Careers in Technology

Technology encompasses so many different fields. With this, there are many different career paths that someone studying information technology can choose from. One can choose to have a very broad career that overviews technology or can specialize into a specific field and focus on a very small or specific type of technology. Every since I was a little girl, technology has been the key to my heart. As I grew up the different career paths I wanted changed, but the one constant was that they were always somewhere in the technology field. So for this last blog post for my class, I will overview some of the different career paths in information technology.

Help Desk Technicians

Help Desk Technicians are a low paying entry level job in the technology field. This job doesn’t have high experience or education requirements, but they are vital in keeping technologies running. This job entails keeping technology current and updated. They provide technical support and troubleshoot problems with existing technology. There is some controversy that these jobs are dead end, but some IT organizations are using this position as training and offering certifications to advance from this position in the future (Hoffman, 2008).

It Security

IT and Network Security is an ever-growing field because of the escalating threats of cyber warfare and other security threats. People who specialize in IT Security have to be aware of all the different types of threats that effect technology and the ways to counter them. They must monitor against outside attack, protect against network breaches. Another major job they have is to keep others educated on how to protect data. This also happens to be one of the biggest growing jobs in the IT field because security is of the upmost importance to many businesses that store consumer data and important information (IT security top for jobs, 2018).

 Computer Hardware Engineer

Computer Hardware Engineers are responsible for creating new and improved hardware for computers. These are the people responsible for creating new processors, motherboards and all the computer peripherals we buy like computers, keyboards, and even routers and modems. They deal with all the intricate hardware parts that make technology work. This job requires a lot of education because computer hardware engineers must be up-to-date on new computer technologies, electronics, and engineering in order to succeed in this career field (Moncarz, 2000).

Software Engineer

Unlike Computer Hardware Engineers, Software Engineers design, develop, and upgrade the computer programs that we use every day. Some software engineers create applications for smartphones and tablets, while others create things like operating systems, and programs for computers. They must be creative. They don’t just sit around writing programs all day. Instead, they might spend days thinking about how to solve a problem before they even get to the point of having to create the program itself. This job requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills in order to be successful.

Data Scientists

Data scientists are another field of information technology. Their job requires them to look at mass amounts of data and make sense out of it. There is so much data out there but data itself means nothing if it doesn’t have context. The job of a Data Scientist is to look at data and create predictions that can help to make sense of that data. This career field is in high demand for the health and business fields. There is an ethical concern in this field, because data scientists have so much data at their fingerprints they need to be careful what they do with it (Barocas & Boyd, 2017). When looking at mass amounts of data it can be hard to see the implications of what that data can do in the hands of others.  This job is in such high demand because they use this data alongside math and statistics to find business insights that truly help or destroy a business. They can pinpoint problems before they are even on a company’s radar which makes them highly sought-after.

Conclusion:

Each of the above lists five paths in the Information Technology Career Field is computer different from the next. Some are entry level like the Help Desk Technician, while others like Data Scientists require an absurd amount of education. The one thing each has in common is that they all are within the same field. Each is a completely valid and needed path, but it opens up many different fields for people to choose from. Each career path uses different skill sets. While one career path might not be right for someone, that doesn't mean that one of the other paths won't be a perfect fit. The IT Career field allows so many different people of different backgrounds and skill sets to find an IT career path that will fit their unique set of skills. 

References: 

Barocas, S., & Boyd, D. (2017). Computing Ethics Engaging the Ethics of Data Science in Practice: Seeking more common ground between data scientists and their critics. Communications of the ACM, 60(11), 23–25. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1145/3144172

Hoffman, T. (2008). A help desk job: dead end or launching pad?(CAREERS). Computerworld, (20), 28. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edscpi&AN=edscpi.A179352338&site=eds-live&scope=site

IT security top for jobs. (2018). Cairns Post (Queensland, Australia). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgin&AN=edsgcl.522254240&site=eds-live&scope=site

Moncarz, R. (2000). Computer engineers. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 44(3), 28. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=3539137&site=eds-live&scope=site

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/

Network Security

         

            Computer security is something that everyone that uses technology needs to think about. It isn’t just a user’s specific computer that needs to be thought about either. In fact, sometimes the most harm can happen from a breach of an email or a social media account. Computers can be compromised by someone hacking a system, malware and viruses. These are perhaps the most common things people think of when thinking of computer security. However, there are other ways of breaching security such as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, phishing and the spam of emails.

