AIU Slides: Typography
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This series are dedicated to the art of arranging letters and text in a way that makes the copy legible, clear and visually appealing. #aiuslides #aiu #typography #grammar #graphics
How I Went From Working In Healthcare To Software Support & Cybersecurity in 1 Year
Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life.
Today’s story is from Jacinta Hayward, a 27-year-old Software Support Technician at a consumer healthcare platform in Perth, Australia. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here.
Why I chose to learn to code
“I used to work in the disability sector and was becoming burned out with it and thought, You know what, I need a bit of a career-change. The disabilities sector is amazing and I love the people in healthcare, but I just realized I needed to do something where I was using my skills to my best ability.
I’ve always been good with computers and loved video games, so I thought I might get into that a bit more. With Covid, I had this massive push to speed up the process of learning those new skills. I just told myself, If I don’t quit my job now, then I never will.
At the same time, my partner actually works in cybersecurity, and I saw that Codecademy had this 6-hour course on Introduction to Cybersecurity. I thought, That’d be really cool, even if I can just talk to him a little bit more about what he does and be able to ask him, ‘How was your day?’ Because I had no idea what any of it meant. So I took that course, and I got hooked. I also took a few other courses around command line, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
Now I’m actually working in software support with the aim of hopefully getting into a more cybersecurity-based role in the next 12 months. But I understand that in the cybersecurity sector, you’ve got to be humble and go from a helpdesk or IT and software support role and then transition into cybersecurity.”
How I made time to learn
“I was very fortunate to be in a position where I could just take off a couple of months between jobs. I just really hit it hard, I suppose. I really like the way the courses are set up so that you can see the percentage of how much you’ve already completed, because I’m really picky about numbers. Even if I couldn’t do all of it in one day, I would try and just do 25% or 50%.
Some of the subjects, you can try and rush through them — but then you realize, if you’re rushing through them, you’re not actually learning anything. I would actually take my time. If there’s a link to an Article or something that was really interesting, I would actually click on it, because you absorb a lot more information that way.”
How I saved up enough money to switch careers
“I like to always have emergency funds, so that was a huge part of it. Because I had two years of hemming and hawing about wanting to make a career-change, I was able to save up that money in advance.
That was very helpful, because it also meant that when I was in that period of three months where it wasn’t working, I was actually like, Alright, I’m going to get a job in IT or in software support. If I had gone for longer and not had those savings, I could have ended up getting another healthcare job just to pay the bills. I was worried that I might end up getting comfortable and staying there.”
How long it took me to land a job
“I started learning with Codecademy in May 2021 and I quit my job in early 2022. It was three months of unemployment; and for the first two months, I was probably not looking that much. The third month, I probably applied to 15 different jobs. I know that sounds like a lot of companies, but I really wanted to get a job! I wasn’t doing anything else apart from my courses, so I just really applied myself to writing CVs and cover letters.”
How I got in the door
“I was trying to focus on companies relating to healthcare or the disability sector, because that’s what I know and what I’m still quite passionate about. But I just wanted to work in a more tech-related role within healthcare.”
How I nailed the interview
“I got interviews with two companies that I applied to: The first one was probably about 20 minutes long. They just looked at my resume and said, ‘Well, cybersecurity is highly in demand. You’ve also got experience around healthcare and the disability sector. You’re perfect for the role.’ They hired me very quickly, which was crazy, but cool.
The second company was a lot more intense. There were three different interviews, including a technical interview, values-based interview, and an interview with their CEO. They asked a lot of situational questions, and things like, How do you work with people?
But interestingly, the interview process was not actually as technical as I thought it would be. I thought I’d be asked about specific coding scenarios or IT troubleshooting, but it was a lot more about how you can find out things for yourself. Something that came up quite a bit is the ability to think on the spot, find your own answers, or ask other people for answers.
That surprised me, because thinking about coding or cybersecurity a couple of years ago, or even three or six months ago, I thought you had to be a genius and know everything.”
How I evaluated the offers
“The second company I interviewed with was a lot larger — they have 5 million users in Australia — and had a lot more opportunities to move around within the company. They’re really passionate about supporting and encouraging women in cybersecurity and programming as well, and they do a lot of internal hiring. They’ve also got training programs and events, like capture-the-flag events, which is ethical hacking.”
How day one & beyond went
“I start in two weeks and I’m so excited!”
What I wish I knew before I started learning
“Don’t get put off by the idea that you have to be an expert at one particular language or you have to know everything. I don’t think anyone who’s a programmer or in cybersecurity knows everything — absolutely not. Find projects that you’re passionate about, or that you actually see as useful, rather than picking up a language purely for the sake of learning it.
