Anyone who thinks that programming is only for those who are good at math is wrong.
Many job openings are emerging for those who want to make a career in tech. The IT (information technology) sector, for example, grew 10.7% between October and November 2021, well above the services sector (2.4%), according to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).
According to the latest statistics, the Brazilian market demands 159 thousand professionals per year in the technology area, but around 100 thousand vacancies remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified professionals, points out the Brasscom's latest study (Association of Information and Communication Technology and Digital Technologies Companies). At this rate, the country will have a technological blackout, with an accumulated deficit of 797 thousand professionals by 2025.
This scenario presents a good opportunity for those who want to make a career in technology, especially in programming, one of the most desired skills on the market. The question is: where to start? First, you need to find out about programming professions to know what you like. But don't limit yourself to internet search engines.
“Participate in events, meetups, follow people who talk about programming, watch videos, join technology communities. Diving into this universe will make you realize what makes sense to you and what doesn’t”, advises Roberta Piozzi, education coordinator at iFood and Tech Power, which seeks to train more people from underrepresented groups to work in technology.
Then, it is necessary to debunk some myths that end up keeping most people away from the world of programming. “They need to be demystified so that it is possible to bring more people into this universe. More diverse teams perform better”, he adds.
Do you want to know what these barriers are? Roberta explains below what are the four main myths that must be overcome by anyone who wants to start programming.
I need to be a master at math
Many people think that programming is only for those who like mathematics. Roberta emphasizes that this is a very common myth — and the first one that must be debunked. “You don’t need to know mathematics, but logic. Programming is more based on the logic of the code than on the mathematics itself”, he explains.
Programming is not for women
Do women also have a place in the programming market? “Absolutely, that’s what we want”, reinforces Roberta. “Many women are signing up for programming courses, and their performance has been very good in the projects we have been working on at iFood, such as iLab. A woman’s place is in technology, yes.”
The stories of Marcia Castagna, senior software engineer at iFood, and Ester Lourenço, a software engineer who was part of the iLab group and was hired in 2022, are there to confirm what Roberta says.
I'm too old for this
“Never,” says Roberta. “We are seeing a lot of people making a career migration and coming to the technology area.” Potência Tech, for example, had many participants over 40 years old. “I'm from the team that thinks we can start a new career whenever we want”, adds Roberta.
I don't need to learn anything other than technology
Learning to program is the first step towards a career in technology, but to progress from junior to full and senior level you need to learn other skills, such as soft skills. “You can’t think you’re just going to sit there and code. You need to understand the business, know how to work as a team, be agile and have an eye for the whole. This is what will help you occupy the best vacancies”, says Roberta.
Know more:
Women in technology: scenarios and challenges
iFood will impact more than 10 million people with education, training opportunities and commits to training 25,000 technology professionals
“Feeding the future of the world is about balancing power, access and opportunity”