            Denial of Service, or DoS attacks happens when there are huge numbers of requests simultaneously to one website which overloads the system and prevents actual people from being able to access a website or server (Vahid, f., & Lysecky, s., 2017). This type of attack can be carried out in a way similar to how we used pings and trace routes in our assignments last week. We were sending packets of information to communicate with a specific server. In a DoS attack, so many requests are made at the same time that it overloads the server and causes real people to not be able to access the website. Many times, these types of attacks are used as activism, sabotage, or cyberwarfare (Crelin, J., 2013). It can be used to cost companies money or to cause an inconvenience to corporations and users alike. 

            Two other types of security incidents are Email Spam and Phishing. These are similar because they both typically are related to email. Email Spam is typically unwanted mass-sent emails (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017). Anyone that has an email almost certainly has had to deal with spam emails. In fact, most email services have spam filters to attempt to catch spam before the user ever sees it. Spam is extremely popular because it costs the sender nothing but time. The problem is that many times spam is meant to look enticing to the receiver of the email. However, spam emails can contain malware, viruses, or scams that can really hurt the receiver of the email. Similarly, phishing is an internet scam that tries to get users to share information that could allow the sender to get access to things like bank accounts or website logins (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017). Emails will be sent to users that look like official correspondence from banks or websites, including logos. Sometimes they mimic actual sent emails. However, these emails will contain links to attempt to get users to input personal information like passwords, bank information, or other personal information like social security numbers (Hong, J., 2012). Then the sender has access to the user’s personal information and can use that info to steal money or even identities.

            There are many ways that security breaches can happen. Computer security is something that all users must be knowledgeable about. It’s just as important for corporations as regular users to be aware of the many types of ways their information can be breached. Security breaches cost billions of dollars every year. These attacks can happen to a simple email users all the way to DoS attacks on major corporations or even the government. Understanding the threats is essential to keeping your personal information safe and your computer running smoothly.

References:

Crelin, J. (2013). Denial-of-service attack. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=90558289&site=eds-live&scope=site

Hong, J. (2012). The State of Phishing Attacks. Communications of the ACM, 55(1), 74–81. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1145/2063176.2063197

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/

Computers in the Workplace

                Technology is used a multitude of ways across the span of industries. One industry that I find fascinating when it comes to the use of computers and technology is the grocery industry. I am currently working at a grocery store and information technology makes its way into my job every day. There are many ways that technology is used from pricing and inventory control, to cash registers and mobile apps. Most people think of grocery shopping as a mundane task, but people don’t tend to think about the ways that technology works their way into these very boring shopping trips.

              

  Like most stores, my store has a loyalty program that customers can sign up. However, unlike most grocery stores, all customers get the stores sales prices. Instead, our loyalty program is more rewards based. The program only works off of a phone app where members get exclusive coupons that work alongside sales prices to make items even cheaper. The app uses analytics to track each customers’ buying habits. It then pinpoints specific coupons that are custom to each specific shopper. This helps the store to pinpoint sales and products that their specific customers buy most often.

When customers shop at our store, they must scan their smartphones or enter their phone number into our computerized register system. This links their loyalty program to each transaction. On the mobile application, customers get specific rewards and coupons that are catered to their needs. However, for the register to take the offer of they must “clip” the reward making it active on their account. For instance, a customer might log into the app and have a few coupons for money off certain items like the ones you can cut out, as well as a $5.00 reward from the last shopping trip. They would then tell their app that those are the promotions they want to use. Simply by linking their program with each transaction by scanning their phone or typing in a phone number the computer system automatically takes those offers they had clipped off their next shopping trip.

