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Mobile App Developer Skills
Most app developer positions do not require a degree but they will require you to prove your skills with a coding challenge or whiteboarding. You should have a portfolio of your own apps ready to show potential employers, too! Strong communication skills are a must in app development because most positions require collaboration with other designers, developers, and departments as well as interaction with clients.
A Mobile App Developer should have strong analytical skills, be creative, pay attention to little details, and be able to solve problems with little to no assistance. Depending on whether you choose to develop for Android, iOS, or both will determine if you need to know a few of the technologies listed below or most of them. You will be able to learn these skills at a mobile development bootcamp .
To be an Android Developer you’ll need to know:
Java - is a core language that is the most commonly used language for Android development. Apps built in the Android Studio are written in Java.
C++ - C++ is an object-oriented core language that is less commonly used but still sometimes found in Android mobile apps.
Android Studio - Android Studio is the official Integrated Development Environment for Android app development.
Eclipse - Eclipse is a tool similar to Android Studio used to develop code for android apps.
XML - XML is a markup language used to store information.
Kotlin - Kotlin is an open-source, programming language. It’s designed to be more concise and work well with Java and JavaScript.
Unity - Unity is used for Android game development.
To be an iOS Developer you’ll need:
Objective-C - Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that was created in 1980. It is the main language used for iOS and macOS.
Swift - Swift was created by Apple in 2014 as the first protocol-oriented programming language. It’s used to build apps for the iOS platform.
Xcode - Xcode is the Integrated Development Environment for iOS apps.
You can develop on both operating systems using:
React Native - React was originally released by Facebook as a framework for JavaScript with User Interface in mind. React Native is the mobile development version which also keeps User Interface as its top priority. It brings web development concepts to the mobile development world.
Text Editor - A text editor is a computer program that allows users to edit a variety of programming language files.
Chrome Debugger - The Chrome Debugger API can be used to debug JavaScript and CSS.
Other useful skills for Mobile App Developers include:
HTML - HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It is a standardized markup language used for creating a webpage. These pages can include writing, links, pictures, sound, and video. HTML is used to denote these elements so that the web browser can display them correctly.
CSS - CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS is used alongside HTML and JavaScript to control the layout and presentation of a website.
JavaScript - JavaScript is the most popular language on the web. It is a scripting language used to enhance and manipulate web pages by adding interactivity.
Frameworks - JavaScript frameworks are collections of JavaScript code that provide developers with prewritten code to use for routine actions and to easily implement best practices and standards.
jQuery - jQuery is a JavaScript framework that simplifies a variety of programming operations like mouse clicks and keystrokes, adding and deleting elements, and dynamic content that is readable by search engines.
Bootstrap - Bootstrap is a CSS framework for developing responsive and mobile-optimized websites.
ReactJS - React is an open-source JavaScript framework from Facebook that provides a view for HTML data or user interfaces.
Android vs iOS Mobile App Development
The demand for Android and iOS Developers are about the same, with about 5,000 open jobs each in the US on average. The pay for Developers on both platforms is almost equal as well. In the US market , iOS controls about 58% while Android makes up about 41%. Globally , however, Android takes over 73% of market shares while iOS rings in at just 26%.
Aditya Narayan , the CEO and co-founder of TurnToTech says, “Because there is so much opportunity in mobile right now, it’s completely legitimate to go with what you like to use as a user. But you can be more analytical than that. If your aspirations are tied to the international market, Android is a good option. If your focus is the US market or you want to monetize through in-app purchases, iOS is your best choice. It’s not a once in a lifetime decision. If you can write apps in iOS, you can easily transition to Android and vice versa.”
How to choose between Android vs. iOS: If you’re starting as a complete beginner, then Android and iOS will likely take the same amount of time to learn. If you’ve already learned Java, start with Android. If you’ve already learned C++ or C, pick up iOS first.
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