Every day we use applications that simplify our daily activities, save time, help with work, and even plan holidays. And all this thanks to the profession of a developer.
Mobile development appeared in the early 2000s with the release of Java and WAP. Life was in full swing on primitive text sites. Users wanted to chat, get to know each other, check e-mail – in general, everything that they had previously done on their computers.
There were very few mobile developers then, and each phone model required writing a new version of the program. A revolution in the world of mobile development took place in 2007 with the release of the first iPhone. It was then that there was a huge demand for mobile application developers.
Who is a Mobile Application Developer?
A mobile application developer is a specialist who writes programs for mobile devices. The range of developer responsibilities is very wide, and it starts with an idea. The specialist comes up with an idea, and then analyzes competitors, identifying the number of downloads, strengths and weaknesses of similar applications. After collecting information, the development stage begins, which takes place together with mobile application designers. Next is testing, during which functionality, convenience and other important characteristics are checked. Bringing the application to market is also the responsibility of the developer. But that’s not all. If a specialist independently develops a product, then he is also involved in its promotion and promotion.
Benefits of being a mobile app developer
The profession of a mobile application developer has many serious advantages, thanks to which young programmers choose to develop in this area with great desire.
Good salary
An experienced specialist is ready to pay 200 thousand rubles for solving complex problems.
High demand
Mobile applications are created for many industries.
Ability to work from home
Work at your own pace, save time and money on the road, more time for loved ones. And this is not all the benefits of remote work.
Continuous development
Mobile platforms are constantly updating the stack, so mobile development specialists must constantly study manuals, master new principles of working with code.
Disadvantages of being a mobile app developer
In the profession of a mobile application developer, there are also small disadvantages, the main ones are:
- at Apple, a long check for any update;
- pickiness of users to the functionality of applications.
Education
Many beginners in mobile development start by learning on their own with the help of books and how-to videos, and then take online courses that last no more than three months. However, it is easier to master a profession with a higher education.
Educational establishments
Despite the fact that a mobile developer is a fairly young profession, universities already have programs for teaching this specialty.
Courses
Short-term courses for mobile developers are gaining a lot of popularity. Here are some of them.
Best Mobile App Development Courses for iOS, Android
- Foundations of Objective-C App Development (Coursera)
- iOS 11 Fundamentals (Pluralsight)
- The Ultimate iOS 11 Course. Learn to Build Apps! (Mammoth Interactive)
- Developing iOS 9 Apps with Swift (iTunesU)
- The Complete iOS 10 & Swift 3 Developer Course (Udemy)
- Saving Data in iOS (Ray Wenderlich)
- iOS App Development: Accessibility (LinkedIn Learning)
- iOS 11 & Swift 4 – The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp (Udemy)
Demand
Smartphone manufacturers are increasingly investing in the development of mobile technologies. Sales are growing, buyers are literally guarding the release of new products. That is why the demand for mobile application developers is growing every year.
Companies understand that having their own convenient and functional application is a great advantage over competitors. Shops, banks and various services actively remind of themselves by offering their loyalty programs through applications in our phones. Therefore, today, a mobile developer is a very demanded specialist.
Employment and career as a mobile app developer
Where can a mobile app developer work? In short, everywhere. Applications are created to solve any problems. Restaurants, delivery services, taxis have a mobile developer in their staff, who not only writes the application, but also constantly supports and updates it.
A specialist can work as a freelancer, sending resumes to organizations, or get a job in an IT company. The latter option will save the developer from searching for clients on his own.
A specialist in the field of mobile application development has several career steps:
- Intern – a developer without work experience.
- Junior developer – a specialist who has just started developing. Has minimal experience.
- The average specialist is a developer with 1-2 years of experience.
- A high-class developer (Senior) is able to solve complex problems.
- The head of the development team (Lead) is fully responsible for the quality of the code.
Prospects for the future
Mobile app developer is the profession of the future. People do not plan to give up smartphones and tablets. This is evidenced by statistics: the share of mobile traffic is only increasing every year. Moreover, new gadgets and electronic media are being developed. The number of mobile applications will increase. They will become in demand in medicine, science, education and other areas. Therefore, mobile application developers will be required even more.