And don’t fall for the idea that you need to do big boot camps or 3-year degrees — Codecademy has some really good content that can help you get a job.”
Learn like Jacinta
See the courses and languages that helped her most.
Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests.
Want to share your Codecademy learner story? Drop us a line here. And don’t forget to join the discussions in our community.
Cybersecurity Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy
Cybersecurity is a fast-growing field that addresses the security risks of our increasingly connected digital world. Learn cybersecurity, and you will learn how users, companies, and even governments protect themselves and recover from cyber threats and attacks. Start defending yourself or your orga…
10 things you need to do when starting a blog
Starting a blog can sometimes be overwhelming because of all that’s involved in blogging. To help get you newbies started, we’ve created a list of ten important things to do when starting your blogging journey. A free printable checklist is included at the end of the post with a new blog to-do list to help you track your progress and note important information.
1. Set Goals
Setting goals is mentioned first because it’s one of the most important things you need to do as a blogger. Setting goals will help you grow your blog and will help you stay focused on the things that will help you achieve those goals.
It’s important to set yearly goals and then break them down into monthly and daily goals. Knowing that each of your achievable daily goals is helping you progress towards your monthly and yearly goals will give you purpose as you work each day.
Some good beginning goals to set are things like:
- how many blog posts do you want to have in place before you launch your blog
- the key topics you want your blog to focus on, and how often you plan to post about each topic
- how many Instagram/Twitter/Facebook, etc followers do you want to have by the end of the first month
- the number of page views you want to have by the end of your first month
- etc.
Our Ultimate Blog Planner has a collection of goal-setting pages to help you define and plan your goals.
2. Get a Blog Planner
A blog planner is a must when it comes to blogging. Blog planners help keep you organized and focused on achieving your blogging goals.
Our Ultimate Blog Planner has been designed for driven bloggers who are determined to increase blog income and traffic. The full 36-page planner will help you brainstorm post ideas, plan your weekly posts, set yearly & monthly goals, track yearly & monthly stats, keep track of affiliates, Facebook advertising, social media posts, newsletter campaigns, finances, usernames & passwords, giveaways, etc. You name it, and our blog planner kit has you covered.
There’s no better way to grow your blog than by strategic goal setting and regularly tracking your progress towards reaching your blogging goals. Using The Ultimate Blog Planner is key to blog organization and blogging success!
3. Decide on a name for your blog
Now that you have a blog plan and goals, it’s time to create your blog. First, decide on a name for your blog. Try to pick something short and easy to remember. For example, instead of calling it: ‘Amy’s Recipes From Around The World’ call it ‘Amy Food World’ this way it will be easier to remember and use as your blog address.
Many hosting providers like Bluehost (check the next step to learn more) are offering free domains if you buy a specific hosting plan so make sure to check that before purchasing the domain separately.
4. Purchase hosting
Once you have a name for your blog, it’s time to grab a piece of real estate online. If you plan to use the WordPress platform (we highly recommend this) you can follow our How to Start a Blog tutorial which will walk you through the process of purchasing hosting and getting WordPress installed.
To set up a Blogger blog, simply go here and follow the steps.
If you need help deciding which platform to use, be sure to check out our Blogger vs WordPress comparison.
5. Create social media accounts
Next is to set up social media accounts so you can start promoting your blog. Social media is one of the most powerful tools for growing your blog. If getting accounts set up on all social media outlets feels overwhelming, then just pick 1-3 of your favorites and just focus on those.
Having social media sites for your blog will help drive traffic to your blog, so this step is key.
If you are looking for inspiration, visit our Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest pages.
6. Create a mailing list
To grow your business or blog, you must make building your email list your top priority. Email is less competitive than social media, which means you’ll have a greater chance of reaching people through email. Getting a mailing list in place at the beginning of your blogging journey will lead to huge profits in the future.
This tutorial will help you get your mailing list set up: How to Create a Mailing List and Add Opt-ins to Your Site.
7. Configure blog settings
Once you have your blog in place, reviewing your blog settings is important to ensure things are set up properly. Log into your blog and ensure you have added your blog title in the settings. Make sure your comments are on. Don’t be afraid to play around with your settings to learn what things do. This would also be a good time to add some content to your sidebar.
If you are on Blogger, look here for our Blogger tutorials. If you’re on WordPress, check out those WordPress tutorials for tips on getting things set up on your blog.
8. Install Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that gives you insights into how your readers are finding your site and how they are using your site. This can help you learn what your readers like so you know how to keep them coming back. It also tracks page views and how many visitors you get each day/week/month/year.
