CAREER IN BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

 

Blockchain, being the revolutionary technology that it is, has obviously opened up a new field of development called blockchain development. This, in turn, has created numerous fantastic job opportunities for developers and tech enthusiasts. Here is an article which covers the topics like what actually the Blockchain was? How to become ? job roles, career prospects and work environment to help fellow blockchain enthusiasts to get into the world of blockchain development.

In simple words, blockchain can be referred as the block of data stacked up or stored in a chain of computer networks. Where, the block contains information related to the transaction details, date, timestamp, user information, amount, etc. And to identify and store the specific transaction, the unique ID in terms of ‘hash’ is provided to each transaction in peer-to-peer communication protocol built with the trust. 

The incremental chain of blocks makes the blockchain scalable,  secure and the cybersecurity aspects are met automatically, as it becomes difficult for the hackers to hack into the growing trusted network, where every transaction owner receives a copy of the block. 

This decentralization of the digital information popularly called as “Distributed Public Ledger” makes it difficult for the hacker to manipulate at all multiple places. Everyone on the network can see all the transactions, but only the parties involved in the transaction would be able to identify their transactions because of the unique addition of hash, which was governed by private/public keys. This makes cryptography an inherent component of BLOCKCHAIN technology.

Blockchain is not only spread across the world of cryptocurrencies and platforms but also is playing an important role in industries like healthcare, infrastructure security, digital advertising, education, cloud computing, forecasting, entertainment, and many others.

WHAT IT REQUIRES?

A career as a Blockchain Professional requires a bachelor's degree in Computer Science Engineering (CSE) / Information Technology (IT) or a related discipline. Usually, education depends on the job role you want to. Some positions only require programming skills and relevant experience, and other positions require a degree and experience. As a blockchain developer, everyone has a huge scope to enhance their skills and core knowledge. There are various online platforms on connecting which, professionals will get training opportunities and valuable networking.

SKILLS NEEDED:

• Adopting a new mindset which focuses on efficiency, scalability, and distributed computing.

• Developing the hard programming skill sets

• Learning about the economic side of blockchain engineering.

• Technical skills like Blockchain Architecture, Data Structures, Cryptography, Smart, Contract Development, Web-Development.

HOW TO BECOME?

• Firstly, you need to get yourself educated to start your career in the blockchain industry.
• Understand the fundamentals of blockchain technology.
• Getting trained in cryptography provides you a head-start to get into the blockchain industry. 
• Get knowledge about Distributed Computing Theory and how it works.
• Join the blockchain community, which will also provide you an opportunity to network and engage with the people who are already working in the field.
• Grab the opportunities that come your way and start your own career path.

Industries Providing Blockchain Career Opportunities:

• Banking & Finance: Perhaps, this industry segment is the biggest beneficiary of the blockchain technology.
• Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin has proved usability with success.
• Supply chain: Blockchain technology is useful in tracking, tracing, and recording of material transactions.
• Healthcare: Personal Health Information is regulated in many countries and blockchain can bring the benefits of digital use and secure storage.
• Real Estate: Today, many transactions in the retail industry are being recorded manually. This is one industry sector in which there is huge potential for the use of blockchain technology for record-keeping and online transactions.

Who is a Blockchain Developer?

A developer responsible for developing and optimizing blockchain protocols, crafting the architecture of blockchain systems, developing smart contracts and web apps using blockchain are commonly called blockchain developers.

So, what does a blockchain developer do?

• Developing smart contracts.
• Developing interactive front-end designs for Dapps.
• Supervision of the entire stack that runs the Dapps.
• Backend development pertaining to the blockchain.
• Being involved in the research, design, development, and testing of blockchain technologies.
• Brainstorm and evaluate applications for new tools and technologies.
• Document new solutions and maintain existing ones.
• Maintain and extend client-side and server-side applications that are responsible for business logic and integration.

JOB ROLES:

• Blockchain Developer: Research Design Develop Blockchain Technologies and  Develops Decentralized applications and Smart Contracts
• Blockchain Engineer: He/ She is responsible for designing blockchain solutions.
• Quality Engineer: Monitors and Manages Blockchain Networks, and Certifies Network Before Launch and also Carries Network Upgrades and Updates.
• Blockchain Information Security Analyst: Researching and Planning network security Measures, and Installing a firewall to protect computer networks.
• Blockchain Project Managers: Responsible for organizing and managing multiple projects and deliverables, and  tasked with creating a work plan for completing projects.
• Blockchain Legal Consultant: Drafting and Reviewing legal aspects of ICO Documentation and  meeting certain legal regulations before a launch.
• Blockchain Designer: Design, implement and support blockchain focused websites, and designing Blockchain User Interface around specific business models.
• Blockchain Marketing Specialists: Overseeing and developing marketing campaigns,  Researching to Identify target audience, and also devising ideas and strategies.
• Blockchain Technical Recruiter: Identify and Screen potential blockchain project candidates, and review applicants to ensure they meet minimum Blockchain project requirements ans also research new technologies.
• Blockchain Intern: Completing relevant assigned tasks such as coding, marketing, etc. and brainstorming for new ideas.
• Business Development Representative: Push a certain product partnership, and  closing new deals, negotiating and presenting the company.
• Blockchain Data Scientist: Research and analyze troves Of Blockchain data.
• Research Analysts: Apply data mining techniques in statistical analysis.