Grocery technology is also expanding in other ways. Some stores have grocery pick-up where customers can shop at home on their computers and then pick up their items at the store. My store has an app where customers can shop at home on their cell phones, and we have shoppers that fill their order and actually deliver right to their homes. These types of technology are ever expanding and making the lives of customers easier by allowing them to shop for grocery items without ever even visiting the store.

Technology is what makes all of these things possible. There is a lot of programming and thought that goes into making these applications to make the lives of customers easier. As technology evolves it makes it much easier for the stores to create programs like the ones mentioned in this blog.  It is very important for employees to be computer literate because we have to understand how the applications and programs work in order to help the customers that shop at our store. Not only must we be able to help the customer, but we also need to understand when things aren’t working correctly. For instance, if a customer shows me that they have a promotion that isn’t automatically working, I have to be literate enough with technology to be able to figure out why and figure out how to solve the problem for the customer. Sometimes technology breaks, but the customer still needs to get the appropriate coupons and rewards to keep them happy and returning. If a customer shops online through our application and purchases items that we don’t have in store, we have to be able to know how to refund these items and make it right for the customer. Being able to troubleshoot the applications as well as the stores computerized registers is essential to keeping consumers happy and returning. It is essential to understand the new technology because it is what is expect by the customer, and it also makes our day run more smoothly.

Traveling Through a Network

Computers all around the world are connected to each other through the internet. These computers send packets of information over the internet to communicate with each other (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017). These packets follow a path that begins with the origin computer and then follows a path through the router and modem, to the ISP and along different routers to the final IP address (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017). As users, we can use the ping and traceroute commands to see how long it takes to get to the final destination and to follow the route that the packets are taking to get to the final destination. These commands can also be used to troubleshoot problems when we believe that the internet isn’t working correctly.

The three destinations I have chosen to use for this week’s assignment are google.com, ynet.co.il, and Rakuten.co.jp.

Google.com 

As you can see from the screenshot provided, the ping sent four packets and received four packets. Meaning that there were 0 packets lost. The average ping time results were 42ms, with a maximum of 44ms and a minimum of 41ms. 

The above screenshot is of the traceroute I did for google.com. This traceroute took 18 hops to reach the destination 172.217.15.110 which is the IP address for google.com. The time it took to hop between each destination varied from 13ms to 51 ms. It also timed out one time. 

Ynet.co.il

The second site I used was ynet.co.il. This is an Israeli news website. The ping sent four packets, received four packets and had 0 lost packets. It averaged 75ms. 

The traceroute for ynet.co.il was 16 hops. It averaged between 10ms and 138ms to reach its destination of 23.43.167.201 which surprised me. I didn't know that this news site was hosted here in the United States despite being an Israeli newspaper. 

Rakuten.co.jp

This screenshot shows the ping for Rakuten.co.jp which is a Japanese shopping site. This also sent four packets, received four packets and lost 0 packets. It averaged 153ms, which is the longest of the three websites that I pinged. 

My final screenshot is the traceroute for rakuten.co.jp. It took 18 hops to reach its destination IP address. The request timed out one time. It averaged between 13ms and 178ms. By far it took the longest time to run the traceroute on this website. 

After running the ping and traceroute on these three websites I have come to the conclusion that it takes longer to complete depending on how far away the destination site is hosted. I came to this conclusion because the site in Japan took the longest. While I thought that the Israeli site would come in second, it actually came in the quickest because their site was actually hosted the closest to where I live. I found that to be quite interesting. 

Ping and traceroutes can be extremely helpful to diagnose network errors. Using these tools one is able to find out where packets of data are being lost. It can help to determine whether a problem is occurring at the origin, destination, or somewhere in between. The traceroute can help to determine if there is a problem somewhere in the middle or of in there is congestion somewhere along a route. Errors can determine whether there is data loss or if hardware like the router or modem is not functioning correctly. 

