Decoding Tech: A Jargon Cheat Sheet
How to Speak Tech
Breaking into the tech industry is no small task. Even the language that everyone throws around to describe their positions can seem completely foreign to a newbie, and that's ok! The first step to being good at something is not knowing anything about it. We've helped you out with this little tech cheat sheet: a helpful list of definitions about our position categories and competencies.
(These are intended as general guidelines and as useful information, not as hard rules.)
Positions
Web - Front End
Description: Someone who builds the look and feel of a web application. This includes laying out elements on a page and creating functionality for users to interact with the page. Important core skills include Javascript, HTML and CSS. Design and user experience play a part in front-end development.
Related Competencies and Skills: JavaScript, Unit Testing, HTML, Angular, CSS, Flex, jQuery, React, Elm, Backbone.js, Knockout.js, Ember.js, Sails.js, SASS, LESS, CoffeeScript, Bootstrap, RxJS, TypeScript, D3, Marionette Js, Grunt, ExtJS
Web - Back End
Description: Someone who works on the server side of a web application. This requires competency in at least one server-side language (e.g. Node, PHP, Ruby, Python, C#) and working knowledge of databases.
Related Competencies and Skills: JavaScript, .Net, PHP, Java, Ruby, Python, Database, Unit Testing, C#, Java, HTML, Ruby On Rails, SQL, NoSQL, NodeJS, CakePHP, Google Web Toolkit, Spring, Groovy, CSS, Grails, Vaadin, ASP, Hibernate, JavaFX, SpringMVC, Django, Symfony PHP, Laravel, Sinatra, Express, Bootstrap, TypeScript, Zend, Magento, LAMP, Yii, JSP, Google Go, Wordpress, Razor, Cold Fusion, Maven, Java Server Faces (JSF), Struts, Flask, Python 2, Python 3
Web - Full Stack
Description: Someone who can build the entire web application (front and back end) and everything in between.
Related Competencies and Skills: Unit Testing, HTML, Angular, CSS, Flex, jQuery, React, Elm, Backbone.js, Knockout.js, Ember.js, Sails.js, SASS, LESS, CoffeeScript, RxJS, TypeScript, D3, Marionette Js, Grunt, ExtJS, JavaScript, .Net, PHP, Java, Ruby, Database, C#, SQL, NoSQL, NodeJS, CakePHP, Google Web Toolkit, Spring, Groovy, Grails, Vaadin, ASP, Hibernate, JavaFX, SpringMVC, Django, Symfony PHP, Laravel, Sinatra, Express, Bootstrap, Zend, Magento, LAMP, Yii, JSP, Google Go, Wordpress, Razor, Cold Fusion, Maven, Java Server Faces (JSF), Struts, Flask, Python
Mobile Developer
Description: Someone who builds native mobile applications - applications originally intended to be used/viewed on a smartphone - for iOS or Android.
Related Competencies and Skills: Android, iOS, Unit Testing, Object Oriented Design, Java, Objective C, Swift
Software / Enterprise Developer
Description: A catch-all for software development outside of Web and Mobile. Generally, these are jobs at larger companies. Common languages include Java and C#/.Net, but many other languages could be used.
Related Competencies and Skills: .Net, Java, Python, Database, Unit Testing, Object Oriented Design, C, C#, Visual Basic, Windows Mobile, Perl, R, Scala, Haskell, F#, Scheme, SQL, NoSQL, Microsoft Access, Cobol, Ada, Erlang, Spring, Groovy, Lua, Pascal, Flex, Lisp, ASP, Adobe Flash, Hibernate, JavaFX, Django, Prolog, Elm, C++, Google Go, Razor, Maven, Flask, Python 2, Python 3, Pandas, Swing, J2EE, FORTRAN, Apex
Data Scientist / Business Intelligence
Description: Someone who analyzes data using various statistical techniques and tools and effectively shares their findings. Common tools for date science include R and Python.
Related Competencies and Skills: Python, Database, Statistical Analysis, R, SQL, NoSQL, Hadoop, Microsoft Excel, Mathematica, Python 2, Python 3, Pandas, SPSS
Project Manager / Analyst
Description: Someone who plans and manages execution of a software project. This is a non-technical role, but having a technical background helps understand the project holistically.
