Programming can help us finding several job opportunities and, although we always say that learning to code is a useful skill in any field, this time we want to talk about some different job positions that we can find among computer programmers.
Web Developer
Web development can be divided into the front-end the back-end. Front-end refers to everything that we can observe when we access a web page, that is, all those elements that we can see and with which we can interact: menus, icons, graphics, images, buttons, colors… Some visual elements whose objective is to create a good browsing experience both at a functional and aesthetic level, and which take into account graphic design, web positioning or page performance.
On the other hand, the back-end is that part of the web related to its structure, which is hidden from the user (it cannot be seen in the browser) and which ensures the performance of the page: servers, databases or updates are part of the back end. It also encompasses web security or data recovery in case of loss, for example.
App Developer
Knowing the programming languages that are used to program mobile apps can also ensure a professional career, since we do not need to explain anything about the use we all currently make of these devices. Mobile apps can be created only for one operating system (Android or iOS) or they can be created for both systems and different devices, depending on the purpose for which they have been created and how people will use them.
App developers have a fairly dynamic task because they must take into account aspects such as the design of the mobile app, its functionality and performance, its maintenance (they have to be able to detect bugs and new possibilities for improvement and updating), its security, among others.
Game Programmer
Creating video games needs many experts in different disciplines: art and design, production, sound, testers… And, of course, computer programmers. Game programmers are the ones who implement the mechanics, the story, the scenarios… In order to turn them into the interactive experience that has been previously designed by the Game Designer. Programmers are in charge of the code that makes the game work, which includes 3D graphics, tools and controls, artificial intelligence options, creation of libraries, game-play and network connections, etc.
There are small or simple games which do not need to have a large working group, but depending on the complexity of the video game and the platforms for which it has to be adapted, it may be necessary to work with different programmers or even several working groups. Taking this into account and that the video game industry does not stop growing, if you are a video game lover and also like programming, it can be a good future option for your professional career.
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning
The main goal of artificial intelligence is to create intelligent machines performing functions like human beings, such as processing external information to learn, interact with the environment or solve problems. Virtual assistants are examples of this technology. This leads us to also talk about machine learning and deep learning, since AI can learn things in two ways: because we have taught them those things or because it has learned them by itself.
Machine learning allows people to prepare machines to recognize patterns and make predictions, that is, if we have seen some series on Netflix which have some points in common, thanks to this technology the platform is able to recommend other series we may like because it has identified shared features among those that we have seen and it can make predictions about those that we would like to watch.
Deep learning makes a machine capable of learning on its own from a very large amount of data. From this huge amount of data, machines can analyze all of it in detail, break data into larger or smaller pieces, label features, find patterns, and thus learn to identify different elements.
Data Science & Big Data
If we talk about data, a professional career that is closely related to machine learning is that of Data Science experts. Data scientists work using we call Big Data, which refers to the large volume of data and statistics, and they look for related data and patterns.
Companies have more and more information and that is why they need professionals who know how to collect all data and make a good prior analysis of all this information, so that those same experts or other workers can later make prediction models or can decide how to transform this information in actions which help companies achieve their business objectives. It is a much more statistical profile that serves as the basis for automating processes in companies.
Cybersecurity
Computer security is important both for individual users and for companies, since in both cases data, documents, networks and devices must be protected. A computer programmer can specialize in Cybersecurity to develop secure solutions, program actions that help prevent attacks or recover data after suffering one, analyze data and detect security problems or vulnerabilities, etc.
Cybersecurity is totally linked to the rest of job positions that we have talked about, since whether we develop a website or a mobile app, in any case we will have to protect them against possible attacks, in the same way that a company will need to protect its databases or its servers and a user may need software to help protecting his devices.
Cloud computing
Cloud computing refers to the services and processes that are hosted in the cloud and offered over the Internet, so that users do not need to install any software to run it on their computer. It is the technology that allows us to store images or documents in the cloud instead of our computer or an external hard drive, and therefore it also allows us to access these documents from any computer with Internet access, depending on the privacy level chosen in each case.
Within the framework of cloud computing, a programmer can work on the development of service software hosted in the cloud, service platforms or even the infrastructures which make all these processes possible.
Robotics
Robotics combines different disciplines with the aim of designing and building robots. One of the disciplines is programming, which is the basis that serves to put into operation the mechanical structure that has been built. By programming, robots can collect external information and process it to perform the actions that we want them to do and for which they have been programmed.
When we talk about robotics, it is interesting to bear in mind that there are many types of robots and it is a branch that has an impact on very different fields, ranging from the domestic sphere (robot vacuum cleaner, kitchen robot…) to the industrial sector (recycling processes, building a car…), passing through other disciplines such as medicine, physics or agriculture.
Other career opportunities
Finally, we want to point out that computer programmers can work in many other areas, from the development of operating systems for computers and mobiles, such as Windows, Android or iOs, to integrated systems, which are systems designed to perform very specific functions and thanks to which we can use washing machines, microwaves, printers or ATMs.
Another work area is virtual reality and augmented reality, which we use every time we put a filter on Instagram or any other social network that allows us to modify a real image, and which is a technology that can be developed using different programming languages.
There are also professionals that set foot in other fields, such as computational finance, in which programming works closely with economics and mathematics, or bioinformatics and other similar disciplines that apply computational tools and technologies into biology, biological information analysis and research.
There are many more examples but, in any case, the conclusion that we can draw after talking about all these options is that we live surrounded by technology and that software helps us to carry out many activities both in our personal and professional lives. That is why the world needs so many programmers and that is why we also believe it is important for everyone to understand how the world where we live works, since it is a trend that will not stop growing.
If you haven’t started learning to code yet, you can now enroll to our online after-school program and start getting ready for the future.