A Beginner's Guide to Becoming a Mobile Developer

Mobile phones are just as essential to everyday life as your wallet and keys these days. Very few people leave home without a phone, and we rely on them for so much more than just making phone calls. As you can imagine, the world of mobile app technology is advancing at an incredible rate.

If you’re willing to put in the time, becoming a mobile app developer isn’t as difficult as you might think. Here’s a quick beginner’s guide to becoming a mobile app developer, even if you don’t have any experience.

Get the Education and Experience You Need

Obviously, you are going to need some computer skills to be a mobile developer. If you have the money and time for it, the best way to get the education you need is to get a degree in computer science or software engineering. This will give you a solid foundation in the field and make you more desirable to companies who may be hiring mobile app developers.

However, not everyone can afford the cost of college tuition. Thankfully, there are some other options. You can seek out online classes in computer science to learn the skills you need, and many of these classes are completely free, or at least very affordable.

Decide Which Platform You Want to Specialize In

Once you have the basic skills you need, decide which one of the major platforms you would like to specialize in. You can choose between Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry, or Symbian. iOS and Android are the leaders in this market, so one of those two would probably be the best place to focus your efforts in the beginning. Later on, you can expand your knowledge to learn to code for other platforms.

Become an Expert in the Platform You Chose

Now that you’ve decided which platform you want to specialize in, focus your efforts on learning everything you can about their coding. Most of this can be learned online, and it won’t even cost you anything to access the materials.

For example, Android offers Android Developers training and Apple has the iOS Dev Center where you can learn much of what you need to know. Aside from the official streams, there are tons of websites online that offer free tutorials and classes in coding for the various platforms. You can also find online classes that charge a fee but will help you advance your skills even further. For free or low-cost courses, check Coursera or edX. W3Schools offers more advanced education in creating mobile apps and coding systems like HTML5 and CSS3.

Learn How to Market Your Apps

While you are learning computer science and coding, you may also want to learn some marketing skills. You can find classes on some of the websites mentioned previously or take a course or two at a local college. If you plan to go out on your own as a mobile developer, marketing skills will be essential for your success.

Learn Basic Business Skills

Much like marketing, basic business skills will also be essential to your success if you plan on working on your own. You’ll want to know about accounting, budgeting, and how to legally set up your business. Learning business skills will also help you develop and monetize useful apps that people will want to use.

Developing Your First App

Now that you have the skills you will need to be successful, it’s time to develop and market your first app. You could also continue to advance your skills by interning with a reputable company in this field. By interning with mobile development firm or creating a successful app on your own, you will increase your chances of being hired by a company as a full-time app developer in the future.

1. It all starts with a good idea. The mobile app market is extremely competitive, so you’ll need to come up with a good idea that’s different from what everyone else is already doing. Think about what people might need and find useful. Could you create an app that might solve a problem? Of course, you could also develop a cool game to help pass the time, which is always a big hit.

2. Usability is the key to success. The key to success with any mobile app is usability. Focus on clear and easy navigation, and colors that are easy to see. It should also be easy to understand how to use it. Complicated apps that require separate instruction pages to figure out how to use them are rarely successful.

3. Know your limitations. Hopefully, you’ve learned the computer and coding skills you by the time you get to this point. But you still may not have the design skills necessary to make your app look professional. Consider hiring help or collaborating with someone else if you need to. Freelancers can fill in the gaps in your education, and they’re often pretty affordable.

4. Test, test, and then test some more. Before you put your app out there to the general public, enlist your friends and family to help you test it. That way, you can fix any bugs or glitches and avoid negative reviews that could really hurt your sales.

5. Expand your profits. Once you have successfully released your first app on the platform you chose to specialize in, consider learning other platforms too. Convert your app to work on more platforms to expand your profits. Keeping your app simple and clean will be super helpful when you go to convert it for other platforms.

In Conclusion

Once you’ve completed an internship or launched your first app, you can begin to market your skills as an experienced mobile app developer. You may be able to find a company that will allow you to work remotely, but there’s a good chance you will have to relocate to get the best job in this field.

Of course, you can always decide to continue on your own and market the apps you create yourself, but this can be a very competitive market, so be prepared to spend a lot of time getting your apps noticed.