United Kingdom

Data Engineering

Games Industry Skills Bootcamp

Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate

iOS/Swift Development course

Laura Garcia

Data Engineer

Communication

Problem-solving

Empathy

Customer service

Advanced data analytics

Data visualisation

Database management

Pandas

Python

Blender

Canva

Databricks

Figma

Google Data Studio

Adobe Creative Suite

Axure

Trello

Unreal Engine

Collaboration

Time management

Team player

Organisation skills

Presentation skills

Conflict resolution

Leadership

Critical-thinking

Project management

Public Speaking

Analytical skills

Content pipeline

Data mining

Design systems

Game programming

Video editing

Introduce yourself, define mentoring expectations and goals. Learn and grow together.

General mentorship

Making remote and globally distributed teams work for you and your needs.

Working remotely

Learn essential burnout prevention techniques and replenish physical and emotional energy.

Managing burnout

Talk to people who have learned to manage their imposter syndrome.

Dealing with imposter syndrome

Navigating micro-aggression, getting paid what you are worth and finding a community.

Being a woman in tech

Understanding factors that lead to a motivated team - recognition, communication and more.

Keeping team members motivated

Understand the process of training, motivating and directing your team members.

Managing people

Steps to building and maintaining a strong, cohesive and effective team.

Building an effective team

How to determine what is a good balance of skill sets for your organization's needs

Building balanced teams

How to identify star candidates, evaluate technical ability, and close hires

Hiring software engineers

Tips for transitioning into a new role or company.

Changing roles

How to ask for a promotion and negotiate for salary raise?

Negotiating a job offer

How to think about design career paths and what progression looks like for designers?

Design career path

Learn the career path and progression for product managers.

Product management career path

Get actionable feedback on your resume or portfolio.

Resume and portfolio review

Practice HR, technical and behavioural interviews with mentors.

Practice mock interviews

Talk to people who've broken into the tech industry and learn their stories.

Breaking into tech

Learn the best ways to answer technical interview questions with frameworks

Acing technical interview questions

I'm taking the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate program to pursue a career in cybersecurity. Here are some key takeaways from this program:

- The 6-month program teaches me important skills in cybersecurity practices, risk identification, and data protection.
- I'm learning how to identify common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities, as well as techniques to mitigate them.
- I'm learning how to protect networks, devices, people, and data from unauthorized access and cyberattacks using Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools.
- The program provides hands-on experience with Python, Linux, and SQL, which are important skills in the field of cybersecurity.

The course covered several topics, including Project Management, Access Control, Data Communications, Network Management, and Network Threats and Vulnerabilities.

One of the highlights of the course was the Project Management unit, which focused on understanding project management concepts and the various processes and tools used by organisations to manage IT projects. I also learned about project management methodologies and used project management software to plan an IT project, track progress, and review outcomes to determine project success.

The Access Control unit covered the purpose and methods of controlling access to systems. I learned about the concepts of identity, authentication, and authorisation, and how they are used to manage access control in organisations.

The Data Communications unit provided me with a comprehensive understanding of data communication, transmission methods, and protocols that enable connectivity and transmission of data. I also gained practical experience by connecting communication devices between users.

The Network Management unit helped me gain an understanding of network management functions and the tools and technologies required to manage networks. I learned how to interrogate a network to identify network assets and configure and carry out routine network management activities.

The Network Threats and Vulnerabilities unit was particularly fascinating, where I learned about the types and sources of network attacks and developed skills and understanding needed to plan and protect a network. I also learned how to configure devices and software to improve network security.

In conclusion, the Level 3 Certificate in Networking and Cybersecurity has equipped me with the skills and knowledge to perform my job with confidence. The course was informative, practical, and engaging, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their networking and cybersecurity skills.

I am thrilled to have completed the Level 2 Diploma in Digital and IT Skills. This comprehensive course covered a wide range of topics including Digital Graphics, Games Design and Development, Interactive Media, and Website Design. I also had the opportunity to learn about optional units such as Digital Marketing, Cybersecurity, and IT Support. 

I gained hands-on experience with various software tools such as Photo Editing Software, Desktop Publishing Software, and Spreadsheet Software. In addition, I learned about Computer-Aided Design, Database Software, and Data Management and Analytics. 

