[IT Developer Competition] IT Development Labor Shortage... The Rediscovery of 'Liberal Arts Students'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] #07 graduate Jinsoo Lee (33, pseudonym) graduated from the Department of Public Administration and then entered graduate school of public administration. However, he dropped out after one semester and received training at a government-funded academy that trains developers. After completing a six-month training course and going through two job changes, he settled at a large information technology (IT) company in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province.

He did not initially dream of becoming a developer when he headed to the academy. He had wanted to work in the IT industry for some time and went to the academy to build related knowledge. However, as he studied programming, he became interested and decided to pursue a career as a developer. Developer friends around him also influenced this decision.

While working, he often meets developers from liberal arts backgrounds like himself. There are colleagues in his company who majored in business administration or English literature. He said, "I don't feel much difference between those who majored in computer science and those who didn't when working or changing jobs."

Lee, a sixth-year employee, believes that it is not particularly difficult for liberal arts students to grow as developers. Many of his academy classmates were from liberal arts backgrounds, and most of them have entered the IT industry and are working as developers. He said, "The education system is becoming better and better, making it a good environment for non-majors to learn," adding, "If you have the will to become a developer, there are plenty of opportunities."

‘Other Majors’ SW Workforce Increases by 8,000 in One Year... High Proportion of Liberal Arts Students in Academies

Although Lee works for a well-known IT company, he does not consider his current company a lifelong workplace. Recently, developers’ market value has been rising sharply, and changing companies allows for diversifying experience. He said, "Among acquaintances working at large IT companies, quite a few developers move to ventures like Woowa Brothers because they want to learn at growing companies," adding, "I think it is possible to change jobs every three to four years for career management."

The number of liberal arts graduates working as developers in the IT industry is steadily increasing. They mainly receive software (SW) development education at government-funded academies or other educational institutions after graduating from university. Many liberal arts students complete training at these institutions. Concerned about the shortage of SW developers, the government is also focusing on nurturing developers from non-IT majors. Experts predict that this trend will continue given the growth of the IT industry and acceleration of digital transformation.

According to the Software Policy Research Institute (SPRi), a national research institute, the number of domestic SW professionals from humanities and social sciences or other majors was 23,600 in 2019, an increase of 8,000 from the previous year (15,600). The proportion of other majors among the total workforce also rose by 2.4 percentage points from 5.4% to 7.8%. Choi Mooi, head of the Statistical Research Team at SPRi, explained, "Since 2017, we have classified other majors and compiled SW workforce status. There is some annual fluctuation, but the trend of government-led SW convergence education for other majors is increasing, so the transition of non-majors to SW workforce is definitely rising."

Officials from educational institutions that train developers in connection with the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s government-funded programs also agreed that many liberal arts students attend. A representative from Academy A said, "The ratio of liberal arts students at the academy is about 7 to 3, making it hard to find more majors," adding, "Nowadays, there are more liberal arts students than those majoring in development-related fields." He added, "Being a major does not necessarily mean better performance, nor does being a non-major mean worse. There is variation in understanding depending on individual capability regardless of major."

Government to Train 180,000 Non-Major Developers... Experts Also Positive

Experts predict that the number of non-major developers, including liberal arts graduates, will continue to increase. Professor Inho from Korea University’s Department of Computer Science said, "The number of liberal arts students wishing to double major in development-related fields such as SW convergence is increasing," adding, "There were cases where 3,000 students crowded into a computer science lecture designed for 600 students." Professor In said, "Fields like artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) require solid mathematical knowledge, but some digital transformation tasks require deep understanding of humans, such as psychology and philosophy. In these areas, liberal arts developers can show strength."

Academies also explained that liberal arts trainees are actively entering the industry. A representative from Academy B, specializing in web development, said, "Basically, IT developers are evaluated much more on experience than background," adding, "Using industry-academia cooperation, about 80% of liberal arts students go to IT companies after completing training." A representative from Academy C, which teaches big data and AI, said, "More than half of liberal arts students find jobs in the industry," adding, "I heard that companies ask about the academy first rather than the major during interviews." Stories of those who received training at government-funded academies and then found jobs in the IT industry are easily found in developer communities.

The government is supporting education for non-major SW personnel. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has been conducting the ‘Digital Core Talent Practical Training Project (K-Digital Training)’ since last year as part of the Korean New Deal. One of the main goals is to nurture developers from non-majors. The ministry is cooperating with 43 innovative training institutions, currently educating about 2,000 people. The Ministry plans to produce 180,000 talents by 2025. A ministry official in charge of the project said, "Some institutions report that the proportion of liberal arts students reaches 50%," adding, "When the project started last year, the number of trainees was set at 3,500 for this year, but due to high demand, it was expanded to 5,300."