Mark Mariscal Mariscal 1

CST 300 Writing Lab

18 September 2018

Web and Application Development

Web and application development has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the

technology industry. "Web Development could refer to a single web page built with HTML and

CSS that might contain a couple hundred lines of code. Or on the other end of the spectrum, it

could refer to a website like Facebook that supposedly contains around 60 million lines of code”

(Sonmez, 2016). Mobile application is software that runs on a smartphone or a tablet. These

applications are created with different programming languages. The most used languages to

create these applications are Java, C++, and Swift (Austins, 2017).

Popular companies in the industry of web and app development are Fuzz and IndiaNIC

Infotech LTD. Fuzz is an IOS and Android Application Company that has created mobile

applications for companies such as Forever 21, New York Post and GNC. IndiaNIC Infotech

LTD creates web, mobile, and game applications. They have worked with Pepsi, Yahoo and

McDonald's. Those companies are playing second to Facebook. Which is one of the most

innovating and progressive web and application development companies over the last decade.

They are a company that has created a social-networking website that connects people of all over

the world from different backgrounds, ages, races, economic status, beliefs, political views, and

religious theologies.

Facebook's headquarters is located in Menlo Park, CA on 1 Hacker Way (Protaliniski,

2011). There are offices located across the country from Los Angeles to Detroit as well as

internationally from the Netherlands to South Africa (Our Locations, n.d.). Their offices are all

over the world with unique designs and perks to draw the best talent in the industry to work
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there. "As of December 2017, Facebook employed 25,105 people" (“Number of monthly active

Facebook users worldwide as of 2​nd​ quarter 2018 (in millions)”, 2018).

Facebook is not only known for its social-networking website, but also for the

applications that it owns and creates. In 2012, Facebook purchased its most popular application

Instagram for $1 billion dollars in cash and stocks (Rusli, 2012). Instagram is an application that

allows you to post photos, snippets of video, music and other digital media to your account.

Many people have used this application platform to expand their business, become an "Instagram

celebrity", make an income, and display their everyday lives. "As of June 2018, Instagram has

reached 1 billion active users. This number is up 200 million from September of 2017 when the

application had 800 million active users" (“Number of monthly active Instagram users from

January 2013 to June 2018(in millions)”, 2018). Facebook also purchased "Whatsapp", an

application that involves photo-sharing, video-sharing and messaging between users. This

application was purchased in 2014 for $19 billion dollars (“Which Apps Does Facebook Own?”,

n.d.). Facebook does not hesitate to pay for top-selling applications on the market. Facebook also

creates applications that have risen to the top of the market. “The Facebook Products include

Facebook (including the Facebook mobile app and in-app browser), Messenger, Instagram

(including apps like Direct and Boomerang), Moments, Bonfire, Facebook Mentions, AR Studio,

Audience Network, and any other features, apps, technologies, software, products, or services

offered by Facebook Inc” (“What are the Facebook Products”, 2018).

Facebook was established in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg when he launched TheFacebook

site (Boyd, 2018). Just two years earlier he was attending college at Harvard University, studying

psychology. Before entering Harvard, Mark Zuckerberg was already making a name for himself
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in the tech-world and co-created Synapse. In 2002, Microsoft wanted to buy Synapse, an

application that was able to predict a user's listening habit. Microsoft tried to recruit Zuckerberg

to work for them but instead, he chose to study at Harvard (Hughes, 2012). TheFacebook

initially was only available to users who had a Harvard email account and "within the first month

50% of the college's students had signed up" (Boyd, 2018). With the success of TheFacebook

website, Zuckerberg made his social-networking website open to almost every university college

in the US and Canada. TheFacebooks success continued, and Mark Zuckerberg moved his

company to Palo Alto, California in 2004. In 2005, he started to get investments and in August of

that year, TheFacebook officially changed to Facebook (Boyd, 2018). As Facebook started to

expand so did its users, by September of 2006 Facebook became open to anyone who was over

the age of 13 and had a valid email address (Boyd, 2018).

Mark Zuckerberg is the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Facebook and runs the

company. He programmed "TheFacebook" social networking page in Harvard dorms and later

dropped out of college to run Facebook full-time. Twelve years after leaving Harvard to become

the CEO of Facebook, he received an honorary degree from Harvard University (Ortutay, 2017).

Mark Zuckerberg has an interesting reputation, tech entrepreneurs idolize his passion,

innovation, and durability to stay ahead in an ever-growing market. His reputation with the

federal government differs from that of his peers. He has been under examination from the

government as they investigate if he is monitoring his site securely. This year Mark Zuckerberg

testified before Congress about the responsibility and role that Facebook had during 2016

presidential campaign. Many people including Zuckerberg believe that it may be time for

regulators to intervene on the tech giant.