One of the highlights of this course was the chance to explore new and emerging digital technologies, which will help me stay up-to-date in this constantly evolving field. Overall, I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to enhance their digital skills and knowledge

Skills gained:

Digital Graphics, Digital Skills Project, Games Design and Development, Games Engines, Interactive Media, Photo Editing Software, Website Design, Optional Units: Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Optional Units: IT and Network Support, Cybersecurity, Networking, Network Management, IT Support, Optional Units: Machining and, Manufacturing Technology, Computer-Aided Design, Optional Units: Productivity, Computerised Accounting Software, Database Software, Data Management and Analytics, Desktop Publishing Software, Presentation Software, Project Management Software, Spreadsheet Software, Using Digital Technologies, Word Processing Software, Optional, Units: Software and Programming, Exploring New and Emerging Digital Technologies, Programming, Mobile App Development.

- Create ETL / ELT solutions according to specifications
- Manage and develop the Data Warehouse environment
- Managing software such as Talend and Snowflake
- Develop and maintaining Data quality checks and processes
- Development of well-structured modular systems which utilise efficient code that follows our
in-house coding standards
- Effective and meaningful documentation of systems to ensure ease of support and
modification in the future.
- Systems that meet agreed functional and technical requirements and which provide
excellent usability and reliability from a user perspective.
- Provision of timely and effective support to existing systems and solutions.
- Ongoing personal development to ensure that the latest development tools and techniques
can be utilized where appropriate
- Excellent collaboration with colleagues and internal customers, to ensure that development
sprint targets are met and customer expectations are met.

Skills: Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) · Project Management · Agile Methodologies · Data Modeling · Data Governance · Data Warehousing · Quality Assurance · Snowflake · Talend · Amazon Web Services (AWS) · Microsoft Power BI · Java · SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) · SQL

-Support on Billigence projects/ clients 
-Find solutions, analyze external and internal datasets, delivery of the projects, business analysis and communication with the client in requirement definition
-Providing architecture guidance for solitions and platform upgrade in the projects 
-Develop and maintaining Data quality checks and processes 
-Data analysing, blending, reporting, visualizing, governing, etc. 
-Working/learning BI tools (such as Tableau, Alteryx, etc.)
-Cooperation during realization with Billigence and client teams 
-Searching for innovative solutions for Billigence clients and also internal projects 
-Initiative and hands on approach 
-Identification other/ future business opportunities
-Other ad hoc tasks related to building an innovative and agile BI company

I secured a place in the highly competitive Data Engineer programme, an intense 12-week training programme in which I studied programming concepts in Python and SQL, Unix, AWS, and a variety of data engineering concepts, such as ETL, data normalisation, data cleansing and data warehousing.

I created a mini-project which was a CLI application built in Python. It was based around an application needed for a pop-up cafe so they could create orders for customers. It stored data in a MySQL database and allowed the user to perform CRUD operations on their data. In addition to this, I completed  a 5 week group project which required us to build an ETL pipeline using AWS to leverage the application on the cloud and make use of the latest technologies. The idea was to help a fake national cafe chain understand their data better by performing ETL on their store transaction data, providing them with visualisations and metrics

Example tools:
Python, Python libraries (Pandas) Py Tests
SQL, NoSQL, MySQL
Apache Spark
Cloud data tools: Google Big Query, Redshift
Data Lakes
Git Hub
PowerBI, Tableau
Snowflake
Apache Airflow

Currently undertaking all 4 certifications, that is, Front-End, Data Visualization, Backend and Full-Stack development certifications from Freecodecamp.

I've been freelancing as a UX/UI designer for V Generation start up since beginning of April. Their new app will be coming to the market in late 2019.

Supporting the Creative Director in web and mobile product creation. Supplying design assets for digital and print projects.

Creating mood boards, user personas and helping with user experience researches.

Collaborating on brainstorming sessions. Working on pitch presentations.

Managed and reported on the compliance of candidates assigned through the company to meet the highest standards of care and customer service 
Identified areas of non-conformity whilst providing support and advice for consultants on missing 
Ability to accurately record and capture information and created new client folders with all the relevant documents.

Laura Garcia🇬🇧

About Laura Garcia

Expertise

What mentees say