A mobile developer is a specialist who creates software applications for mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, smart watches, e-books and other portable gadgets). A good developer must understand more than just programming. Erudition in UX\UI, business logic, prototyping – all this distinguishes an enthusiast with great prospects in life from a person who only exchanges his time for money.
In the BBC ranking, programmers and IT developers are among the top 5 most in-demand professions in the world. They were only beaten by nurses, mechanical engineers, doctors and electrical engineers.
Every year, the growth in sales through applications on smartphones and tablets is increasing, and with it, the need for highly qualified developers continues to grow. Therefore, the digital environment, which is in the process of becoming, is experiencing a shortage of good specialists.
The development of the mobile application market will make this shortage even more acute. Therefore, if you have been eyeing this profession for a long time, now is the time to start taking the first steps in development – you will definitely not be left without work.
What are the prospects for mobile development
Today, there are 5 billion smartphones for every 5.5 billion people on the planet over the age of 14. On average, each has 35 apps installed. In total, 204 billion applications were downloaded by users in 2019.
Mobile Internet outstripped the stationary one in terms of the number of users four years ago. The mobile development market as a whole has grown by 40% in 2021, and there is no reason to expect a decline in numbers. On the contrary, the sphere of mobile systems and mobile development is actively involved in global economic processes.
What does a mobile app developer do?
This is a specialist who develops applications for various kinds of mobile devices. In addition to direct programming, he often communicates with other product departments, tests various forms and stages of creating an application, conducts a final review and uploads to the required platforms.
What tasks does a mobile developer solve
The roles and tasks of the developer directly depend on the area of his responsibility, which was determined by the manager. Most often, a new application is created according to the terms of reference from, for example, a product manager. In this case, the executing developer discusses the terms and progress of work on the project with colleagues, coordinates all stages of creating the application, and adapts it to the necessary sites.
Sometimes the work of a mobile developer is completely creative: the idea of a new application comes either from himself or from other employees, but without a clear TOR. This is a more complex form of cooperation in which the developer is the leader. He not only codes, but also delegates tasks to colleagues, monitors the quality of their implementation, gives advice, conducts code reviews.
What are the trends in mobile development
It’s almost impossible to find a “Developer” vacancy: it will always be with some kind of prefix that defines the functionality and area of responsibility of the employee on the project. The world of mobile development is also vast and diverse, for example, development for Android and iOS are two parallel universes. The learning process will be more productive if you already at the initial stage decide on the direction you want to master.
There are two main areas in mobile development:
1. According to the purpose of the product being developed:
- games;
- business applications;
- social applications;
- applications based on the operation of sensors and IoT in general (navigation, physiological, etc.);
application of neural networks.
2. According to the technical parameters and the platform for which the application is being developed:
- Android apps
- cross-platform applications;
- iOS applications;
What is the salary of a mobile developer
The vast majority of mobile application developers choose this profession for quite mundane reasons: the specialty is considered one of the highest paid and promising. In addition, this is really the point of application of efforts that will help to get the maximum result, and now we are not talking about money, but about the scale of projects and impact on the world.
No one will be able to give an exact average figure to the question about the fee – everything varies greatly depending on the professionalism of the specialist, the level of the company in which he works, and the region.
As a person who worked at IT company in the entire “ladder” of positions, from a layout designer to an architect and a manager, I can say that the person who came to development by hanging a similar table with fees over the bed is the last person I myself would like to see in to your team. Money is a bad motivator in any business, and even more so in such a progressive one as mobile development. Money is a reward for the result, not the purpose of the work.
If you are not driven by the idea of changing the world with this, then it is better to spend your energy not on learning programming languages, but on something simpler, for example, smearing sleepers with creosote. Because a really cool product is obtained when people who are in love with their work and inspired by a big idea work on them. At least that’s how it works in our company. Work should first of all bring pleasure and self-realization.
The career ladder of a developer in many IT companies is quite multi-stage and allows you to develop both in a managerial and technical way. The first involves usually vertical growth: you can grow from a junior to a team leader in an average of five years. The second prioritizes not so much managerial positions as an increase in technical expertise. Employees who do not aspire to become managers can grow professionally and horizontally, developing on different projects and platforms.