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Sheryl Sandberg graduated from Harvard University with a Masters of Business

Administration and is the current Chief of Operations (COO) of Facebook. In 2017, she was

ranked fourth in Forbes 100 Most Power Woman in the World (Forbes,2018). Sandberg's net

worth is 1.6B and before coming to Facebook, she was the vice president of Google

(Forbes,2018). Sandberg is also an author and widow who have a bestselling book that

empowers women to overcome obstacles. (Forbes,2018)

Not only has Facebook gained millions of users, but it has also generated a lot of profit.

"Facebook made a profit of $15.9B in 2017, a revenue of $40.7B and is evaluated net worth is

$138.8B"(Dennison, 2018). Social media plays an important role in our culture today and affects

social norms. This may have not happened if it was not for the giant tech company pushing the

boundaries and opening the doors to the publication of self-expression to an absurd amount of

users across the world. Facebook makes most of its money from targeted advertising which helps

people market their business to users who share or "like" similar interests to their product.

Sharma reports Facebook’s revenue:

Facebook made $40 billion in revenue in 2017 the bulk of which came from digital

advertisements, which brought in $39.9 billion. On July 25, 2018, the company declared

its second-quarter results reporting $13.2 billion in revenue, up 42% compared to the

same period last year.

(Sharma, 2018).

The most profitable product in their company is also taking a lot of heat for being the website

for "Fake News". It is believed that most users are getting their daily news from Facebook. Many

users are also concerned with Facebook selling user data, and it has caused an uproar when it
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exposed nearly 87 million users data to political consultancy Cambridge Analytica (Facebook

Scandal ‘hit 87 million users', 2018). Even among the midst of controversy Facebook continues

to grow and create revenue. Glassdoor.com came out with its annual yearly report of the best

places to work, and at number one on their list was Facebook (2018 Best Places to Work

Employee's Choice, 2018). Glassdoor is a website where people can rate their workplace and

give anonymous reviews. Facebook received a 4.6 out of 5 stars and many employees rave about

the free lunch and snacks as well as the great health insurance and maternity leave. Facebook

hires people that are seeking not just employment but also can think creatively. Their employees

see it as a place for people to live out their dream job and take advantage of the amazing

resources to expand their technical skills and change people's everyday lives. Many applications

and web pages are being created daily that are targeted towards social media. Facebook

continues to improve and add options to enhance their website and make their users happy.

The field of computer science blends technology, problem solving, and creativity.

Computer science propels people to reach towards their highest potential by collaborating and

creating life-changing and innovating technology. Working as a software engineer, you have the

opportunity to develop applications that help people with real-world problems. Being able to

create technology that improves people's daily lives would be extremely fulfilling.

Getting into the field of computer science and being a software engineer is something that takes

time, preparation and endurance. Taking classes at a community college has helped shaped my

critical thinking and technical skills to get into California State University Monterey Bay

(CSUMB). Before entering CSUMB the prerequisites consisted of problem-solving/

programming using C++, a low-level language. This class taught the basics of programming and
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helped me gain knowledge on topics consisting of correct syntax, variables, repetition, choice

statements, arrays, functions and strings. This class is a solid foundation for starting a

programming career. Web and mobile development are written in low-level languages, having

the fundamentals of one language can help students with grasping other languages.

Taking data structures with the programming language C++ expanded my understanding of

computer science. The course UNIX/Linux provided the basic understanding of the operating

system and uses a hands-on approach to learning on how to be efficient in the open source

operating system. A numerous amount of jobs in the computer science field will need their

employees to have a good sense of how to get around in the open source operating system.

Along with programming classes, mathematics is an essential part of learning how to problem

solve and expand the logical side of your brain. Precalculus, calculus and discrete mathematics

are classes that deepen logical learning. Discrete math is an important part of computer science

because it teaches graph theory. At CSUMB taking classes to receive my Bachelor's in Computer

Science will start this fall of 2018 and will be a 100-week program.

Students will take two classes every semester that prepare them to learn the necessary

material to become a successful in the field of technology. The first two classes are CST 300:

Major ProSeminar class and CST 205: Multimedia design and Programming. Major ProSeminar

is a class dedicated to helping students set goals for themselves, grasp knowledge in the field

they will be studying, develop writing skills, critical thinking skills and research their diverse

field by analyzing trends in computer science. The next class in fall of 2018 will be CST 205:

Multimedia Design and Programming, a class using the Python programming language to help

students gain knowledge in using Python to create and manipulate digital media formats. Python
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is one of the most used languages for web and application design. Spring of 2019 students will

be taking CST 363, a class that will consist of covering database systems using SQL and gaining

useful knowledge as a database administrator. As well as taking a database systems class, CST

388 software design will be taken during this semester to support students with understanding

and implementing useful technique of object-oriented programming. Using the popular

programming language Java. Summer of 2019, CST 311 is an introduction class to Computer

Networking, a class that helps student understand the process of computer networking.

