As the world progresses and relies more on the power of technology it's of utmost importance to stay ahead of the curve and up to date with various programs. There are a plethora of programs that make the tech-industry a little intimidating as it's a lot of new information on very advanced programming. Lauren Glass, the creator of the Data Mastery Coding book series takes the guess work out of it, and provides a crash course to two of the most requested tech programs: SQL and PYTHON.

Lauren is a "mover and shaker" in the social media world working at top places like Facebook and currently Instagram. She created this series because she saw a need to help other beginner "techies" start the careers of their dreams. That's why she created easy to follow and actionable resources about SQL & PYTHON to help aspiring techies to reach their entrepreneurial goals and score amazing positions at top companies in the tech industry.

If you're like me and not entirely tech-savvy grab a copy and read below to find out more information from Lauren Glass herself!

Identify LA: What initially sparked the idea to create these books? Did you feel like there was something missing in the tech industry?

Lauren Glass: Earlier in my career I took a break from working at corporate to teach at a coding bootcamp. My specialty there was data science and engineering. I learned then that I had a skill for taking complex topics and boiling them down to the essentials, explaining in clear steps, and making the subject approachable to people experiencing imposter syndrome. I later accepted a job offer at Facebook and returned to corporate life, but I missed teaching! One of my friends wanted to learn SQL, a language used to query databases, so I started transforming my lessons into books for her to use and for me to continue my passion for teaching in a more scalable way. I felt that a lot of the tech resources out there included a lot of extra material and time investment. I designed my books to teach the essentials for learners to hit the ground running on interviews, new projects, and new careers. Each of them is around 70 pages which allows them to be efficient reference books you keep at your desk and flip to the page on a subject when you come across it in real life!

IDLA: Can you provide 5 Ways Learning How To Code Can Boost Your Career?

LG: Learning to code can boost your career no matter what career direction you have! Technology has transformed our society in so many ways and understanding code will only help! I think the 5 ways learning to code will boost your career are:

1) Terminology: When you learn to code, even a little, you will learn the key terms and have first-hand experience. I've found when I have first-hand experience on a subject, I am more engaged in meetings, can ask better questions, and feel more empowered to contribute to discussions. Even if you are not an engineer or do not want to be, knowing the terminology will certainly help you feel more knowledgeable at work.

2) Collaboration: The more you know about coding, means the more technical projects you will be able to collaborate on. I truly believe this will lead to career advancement in any chosen role. If you can collaborate effectively with engineers, that's a big win for your career!

3) Understanding limitations of systems: Technology isn't magic, unfortunately. The more you know about what code can do simply and what is more complex, the better you are able to lead projects, discuss trade-offs of solutions, and headcount.

4) Understanding how data is collected can empower smart decisions: Data also isn't magic, unfortunately. When collecting data we are constrained by computation power, storage costs, and complexity of code to process it. When you get first hand experience at coding related to data collection and processing, you will be able to orient your data analytics towards what is achievable and away from what might be too costly.

5) Career changes: I started my academic career in Classics & Economics, I found out at the end of my studies that while I loved those subjects, I actually loved coding even more and was very good at it. Learning to code will help you find out if you should pursue it for your career! I'm grateful I had the chance to learn because otherwise I would have missed something that is one of the largest parts of my identity.

IDLA: What has been the feedback since you've released these books?

LG: I've gotten so many personal messages on Instagram and Facebook thanking me for writing these books and creating a resource that helps ease imposter syndrome and encourage quick ramp-up. I answer as many messages as I can and try to keep in contact with my readers to continue to take feedback. One piece of feedback I got is that both my books are on technical subjects (SQL & Python) but I should write similar subjects for subjects around them. So my next book which is in progress is around Product Analytics, a subject about how to build engaging and retentive consumer products. This subject will be oriented not only for engineers and data professionals, but also Product Managers, CEOs, and founders.