IT professionals are architects of a limitless universe, because code is present in many aspects of our daily lives. No matter what your field of work is, we are sure that programming can help you perfect your processes and methodologies. If you haven’t decided yet, here are 4 programming facts that will make you want to reinvent your professional profile in 2023:

1. You will have no problem finding a job as a programmer

Do you know what a software developer, an ICT technical professional and a digital project manager have in common? No, it’s not the beginning of a bad joke, but this fact is sure to bring a smile to your face if you’re looking to start your programming training, because you’re guaranteed a job! According to data from our Employment Map, these three digital professions are the most demanded by companies in Spain, and guess what: programming – specifically Java language – is one of the essential digital skills that you must acquire if you want to work in any of them.

Supply and demand in the ICT sector also play in your favor. According to data from the recently published report ‘The Digital Society in Spain 2022’, only 17% of Spanish companies have digital technology specialists on staff, while among SMEs the figure drops to 16%. This low percentage is due to the lack of professionals in the sector: there are more than 120,000 unfilled vacancies in the field of new technologies, according to DigitalES.

In other words, there are many vacancies for few professionals, and you can train to become one of them!

2. Scripts are the new canvases and programmers are the new artists

If you work in the artistic and cultural world and you think that learning programming has no place in your job, it’s because you still don’t know the term ‘creative programming’, a transdisciplinary exercise that blurs the barriers between art, design, and computing. The precursors of this practice, Casey Reas and Benjamin Fry, opened the doors of programming to artists and designers with the development of their software ‘Processing’, aimed at artistic creation. Today, new softwares have burst onto the digital scene, as is the case of vvvv (v4), used by Joanie Lemercier, a pioneer in the artistic use of video mapping, whose work we were able to admire in ‘Paisajes de luz’, one of the most immersive experiences that the rooms of our Espacio Fundación Telefónica have hosted.

Another author who has managed to turn code into her palette of colors is Alba G. Corral, one of our guests at the Digital Culture Forum. She is a visual artist, code developer, and teacher. With a background in computer engineering, Corral has been creating art using software for the last decade.

3. Programming is a key to transforming the world into a better place

There are many digital professionals, including programmers, who put their knowledge and experience at the service of the most vulnerable groups, but more are needed! According to data from the Third Sector White Paper, almost 50% of social organizations consider that one of the main barriers to digital transformation is the level of knowledge, and digital skills of their employees. As you can see, this discipline also has a place in the field of social action, and these are some practical examples of this:

• ‘Inrobics’ is a new rehabilitation model, developed by computer scientists at the Carlos III University of Madrid, which is based on Artificial Intelligence and the programming of social robots to help people with functional or neurological limitations to improve their quality of life.
• For its part, the Telefónica Volunteers program, with its digital volunteering projects, also uses technology as a lever for change, collaborating with associations such as ‘Jóvenes Inventores’. Together, they set up a Scratch programming language training program for people with intellectual disabilities.

4. Programming is the English of the future

Fundación Telefónica shares the objective of promoting programming in Spain and Europe by forging alliances with associations such as Code.org, a free platform that teaches programming to children and teachers through very dynamic and fun activities. This project has as its ambassador in Europe our president José María Álvarez-Pallete, who defends the importance of learning programming at an early age, to establish a solid foundation in STEM skills.

“Not so long ago we began to understand that English was essential and to train ourselves to master it; today no one questions that it is a fundamental tool for working and moving around the world. In the future we will talk in the same terms about digital skills and programming because, whoever masters them, will have access to all the opportunities”.

José María Álvarez-Pallete President of Fundación Telefónica

Have we convinced you? If so, here are the steps to start your way into the world of programming and train for free from scratch.

1. Start training at your own pace and free of charge

If you don’t have any programming knowledge, we recommend you to make a first contact from home and at your own pace with the free courses of our training program ‘Conecta Empleo’. In this catalogue you will find several MOOCs to get you started in the world of coding.

2. Start by acquiring the logical reasoning skills to be able to get by in the world of programming

For this, we offer you the course ‘Fundamentals of programming’. Discover what applications this discipline can have in your field of work with the ‘Introduction to programming’ course.

3. Once you have established the basics, choose the language you want to start programming in

Java can be an excellent choice as it is the language most used by developers and software companies. You can start with the course ‘Programming with Java Standard’, and continue with the ‘JavaScript training’.

If you have successfully completed all the courses and you realize that programming is your thing, here comes an offer you can’t refuse. Our 42 programming campuses are open in Madrid, Barcelona, Urdúliz, and Málaga to give you free access to the world’s most innovative training in this subject. With a revolutionary methodology and an average duration of three years, our campuses are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can learn at your own pace.