Networking is a great skill to getting an internship at a big company like Cisco Systems.

Students will also take CST 336 Internet Programming, a web application development class that

will teach web programming using PHP, MySQL, and Javascript. Web development is extremely

important in the computer science field. The market for web developers is lucrative and can help

developers express their creativity.Fall of 2019 students will fulfill their service learning

requirement taking CST 361S Technology Tutors, students will apply the skills they have

learned from the program to aid nonprofits, school, or community agencies in helping give back

to their community. The next class in the fall of 2019 is CST 325 Graphics Programming, which

teaches students the fundamentals of game programming and basics of game development.

Students will take CST 370 in Spring of 2020 and learn the most important data structures. This

class will help students learn algorithms and techniques to solve difficult computing problems.

These skills are needed to be a successful engineer and when interviewing for internships and

jobs. Students will also take CST 438 Software Engineering, the class has students working

together to create a software project as well as covering software engineering specifications.

Summer of 2020 will be the final class students have before finishing the program and taking
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CST 499 Directed Group Capstone. Teams will collaborate on developing and solving a

real-world problem using the technical skills they have learned in the program. Since this will be

my second Bachelor's degree, I will not be taking any electives.

Obtaining a job in the field of computer science takes time, networking, effort, and a

strong technical background. Getting an internship plays a vital role in getting your career started

in the tech-industry. Applying and getting internships while in school is a good way to gain

experience in the field. Getting an internship can also lead to possible full-time employment

when graduating. Attending career fairs, tech-meetups and networking with those who are

already in the field can help to get a job in the field of technology. Reaching out to recruiters is

another essential part of obtaining a job in the field. Having a portfolio of your projects and

professional resume may increase your chances of getting your resume reviewed. As an

engineer, your interview will possibly include technical questions. Studying for these technical

questions is extremely important. A popular book "Cracking the Code Interview" by Gayle

Laakmann McDowell is a tool I will use to become familiar with interview questions. With my

prior education and work experience in the field of psychology, I hope to incorporate my

knowledge of that field with my knowledge of computer science. I hope to one day work at a

company where I can help develop and design web and mobile applications that can help people

manage their stress.

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References

Austins, C. (2017, April 4) Top 6 Programming Languages for Mobile App Development.

Retrieved from https://dzone.com/articles/top-6-programming-languages-for-mobile-app-

develop

Boyd, J. (2018, February 5)The History of Facebook: From BASIC to Global

Giant. Retrieved from https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/history-of-facebook/

Cain, A. (2017, December 7) What it’s REALLY like to work at Facebook. Retrieved from

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-really-like-to-work-at-facebook-2017-12

Dennison, S. (2018, July 30)How Much is Facebook Worth? Retrieved from

https://www.gobankingrates.com/making-money/business/how-much-is-facebook-worth/

Facebook Scandal ‘hit 87 million users’. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43649018

Forbes.(2018). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/profile/sheryl-sandberg/#10a28dcb58b6

Hughes, M. (2012, October 22) Mark Zuckerberg: I would have worked for Microsoft. Retrieved

from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mark-zuckerberg/9626122/Mark-

Zuckerberg-I-would-have-worked-for-Microsoft.html

Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 2nd quarter 2018(in

millions).(2018, July). Retrieved from

https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-wo

rldwide/
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Number of monthly active Instagram users from January 2013 to June 2018 (in millions)(2018,

June). Retrieved from

https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/

Ortutay, B. (2017, May 25) Mark Zuckerberg finally graduates – 12 years after quitting Harvard.

Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/05/25/mark-zuckerberg-finally-

graduates-12-years-after-quitting-harvard.html

Our Locations. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/careers/locations

Protaliniski, E. (2011, December 6) Facebook’s new headquarters is located at 1 Hacker Way.

Retrieved from https://www.zdnet.com/article/facebooks-new-headquarters-is-located-at-

1-hacker-way/

Rusli, E. (2012, April 9) Facebook Buys Instagram for $1Billion. Retrieved from

https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/facebook-buys-instagram-for-1-

billion/?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=86F361438DAB61394DCEDE6AEA07F25C&

gwt=pay

Sharma, R. (2018, July 25) How Does Facebook Make Money?.Retrieved from

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/120114/how-does-facebook-fb-make-

money.asp

Sonmez, J. (​ 2016, November 28) What is Web Development?. Retrieved from

https://simpleprogrammer.com/what-is-web-development/#history-of-web-development
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What are the Facebook Products?(2018). Retrieved from

https://www.facebook.com/help/1561485474074139

Which Apps Does Facebook Own?(2018). Retrieved

https://www.overpass.co.uk/which-apps-does-facebook-own/

2018 Best Places to Work Employee’s Choice(2018). Retrieved from

https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Best-Places-to-Work-LST_KQ0,19.htm