The average annual salary in Spain is 25,165.51 euros, according to the INE (with a difference of 5,000 euros in favor of men). However, the most frequent salary in our country is 15,500 euros per year, well below. And then there are the highest paying jobs. They are those related to computing and telecommunications (31,898 euros gross per year, at the bottom), according to a report by Infojobs and Esade. The most demanded professionals: Cloud architects, SAP consultants, Java developers, analysts, data scientists and cybersecurity experts, according to Linkedin.
Although it may seem that these professions are unattainable because they are difficult, they are now more accessible than we think. Alice is a clear example of this. Thanks to her brother, this 25-year-old graduate in Biochemistry and Biotechnology found out about the existence of a programming campus in Barcelona where no previous experience was required. She jumped into the code pool, though she wasn’t sure if she’d like it.
But he liked the code: he is already finishing the common syllabus to specialize in data and apply it to his doctorate. The secret of this achievement is a completely different learning method than the one she knew. “On this campus you learn to program directly with your classmates; those who are more proficient teach newcomers. In the end, a community is created where the progress of one person ends up being that of all”, she says enthusiastically. “A year after arriving, I am the one who helps the new ones”, she says proudly.
The learning methodology followed by Campus 42, which is what this project is called, does not require teachers, but rather, as Alicia explained, students cooperate with each other to learn; there is no class program because each one is organized in its own way, rhythm and schedule (it is open 24/7). There are no books either. “In addition to learning various programming languages, I have discovered a large number of job opportunities associated with programming that I was unaware of, from web development to video games, and I have also strengthened soft skills,” he explains, referring to the increasingly demanded soft skills, because “by having to manage your learning yourself, you learn to moderate frustration, since failure is an essential part of the development process.”
The innovative 42 Barcelona campus, like the rest of the campus in the global network, is also characterized by its diversity and by promoting STEM talent among all people. In fact, and although more than 75% of the students on this Barcelona campus are men, the percentage of female audiences is double the average number of women enrolled in Computer Science degrees, according to data from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. “It cannot be that this gender bias continues to exist when the first programmer was a woman,” Alicia recalls, referring to the English mathematician and writer Ada Lovelace.
Promoting young talent in the world of work is, along with reducing the gender gap, another reason for this disruptive learning method. In a context in which the demands of the labor market in terms of technological skills have increased, this project aims to take advantage of the possibilities offered by technology in areas as essential as education and employment.
If trends such as IoT, artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain or cybersecurity have become a lever for growth, development and innovation to facilitate the evolution of society and productive sectors, this technological explosion has also left shows the lack of specialized professionals in these areas. On average, ICT specialists account for 4.5% of employment in the EU, although in Spain it is below the average, with a proportion of 4.1%, according to the ‘Report on the Digital Society in Spain 2023 ‘ from Fundación Telefónica.
According to its Employment Map, in our country there would be 91,000 vacancies available for digital profiles. Hence the need to promote the training of people in these skills.
Cristóbal, 23, suffered bullying at school since he was little. He dropped out of higher education because “I didn’t feel satisfied with the traditional teaching model, I didn’t learn what I had to learn” and he started working as a laborer with his father. Thanks to Campus 42 Barcelona, ??his life, both personal and professional, has turned upside down. He still hasn’t finished the common core and has already found a job as a junior developer for which he charges 22,000 euros a year. And it is that this campus guarantees 100% employability.
“The difference with traditional teaching is that there people competed and here we collaborate; that makes you learn from others and from yourself, ”he says. “Everyone brings something that they are good at.” In addition, Cristóbal has managed to overcome his difficulties in communicating thanks to this campus: “we have joint projects and we have to move them forward, so I forced myself to speak up and participate in the leagues that are held on campus and I overcame my shame”.
In 42 Barcelona, ??Cristóbal, who is from Castellón, has also found a family: “This is our house, we have bunk beds and beds to rest because sometimes we can spend many hours with the projects (because we enjoy them, not out of obligation) and we end up doing nightlife”. And he concludes: “coming here has been the best decision of my life.”
As it says on its website, “the only requirement to access the campus is to be over 18 years old, a desire to learn, attitude and perseverance”, as well as an “open mind” to adapt to an education model different from everything else that exists. . And you only have to pass two phases: an online registration test and a 26-day face-to-face selection period. Registration is always open on the Barcelona, ??Urduliz, Málaga and Madrid campuses. Access is completely free.
After completing the online test, the selection period called “Pool” involves total immersion in the world of code, where, as we said, those who know how to swim the most teach the people who know the least and, together, try to get to the end. You don’t need to know how to program, just dare to try. After passing this phase, the cursus begins, the course itself, whose average duration is three years. On the last Thursday of each month, Campus 42 Barcelona opens its doors to the public to publicize its methodology.
