Ivan Ortega studied the higher training cycle (CFGS) Multiplatform Application Design in a dual format at the Professional Campus of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia. After completing the cycle, he decided to expand his knowledge and studied the undergraduate course in Multimedia. Applications and Video Games at the same university. He finished his studies with a job and is currently working as a front-end developer at Seidor. In a conversation, he tells us his impressions of being a student of a training cycle and undergraduate course, and his work experience as a programmer.
When you graduated from high school and decided on an academic career, why did you choose a higher training cycle?
At that time and at that age I had no desire to go to university because after upper secondary school I saw university degrees as “something huge” that seemed very theoretical to me; it involved “continuing to study” as I had done up to then. So I decided on the training cycle, which I considered to be more technical and it offered many internships. I also chose it because I was attracted to multiplatform application development: it was what I enjoyed.
«It seemed that if you didn't go to university, it was because you didn't want to study, but when I finished the CFGS I saw that I had a lot more knowledge than many university students of my age.»
What drove you to choose these studies specifically?
I chose the Multiplatform Application Design cycle because I love computer science. I had already taken some subsidized courses before joining, in which I had a very good experience. UVic-UCC offered a cycle in this area and was also close to home. All of this helped me to make up my mind.
And what is your impression of taking a CFGS at the UVic-UCC?
It surprised me more than I expected. At first everyone told me: “people who don't study do a higher training course”, and it seemed that if you did not take the university entrance exam and go to university, it was because you didn't want to study. However, when I left the cycle I saw that I had more knowledge than other students who had completed upper high school and who were taking a bachelor’s degree at that time. I had the feeling that they were more lost, because I was the same age and I already knew what else I wanted to study and what I wanted to do.
The higher training cycle you took was dual, in other words, it combined theoretical and practical classes with internships in companies. Is this a good way to learn?
At first I found it a bit hard, as you go into the company when you have only been training for a year and a half, and in this short space of time you have learned many things, but really you don’t much much compared to the professionals. You start out a little “green” at work, but since they know you're coming from a dual programme and you're doing an internship to learn, they understand that their role is to teach. It's really good to enter the world of work and then, if you like the company, as happened in my case, you can stay at the end of your internship, and without even realizing it you are in the world of work doing what you love.
When did you decide to continue studying and make the leap to university and what happened?
I carried on studying because of lecturer Dolors Anton. She saw that I was getting very good grades and she always said to me, “You can’t get those grades and not go to university.” I was very scared of the first-year subjects, such as math or physics, because they are branches of knowledge that are not covered as much in the cycle. But she, as a maths teacher, offered to teach me and help me if I had any problems once I was on the bachelor’s degree, and in the end she encouraged me. Later, I thanked her a thousand times for doing so.
«Internships in companies are good for introducing you to the world of work and open up the possibility of continuing to work in what you love once you finish.»
And you decided to study Multimedia. Applications and Video Games at UVic-UCC.
For various reasons: for the field of studies, of course, but also because of proximity and the fact that, having previously completed the training cycle, I had 60 credits validated, that is, practically an entire academic year. The first year, I was a bit scared when I started. There were these common subjects that I was a little worried about and there was also the uncertainty about whether I was doing the right thing. It was a big thing for me! However, when I passed these subjects in the first semester, the rest went very well for me. You're on your way, you know what you want, you already know how the University works ... it's much easier.
So having done the higher training cycle first was very helpful in your case.
Many undergraduate subjects have teachers who also teach on the cycle, so I was familiar with all of them. In addition, I already had guidelines for programming: it was very easy for me because I already knew how to do it, I had done it a thousand times during the cycle, and having worked and done internships in the field also helped me. I think the bachelor’s degree provides great job opportunities (professionals are in high demand and it is easy to find a good job) and it allows you to work more on the graphic part. As computer scientists, we have a reputation for not having visual criteria and just for making things work, and in this degree it is clear that this is not the case, that we can also be creative.
«Computer scientists have a reputation for not having visual criteria and the bachelor’s degree in Multimedia shows that we can also be creative.»
You graduated last year, but you were already working before you finished your studies. What was your job search process like?
The company where I did my internship during the cycle, Ausatel, hired me and I worked there during my degree course. Later, I saw an offer in Seidor that caught my eye and I decided to change, and that’s where I work right now. Ever since I started my internship, I've never stopped working in the field of what I love. My current job is as a front-end developer, the visual part of a web page. However, I also do full-stack, which combines the visual part with the code part behind it for the visual part to work.
In such a changing profession, updating knowledge is key. What you study on the degree may be outdated right after you finish your studies. How does the University prepare you for this reality?
Basically my job is programming and it’s very similar to any other language. For example, it’s like knowing Catalan and learning Spanish. There are many words that are similar, but they change a little. Once you know the basics, if you have a solid foundation, even if you go to a job where they work in a different language to the one you studied, after exploring it a bit, it is very easy to learn it and understand what to do and how to do it. If you know the basics, it’s no problem.
«Once you have a well-established foundation, it's very easy to know and understand what to do and how to do it»
We know that there is a considerable lack of qualified professionals in your field. What would you say to young people so that they can become interested and study programming?
Don't be scared! When you look at it from the outside, it can seem complicated. When you think of a programmer, you have the image of someone locked in their room with a screen full of letters. But programming has a very nice part, which is that it allows you to create things out of nothing, you can make web pages, applications, etc. It’s about using your creativity to build something that a lot of people wouldn’t know how to do, and starting from scratch.
«The best part of programming is that it allows you to create things out of nothing»
We could say that in studies you have not followed the most conventional path. What advice would you give to high school or upper high school students who don't want to continue with university studies?
That continuing to study is worthwhile. Having a degree, working on what you love and being valued as such, being able to ask for a higher salary because your expertise contributes makes you see that studying makes a lot of sense. In the long run, working in a place you like and having a good quality of life is not the same as always looking for a job, doing things that don't satisfy you, or not knowing what to do if you lose your job.
But it is also true that not everything starts and ends with the university. When I started the training cycle, I noticed a lack of information about this mode of study, someone who could tell you that you do not need to go straight to university and start studying something that you do not even know if you will like. When I was in high school, if you weren’t doing the upper secondary certificate to go to university, you were called the “typical guy who’s going to do a module because he doesn’t want to study.” And this really isn’t the case! At 18, you don’t necessarily have to be absolutely clear about what you want to do and why. You can feel very lost when you start university, take a course, find you don't like it, and then not know where to turn. The CFGS provides you with a first contact with a profession, to test if you really like it. And then the range of possibilities that opens up to you is huge.