know everything.”
UI/UX Designer Elena Gorman shares the same enthusiasm: “Learning is like a luxury for me,” she says. As a mother of two young children, she was looking for a field where she could continue to grow professionally. “I feel like I’m building up my career again — and that’s something for me, and also for my children to see that it’s possible for women to have careers, progress, and follow their dreams,” she says.
You can earn a nice salary no matter where you live
When Shadow Smith got a call with a job offer as a Staff Engineer, he was pleasantly surprised that the new salary was double what he had been making, and included benefits. “I called my wife and we were freaking out about it,” he says. For lots of people like Shadow, remote tech jobs are a game-changer because they enable them to land well-paying positions that may not be available where they live.
For example, Bobby Hutter lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and got a job as a Quality Assurance (QA) Manual Tester. He went from “barely getting by” making $12 per hour at a local PC repair shop to earning $29 an hour. “It was more money than I ever thought I could even ask for, and it’s a fully remote company,” he says. Read this blog to learn more about how much you can make as a QA Engineer, or explore other high-paying remote tech jobs.
You get to build things
If you consider yourself a maker at heart or you get a thrill out of creating things from scratch, you’d probably like being a developer. While studying cybersecurity in college, a professor spotted these traits in Andrew Polemeni and suggested that he learn to code. “I soon found cybersecurity not as interesting as coding, where you create the tools,” he says. “With the knowledge of both, I thought I could write secure tools, which is the future anyways.”
Andrew is now a Full-Stack Engineer and says he’s glad he learned practical coding skills on top of his cybersecurity background. “I liked that, instead of just doing the defending side of things, I could build products better,” he says. If you’re interested in learning more about cybersecurity, check out the free Codecademy cybersecurity course Introduction to Cybersecurity.
You can use transferable skills
No matter what type of job you’ve had in the past, you’re bound to have some transferable skills that will serve you well in a tech job. For example, soft skills like being an effective communicator or knowing how to solve problems under pressure are sought-after traits in most tech positions. Even your life experiences outside of work can carry over to programming.
While learning JavaScript with Codecademy, Mary White fell in love with coding because it combined her passion for learning languages (she speaks several) and working with numbers. Given her interests, a friend suggested she try out data science, which is all about translating large amounts of information into actionable insights. “So I started the Data Science Foundations skill path and fell in love,” she says. If you’re hoping to have a career in data science, be sure to check out Codecademy’s data scientist career paths to start learning the technical chops you need to break into the field.
Hopefully these stories from Codecademy learners who made a career out of their tech passions have inspired you to keep going on your coding journey. If you’re still not sure where to start, consider taking the free Codecademy course Choosing a Career in Tech to get a high-level understanding of the many opportunities out there. Once you figure out what career path interests you, Codecademy has everything you need to take the next step, including job search advice, portfolio-ready projects, and so much more.
First things first: Much like selecting an ice cream flavor or deciding which birthday gift to open first, it’s pretty much impossible to choose the “wrong” programming language to learn. That said, plenty of beginners agonize over which programming language they should learn first. You might be worrying: What if it’s a waste of my time? What if the language becomes outdated? What if I can’t get a job with this language?
With over 600 programming languages out there, these are valid concerns, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices. People typically have a hard time making a decision when we’re presented with a large number of options, whether we’re talking about ice cream flavors or coding courses. This is a psychological phenomenon that’s often referred to as the “paradox of choice.”
The good news is that we’ve launched a new Codecademy course designed to help you overcome this decision paralysis so you can start learning the right language for you. The free course Choosing a Programming Language will walk you through all of the factors you need to consider when selecting a language. You’ll get to review some of the common starter languages, explore their differences and similarities, and discover beginner-friendly courses that will bring you one step closer to your goals.
Once you start coding, it’ll become clear to you why you can’t mess up and pick the “wrong” language. Still doubting your decision-making abilities? Here are a handful of reasons why you really, truly can’t go wrong, no matter which programming language you learn.
Programming languages share concepts
There are certain concepts that show up in all programming languages, like variables, conditionals, loops, lists, and functions. The way that you access and execute those tasks will be different from language to language, but the same principles are at play. In Choosing a Programming Language, you’ll get to see what a code snippet looks like across languages, and we’ll show you side-by-side how different languages can perform the same functions using different coding syntax.