References:

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/

Documenting a Day

In week two of my Fundamentals of Information Technology and Literacy course we had to use multiple Microsoft Office applications to document our day. I had to create a journal about my day in Microsoft Word, an excel spreadsheet that showed the percentage of time I spend doing things throughout the day, a PowerPoint presentation about my day, and an access application that showed the priorities of what I do throughout the day.  Some of these software applications where harder for me than others. This blog post will be an overview of my thoughts and experiences using these applications for this assignment. 

I found the Microsoft Word portion of this weeks assignment by far the easiest part to complete. I think this is because I use the Word application on a daily basis. Word is the perfect application for typing letters and papers as well as things like flyers. I believe that this was the most appropriate application for documenting the journal about my day. This application is also perfect for writing school papers which is what I use it for most often.

I found the excel portion to be rather easy to complete as well. Excel documents are fantastic for creating spreadsheets for all sorts of different topics. It is rather easy to use and you can sort the different cells, as well as add formulas to the cells. This allows you to change information in one cell, without having to then change the entire spreadsheet. For instance, in our assignment we documented different tasks that we spend time on throughout a 24 hour day. Then, we used the time spent to create the percentage of time we spent on each task. In excel, you can easily change the time spent, and the percentage will automatically change with the new information. If we had created a table in word instead, the person inputting the information would have to do the math every time. Because excel was used, those changes change the cells because formulas were inputted.

PowerPoint was another area where I didn’t have any trouble. I’ve made numerous PowerPoint presentations throughout my life. I don’t think that this application really made sense with creating a presentation about what happened throughout my day. I mostly added pictures because I didn’t have much to actually present. I felt like using this application for this assignment didn’t really make much sense. PowerPoint is the perfect application for creating presentations to share information or pictures. There are many different ways this application can be used. At my job, we have monthly presentations that are made in PowerPoint that share new polices, or the performance numbers we have achieved. I think uses like this are much more appropriate than sharing information about my day.

The last application that we used this week was Access. Access is a database application. This was the very first time I have ever used this application, and I really didn’t understand it. While I do understand using databases for things like inventory management, or saving shipping and information on customers, I didn’t understand the point of this particular assignment as it relates to Access. We really just changed how information was sorted and to show different priorities, but this assignment didn’t really help me with understanding the actual application itself. I’m not sure if I did this portion incorrectly, but it is certainly the application that I need the most help with.

By far Access was the application that I struggled with the most. I think over my years of using Microsoft's Office products, Access was the one I really didn't have any experience with. All of the rest of the applications I have used for a multitude of different projects over the years. Each application has its own specific uses from creating spreadsheets to major presentations. I don't believe that any one of these applications can be compared to each other and work together as a set perfectly. 

Web/Mobile App Critic: PlayStation Vue

One thing that has become very popular in recent years is streaming. So, for my Web/Mobile App Critique I chose to write about the streaming app that I use daily: PlayStation Vue. PlayStation Vue is an internet streaming television service run by Sony. Because of the high cost of cable, my family uses this service as our main form of watching cable television. One of the amazing things about this service is that contrary to what its name implies, you don’t have to have a PlayStation to use this service.

Some of the things that sets this app apart from regular cable television is that this app works on a multitude of devices. I can watch television on this app on my phone, PlayStation, tablet, Amazon Fire stick, and even our television itself. This makes the app very versatile. Another huge thing that sets it apart from cable television is that you can take it with you no matter where you go. For instance, we recently went on vacation out of state and were able to watch our PlayStation Vue in the hotel, at the pool, and even at families houses. While local networks can change when it notices you are in a new zipcode, the rest of your cable channels stay put which means you don't have to worry about missing your favorite games or shows. You just open the app anywhere you are and watch whatever you want! 