PAY SCALE:

The salary varies depending on several factors such as job location, company, number of years experience, skills. On a broad scale, the salary ranges between 5,00,000-30,00,000 LPA.

In India, the average salary in is ₹8,01,938 per annum. 

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Career in Cloud Computing

 

In the present scenario of the IT world, Cloud computing is one of the most demanding career domains. Cloud computing requires more and more skilled professionals which is enough to prompt your career in this particular field.

Now, here comes the question - How to make a career in cloud computing? In the search of a road map for making a career in this computing field, firstly you should know what is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is the use of remote servers on the internet to store, manage and process data rather than storing on the local server of your personal computer. Now-a-days, Almost every organization has adopted some form of a cloud strategy, making Cloud computing one of the top sought-after skills.

Okay, now let's get back to the career path of cloud computing.

• Firstly you should be aware of Cloud Technology & Platforms.
• Having an understanding in Cloud Computing Fundamentals.
• Along with these computing fundamentals you should also work with other required skills.
• Now, it's time to gear up your skills and go for advanced training.
• Earn Certifications
• And this is the most important phase of growing in any field which is "Practical Implementation"
• Finally, Look out for job opportunities.

Skills required:

1. Coding - python, perl, ruby whereas PHP, java are the other languages required.
2. Database management- MySQL, MongoDB, or Hadoop
3. Professionals with linux skills are in demand now.

Coming to various job roles, each job has its own specific requirement skills. AWS, Agile, Azure, puppet, Chef, Docker comes under them.

Job roles under cloud computing:

There are various job roles that comes under computing domain. Few of them includes:

• Cloud developer: Cloud developers must have solid skills on cloud computing.
• Cloud engineer: IT professional responsible for technological duties including designing, managing and maintenance and deploying cloud services.
• SysOps Administrator: Professional responsible for managing and using operating systems.
• DevOps Engineer: Engineers, responsible for supporting the users of the infrastructure they develop, and protecting the cloud against hackers and viruses.
• Cloud Consultant: They are responsible for analyzing and suggesting the best cloud services and architecture based on your company’s requirements.
• Cloud Infrastructure Engineer: They work closely with hardware engineers and developers to make an efficient cloud framework and developing infrastructure for cloud systems and its associated network. 
• Cloud Security Engineer: They are responsible for inspecting risk assessment, analyzing threats, and providing security to the cloud data.
  
  
  

Future of Cloud computing: Cloud computing vastly changed the IT market with companies allocating their share of revenues for upcoming cloud. Due to its high demand in the market, Cloud computing is a good career option. And also the number of people who know cloud computing are also increasing.

PayScale: An entry-level job in the cloud computing sector provides a salary starting from 5 lakh per year, and it goes up to 7 – 10 lakh per year. As you gain experience, you’ll earn more

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Career as SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Software engineers design software programs and often take part in the details of their development. In a world that places increasing importance on applications & web development, employment options for software engineers remain robust in various industries. If you were a software engineer aspirant, that can mean you can have diverse career opportunities.

This article provides an overview of software engineering, including detailed information on how to get into this field, expected skill-set, career paths including job opportunities by educational level, potential work environments, responsibilities, payscale and professional organizations for software engineers.

What Does a Software Engineer Do?

Generally, computer software engineers apply engineering principles and systematic methods to develop programs and operating data for computers. Professionals consult with analysts, system programmers, and other engineers to extract relevant information for designing systems, determining performance interfaces and projecting capabilities. Software engineers also analyze user needs, provide consultation services to discuss design elements, and coordinate software installation. 

While the some positions in industry share similarities and often work together. Software engineers analyze and design full software systems, while software developers lead and carry out the creation of the software itself. However, software engineers often participate in software development.

How Do I Get There?

ELIGIBILITY: Most software engineers hold a bachelor’s degree, which can take four years to obtain. Employers may seek software engineers with some experience as developers, or in other coding capacities.

Everyone’s journey is a little different, but here are some common steps that everyone should take to become a software engineer.

A software engineer should be well-versed in fundamentals of computer science, design and architecture, algorithms and data structures, information analysis, debugging software, Testing software and the most importantly programming and coding. Here is lil slice about some programming languages. 

• Java produces software on multiple platforms without the need for recompilation. 
• JavaScript is a scripting programming language allows users to perform complex tasks and update content, animate images, operate multimedia, and store variables.
• Structured Query Language is standard for the manipulation of data and relational database management. 
• C++ is  an object-oriented, general purpose programming language, which` uses both low and high-level language. C++ primarily manipulates text, numbers, and other computer-capable tasks.
• Python contains dynamic semantics, structures, typing, and binding that connect existing components; however, the Python syntax is easy to learn with no compilation stage involved, reducing program maintenance, enhancing productivity and also supports module and package use, which allows engineers to use the language for varying projects.
• With nearly as many options to explore depending job possibilities, which may include Ruby, an object-oriented language that works in blocks; Rust, which integrates with other languages for application development; PHP, a web development script that integrates with HTML; and Swift, which can program apps for all Apple products.

While hard skills like knowledge of programming languages are essential, software engineers must also consider which soft skills they may need to qualify for the position they seek. Soft skills include individual preferences and personality traits that demonstrate how an employee performs their job duties and fits into a team. Which includes Communication skills, Multitasking, Attention to Detail and many more.