The reassuring thing to keep in mind is that once you’ve got the hang of one programming language, it’ll feel much easier to pick up subsequent languages — regardless of which language you started with. As you learn, focus on the big-picture concepts that you encounter rather than trying to memorize the specific syntax of a language (that’s what Google is for).
Programmers usually need to know several languages
At some stage in your coding journey, you’re going to need to use different languages in order to complete new projects — it’s extremely rare that a programmer would be limited to one singular language. So the more experience you have working with a sampling of languages, the more you can do.
You also don’t need to be an expert in one language before you can dabble in another. For example, you might consider yourself a diehard Pythonista, but occasionally you turn to data science languages like SQL or R. Or you might start learning JavaScript, then pick up PHP because it’s listed as a job requirement for a position you’re applying to. Or perhaps you decide to learn Lua because it’s trendy in your tech circles. (Read this blog to see even more instances when you’d need to add a programming language to your repertoire.)
Learning is a massive part of being a developer, because technology is constantly evolving. You’re not at risk of pigeonholing yourself just because you started with JavaScript instead of Python. What’s important is maintaining a beginner’s mindset and always staying open to trying new languages and tools.
Think of a programming language as one tool in your toolkit that you can use to develop software. As a developer, it’s your job to know which tool (or programming language) is appropriate for a particular job. So no matter which programming language you decide to place in your proverbial toolbox first, you’ll be adding a valuable and marketable skill that will serve you well in your career.
It’s important to note that there’s way more to being a programmer than understanding every tiny technical nuance to a language (though that doesn’t hurt). Don’t overlook the other “tools” that enable you to do your best work, like your ability to solve problems under pressure, your attention to detail, or your leadership and communication skills.
How to choose a programming language
Ready to start learning how to code? Check out the free Codecademy course Choosing a Programming Language to help find the right programming language for you. We’ll fill you in on the most important factors to consider when choosing a language and even point you in the direction of the right Codecademy courses and skill paths to take.
This could be the first big (but so exciting!) step towards launching a new career in tech or discovering your passion. And whichever programming language you end up choosing, Codecademy has beginner-friendly courses, tutorials, and resources that will help guide you every step of the way.
If you ask a programmer which programming language is the best to learn, they’ll probably answer with another question: Well, what do you want to do or make? That might sound like an annoying non-answer, but there’s a reason why this simple question is so important when you’re first starting out on your coding journey.
There are over 600 different programming languages out there, and they all do vastly different things. While it’s true that certain languages have simpler syntaxes and are better suited for beginners, there’s no one-size-fits-all beginner language because every programmer has their own unique goals.
In the new Codecademy course Choosing a Programming Language, we’ll help you pinpoint the right programming language to learn for you. The free course will walk you through all of the factors you need to consider when choosing a language and introduce you to some go-to first programming languages. You’ll also get a peek at what the code actually looks like, so you can compare and contrast your options.
Whether you’re a hobbyist or aspire to work in tech someday, Choosing a Programming Language will lay the groundwork for you to make a decision about what to learn and why. For example, maybe you want to learn how to build websites so you can customize and manage your professional website on your own. You’d probably want to start with web development languages like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
As you can see, the paths you can take to each of these end targets are very different. Throughout the course Choosing a Programming Language, we’ll suggest beginner-friendly coding courses and tutorials for you to start taking right away, and we’ll also recommend additional skills that will round out your knowledge.
And if you’re having trouble even defining what your goal is, don’t stress! There are so many other Codecademy resources that can help you kick off your coding journey.
For instance, if you don’t know anything about coding and need some direction, you might want to take our programming personality quiz to find out which courses, languages, and careers align best with your interests. You can also read these success stories about Codecademy learners who started coding from scratch and got hired in full-time tech jobs. Or get inspired by all of the cool jobs you can get in tech by reading these blog posts about people with unique coding professions. The new free course Choosing a Career in Tech is another great way to familiarize yourself with the types of roles that you can work towards.
Ultimately, choosing a programming language to learn might feel like a huge decision, but you really can’t choose the “wrong” language. Most programmers have to learn several different languages throughout their career, and once you know one language it becomes easier to pick up others.
