technology and data sciences

Tag: technology and data sciences

Woz U Highlight

Want to get a head start on your technology career? Interested in working with industry professionals and learning the ins and outs of tech and data science careers?

Woz U is a company devoted to providing technical education, offering courses in software development, cyber security, and data science!

Woz U emphasizes one-on-one mentorship with experts who will not only help provide hands-on courses in technology and data curricula, but also help you figure out what career in technology is right for you. Created by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Woz U partners with accredited institutions to educate the next generation of high-tech employees.

Engage with industry-relevant curriculum and project-based learning to dive into the world of technology and data development. From software development to cyber security training to big data and data analysis, each line of curriculum is designed to take students approximately 8 months, and is entirely virtual.

Learn more about Woz U from their website!

Gap Year Opportunities in Technology and Data Sciences

With graduation just around the corner for many of our seniors, it’s never too late to start thinking about next steps. Whether post-secondary education is on your radar for Fall 2021 or not, here are some program ideas that can help tide you over between graduation and your next great adventure. Or maybe you’re taking some time off during your time at LU and want to look at learning options. Read on for some ideas!

Gap Year Academy
Gap Year Academy matches students with mentors to help guide them through their interests in a variety of fields. All courses are online, although mentor-student relationship is emphasized over textbook and busywork learning. The Gap Year Academy has programs in software development, cyber security, data analysis, and more!
Learn more from their website here!

Harvard Extension School
The Harvard Extension School has various programs, two of which are exciting options for the #TD community! The Academic Gap Year program offers a variety of study paths, both for credit and noncredit, including one for math and computer science. This program is built for those who wish to take online classes during the typical academic year, perhaps during a break from your regular coursework at LU. Another option for those looking to continue their computer science education after graduation is the graduate-level programming certificate!
Interested in the Academic Gap Year program?
Click here for info about the programming certificate!

Coding Dojo
Coding Dojo offers an online, 14-week coding boot camp for burgeoning software developers. In addition to the 3-stack program where students work with industry professionals as instructional staff, students are additionally supported by integrated career services experience. Coding Dojo hosts 1:1 calls to answer potential admissions questions, as well as Open Houses where interested parties can meet the team and get a full breakdown of the boot camp!
Check out Coding Dojo here!

Hackathons

You may have heard the term tossed around a few times, but do you know what a hackathon is? What are some of the pros and cons of hackathon? These are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about registering for a hackathon!

What is a hackathon?
An event focused on collaboratively creating software, usually in effort to solve one or a variety of problems utilizing computer programming. Hackathons tend to have a specific focus (be it programming language, OS, or any other number of specifications), and usually involve team competition and collaboration. They typically last for a weekend and occur year round!

What are some pros of participating in a Hackathon?
Networking. One nice thing about attending a hackathon is you can be sure that you share something in common with everyone else there — a love for computer programming. In addition to the rigorous hackathon event itself, there’s often opportunities to get to know other programmers and spend leisure time together.
Camaraderie. In line with just making connections, the intensive nature of a hackathon will foster community between attending members. Either for the weekend or for years to follow, you will find a community at a hackathon.
Creation. The focus of the hackathon, of course, is on problem solving and software development. So at the end of the weekend, no matter what the problem was, you’ll have created something incredible — be it an original application or altering the purpose of an appliance. Over the course of the hackathon, you might work with people from vastly different programming backgrounds than yours and on projects that are vastly different than ones you’re familiar with. Hackathons provide opportunity to branch out and test some less-used programming muscles.

What are some cons of participating in a Hackathon?
Tiring. As can be expected from spending a weekend developing new code and software, hackathons can take a toll on your sleep habits.
Frustrating. As with any high-pressure, low-time event, there are bound to be frustrations along the road. From bad or unusable code, to bugs that simply cannot be fixed in the time constraint, unfortunate things can happen unexpectedly. Like any competition, the prospect of spending hours and hours working on something, only to come up short in the end should be considered.
Loss of focus and drive. Burnout is real, and it’s unfortunately not uncommon at hackathons. Between sleep loss, frustration buildup, or simply brain fatigue and procrastination (which occur at hackathons just like they occur before your big paper is due!), it can be difficult to focus on completing hacking tasks.