9. Purchase a Theme
We like to refer to your blog content as a cake. Your blog design is the beautiful icing on the cake that entices your visitors to want to delve more deeply into your content. Here at Designer Blogs, we work hard to design beautiful blog designs that will help your blog attract readers.
We invite you to check out our huge collections of Blogger templates and WordPress themes. Here’s a sampling of some of the gorgeous designs we have available:
If you would like something custom created, we can do that too! Visit our custom design service page for more info.
10. Publish your first post
It’s best to get a few well-written blog posts on your blog before you announce it to the world. So spend some time creating some amazing content so your visitors will have a taste of what they’ll have to look forward to. If you are on Blogger, you can follow this post for help: How to Create a New Post in Blogger. If you are on WordPress, this tutorial will help you: How to Create a Post in WordPress.
Remember to visit our WordPress tutorials, Blogger tutorials, and blogging tips pages for additional info and tips on how to start and grow a blog.
New blog to-do list
For a hard-copy list of these steps to ensure you don’t forget anything, you can download and print off our free Blog Setup Checklist. Enjoy!
For Personal Use Only.
We hope this new blog to-do list will help you create an awesome site!
Lesson Plan: The First Images From the James Webb Space Telescope
In this lesson, students will closely examine these spectacular pictures and consider their meaning and significance in understanding the universe — and ourselves.
Summer Playlist
What did you listen to over and over this summer?
What Were Your ‘Mundane Joys’ of Summer?
What ordinary moments did you enjoy during your summer vacation?
Coursera partners with NESCOT to enhance UK further education teaching quality and help drive national technical skills agenda
by Anthony Tattersall, Vice-President for EMEA, Coursera
As the United Kingdom’s further education sector seeks to empower learners to thrive in the digital economy, collaborating to scale up the delivery of high-demand technology, business, and data science skills is essential. To help support the UK’s further education strategy, we are excited to announce that we are partnering with North East Surrey College Of Technology (NESCOT), to both enhance and expand teaching delivery, and to prepare the college’s 9000 students for in-demand careers in the digital economy.
With NESCOT being a partner in the new Coast to Capital region’s Institutes of Technology, access to Coursera will support the college’s aim to deliver a wider range of advanced technical qualifications and higher education courses. NESCOT’s staff will have access to the full Coursera catalogue, including 22 entry-level professional certificates offered by Google, IBM, Meta, and other leading industry partners. The partnership will thereby create additional opportunities for NESCOT’s staff to develop the skills needed to deliver courses on high-demand technologies including AI, data science, engineering and software development.
Coursera is doubling down on its efforts to support the nation’s further education strategy, with the UK government increasingly investing in its new T Levels programme, and with participation in adult government-funded further education having increased by 4.6% over the past year.
The partnership with NESCOT builds upon Coursera’s relationship with the TEC Partnership, one of England’s largest providers of further and technical education, to expand its contribution to the UK’s further and higher education sector. It will do so by filling curriculum gaps, expanding NESCOT’s provision of job-aligned vocational courses, and bridging the gap between student skills and employer needs.
By empowering faculty professional development and bridging this gap, Coursera and NESCOT seek to narrow the UK’s technology and data science skills gaps. The 2022 Global Skills Report, released in June by Coursera, found that the United Kingdom’s technology skills proficiency continues to lag behind a majority of European nations, ranking 42nd globally for technology skills, and 24th among the 33 European nations indexed in the report.
Coursera currently supports the skills development of 2.75 million UK learners. UK institutions already partnering with Coursera include Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, The University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of London and the University of Manchester. UK learners are able to access 2,500+ Guided Projects, 5,000+ courses, 625+ Specializations, more than 75 Certificates (of which 22 are Entry-Level Professional Certificates), and 35+ degrees. In the first eight months of 2022, UK learners spent more than 1.1 million hours upskilling and reskilling on Coursera’s platform.
We look forward to supporting NESCOT’s faculty to deliver high-quality, job-relevant skills training to their students, and to evolve the college’s blended learning provision.
Top 10 Resume Do’s and Don’ts
You’ve been job hunting for a while. You’ve sent out hundreds of resumes but you’ve only received a handful of callbacks from the companies you applied to. You have finally found your dream position – with all the perks. It’s the one you’ve been waiting for, and you know you have one shot to get them to notice you. Each job post receives an estimated 250 applications. 2-3% of these will get invited for the interview. Your make or break lies in one thing – your resume. Even with the right skills and experience, writing a stand-out résumé is not as easy and straightforward as you’ve discovered. We’re here to empower you with the tips and knowledge you need for your next career move. Don’t fret. Do keep reading. We’ve put together a list of the top 10 resume do’s and don’ts you need to land you that coveted job or make the switch to something different.
