The COVID economy has thousands of Americans reconsidering their career paths – with so many jobs dissolving due to various reasons (i.e., automation, a decrease in full-time creative positions), it’s no wonder why scores of professionals are seeking to reskill ASAP.

If this sounds like you, look no further; have you ever considered the lucrative career of computer programming?

Programmers on average make a salary of $89,590 a year. And better yet, coding jobs might never become obsolete. The trick is to know exactly what you want to do – different coding languages best serve specific purposes. So, which one should you learn first?

Top ten languages for new developers:

1. Python – Learn Python if you’re interested in data analysis, machine learning, scripting, web development and Internet of Things (it’s the future!). Python is also the easiest language to learn, so give it a go!
2. JavaScript – JavaScript is for you if you want a career in making websites interactive.
3. The Go Programming Language – You can learn to build simple, reliable, and efficient software.
4. Java – Want to work on computer programs, games, apps and web applications? What about Internet of Things and robots? Learn Java to tap into these fields. Keep in mind, Java is considered difficult for novice programmers.
5. C# – C# is great for websites, web applications, games, and apps – especially Windows apps. It’s also perfect for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
6. PHP – Want to get your hands dirty doing back-end website programming? PHP is the language for you.
7. C++ – For programming apps, games and web browsers, C++ is the language you’ll need to learn. Though it’s notoriously tough to grasp, knowing this language could be the competitive edge you need to set you apart from the pool of programmers.
8. C – C will prepare you for operating systems, compilers and databases.
9. R – The world is always in need of those who conduct data and statistical analyses – check out R to dive in.
10. Swift – For apps and software for Apple devices, check out Swift.

My advice? Figure out exactly it is you want to do in your new career as a programmer. Set your goal. Then, after you’re sure what direction you want to go in, see which programming language best suits your needs.

Get proficient at one language to start and become top-notch at it. Then, you can expand your rolodex to include multiple languages and grow your abilities as a programmer.

Good luck!

Since it was first introduced in 1989, the internet has come a long way, both in good and bad ways. With several communication tools available online, connecting with friends and family on the other side of the world hasn’t been this easy. However, it has taken away something, too — the control over our data.

Our information is everywhere. Once it’s out there, there is very little, if anything, we can do to control how it’s being used or who’s using it. But, the father of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee, wants to reinvent how users take back control of their data.

“We’re on a mission to change the way the web works and the way to basically make the web a better place for all of us,” said Berners-Lee on The Telegraph Live.

In an attempt to “fix the web”, Berners-Lee launched a privacy-focused startup, Inrupt. Using the company’s data storage technology called Solid, the tech company changes how data is stored to give you more control.

“Solid is the new way to connect to people and data. It’s an open-source web-based protocol that re-architects the way data is stored and shared,” said Berners-Lee.

With Solid, you put your personal data together into a personal online data store called a “pod”. Any kind of information can be stored in a pod such as websites visited, travel plans, health records, or credit card purchases.

The pod can be hosted on any Pod Provider, or you can host it yourself. Pods hosted on a Solid Server are fully compartmentalized from other Pods. Each one has its own set of data and access rules, and you decide who to share your data with using Solid’s authentication and authorization systems. And, you can also remove access to anyone at any time.

Inrupt was introduced back in November 2020, and the Solid technology is already being used by some large companies like the BBC and the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain.

The company’s business model is based on charging licensing fees for its commercial software, which uses Solid open-source technology. According to The New York Times, Inrupt has raised about $20 million in venture funding.

Getting data back into a user’s hands is very good. But, is it something that will quickly be adopted by everyone, including the tech giants?

Well, users will finally gain control of how they share their data. According to Berners-Lee, Solid will provide a “generic back-end store that works with all apps without modification.” This means developers don’t have to worry about creating back-ends for different apps.

And companies, what will they get out of it? According to Inrupt CEO & Co-founder John Bruce, over the years, he found that a lot of companies were “spending a great deal of time and money collecting and protecting user data.” So, “by moving the point of control of data from the organization to the user everybody wants.” (i.e. money is saved)

“This is just the beginning of how we turn the red web right side up, restore some of its original values, like how we empower everyone to participate in and benefit from a web that serves us all,” said the internet inventor. “The future of the web is a lot bigger than its past.”

In the time of video calls, video gatherings, and video everything, at one point or another, we will eventually need to share our screen and/or record video. When it’s time to present, there is one thing we don’t want to display to others — sensitive information.

While we can all take a good deal of precautions to make sure we don’t overshare, there is no guarantee we won’t miss something. After all, we’re human. The good thing about these modern times is that there is always someone trying to think of how to make our first world video problems go away.

Sanskar Tiwari, a software developer and educator at YouTube, found it time-consuming having to edit videos to blur over things such as API keys, account emails, passwords, etc. Plus, having to wait for videos to render made the process even longer.

To solve his problem, he created a new web extension named Blurweb. According to the website, the extension helps “people doing live screen sharing or recording video to make sure their sensitive information is secure.”

The extension does this by giving you the option to blur out things like inputs, links, email addresses, and images.

So, how does it work?

1. Once you have the extension, you can go on any webpage and turn it on by clicking on the extension icon.
2. When the extension is on, a tab with a Turn Off/On, Clear All, and Close option tab pops up.
3. With the extension on, you can select any element on the page, and the tool will automatically blur it out.
4. Once the sensitive information you want saved is blurred, you can record or share your screen without having to worry that you’re accidently displaying that information.

If you want to remove the “blur” from your elements, you can select “Clear All” and everything will go back to normal. You can also quickly toggle the tool on and off and close it once you’re finished.

Since Blurweb.app runs as an extension on the web browser, it can work on any website and even works offline. If you’d like to check it out, you preview it on their website here.