Mobile development training and other resources

How to learn mobile development

It is safe to say that you use apps on your phone all the time. You could be using the apps for messaging, learning a new language, tracking your calories, and banking and investments. There is an app for basically everything. With the increased ubiquity of apps, mobile development has grown to be more relevant than before. If you want to become a mobile app developer, this guide will do you good, and we have detailed information about everything you need to have in mind to decide whether the career is good enough for you.

What is mobile app development?

Defining mobile development is precisely what you thought it would be, even though it is not that simple. Mobile development is the process where you write mobile software for devices. This endeavor is unique, and this is because it allows the developer to develop an application from nothing within a brief period.

Developers build their skills around the operating system they are building for. There are two leading players in the field: iOS from Apple and Android OS from Google. While there are other types of smartphones and devices with applications, they are only a tiny fraction of the general market.

Some developers choose to work through a single operating system and progress into the other types as they grow in their careers. However, by working with the two operating systems, you put yourself on a competitive ground in the mobile app development world.

The importance of mobile app development

Mobile app development may not seem to be a big deal, but developers are indeed significant. Without mobile applications, many people and some businesses would not attain their full potential. This is especially true for businesses that have so much traffic on their websites and apps.

In addition, mobile applications can be installed on the phone; they can communicate to other users and are very native to smartphones. Therefore, the developer can ensure mobile apps work best and help the company attain its goals.

Duties of mobile application developers

A mobile app developer has to design, create and update mobile applications for either Android or iOS. The developer needs to work in conjunction with a User Experience (UX) designer to create a design that is designed to match the user’s needs. When they work together, they can create mock-ups for the app, and the developer must collaborate with business people to help out in launching strategies.

Types of mobile developers

There are only two types of developers. They are the android developer and the iOS developer.

iOS Developer. The task of an iOS mobile developer is to create, test, and update iOS-powered applications. The most common technologies they use are the Xcode, swift and the development environment, the initial iOS coding language when they are building their applications. Their primary duty is to build the iOS app from scratch up.

Android developer

Android Operating system is the widely used operating system worldwide. Their developers are solely responsible for building applications for devices that use Android operating systems. They also check for usability by testing the code. The development career is very lucrative in terms of job posts, and they offer the best salaries. But the job is very complicated, but you will learn from this article.

Step-by-step way of learning mobile development

The technology field is constantly growing and strengthening at the same time. As you launch your career in mobile application development, there are many potential entry levels. We will dedicate this section to show you how to become a pro from rookie.

Step 1: identify a path to learn

If you want to understand more about mobile development, there are many ways to do it. Some developers for mobile apps graduate from a college or a university with a computer science degree. On the other hand, a few developers learn by themselves and do not have any official computer operation knowledge. The other alternative that has attracted so many people is the coding Bootcamp. A coding Bootcamp can last anywhere from three months up to nine months. While in the program, students will get to be taught the necessary skills they should have to start their careers. They also get to build portfolios of projects which act as a way for them to display their skills to potential employers.

Step 2: Select the platform you want to focus on

As mentioned, you might ask yourself if you want to work as an android or iOS developer. You have the freedom to pick one, and later, you can shift to the other. It is also a fact that none of them is harder to learn when compared. Android has a significant market share worldwide in terms of user traffic. In the US, both iOS and android have the same market share. However, many developers choose to use the iOS platform because it is suitable for developers who want to monetize their apps.

These apps can fetch a good amount from in-app purchases.

The primary difference between the iOS and android apps is that their programming languages are different. Android has most of its coding done on Java, and iOS uses Swift or Objective-C for its development purposes. If you are experienced in Java, you can start with android. However, if you are adept in C#, C++, or any other C language, you will find iOS development much more straightforward.

Step 3: hone your technical skills and refine them

You need to build and know many crucial skills for you to become a good mobile developer. The skills needed for iOS developers are,

Learning swift

Good understanding of UIKit

Good understanding of Xcode

The skills required to be a good android developer are;

Knowing how to build user interfaces

Have an understanding of notifications and data storage

It would help if you understood how material design frameworks work

Step 4: improve on your soft skills

Being a mobile developer is not complete until you have the following soft skills. Such skills are:

Problem-solving skills

Keen interest in details

Be good at teamwork

Conclusion

As the technology world grows and becomes a necessary part of life, mobile developers are in an all-time high demand. Mostly it happens because the salaries paid to developers are so lucrative, and they favor many people. So there is every reason for you to want to get into the field. The industry is competitive, rewarding, and there are chances to grow to become even more prominent.

To make it big in this field, you need to be well equipped with the necessary skills to get your first job. Mobile development qualifications are the best way to enable you gets such skills. Therefore, you need to consider them if you want something to do.