Play Station Vue Homepage

The screenshot to the right is of the home page when I open up the PlayStation Vue app on my phone. As you can see, the app has a suggestion that I should watch a life NFL and NCAA football game. These types of suggestions pop up with recommendations based on your viewing history. Above that there is an advertisement for a show. There are then simple options like changing settings, accessing my DVR library, and looking at the guide. 

PlayStation Vue Guide

The guide is extremely access to use. You can scroll both through the different channels, and throughout the different time windows available. Going backwards allows you to replay shows that are on demand and scrolling down will show what is coming on later. This works similarly to a cable guide and is self explanatory and easy to use. 

There are a few improvements that I think that PlayStation Vue could make to improve its app. The first is that their DVR service doesn’t always work well. Sometimes the recordings of shows don’t always work or won’t open up on the app. This usually fixes itself after a day or two, but I wish it was more streamlined. Having a DVR that works is extremely important and I don't think it would take much work to improve it since they already have a basis to work off of. 

Another feature that I believe Playstation Vue could really improve upon is their search function. It can sometimes be extremely difficult to find an upcoming television show. Currently, when searching you have to scroll through the days and hours until you find what you are looking for. I think that adding a functioning search option would create a more user-friendly experience. 

The last improvement I wish for is a better mode for when you don't have access to the internet. Streaming is extremely data heavy and I wish that there was an option to save shows from your DVR list to be watched when not on data. From my initial discussion post in class, this was a rather controversial suggestion. The reason that I wish for this option is that I travel a lot. I wish that I could save shows from my DVR temporarily so that I could watch them while on a long car ride or flying on an airplane. Other services have options where you can save music or even movies for usage when wifi is not available. I think that having this type of option would be extremely helpful.

Overall, I would say that PlayStation Vue is an incredibly easy and functional app to use. It is cheaper than cable, allows you to have sports or movie packages like cable has, and works fairly well. The app works well and other than the search feature is very user-friendly. In fact, my mother-in-law, who can’t figure out her cell phone is capable of navigating the app easily. I feel that for this reason PlayStation Vue is an app that is well worth it. I won’t be getting rid of it anytime soon.

Programming Languages

In week one of my Fundamentals of Information Technology and Literacy class I was tasked with making my very own program in Scratch. Scratch is a free visual based programming langue that is primarily used to teach children the basics of programming. In fact, this assignment was not my first foray into using the program Scratch. I had previously used Scratch to teach young elementary aged students the basics of programming when I was teaching overseas.

For my program for this class, I decided to create a basic game of pong. At first, I tried to create my own backgrounds and sprites, but I eventually concluded that I am not competent at making my own graphics. Instead, I changed it to just use the sprites and backdrops that come included with Scratch. Creating my own Sprites and backgrounds was probably the hardest difficulty that I had in creating this program. I have come to the conclusion that I just am not artistically inclined enough to create graphics. Other than that, I found scratch to be incredibly easy to learn and use. The only thing that I can see wrong with my project is that occasionally, the sound doesn't happen when it hits the edge of the frame. I'm not entirely sure why it works sometimes, but not consistently.

There are many different programming languages that exist. Some of the more popular options are Java, C++, and Python. Each language has different syntaxes and is best used for different purposes. Each language has its very own language that it follows that must be learned to utilize it. I really enjoyed being able to use Scratch this week because I didn’t have to worry about the different syntaxes of the language. I was able to use the blocks that were already created for me to “write my program”. When working with other languages, such as Python, I have to be much more diligent with my typing to ensure that a typo doesn’t ruin my programs. In this aspect, I find programs similar to Scratch to be the easiest to use. 

I think that high-level programming languages are the most practical because they can be used to create so many different things versus Scratch which is used to create little games or movies. However, I think that programs like Scratch are much easier to learn because the syntax is written already for you. For most higher-level languages, one has to really train themselves in the different syntax of the language they are attempting to use. This can take a lot of time and is something that I struggled with when it came to the different participation activities included in our textbook.

References:
Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/