Software engineers have distinct personalities like they tend to be investigative individuals, which means they’re intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive. They are curious, methodical, logical, rational, and analytical. Some of them are also conventional, meaning they are conscientious and conservative.

Job Description:

Generally, the main role of software engineers is to plan, design, develop and implement software. They have expert skill and knowledge about the structure of software, theory of computing systems, nature of hardware and limitations that affect the proper functioning of the software. 

Other roles of computer engineers include:

• They apply principles and theories of mathematical analysis and computer science to plan, design, code, develop, test and evaluate computer software systems and applications.
• They can also design and develop business applications, network control systems, computer games, operating systems and middleware.
• Software engineers analyze the company’s needs and design software applications to meet those needs.
• Software engineers are responsible for maintenance and expansion of a company’s computer systems.

Work activities of software engineering experts include:

• Interacting with Computers: Programming mainframe computer, adjusting computer operation, system using spreadsheet software, using computer programming language, testing computer programs and  systems, using computers to retrieve data, writing computer software, developing and maintaining databases.
• Making decisions and resolving engineering problems.
• Updating and using relevant knowledge: Data storage and security procedures by using computer networking technology, scientific research methodology and statistical process control procedures.
• Thinking creatively, while designing control systems, software interface, data processing systems, electronic equipment, security systems and software systems.
• Reading blueprints, schematics and technical drawings to get information accurately.
• Provide consultation and advice: This includes activities such as recommending software purchases, advising clients regarding software problems, consulting with customers concerning needs and recommend modification or repair of application.

Where Can I Work as a Software Engineer?

With strong demand across a variety of industries and corporation types, software engineers often enjoy an extensive selection of job choices. Software engineers may find work in large corporations, small startups, or as independent freelancers. While many work in computer systems design and related services, other popular industries include finance, software publishing, and manufacturing.

Jobs & Career Scope: As a Software Engineer, you can also run consultancy to develop and repair software as per the requirements of the clients. You can also work in Public and private sector banks, school, colleges and financial institutions. Scope for software engineer not only in India but also in abroad.

Job Designations offered to software engineers are listed below:

• Software Developer: Engaged in all phases of the software development lifecycle which include: gathering and analyzing user & business system requirements, responding to outages and creating application system models, and maintenance.
• Software Executives: They establishes and directs the strategic long term goals, policies and procedures for an organization’s software development program.
• Software Designers: They design and create software applications and these positions require a strong math and science background, as well as a proficiency with computer programming and applications.
• Software Programmers: They write and test the code that enables software applications to provide functionality.
• System Designer: They create detailed design documentation for the development of computer systems in accordance to business needs. 
• Project Manager: They oversees different initiatives or projects of a business, monitors their progress and completion, and ensures that they meet the expectations of the clients.
• Information Systems Manager:  They make decisions about installation, maintenance and upgrades on the electronic devices used in the organization/ workplace.

Payscale:

In India, a fresher will get the average salary of 3.5 to 4 lacs per annum. If you have experience on hands then you can earn good remuneration in software engineering field. Salary may also depends upon the company you are working for.

“Experience matters a lot in IT field, once you gain experience good job with highest paying salary comes to you eventually”.

Some reputed companies that recruits software engineers are : Infosys, Accenture, TCS, Persistent, Cognizant, IBM, Symantec, Microsoft, Fiserv, Google, Oracle, Wipro Ltd, HCL Infosystems Ltd, Tata Infotech Ltd and many more.

 

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Career in DATA SCIENCE

 

Have you ever thought of how Artificial intelligence and machine learning will change the world and the internet of things will make our lives easier, yeah the one thing that underpins all these technologies is "data". And all these data is implemented by Data Science.

So,what exactly does Data Science mean?

Data Science uses scientific methods, techniques, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and useful insights from many structural and unstructured data.
From social media to IOT devices in generating large amount of data, For example you have searched for a watch on amazon and you didn't bought them and the next day you are watching some youtube video or any other application that contains ads and you see the sandals in that recommendations. Have you ever surprised of seeing how the product you have viewed is in recommendations. Well, this happens because google tracks your search history and recommends ads based on this. This is one of the coolest application of data science.There are even lot of applications of data science.

Big data and Data Science: So here are the two terms which often leads to confusion. Big data refers to large volume of data which cannot be handled using traditional database programming whereas, Data Science approaches the process to Big data which uses scientific methods to draw meaningful insights.

Path to Data Science: In this Data Science career path,By following these steps you can achieve your dream job.

• Firstly, find out what data science means and the skills required.

• Attend workshops so that you can know better about everything. Talk to the data science experts.

• For learning anything you need to start with fundamentals, Learn basics of maths, python.

• Concentrate more on ML tools.

• Create your github profile or other profiles, attend more competitions, participate in discussions.

• Apply for internships, engage in online communities, keep practicing and stay dedicated.

By taking this career path seriously one can be in a greater position in this field.

Skills needed: Each of the job roles require specific skills which are explained in the further posts. In order to excel in the field of Data Science one must have high knowledge on

• Programming skills

• Statistics

• Machine learning

• Data wrangling

• 5Data visualization and communication.

 Apart from these, also non technical skills like higher communication skills and also presentation skills are required.

Programming languages required :

• R-R is the adopted language for pure Data Science.

• Python-Python comes with lots of libraries for analysing data.

