The newest mobile devices and apps are changing how we talk to each other, do business, get news, and have fun. Businesses, consumers, programmers, and artists have all jumped on board with this modern technology. This has made mobile app development one of the most lucrative and quickly growing careers.
Professional developers are some of the most in-demand tech workers, making a lot of money because of it. This is because there are not enough people with the right skills in the field. Software Development is a fast-changing field where new programming languages, frameworks, and technologies come and go every few years and where job requirements are always changing.
We put together a list of some key facts and resources to help people who want to work in app development figure out how to do so.
What is the role of a developer?
There are many ways that developers can go about their work. Here are some of the jobs in the field.
Mobile developer: A mobile developer makes apps for mobile devices like iPhones and Android phones. A mobile developer uses Java, Swift, or Objective-C.
Full Stack Developer: A full stack developer can work on both the front and back end of a website or app. A full stack developer is an expert in all stages of software development, such as the server, network, and hosting environment, relational and non-relational databases, interacting with APIs, user interface and user experience, quality assurance, security, customer, and business needs.
Front-end developer: Someone who uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to turn data into a graphical interface with which users can see and interact.
Back-end developer: Builds a website’s functionality and interactivity, like the parts that let users sign in, make an account, and like posts. Depending on what you want your web app to do, you might need to learn languages like Java, Python, Ruby, and PHP.
How Much Does a Mobile App Developer Make?
A developer’s salary depends on several things, like how many years of experience they have and where they live.
A 2020 Stack Overflow survey found that the median salary of developers around the world was $58,639, while in the United States, it was more than double, at $120,000.
Here are some U.S. base salaries that have been reported on Stack Overflow:
- Full stack developer: $120,000
- Mobile developer: $120,000
- QA developer: $110,000
Mobile Developer Education Requirements
Most employers want Mobile App Developers to have at least a bachelor’s degree in software engineering, mobile app development, mobile computing, computer science, or a similar field that focuses on programming. Hiring managers for jobs in mobile development will also want to see a portfolio with examples of your best development projects and finished Mobile Apps.
As a mobile developer, you should have skills like iOS application development (iPhone and iPad), Android application development, object-oriented programming (OOP), Java programming (Java SE/ME/EE), JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Objective-C, and C++ programming, user-interface (UI) design, game, and simulation programming, mobile app portfolio assembly, database, and operating system basics, and mobile media marketing and deployment.
Mobile Development Certifications
There are few well-known certifications for mobile app development yet, but as this field continues to grow, we will see a lot more platform-specific and platform-neutral credentials. The most marketable certifications for mobile app developers right now are:
- Google Associate Android Developer
- ATC (Advanced Training Consultants) Android Certified Application Developer
- IBM Certified Mobile Application Developer
- Mobile Development Institute Certified Developer (MDICD)
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD): App Builder
- Logical Operations’ Master Mobile Application Developer (MMAD)
- Oracle Certified Professional (OCP): Java ME Mobile Application Developer
Getting experience to become an app developer
You can get hands-on experience building and improving apps in several ways. These ways will give you free, valuable experience and help you add to your resume and portfolio.
Volunteer: There are always non-profits in your area that need someone who knows how to code. Reach out to groups that work on issues you care about. Tell them you want to be a developer and ask how they can help you. It is a wonderful way to keep yourself busy and simultaneously give back to your community.
Apply for a summer job: If you are a working adult who wants to change careers, an internship might not sound like the best idea. But a non-paid internship could be the best way to help you learn how to build websites. You can even look for online internships that allow you to work from home.
Do not forget to ask for a recommendation letter at the end!
Join a hackathon: Virtual hackathons are a great way to learn from other coders and meet people in the field. Even if you do not like to compete, this is a straightforward way to put your coding skills to the test and meet other developers.
How to Become an App Developer: 5 Tips
Feeling up to it? To wrap up, here are our 5 best tips to help you start your career.
- Start with free coding tutorials to see if you like the challenge of building websites.
- Read blogs in your field. You will always know what other developers are doing to improve their skills and figure out how to solve tough coding problems.
- Find out what you can. You should know how different mobile devices are coded and keep up to date on the latest operating systems and applications.
- Use some of the most popular tools for software engineering. Even if you are not ready to commit to a full-time program, you can still get valuable hands-on experience and get a taste of how good it feels to build something with your own coding skills.
- If you want to get into the field quickly and learn through hands-on projects, choose a Software Engineering Bootcamp that is designed to get you hired quickly.
Last Thoughts
So, as a mobile app developer, you are responsible for creating a user-friendly mobile app for your client. However, you need to make sure that you can do it perfectly, so do your research and ensure that you have the skills and knowledge before you begin.