Related Competencies and Skills: Application Development, Agile, Project Management, User Experience Design, Microsoft Excel
Quality Assurance Analyst
Description: Someone who tests a software project. This is a non-technical role, but having a technical background probably helps.
Related Competencies and Skills: Agile, Behavior Driven Development (BDD)
System Admin / DB Admin / Network Support
Description: Someone who manages the technical infrastructure of a software project. This work ensures that all systems function properly. This may be configuring servers, administering databases or building tools that enable other software developers to do their job.
Related Competencies and Skills: Agile, Version Control, C, Perl, SQL, Data Archival and Backup, Shell Scripting, MongoDB, Linux, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, MySQL, Postgres, SQL Server, ETL
Technical Assistant / User Support
Description: AKA help desk. Non-technical. Someone who assists non-IT users who are having computer problems.
Related Competencies and Skills: Data Entry, Technical Writing, Website Administration
Technical Writer
Description: Someone who translates technical requirements into clear and concise English.
Related Competencies and Skills: Technical Writing
Graphic Designer
Description: Someone who designs the look and feel of a software product. Needs to be able to create pretty/practical designs and know how to use photoshop and related tools.
Related Competencies and Skills: Graphic Design, User Experience Design, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Creative Suite, CSS, Adobe Illustrator, SASS, LESS, Adobe InDesign
Competencies
Android
Description: Google’s toolkit for building applications for Android mobile devices. Relies on Java, and uses a framework provided by Google.
Related Skills: Java
iOS
Description: Apple’s toolkit for building an iOS application, to run on iPad and/or iPhone devices. Relies on Objective-C and/or Swift.
Related Skills: Objective C, Swift
JavaScript
Description: The language of the web, javascript is the language that runs inside browsers. Required for front-end development but also useful for backend development through Node.
Related Skills: NodeJS, Angular, jQuery, React, Backbone.js, Knockout.js, Ember.js, Express, Sails.js, CoffeeScript, RxJS, TypeScript, D3, Marionette Js, Grunt, ExtJS
.Net
Description: Microsoft developers’ ecosystem. Relies on C#, which is very similar to Java, and is often used to build the back-end of web applications or internal systems. Popular in larger enterprises.
Related Skills: C#, Visual Basic, Microsoft Access, ASP, TypeScript, Razor
PHP
Description: PHP is one of the most widely-used and oldest back-end web languages. Used to build many content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, as well as popular sites and apps such as Facebook, Flickr, Yahoo, and WordPress.com.
Related Skills: CakePHP, Symfony PHP, Laravel, Zend, Magento, LAMP, Yii, Wordpress
Java
Description: One of the most ubiquitous languages with a variety of uses. Considered the classic object-oriented language, it can be used to build the back-end of web applications, as well as desktop and other types of applications. Popular in larger enterprises.
Related Skills: Java, Google Web Toolkit, Spring, Groovy, Grails, Vaadin, Hibernate, JavaFX, SpringMVC, JSP, Maven, Java Server Faces (JSF), Struts, Swing, J2EE, Apex
Ruby
Description: Ruby is a high-level object-oriented language that emphasizes readability and ease of use for the programmer. It is particularly popular for web development, due to the excellent Ruby on Rails framework.
Related Skills: Ruby On Rails, Sinatra
Python
Description: A multi-use programming language most often used to build the back-end of web applications, or to carry out data analysis. Python emphasizes simplicity, clarity, and readability.
Related Skills: Django, Flask, Python 2, Python 3, Pandas
Database
Description: Skills involving storing and updating data in a database. Could be a SQL database or a NoSQL database.
Related Skills: SQL, NoSQL, Data Archival and Backup, MongoDB, Oracle, MySQL, Postgres, SQL Server, ETL
Statistical Analysis
Description: Someone who uses statistical techniques to analyze and interpret data and draw conclusions.
Related Skills: R, Microsoft Excel, SPSS
Cyber Security
Cyber Security is a broad field that includes activities such as monitoring for attacks, finding vulnerabilities in systems, investigating after a cyber incident, or ensuring that your organization is in compliance with state and federal laws.
Related Skills: Kali OS, WireShark, BurpSuite