• Java-As compared to java, python is preferred by most of the Data Scientists as due to its libraries and ease of its implementation.

Data Science tools:

Tools helps us to learn, create, practice and also publish our views. With the help of these tools we can excel better in a particular field. So, here are some of the Data Science tools.

• Tableau

• Bokeh

• D3 js

• jupyter

• OpenRefine

So, here comes the question!

"Where can i learn these courses?"

Wide range of Data Science courses are offered online in which few of them are free of cost and many are paid.

• Udacity: Machine learning

• CIT: learning from data

• eDx course

• Coursera: offers a wide range of Data Science courses for free of cost.

Apart from these online courses there are lots of Data Science blogs and communities like kaggle-largest community with data science tools and resources which help in guiding to achieve data science goals.

 Jobs roles in Data Science:

• Data Analyst: Data Analyst collects data, processes, performs statistical analysis on large amounts of data.

• Data Engineer: Data Engineers are the professionals who prepare Big data to analyze by the data scientist.

• Data Scientist: Data scientists are the analytical experts who use their technical skills in order to uncover the unsolvable and business problems.

• Business Analyst: Business analyst analyses business domain and helps in improving processes, products through data analysis.

• Machine learning engineer: Their focus goes beyond specially programming machines to perform specific task.ML engineering creates programs that will enable machines to work without being directed.

• Machine Learning Scientist: Research new data algorithms and approaches to be used in adaptive systems including supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning techniques. Machine learning scientists often go by titles like Research Engineer or Research Scientist

• Applications Architect: Track the behavior of applications used within a project or a business and how they interact with each other and with users.

Factors that contribute to the future of data science:

• Inabality of organizations to manage data.

• Austounding phase in data development.

• Updating block chain with data science.

How much do data science professionals earn ? 

This can vary depending on your experience, projects you work and the company/country that you work in. As per the data available in various employment websites, even data science freshers can earn above Rs 5 lakh per annum. Experienced data science professionals can expect to earn more than Rs 20 Lakhs per annum in India.

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CAREER IN GAME DEVELOPMENT

 Gaming is a highly competitive field, where professionals are needed who have a good balance of creativity, technology, and fun. It has vast capabilities to steer through the ups and downs of the market. You can choose your career in various genres of gaming such as video gaming, console gaming, wireless gaming, PC gaming, and multiplayer gaming. The growth of the Indian games industry has provided immense job opportunities for skilled professional ones.

Here comes the main question…how to get into this creative sector?

• Relevant educational qualification in the fields of animation, game designing, graphic designing, and technology, etc. is necessary for securing an excellent career in the gaming industry. 
• Those who interested in pursuing a career in this industry should focus on gaining knowledge with computer programming in an object-oriented language such as C++ or Java, from their student level, so that they can build a bright future for themselves.
• Several certificates and diploma programs in game designing are offered by various institutions to pursue.
• For becoming a Game Programmer, one should have B.E/ B.Tech or its equivalent degree in computer engineering.
• Many online courses are also available in game design and animation. 
• One with an innate desire to learn gaming and excellent technical skills can excel in this field.

Steps to be followed:

1. Develop High-Level Math Skills
2. Get a Bachelor's Degree
3. Develop and practice your technical skills
4. Build an Effective Portfolio
5. Write your technical resume
6. Find an Entry Level Position as an intern
7. Get enough experience to face stiff competition

Skills Needed for Game Development Careers:

To succeed you need to develop and master a host of skills, which is essential. They are technical or hard skills and interpersonal or soft skills.

Technical Skills :

• Game engine: You need to become proficient in at least one game engine. Unity is one of the most popular development platforms for creating multi-platform and interactive games. Game Developers need to know how to use a game engine to create, deploy, update, and maintain a game.
• Programming language: You need to master at least one programming language. The most popular languages for platform games is C#, java, python, and lua.
• 2D/3D modeling: You should be able to model and manage 2D/3D assets using tools like Unity, Blender, Maya, and RealFlow. 
• Prototyping and testing: You should be able to produce prototypes of gameplay ideas and features, which include low-fidelity and high-fidelity versions. You should also be able to write test cases and test plans as well as execute a game test adequately.

Soft Skills:

• Teamwork: As a Professional, you will most likely work in a team, so you must feel comfortable while working with others. You will be expected to lend a hand to your teammates if they need your help.
• Creativity: Making games itself a very creative endeavor. You need to find creative solutions to difficult programming problems, such as designing the assets of a game, and figuring out how the player interacts with the product. 
• Problem-solving: All positions that involve programming require a good knowledge of problem-solving. You must be able to think critically and break down problems into smaller components that can be tackled individually.

Tasks and duties involved in this sector:

• Using computer hardware and software to write and modify programming code to create a game framework and individual elements.
• Utilizing your creative thoughts to design new elements or products.
• Modifying and documenting the program code to correct errors and faults.
• Testing specific elements or products.
• Implementing improvements in existed ones.
• Solving problems using logical testing methodologies.

Typical Job roles:

The video game industry is in boom over the past few decades and there are many types of jobs in the game industry for you to choose from! 

