Getting Into IT - First Steps

Prior to  starting to dive into Java, one of the biggest recommendations I can make is to choose an IDE to help you code. Selecting an IDE is an important part of learning Java because it simplifies coding, reduces errors, and helps beginners focus on understanding programming concepts rather than dealing with setup and syntax issues. I first started coding with VBA, which helped me recognize the importance of using an IDE, since Microsoft applications have built-in IDE(Visual Basic Editor). This significantly improved my coding experience by allowing me to quickly identify and fix errors as I wrote the code. A good starting point is to evaluate and compare different IDEs to find the one that best suits your needs and workflow. Understanding Object-Oriented Programming is also important because it helps organize code into clear, reusable structures, making programs easier to build, maintain, and scale as they grow in complexity. Object Oriented Programming is about writing code in ...

Section 1 This particular week I learned about the major functions of an operating system which can be broken down into several core areas that work together to manage system resources and support program execution:  Memory Management – This function determines how much memory to allocate to each process and keeps track of which parts of primary memory are currently in use. It assigns memory when a program requests it and releases it once the process has completed. Throughout the course, I’ve also learned how closely memory management is tied to the storage subsystem. For example, virtual memory often relies on secondary storage as a backing store, and many systems allow files to be mapped directly into a process’s virtual address space. Because of this, memory usage and file system operations must be carefully coordinated to ensure smooth performance and data consistency. Processor Management – This function allocates CPU time to processes as needed. It creates, schedules, and t...

 As someone who spends their days working with numbers, spreadsheets, and financial reports, I never thought I would develop such a deep interest in IT and programming languages. But the more I learned in this course, the easier the IT side of my career I understood. Especially when dealing with scripts for excel automation, and dealing with other systems to manage data flows. Programming languages are essential because they allow us to give computers clear instructions to perform specific tasks and produce the outcomes we need. In the early history of computing, programs were written using simple binary code just 1s and 0s which controlled hardware directly. One early example was software developed to calculate Bernoulli numbers, laying the groundwork for future advances. Since then, programming languages have evolved dramatically, supporting everything from business applications to complex algorithms used in modern AI systems. Programming languages at its core still relies on har...

In Week 3, we worked with ping and traceroute commands to get a better understanding of how information travels across the internet. I used the Guide to Ping and Traceroute Command sheet to guide me in this exercise see below for the results provided by Command Prompt. I tested Google US/Japan and Amazon US/Japan. Notably all 4 sources had 4 packets received/sent without any packet losses. Google US/Japan had avg. of 4 ms and 6 ms respectively. Amazon US/Japan had avg. of 10 ms and 67 ms respectively. For Google, the traceroute results were fairly consistent between both countries. However, on Amazon Japan, hops 10 and 15 showed significantly higher response times compared to the U.S. version. Additionally, there were several timeouts observed on the Amazon website. I conducted ping/traceroute tests to analyze how network performance varies when accessing websites hosted in different regions of the world. To maintain consistency and control, I focused on testing two websites: Google an...

 For week 4, we took a deep dive into cyber security crimes and explored the potential risks that come with using the internet. The internet has significantly improved our world by making it easier to access information, stay connected with friends and family, and work with organizations without needing to visit brick and mortar locations. While these advancements offer numerous benefits, they also introduce new risks. Cybercriminals can exploit our online presence to gain access to sensitive information such as passwords, personal documents, and financial data. One way they do this is through cyberattacks that used tactics like phishing/smishing, and social engineering. These methods rely on human error and the the natural tendency to trust, making them specially effective and dangerous. My family and I have been victims of both phishing and social engineering attacks. While the incidents were not severe, we have experienced firsthand how these types of cyberattacks can target eve...

In week 4, our discussion focused on how IT plays a role in our specific industry. For me, it’s a big part of my career right now, technology is everywhere and super important in what I do. As an corporate accountant, information technology is essential in my daily tasks. We rely on various software systems to manage financial data, perform calculations, generate reports, and even automate journal entries. Tools like Power BI, Power Automate, VBA scripts, SAS, and TM1 help streamline our work, making processes faster and more accurate. These systems enable us to analyze financial data, create real-time reports, reconcile, audit, and improve efficiency by automating repetitive tasks like invoice processing and data entry. In an environment so dependent on technology, being computer literate is crucial. Understanding how financial data flows through different systems and how they generate reports or journal entries helps accountants spot errors and troubleshoot issues when they arise...