There’s no such thing as a “typical day” in any profession, but especially for people with careers in programming. A day in the life of a programmer often involves more than just staring at a screen and writing code — you might be reviewing someone else’s code, planning upcoming projects and sprints, fixing bugs, or collaborating with other teams. And depending on what type of programmer you are, your responsibilities and job duties can be vastly different.
“Programmer” is a broad term for someone who writes code, and the title can be divided into a couple of categories: Software Engineers and Data Scientists. A Software Engineer designs and creates software that addresses real-world problems, while a Data Scientist translates large amounts of information into something actionable. Each of these categories can be broken down into further careers and specializations that all utilize coding in different ways.
In the new Codecademy course Choosing a Career in Tech, we’ll walk you through the different types of programmers, what they actually do, and how you can become one. If you’re interested in having a career as a programmer, but don’t know which path is right for you, this free course is a great way to get acquainted with the industry. As you’ll learn, programmers do very different things depending on their specific role. Here’s an overview of four types of careers within software engineering and data science, and insight from people in these positions about what they actually do all day.
Front-End Developer
Software Engineers typically focus on a specific area of development: front-end, back-end, or full-stack. A Front-End Developer is someone who codes the user-facing parts of a website or application so that they’re aesthetically pleasing and engaging to use. Codecademy’s Front-End Engineer career path is designed to teach you how to use all of the technologies that make websites beautiful, functional, and fast.
What a Front-End Developer does: The tools that a Front-End Developer uses can include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (plus frameworks like React). Sarah O’Keefe, a Front-End Engineer at iHeartRadio and Codecademy’s Nashville Chapter lead, spends most of her time building components for the web application using React. She collaborates closely with the UX (user experience) design and product team to ensure that the solutions she codes are both attractive and intuitive for users to navigate.
Back-End Developer
A Back-End Developer builds the parts of a website that a user doesn’t see, like its servers, databases, and programs. Without a Back-End Developer to code everything on the server-side of a website or app, the front end would not be able to shine.
What a Back-End Developer does:Back-End Developers are in charge of building and maintaining the servers, databases, APIs (Application Program Interfaces) and other systems that exist behind the scenes so a web application can run. They use back-end programming languages like SQL, Java, and PHP, as well as tools like JavaScript and Node.js.
For example, as a Senior Back-End Engineer at Spotify, Mindy Seto builds APIs, which are essentially contracts for data interaction, in Java. “A lot of my days are like the usual Kanban, Agile kind of approach,” she says. “We try to discuss and figure out things before we build it.” You can learn how to build web APIs in our course Create REST APIs with Spring and React, and master key back-end technologies in the Back-End Engineer career path.
Full-Stack Developer
A Full-Stack Developer can code web applications from soup to nuts, because they understand front-end and back-end technologies, plus they know how these systems communicate with one another.
What a Full-Stack Developer does: A better question might be, what doesn’t a Full-Stack Developer do? Full-Stack Developers are often referred to as jacks-of-all-trades, because they’re adept at so many aspects of software development.
“A Full-Stack Developer is writing code not only for the user’s front-end web applications or mobile applications, but they’re also writing API code that sits in the middle, they’re writing server code that sits in the back, and they’re also connecting and communicating with databases,” Taylor, a Full-Stack Software Developer, tells Codecademy. You can learn all of these skills and get job-ready by taking our Full-Stack Software Engineer career path.
Data Scientist
Data science is an interdisciplinary field that combines math, statistics, computer science, and domain expertise. A Data Scientist is someone who helps organizations transform data into meaningful insights that inform business decisions.
What a Data Scientist does: Depending on a Data Scientist’s specialization, they might be writing reports and creating data visualizations that forecast trends, cleaning and validating raw data, or building machine-learning models that help an organization streamline its systems and processes. You can read this blog to learn about the different types of careers you can have as a Data Scientist, and begin learning the skills you need for a job with our data science career paths.
Organizations leverage data science in lots of different ways. For example, Ivan Sheng, a Data Scientist for the competitive esports organization Evil Geniuses, mainly spends his day coding in Python. The exact project that he’s coding on can vary depending on the business need; sometimes he’ll be working with marketing data, and other times he’ll focus on analyzing gameplay data from esports pros. “I’ve done work all the way from creating automated data pipelines to creating models in the deterministic and non deterministic side of things,” he says.
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