• Creative Game Director: The chief in charge of shaping the artistic vision for the entire game, and one of the most senior positions on the game development team in terms of responsibility for the overall quality of the game. There isn’t one route in particular that will lead you to land on a role as creative director, though climbing the career ladder from junior designer and artistic roles is usually the way forward.
• Game Designer: Right at the beginning of the production process is the game design itself, with one or more designers working tirelessly to devise concepts and bring them to life to form a playable experience for the end-user.
• Game Programmer: In general, the designer dreams it up, and the programmer makes it happen. They should able code and as with the rigors of animation, there can be a lot of satisfaction to be had from compiling a day’s worth of code and seeing it all just work.
• Game Animator: This role draws upon a large skillset of both 2D and 3D techniques to bring characters and models to life within the limits of the game’s framework and production budget.
• Game Audio Engineer: A game’s soundtrack, voice acting, and audio effects can easily make or break a game, and the craft of audio engineering has become far more complex in recent times with the advent of more open-ended gaming experiences.
• Game Artist: Working directly under the creative game director, the hierarchy of artists (mainly comprised of a lead game artist, character artist, environment artist, asset artist, and technical artist) collaborate with the designers, programmers, and animators to create the visual elements in style variances and techniques of the game.
• Game Marketer/PR: The hard work of all the professionals on this page would come to nothing if nobody ever hears about the game, and that’s when the PR and marketing staff come into play. Getting the word out there, motivating people to purchase the title, and managing the online reputation of both the studio and the game is all part of their job. 
• Quality Assurance Technician or Game Tester: If there’s a single bug or way to break a game, you can swear the paying public will discover it. So it’s the job of the testing team to find such software glitches and identify areas for improvement before release. The majority of quality assurance testers work on a freelance, per project basis.
• Video Game System Designer: Everything above covers the creation of video games themselves, but who is responsible for making the machines on which they are played? That comes down to the system designer(also comprises level designer). Video Game System designers these days almost always hail from computer-related engineering and industrial design backgrounds.

Salary:

 The gaming industry rewards young and creative professionals with high salary packages. The pay scale and growth in this industry depends on how well one can conceptualize and develop the game program. As a trainee, one is generally paid around Rs.10,000/- per month. Within a short span of time, depending on the working organization and your skills, it may vary from anywhere between Rs.30,000/- to 70,000/- per month. The remuneration of those who are working as freelancers depends on whom you work for and can earn a good amount for a project.

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CAREER AS ETHICAL HACKER

 

People often get confused about the terms Cyber Security and Ethical Hacking. In simple, Ethical hacking is a part of Cybersecurity Ethical Hacking has been a lucrative career option these days which never gets bored. In this article, we are going to guideline your path to become an ethical hacker.

Firstly, who is an Ethical Hacker?
Before going to know who an ethical hacker is, one needs to know what hacking is?
Hacking is a process of identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access into the systems to perform malicious acts. Malicious activities range from deleting system files to stealing information. Hacking is legal if it’s done with the permission of the target organization. Hacking is illegal if it's done without permission, those hackers are called Black Hat Hackers.

Computer experts often get hired by organizations or companies to hack into their systems in order to find vulnerabilities and get them fixed. This computer expert called White Hat A hacker should be a skilled professional who has excellent technical knowledge.

 

What qualifications and skills are required to become an ethical hacker?

 Your ethical hacker career depends on your current field of work. In order to start your career as an ethical hacker, you need to start with a background in the IT field. Apart from this IT field, expectations are made for people with high knowledge of operating systems, databases, and networking. It's almost impossible to become an ethical hacker directly. Most of the ethical hackers begin their career as technical support engineers and grow up by earning certifications like CCNA and CISSP before working towards CEH certification.

Required skillset:

An ethical hacker should be proficient in:

• Database handling
• Networking
• Operating systems
• Network traffic sniffing
• Exploit buffer overflow vulnerabilities
• SQL injection

               Apart from these technical skills, an ethical hacker must have excellent soft skills in order to communicate with the rest of the organization regarding security issues. An ethical hacker must be a creative thinker as black hat hackers are constantly evolving to exploit the target systems.

Some online resources you can learn from:

• StationX-To start as a beginner this is the best choice which is a paid course.
• Udemy-offers free courses on ethical hacking as well as paid courses.
• Cybrary-offers free courses, but you must pay for certification of completion.
• For each of these courses there are few prerequisites in order to start the course.

 

Future of Ethical Hacking:

With the increase in technology, we are witnessing a lot of cyber threats. In order to handle this large workforce, there's a need to increase effective Cyber Security tools. One who has these exceptional skills as stated above has a great future as an Ethical Hacker. The scope of these jobs is increasing day by day with full of opportunities in the future as well as in the present time too.

Here are some main job roles as an Ethical Hacker:

As soon as acquiring CEH certification an ethical Hackers can engage in these jobs.

1.Information Security Analyst: protect's company's sensitive and critical data by taking certain security measures.

2.Security Analyst: Analyzes and assesses vulnerabilities in an organization or in a particular infrastructure it may be in software, hardware, or networking. Analyzes and assesses the threats to infrastructure.

3.Security Consultant: Assess all security measures for an organization. A security consultant is not confined to a single company.

4.Information Security Manager: Manages and controls all aspects of computer security and also ensures that all applications are secure and functional.

5.Penetration tester: In an organization, these testers crack a computer and the purpose is to test its relative security rather than stealing. Simply, experts attempt to find and exploit vulnerabilities.

 

Salary of an Ethical Hacker:

A certified ethical hacker (fresher) earns an average salary of Rs 3.5 lakh per annum which increases with experience cumulatively up to more than 15 lakh per year in India.

