The successful course with which more than 60,000 people have learned to program

In a few days closes the first edition of the course “Introduction to programming: first steps in Front-End”an online and self-managed course included in the training proposals of the plan Argentina program. With a duration of 60 hours that each student could administer freely and independently, enrollment exceeded 60,000 students and a very high success rate. At this time, most students present their final project, which consists of a web application. It is possible to present the works until March 8th.

Computing as a discipline has become increasingly inclusive and open, and many people have realized that they can begin to walk the discipline path through more user-friendly, focused courses like this. Content “Introduction to programming» is composed of video clips, infographics, concise and very explanatory texts. The course focuses on programming logic, main structures, information flow, arithmetic and mathematical calculations.

The course brought together a wide variety of participants from all over Argentina. One of the registrants is Sofia Eguiazu Robmanof Entre Rios 21 years oldwho studies Systems engineering at UTN (UTN). “I was interested in the course to reinforce the knowledge I had acquired self-taught,” he says, “and found it comprehensive and straightforward for someone just starting out, fully covering the basics needed to create something out of nothing in itself.”

but there is also Lucia de Rosaa retiree from 62 years oldwhat did you find his passion for technology and she even programmed in Assembler and C. “With today’s retirement, we no longer live and I am still active and just as passionate about new technologies”, she says and continues: “because the electronics industry is having difficulties to develop in the country, I decided to reinvent myself and start to know the world of web programming, I was so enthusiastic about the course that I finished going through it content in less than a month and I continued to consolidate the topics with the sources recommended by the teacher”.

Gustavo Minchiotti43 years old, father, currently retired from Federal Penitentiary Service, but with a long career in hostage negotiation and criminal intelligence, he found in programming “a new challenge and even better a universe of possibilities”. Gustavo emphasizes his interest in entering the computer world and that he thought it was a great opportunity to do so with a free course.

“The online study modality is my favorite,” says Lucía, who is also taking other similar courses at the Harvard University, “because I make the most of my time and can adapt to schedules, take a break to deepen the subjects.” For Gustavo, independence represented the opportunity to study in his spare time, without a fixed schedule, and also to study a little more: “I spent almost twice the hours of the duration of the videos training and taking notes, plus about 20 hours spread over two weeks to complete the final integration work, which resulted in my top 10 in computer science and great personal satisfaction.

The successful completion of the course requires the presentation of a TP. As we said above, there is time until 8 March, although many have already presented their project. Among them, Sofia, Lucia and Gustavo. “The tools provided in the course made the process motivating,” explains Sofía, “since the knowledge from each module could be applied to the final project.” “The proposal for the final project was a program demonstrating what had been learned, so it had to meet certain requirements,” says Gustavo, who submit a CV classic, but with small animations, color changes and the activation of light and dark modes. Lucía adds that it was necessary to include the knowledge of HTML, CSS, Bootstrap and JavaScript. “I paid particular attention to respecting the professor’s instructions and suggestions, he says, and to semantic structuring for a better understanding of search engines.

For the three, “Intro to Programming” that was really it: an introduction. after giving the first steps in the front-end, they want more. “I would be interested in continuing with, at least, the minimum of back end and mobile development to build apps,” says Gustavo. “I drew up a diagram of the needs of new technologies required in the market and I will try to deepen this knowledge,” says Lucía. And Sofía, who continues her university career, closes the note with a wish: “I would like them to continue with the following editions giving Opportunities to enter the IT world many young people and adults.

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