Hello Everyone,
Although it would seem like common sense, in today’s world it is definitely important for people
to learn the Code of Ethics. In everyday life we all need to make choices. For some of us it can
be difficult to determine if we are being ethical or not. As a student it is important that we make
ethical choices when it comes to submitting our assignments and taking exams. In light of recent
events with the “College Admissions Scandal” I feel this topic is ever more relevant. Some may
believe that the parents in this case were trying to help their children out of love or do what’s
best for them. However, the choices they made were not ethical and had very severe
consequences. As a student it is our duty to learn and flourish with our own natural ability,
cheating is never the answer. This also applies in a professional environment as well when we
reach the workforce. In life we need to give credit where credit is due. Taking credit for
another’s accomplishments is a bittersweet victory. This holds especially true for us studying to
be IT professionals. When creating or developing software it is very important not to use others
intellectual property. As section 1.6 states “even if the work has not been explicitly protected by
a copyright or patent” doesn’t mean its ethical to steal others work. This concept also relates
back to a student in a group project setting. If one member of the group does all the work and the
others take credit/get a good grade this is not ethical. Another example would be conducting a
research project and not properly citing sources in a bibliography. The same is true for section
1.5 which states “unauthorized duplication of materials must not be condoned.” I think the part
of this article that stands out most to me would be section 1.7 which is respecting the privacy of
others. Currently I work for a pharmacy software company dealing with sensitive patient
information. An essential component of my job is abiding by HIPAA regulations and
safeguarding this data. Our software helps a pharmacy fill prescriptions for patients. A patients
whole medical history is stored on the database so protecting this information is very important.
This concept applies to many other professions as well in Information Technology. I am excited
to take this course and learn more about application development with everyone. Good luck in
the term.