 

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Career as COMPUTER PROGRAMMER

 

COMPUTER PROGRAMMER writes and tests code that allows computer applications and software programs to function properly. They turn the program designs created by software developers and engineers into instructions that a computer can follow. In addition, programmers test newly created programs and applications to ensure that they produce the expected results. If they do not work correctly, computer programmers check the code for mistakes and fix bugs. The computer programmers work closely with software developers, and sometimes their duties overlap. When such type of overlap occurs, programmers can do work that is typical of developers, such as designing programs. Program design involves planning the software initially, creating models and flowcharts detailing how the code is to be written, writing and debugging code, and designing an application or systems interface. The opportunities in the Computer Programming field are endless and growing tremendously, and it has emerged as a great area of innovation, research, and job in the last 2-3 decades.

Education and Training:

Most computer programmers have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related subject. However, some employers hire workers with an associate’s degree or a related subject. In addition, employers value experience, which students gain through internships and get hands-on experience writing code, testing programs, fixing errors, and doing many other tasks that they will perform on the job. And some companies require their computer programmers to be certified in the products they use.

Computer Programmer Duties & Responsibilities:

• Writing programs in a variety of computer languages, such as C++ and Java.
• Updating and expanding existing programs.
• Troubleshooting and Testing programs for errors and fix the faulty lines of computer code.
• Creating and test code in an integrated development environment (IDE).
• Using libraries, which are collections of independent lines of code, to simplify the writing.
• Collaborating with other programmers.

Skills required to become a computer programmer:

• Thinking ability: It indicates a focus on researching, investigating, and increasing the understanding of natural laws.
• Analytical skills: They must understand complex instructions in order to create computer code.
• Concentration: They must be able to work at a computer, writing lines of code for long periods of time.
• Detail oriented: They must closely examine the code they write because a small mistake can affect the entire computer program.
• Organizing interest: It indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.
• Troubleshooting skills: To check the code for errors and fix any they find.

These days many companies are not even looking at the formal degree as long as the candidate posesses the necessary skill set for the job.

Various Careers Related to Computer Programmers:

• Computer and Information Research Scientists: They invent and design new approaches to computing technology and find innovative uses for existing technology. And, they study and solve complex problems in computing for business, medicine, science, and other fields.
• Computer and Information Systems Managers: They often called information technology (IT) managers or IT project managers, plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in an organization. And, they help determine the information technology goals of an organization and are responsible for implementing computer systems to meet those goals.
• Software Developers: They are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device and others develop the underlying systems that run the devices or that control networks.
• Web Developers: They design and create websites. And responsible for the look of the site and its technical aspects, such as its performance and capacity. In addition, they may also create content for the site.
• Computer Hardware Engineers: They research, design, develop, and test computer systems and components such as processors, circuit boards, memory devices, networks, and routers.
• Computer Network Architects: They design and build data communication networks, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and Intranets. And these networks range from small connections between two offices to next-generation networking capabilities such as a cloud infrastructure that serves multiple customers.
• Computer Support Specialists: They provide help and advice to computer users and organizations. And these specialists either support computer networks or provide technical assistance directly to computer users.
• Computer Systems Analysts: They sometimes called systems architects, study an organization's current computer systems and procedures, and design solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively. And, they bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both.
• Database Administrators: They use specialized software to store and organize data, such as financial information and customer shipping records. And, they make sure that data are available to users and secure from unauthorized access.
• Information Security Analysts: They plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization's computer networks and systems. And, their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases.
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators: These days, Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. They are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.

The largest employers of computer programmers belong to Computer systems design and related services, Finance and insurance, Software publishers, Manufacturing and Self-employed workers.

Career Path:

Generally, a person after graduating from college starts as a junior developer and spends the next 2-3 years in the same position. After acquiring necessary skills and performing tasks in a most satisfactory manner and learning as a candidate goes around receives a promotion to become a lead software developer or senior developer, where is spending another 4-5 years. At this stage, the candidate executes more challenging and complex jobs and also monitors or guide junior developers. And after spending 15 -20 years in the field, the person can become vice-president or director of engineering, senior manager or so. At this stage, they lead a team of large size which builds solutions or products for an organization or industry as a whole.

Many engineers after acquiring sufficient knowledge of the field also start their own company and become an entrepreneur. Now-a-days there is great support for startups from both industry and government and because of this, we see new and innovative companies, products, and solutions in the market continuously growing.

Salary and Job Prospects:

There are vast number of jobs in the computer programming area starting from fresher’s job to all the way for mid-senior and senior level jobs. Because of the huge application of computers in almost all fields of work, the rapid growth in this field is only going to enhance further.

Usually, the starting salary for freshers from premier college is between 50-70 thousand per month. And for average college, it is between 30-40 thousand per month. With experience, the increments are also quite nice with an average of 7-12 lakhs for a 5-year experience person. And 12-20 lakhs for 8-10 years experienced person. These figures become even more lucrative, if the person has strong academic and professional portfolios in which case it can go up to 35 lakhs for 10 years experienced person. People in leadership roles like senior managers, usually earn in crores with options of shares and stocks in the company.

There are hundreds of great companies such as Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Twitter, SAP, etc. where there are never ending opportunities for the right candidates, So the career outlook of computer programmers is quite nice. These huge companies provide equal opportunities for everyone and provide a safe, convenient, positive work atmosphere that brings the best in any hard-working and sincere person.

