The rise of mobile applications is unstoppable and the software developer who is not interested in this area risks being left behind in the past. If you are just starting your career in the technology industry, you can take courses or get certified in mobile application development so that you can gradually make your way.
During the entire year 2020, more than 218 billion mobile applications were downloaded worldwide according to Statista and, for each downloaded application, there has to be an application developer involved from the creation of the platform, to its implementation and technical support stage.
“The mobile app development industry continues to grow as mobile devices become the center of communication and work. At an impressive rate, business and technology development has surged, causing a greater demand for experienced mobile app developers,” said Kevin Toth, Software Engineer at Xamarin, who wrote an article on this topic on LinkedIn.
Skills an App Developer Must Have
Although many consider that whoever knows how to program knows how to program any type of product, in the case of applications, the profile must have certain characteristics and specific skills and we will talk about that below.
- Knowledge of mobile user interface design
Although an application developer knows how to create an exceptional backend, it is always essential that this profile has user interface (UI) knowledge in order to create attractive and easy-to-use platforms that do not represent a headache for users.
- Cross-platform development
If as an application developer you are focused on a single platform or operating system… you better think twice. The ideal in a developer is that they have the skills to create applications for different platforms. Right now, the leader in number of app downloads is Android, followed by iPhone.
“A qualified app developer is not only experienced and capable of coding on one platform, but also versatile enough to build apps on any platform for any device. This opens the way to a wider range of possibilities and a brilliant developer profile”, they highlighted in the aforementioned LinkedIn article.
- Knowledge of modern programming languages
Among the programming languages that you should know on your way as an application developer, there is C# and Java, as well as knowing how to work with the Apple iOS, Android and Windows Mobile APIs.
- Business knowledge?
Although it may seem like something very far from the profile of application developers, having commercial knowledge of the company for which you will be working will be of great value when shaping the application. The more you know about the target audience, the more successful you will be able to create an application according to the needs of these users. So all the commercial information that developers may have is extremely useful and important.
How to become an application developer?
Learn to program
It seems obvious, but we still emphasize that the first step to being an application developer is… learning to program.
“While there are development platforms you can use to create basic drag-and-drop apps, any professional app will require you to know how to code. Even when you build on one platform, coding allows you to customize your app and add features that are not included in the visual build engine. When learning to code, you can generally choose two routes: enroll in classes at a university or self-study by using online coding courses", detailed about it on the Indeed portal.
Certifications
In the technology industry, certifications in various technologies and tools are highly valued by employers. If you have not studied Computing at university, for example, these certifications will validate all your knowledge and experience, essential when hiring a project.
Study multiple languages
When learning to code, you will likely start with the simplest programming languages or one that someone has recommended to you. What we want to tell you in this blog is that you should not limit yourself to learning just a couple of languages, because the more you know, the broader your professional horizons will be. Among the most popular languages are Java, C#, Objective C, C++, Swift, and Kotlin.
Other technologies you should know as an application developer
If your north is the development of applications, you must handle these other technologies so that your profile is even more competent:
React.js
“React JS is a JavaScript library used to design high-quality user interfaces (UIs). It is an important mobile app development skill that is known to drive a lot of traffic", featured on Naukuri blog.
React Native
It is one of the most used tools today, which allows the creation of cross-platform native applications for Android and iOS. It is used by the most important companies in the world, such as Facebook, Uber and Microsoft.
Angular
“It contains a large number of features and components that lead to efficient and rapid development. Its key features include improved performance and building complete applications on a large scale, it is reliable and effective”, they added in the same Naukuri article.
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