Programming continues to establish itself as a market with numerous job opportunities in the country. According to a study by Michael Page, the salary increase in this sector in Colombia will be up to 25% in 2023 compared to 2022.
The high demand for programming skills was the impetus for edtech platforms to expand their range of courses.
A survey conducted by LR found that the cost of courses on these platforms can range from $100,000 to more than $2 million, depending on the depth of each course and whether or not a certificate is required.
In addition to being cost-effective for every budget, another benefit Edtech promises is fast learning, as the duration of these courses can range from four months to just over a year. For example, on platforms like Digital House, the full-stack web development course costs $2.07 million and takes seven and a half months to complete. At Coderhouse, the same course costs $1.76 million and lasts 51 weeks.
On platforms like Platzi, for example, you will find several basic courses that the student has the opportunity to learn according to his or her time availability. Among others, the frontend developer course and the HTML and CSS course start at $189,900.
The other option offered by the market is boot camps, which aim to ensure that within three to four months, the student already has the necessary tools to enter the job market. This is the case with platforms like Henry, where you don’t pay for the course until the buyer gets a job in the industry. The graduate pays in 15% of their salary until they pay an amount of 4,000 US dollars.
As demand grows, so does the variety of ways to learn programming. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the software industry in the region is estimated to employ more than 1.2 million programmers by 2025.
For this reason, Jesica Barrionuevo, Coderhouse’s Chief Operating Officer, explained that the contents of the courses are adapted to the needs demanded by today’s technology sector. “The jobs and courses we present correspond to the technological profiles that companies are looking for on the labor market. The programs are designed to make learning effective and fun, and our data shows that 90% of goals are met.”
It must also be said that the cost-benefit ratio of studying programming in Colombia is usually positive. Michael Page estimates that the industry’s top programmers earn an average salary of between $5 million and $30 million based on years of experience.
But in an industry where new programming languages are becoming popular with every new tool and where new profiles are emerging, it is important to know the current trends.
Paola Sierra, Managing Director of Laboratoria Colombia, explained that “there is still a significant gap in technology and programming in the region to fill all available positions.” Almost half of the vacancies remain unfilled. The profiles of frontend, backend, full stack, application development, and data analysis are most in demand.”
According to Sierra, in order to have these programmer profiles, it is crucial in the market to be able to handle languages and tools such as Javascript, Java, React, Node.js, HTML, CSS, etc. Also, manage collaborative platforms like Git and Github and use agile methodologies like Scrum.”.
However, the expert emphasized that in the field of programming, not only technical skills are required, but also skills such as teamwork and the ability to learn independently.