This job profile can easily be termed as the job of the 21st century for the reason that it employs millions of people across the globe. Thus, forthcoming students and interested people who want to make a career in the Computer Programming field should definitely go for it without any hesitation.

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cyber security

 

We can rightfully say that today's generation lives on internet. We, the users are almost ignorant as how those random bits of one's and zero's provide rich security to the computer. It's work to make sure that your data info reaches you unzipped. With the help of this technology your data can be secured. Yeah, by now you have got an idea on what I'm saying "CYBERSECURITY".As the technologies evolve-cyber threats too!

Why do we need cybersecurity?

As we are living in the digital era we are constantly using the internet whether to book a cab or for ordering some dinner and generating data, which is stored on the cloud which is a data server that you can access online. Also, we can use an array of devices to access this data. Now for hackers its a golden age with so many access points, IP address, and constant traffic, and tons of data to make use of. These hackers are having a hell of time exploiting vulnerabilities and creating malicious software.

What actually Cybersecurity is?

Cybersecurity is the combination of processes, practices, and technologies that are designed to protect networks, computers, programs, data, and information from unauthorized access. The use of cybersecurity can help prevent cyber attacks, identity theft, and can aid in data management.

What qualifications and skills are needed for the job in Cybersecurity ?

In order to start a career in Cybersecurity, you need to start off with a background in "Information technology or other relevant field and an MBA degree" is preferred.

Skills needed to sustain in this field:

• Problem solving and technical aptitude
• Knowledge of security across various platforms
• Attention to detail
• Communication skills
• Fundamental computer and forensic skills
• Desire to learn
• Understanding of hacking
• Proficiency in languages/tools such as C++, Java, Node, Python, Ruby, Go, or Power Shell.

So, are these the only skills you all need in order to get into this field!! Absolutely not!

Some of the skills listed above are ones you should naturally have - for example, leaning for analytical thinking and technology - others are ones you will need to develop through formal training or education. As there are many job roles in cybersecurity a specific job role needs a specific global certification. These job roles are discussed in further posts with detailed information.

Some online resources you can learn from:

Cybrary-the only free cybersecurity courses and training platform. Provides a wide range of courses.

Udemy-few paid courses.

Go and have a look! You may find them interesting.

Here are some main job roles in Cybersecurity:

Chief Information Security Officer:  A senior-level executive officer in an organization responsible for the entire information security division/staff by providing strategic-level guidance. The position may include hands-on technical work.

Security Architect: Designs a security system or a major component of a security system and maintains system quality attributes like confidentiality and integrity.

Penetration Tester: Also, known as Ethical hackers, In an organization, these testers crack a computer and the purpose is to test its relative security rather than stealing. Simply, experts attempt to find and exploit vulnerabilities.

Security Engineer: Performs security monitoring, analysis and forensic analysis, to detect security incidents and to defend against hackers. Investigates and uses new technologies and to enhance security capabilities and implement improvements.

Security Analyst: Analyzes and assesses vulnerabilities in an organization or in a particular infrastructure it may be in software, hardware, or in networking. Analyzes and assess the threats to infrastructure. Provides security measures to protect the organization's computer networks and constantly monitors computer networks to avoid threats.

Cybersecurity threats are real - not all the people are victims of these cyber crimes, even they are still at risk. Now, you have got an idea of what actually cybersecurity is and its job roles. The brief explanation of each job role will be given in further posts. Till then, keep finding your best carrier.

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A beginner's guide to WEB DEVELOPMENT

 

Web development, which gets mostly interchanged with web design, may have commonalities, but it is not entirely the same. Web designing deals with the front-end of a website like the User-Interface and appearance. Web development, on the other side of the coin, deals entirely with developing the code for both front-end and back-end, bringing life to the design.

Web developers usually work on developing both the front-end and back-end, but some may work exclusively on one or can handle web designing too. Some of them work as freelancers while others with companies or IT departments.

In terms of the work associated with web development, it gets divided into the following major categories:

 

Front End Web Developers:

Front-end web developers code and build the user interface like the visible parts of a website you see. They use languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to code the UI. Front end development is sometimes also called as client-side scripting.

Skills needed:

HTML: It is a mark-up language which is the basis for providing the structure to any content on the web. HTML5 is the latest version. It defines the fundamentals of a page including the text, links, headings, images, and other elements. It is the basic knowledge one must learn to start with Web-Dev.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheet): A web developer uses CSS to style the HTML elements, control the layout, and change the appearance of HTML elements on the website. Using this, we can change the colors, font types, alignments, sizes, formats, etc.

We can use CSS frameworks like Bootstrap that help design responsive and mobile-friendly websites.

JavaScript: HTML can only give us static webpages. To add dynamic nature to our website, we need to use JS. It controls behaviors like dynamic loading and clicks, actions, etc.

JavaScript Libraries and Frameworks:

These are the magical weapons of Web Developers that give the dynamic nature to websites.

The JS libraries like jQuery provide pre-defined codes and functions that let us create interactive forms, animations, and event manipulations like mouse clicks, etc.

The JS frameworks like React.js or Vue.js give us as a set of libraries that we can use directly in our projects. They give us a structure along with a pre-written code. Developers with knowledge of these frameworks have high demand due to the functionality of these technologies.

