How To Become A Mobile App Developer

The industry of mobile app is wide-spread and is only anticipated to grow in the years to come. Recent research suggests that the entire value of the mobile app development industry will reach $188.9 billion in 2021.

With the expansion of the mobile app industry, the market is going to experience ultimate profit. You can also develop a mobile app for your enterprise or start your career as a mobile app developer.

For this, you are not required to turn back to college and start with a computer science degree. You can achieve this, but the thing is it will consume much of your time and also your money.

That’s why we are here today with an actionable guide that will assist you in your journey towards becoming a mobile app developer.

What Is a Mobile App Developer?

Before anything, first, let’s learn about mobile app developers.

A mobile app developer crafts fully-functional and perfectly pleasing mobile apps for the users to meet the requirements of a target customer. Moreover, he develops and maintains two types of apps, Android and iOS, that run on Android and iOS devices, respectively.

Types of Mobile App Developers

As we now know there are two types of mobile app developers. Let’s dive further into each.

Android Developer

A widely-accepted mobile OS all over the globe, Android is expected to generate enhanced revenue in the future also. Android developers also develop apps for Android-powered devices. Furthermore, after they design and develop apps, they test the code for general usability.

iOS Developer

An iOS developer develops, tests, and updates apps for iOS-powered devices. Also, he uses the technologies, such as Xcode, which is a development environment, and Swift, which is a primary iOS programming language, to develop apps. Moreover, iOS developers design and architect apps for iOS devices from scratch.

What Does a Mobile App Developer Do?

A mobile app developer crafts, tests, manages and updates mobile apps. Also, they are responsible for programming a mobile application and designing its UI.

Mobile app developers keep apps up-to-date with new updates. They perform with a team of other developers to craft an app that meets the needs of users and of the organization. Moreover, they may get help from the design team in sketching mockups for the app and perform with other teams of the organization to coordinate a rollout strategy.

Today, mobile applications are increasingly becoming an important part of the business approach. While the websites are effective, there is no room left for a mobile app. The apps can be installed directly onto your phone, send notifications to the users, and are native to the device. It’s the mobile app developer’s job to make sure that mobile apps are performing perfectly so that the business may attain its targets.

Technical Skills Needed for Mobile App Developers

After you pick your platform, the next step is to learn its core concepts. So, let’s get started. These are the essential technical skills for iOS developers:

Swift

The main programming language that is used for iOS development, Swift is a modern language that’s easy to get started and receive frequent updates. A successful iOS developer should have a good knowledge of Swift and its core concepts.

Xcode

An app that is developed by Apple, Xcode makes it simple for the developers to write apps for any Apple device. An iOS developer should hold the caliber to navigate his way through Xcode and hold the know-how of using many features in the tool.

UIKit

A framework that assists iOS developers in designing their user interfaces is UIKit. Moreover, it includes the features to implement animations and gestures.

Essential Technical Skills for Android Developers

Material Design Guidelines

Most Android applications use the Material Design framework that was crafted in 2014 by Google. You need to know the working of Material Design in the context of designing and developing new apps. Moreover, you need to have the know-how of implementing Material Design guidelines in an application.

Data Storage and Notifications

Also, being an app developer you should know how to update, store, and delete information on an Android device. Even if you depend on an outside API for an application, still you will be required to implement the push notifications to reach enhanced users.

Building User Interfaces

Apart from that, being a developer you should know how to convert a design into a functional Android app using XML and Java. To perform this, you will be required to know the procedure of using all conventional view containers and should also know entire standard views and other components that may emerge in an Android app.

How Much do Mobile App Developers Make?

Well, an iOS developer is expected to earn an average amount of $113,000, and more, with some jobs that are offering up to $171,500 annually.

On the other hand, an Android developer is anticipated to earn an average of $111,000 and more, and the most experienced one gets up to $162,000 annually.

The salary you can expect also depends on:

• The company you are working for
• Your location
• Your seniority

Well, you can also become a junior mobile app developer by taking one of the top app development courses below. Let’s check them out.

Mobile App Developer Courses

1. Udacity

A beneficial online education organization, Udacity includes its learning management system, videos, in-built programming interface, social elements, and forums.

Price of iOS Development Courses on Udacity: $199 per month.

Price of Android Development Courses on Udacity: $199 per month.

2. Udemy

Apart from offering a variety of courses, Udemy is also opened to various teaching opportunities. This means with the assistance of Udemy, you can also become a teacher, in case you want to try. It also provides other courses for distinct platforms and you can set a course for yourself. This way you can introduce your knowledge and expertise to the world. The category of development program embraces mobile app development, web development, game development, and more, that meets your distinct need for your job.

Price of iOS Development Courses on Udemy: $10.99

Price of Android Development Courses on Udemy: $10.99

3. Google Developers Training

This course offers certification exams and certified teaching resources to turn students into true app developers.

On Google Developers Training, Android Development Courses are free.

4. edX

edX is an open online course website that provides online academic courses for students worldwide, offering a wide range of courses and including many free courses. Unlike other online learning sites, edX is a non-profit organization.

On edX, Android Development Courses are Free. To Obtain a Verified Certificate, the price is $99.

5. Coursera

An online course website, Coursera was founded by Stanford professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller. It provides many majors, including Medicine, Engineering, Biology, Humanities, Mathematics, Social Sciences, Business, Data Science, and Digital Marketing.

On Coursera, iOS Development Courses Are Free for Seven days.

Conclusion

Becoming a mobile application developer is much easier than it sounds. Also, you may get a lot of options to choose from.

Learning mobile app development is ideal for people that:

• Need to root his own startup company
• Are trying to develop apps for other businesses
• Own a business, but can’t afford to outsource the development service 

So, that was it. By wrapping up now, we suggest you don’t start learning mobile app development just straight away. Instead, take your time and think about your favorite project that you would like to start with while learning mobile app development.