What is a Resume?
A resume is a formal document used by applicants to apply for a job. Here, you give recruiters an account of your educational background, professional qualifications, work experience, skills, and other relevant information your potential employer needs to know.
The overall goal of your resume is to summarise to demonstrate to a hiring manager your potential and why you are the right candidate for the role.
What Do Hiring Managers Look For In A Resume?
The truth is there isn’t a blanket answer to this question. This is because it depends on what the hiring manager is looking for – and each position will have different requirements. Which is why your resume needs to be tailored to each new position you’re applying for. More on that below.
Don’t lose heart if you think you don’t stand a chance because you don’t know what it is the recruiter or hiring manager wants. There are essential skills, qualifications, and work experience they need to tick off their list to determine if you’re a probable candidate. What you do need to know however, is that for the most part, recruiters will read a resume that tells a story of the applicant’s career progression. The right format will indicate where you come from and ultimately how your past positions have led you to the job you’re now applying for.
What To Include In A Resume?
Whether you’re just entering the job market or have worked for years as a professional, the temptation to include everything you’ve done is present. But this is not necessary, and pages and pages of your professional story will give off the wrong impression. The key is to keep it short and include a few key things:
- Contact details
- Certificates, awards, honours and professional memberships
- Educational background
- Work history
- Soft, hard, and technical skills
- Summary statement
- Key professional accomplishments
To help you get noticed, we’ve put together a list of top dos and don’ts of what your resume should have and doesn’t need:
Top 10 Resume Do’s
- Do include links to your LinkedIn page, website, or your Alison Public Profile. These give your application a boost.
- Do make use of a tool like Alison’s Resume Builder to give you a clean, professional, and expert-looking resume that will make it stand out amongst the rest.
- K.I.S.S: Keep It Short and Simple. Two pages is the ideal length. Unless you’ve recently graduated from high school, the executive role you’re applying for doesn’t need to include your waitressing gig from 20 years ago.
- Do use a simple format for your resume. A Word or PDF file is accepted and easy to access by everyone. Not all companies will have the latest software to open and read other format types.
- Create a customised resume for each job application. This ensures your focus is on the specific job skills sought and expresses your interest and excitement about being part of the company.
- Do quantify your achievements and don’t just provide generic statements like “team player”. Add adds weight to your abilities by making statements like “contributed to my team winning a $10 million project bid”.
- Do highlight your most relevant work experience. Your resume should demonstrate how the skills, experience, and accomplishments you’ve had will help you perform in the role you’re applying for.
- Do list your soft skills. And give examples of where and how you’ve used these skills in your previous roles.
- Do perform a spell and grammar check using tools like Grammarly or Hemingway. And repeat this exercise one more time before hitting ‘send’.
- Do include a minimum of two references and ensure you’ve asked them to be your referees. You want them to be prepared for a possible call and have made notes on what to say.
So, you’ve looked over your resume and you’ve done everything right. Read our list of don’ts below to ensure your resume doesn’t just look good, but great!
Top 10 Resume Don’ts
- Don’t include personal details like your marital status, or number of children (if any).
- Don’t hide gaps in your resume. If you do, they may get the impression there’s something you’re not telling them. Be aware that you may have to explain these in the face-to-face interview.
- Don’t use coloured text, different font sizes, shading, italics, underlining, boxes, or graphics. If you’re a designer, your portfolio will show off your artistry and skill.
- Don’t copy and paste the job description from the ad to your resume. Use creative ways to say the same thing.
- Don’t go overboard. This includes the length of the resume, and the information added. Nor should you oversell yourself.
- Don’t use cliché statements and phrases. If you must, make sure they are relevant to the industry and role you’re applying for.
- Don’t include irrelevant hobbies or interests as passionate as you are about them. Unless you’re applying for a job with the company that develops PlayStation and are an avid player, don’t include this.
- Don’t include negative phrases or emphasise the skills you don’t have or things you can’t do. This will send your resume to the “No” pile. Don’t mislead them with information about what you can do. Eventually you’ll have to demonstrate these skills and failing here will inevitably result in a black mark against your name.
- Don’t have a solid wall of copy. It’s not reader-friendly. Instead, break up the text with spacing and bullet points.
- Don’t list your current salary or your expectations. There’s a time and place for everything and your résumé is not the place.
There you have it. The top 10 most important dos and don’ts for your resume that will help you get your foot in the door and one step closer to bagging your dream role.
Word of the Day: myriad
This word has appeared in 404 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