Back End Web Developers:

The things that we don't see on the website are the ones that make a website run smoothly and quickly. Back end web developers are the ones who build these things. Server-side scripting, as the back-end is often called, is responsible for organizing and storing data needed and passed by the front-end.

So, whenever you see a user form on a website -

all the input fields, buttons, drop-downs fall under the front-end

and the responses given by you are sent to the server using the back-end.

 

Skills Needed:

Here are some of the go-to languages used for back end web development.

PHP: It is a server-side scripting language (full form: Hypertext Pre-processor). It manages all the information like sending a request to the server and fetching the responses and give them to HTML to be presented on the user interface. It has frameworks like CodeIgniter, Laravel, CakePHP that make the work easier and clean with their unique features.

Python: This OOP language is used for both front-end and back-end scripting. But it is more widely used in the server-side because of its object-oriented principles (OOP). It reduces the complexity thereby making it easy for a developer to work with. It is highly reusable and maintainable. It has frameworks like Django that takes care of the hassle in web development.

Ruby: It is also a programming language with an open-source. It is famous for its simple syntax and usage.

Like JS frameworks, Ruby has Ruby on Rails for web development, which gives a template to code the back end for web apps and websites.

You may also need to learn Database related technologies or languages to connect with databases.

 

Full Stack Web Developers:

These are the people who expertise in both the front-end and the back-end.

• They are skilled in front-end languages like HTML, CSS.
• JavaScript to connect both the front-end and the back-end.
• PHP or other languages for the process happening behind the scenes.
• SQL for communicating with databases or getting needed data based on request/response.

If you are looking for a better salary, you can add the MEAN stack to your skills.

MEAN stack is famous because of its reduced development cost-efficiency and flexibility.

It includes -

MongoDB (For databases)

Express.JS (Node.js framework for web apps)

Angular.JS (Dynamic web application framework)

Node.JS (JS runtime for dynamic content)

 

Now comes the real question – Where to start and how?

It is your interest to choose any of the above three categories. Even though you want to be a back-end developer, it is always recommended to start with HTML and CSS. These two will give you the knowledge of what forms the foundation of a website. And the best thing is, you will qualify to get paid if you're good at these two and you can finish learning them in a few weeks or months based on your pace.

After getting familiar with HTML and CSS, you can start learning JavaScript. This will open up an array of opportunities for you like these three forms the core of a front-end developer.

Once you nailed these and also gained knowledge and experimented with frameworks like Bootstrap for CSS or React JS for JS you will become well-versed in this field.

Then you will always have a choice to learn and explore for a flexible and better career. For instance, you can start learning PHP or Ruby on Rails and then SQL to be a back-end developer or a full-stack web developer.

 

Wondering if you need to have any prerequisites?

Most of the technical jobs IT world offers come with a set of prerequisites, but this one is our lucky charm. To begin with web development, you don’t need to be proficient in some skills. So, let’s clear that for you below.

First of all, to be a web developer you don't need any extraordinary Math skills or logical coding skills. Critical thinking and some clarity in understanding a design are more important than other skills here.

 

Oh! Did you just mention designing?

Yes, I did. You need to know a bit or two about it. But trust me, it is not mandatory. Web Developers are not the same as Web Designers. They are often interchangeable because developers usually have an eye for designing. But there are UI Designers who specifically design the entire website and sends you the design.

Based on the design, web developers code and give life to that design - Taking something that is just a design and transforming it into a real-world application. Having a piece of knowledge on design may increase your chance of getting hired or help you learn the fundamentals like:

Layout and Navigation - which tells how and where the content like images, audio, or video needs to be placed.

Colour & Font - This is also called Typography. It gives beauty to the layout with great text styles and impressive color combinations.

 

Okay! I am ready. Where to start learning then?

Here you are, on the first stage of learning web development and you are lucky because we have hundreds of websites providing high-class content to learn web development. There are various courses that teach you the basics in 8-12 weeks with a nominal fee. The downside is, if you are not committed to learning, you find it hard to learn online. Then you must enroll in any institutes that teach web development offline.

Some recommended courses:

 Web Development including HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL by Internshala Trainings. A self-paced 45 days crash course.

       The Web Developer Bootcamp – Udemy.

       Hongkong university courses on Coursera.

Some online resources where you can learn and practice:

W3Schools. The best place to learn and practice side by side. Very useful for every doubt you may get during learning.

Freecodecamp.org with thousands of articles and tutorials.

And the developer’s favorite – Stack Overflow and GitHub.

I learned all the basics. So, what’s next?

The best way to become a web developer is by putting into practice everything you learn.

You should work on mini-projects to understand the complexity and real-time issues that may arise.

Once you finish doing courses and gaining skills you can apply for internships or can start working as a free-lancer. But it is always recommended to do as many projects as you can while trying for paid opportunities. This changes your perspective and makes you industry-ready.

When you finally do all the projects, don't forget to publish them on sites like Stack Overflow, GitHub, and LinkedIn. Being an active member of the developer community will not only give you tremendous opportunities but also gives you suggestions and compliments.

If you are a freelancer, then your clients will know how dedicated you are.

If you are an employee, employers will know how professionally curios you are in improving.

Make yourself a digital portfolio and show off all the projects.

Now that you know what it takes to be a web developer- expand your skillset, start from one technology, and keep learning until you become what you are aiming to be.

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