Choosing a career path as an android developer can be the best decision you will ever make this year. This is because a lot of people depend upon their smartphones to help with a lot of day-to-day activities. These activities can be setting alarms on our phones, ordering breakfast, creating and scanning documents organizing tasks and setting reminders. Statistics show that Android has over 2.8 billion active users and a global market share of 75%. Furthermore, the Google Play app has grown enormously while reaching $38.6 billion in 2020. There were over 2.9 million apps available on the store in 2020, which were downloaded 108 billion times. This is huge! The above statistics show that there are a lot of opportunities for people that choose to develop apps on android devices. Not only is it an easy skill to learn, but also highly in demand. So how do you become an android developer? What are the major requirements to get started? This article is going to discuss all that you need to know about starting a career as an android developer.
Who is an Android Developer?
An android developer is a software engineer who specializes in creating and designing applications for devices using the Android operating system. It implies that most android developer jobs revolve around creating apps which we use on our smartphones and tablets. The statistics we cited in the introductory part of this article show that the demand for an android developer is on the increase and young professionals can start a career in this industry.
We have two different types of android developers which are the
Core android developer: This type of software engineer work on creating critical software for mobile phones, tablets, smartwatch and other android devices
Android app developers: These engineers focus on creating third-party apps that can run on android devices and can be downloaded through the Google play store.
Why Should You Choose A Career Path As An Android Developer?
Statistics show that there were over 2.9 million apps on the Google play store in 2020 which were downloaded over 108 billion times. This shows that there are a lot of opportunities for you if you choose to learn android app development as a career path or freelancer. Here are some important reasons why you need to start a career path as an android developer.
1. Android app development is on the increase
As the Android operating system continues to top the global mobile smartphone market with over 74.43% of the total mobile OS market share and above 52 billion app downloads. Most big companies are in demand of high-quality and engaging apps to further connect and make their service easier and accessible to their target audience. Marketers, business owners and other android users are looking for apps that will make their business easier and make life better for them. This has created a huge demand for android developers to build new user-friendly apps and improve existing ones’ performance.
2. Open Source Platform
Another advantage of choosing a career path as an android developer is that android offers an open-source platform. The open-source platform helps developers with a lot of creative freedom to develop android apps with great ease. This also means that one can learn Android, develop an app, and launch it for free without spending anything other than your time and effort. Overall, It gives you the freedom to use a wide range of license-free components based on the requirement.
3. Good online support
When learning any course or starting a career in any field, it is good to research the online presence of that particular industry. The feature of a good online support system is to support you when you have difficulty in any area of your android developing career. There are various communities on Facebook and LinkedIn that support people on their journey to become Android developers. You can interact with developers from this extensive community at any stage of Android development to solve queries. You can also learn, share and work together with other professionals in these communities. This support platform will give you a chance to learn and gain your footing in this field.
4. Source of income
One important fact for choosing a career path as an android developer is that it serves as a significant source of income. A lot of people decide to choose a particular career for different reasons. Some people might prefer a particular career because of their interest or passion, some might choose a different career because they want a promotion and others might choose a career because of the financial benefits. Overall, the main reason why people choose a career is to earn a living. And the average android developer earns $126,416 according to indeed. Furthermore, it can also serve as a source of income for freelancers.
5. Ability to work remotely
Android developers can work remotely and from anywhere in the world which is why it is a good choice for people with geographical barriers. Many android professionals can enjoy the convenience of working for world-renowned companies from anywhere in the world.
Android Developer career path
Android development has become a very important field in 2022 and it promises a very interesting career path for young professionals, business owners and freelancers. Just like a career path in python, the field of android development also has different branches that you can specialize in. Here are some important android developer roles you can focus on in 2022.
1. Android Architect
An Android architect is an engineer that specializes in providing app design and architectural insight for Android devices. They often take supervisory roles within a team of developers. The average salary of an android architect is estimated at $164,737 in the United States.
2. Android Application Developer
These are engineers that focus on building, creating and designing software or applications that run on the Android operating system. Android core developers create applications that run on android devices like smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and other android devices. While an android app developer focuses on creating third-party apps that can run on android devices and can be downloaded through the app store or other android stores. Their average salary is estimated at $113,166 annually.
3. Java Application Developer
Android developers are required to master Java, people looking to start a career path in android development can choose to specialize in Java development. Android developers with knowledge of Java are in demand by big companies worldwide. This set of engineers works with the Java programming language, frameworks, and concepts to create mobile applications.
The average salary for Java developers is estimated at $105,801 annually according to indeed.
Here is a summary of the average salaries for android developer-connected positions;
- Javascript Developer: $124,000
- Android Application Developer: $97,000
- Mobile software system Engineer: $94,000
- Mobile Application Developer: $94,000
- Senior Mobile Developer: $111,000.
- Senior Android Developer: $107,000
Skills You Need To Learn To Become an Android Developer
1. Java
Initially, Java was the official programming language of Android apps, but over the years it changed to Kotlin. However, Java is still a popular language choice of many developers. Understanding the basics of Java programming can help you build a career as an Android developer. It is based on the OOPs (Object Oriented Programming) concepts and is a good choice for people who already know the OOPs basics like inheritance, class, static methods, variables, lists and loops.
2. Kotlin
Kotlin is the replacement for Java and was introduced by Google in 2018 as the preferred language of Android apps. Kotlin is much easier to learn than Java, as it doesn’t have as much complexity and nuances as the Java language. Mastering Kotlin can help you build modern apps that provide enhanced features and better performance.
3. Structured Query Language (SQL)
Almost all Android apps collect and store data which can be data from the app or user data. That’s why employers prefer Android developers with SQL expertise. So they can integrate apps developed with a database for effective management. Understanding the basics of SQL can help you organise databases within Android apps and improve your chances of employment because data is very important to big companies.
4. Knowledge of Extensible Markup Language (XML)
This language is used in the development of web solutions. XML technology is very essential to android developers because it can be used to access web data. Having a basic knowledge of XML can help developers transfer data from apps to web services and vice versa.
5. Knowing Git
knowledge about Git is a valuable android developer skill and it can give you an edge when it comes to employment. Although Git is not a core android developer skill, it is still essential that you learn it. Android developers with knowledge about Git can build and utilise repositories and learn how to provide updates for Android apps.
How to become an Android Developer
If you like to code or love programming and working on challenging projects, you might want to consider a career as an android developer. The field promise lot of job opportunities, ruminative salaries and career growth. So if you want to start your career as an android developer, here are some things you need to do to get started.
1. Get a relevant education
The first step you need to take to become an android developer is by educating yourself. This can be either through a university degree, online certification course, boot camps, or self-study. A bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, information technology, computer science and other related fields can give you an advantage in your career as an Android developer. Online certification courses can take you through all the skills you need to know to excel as an android developer. Furthermore, students can attend a coding boot camp to learn some basic skills in android development. Overall, these platforms (degree, boot camps and online courses) can help you build skills in C, C++, Java, HTML, MySQL, PHP and other programming languages.
2. Grow your android developer skills
There are skills and technicalities that you have to master if you want to be a successful android developer. These skills include Java, Kotlin, Structured Query Language (SQL), Git, Extensible Markup Language (XML), HTML, C++ etc. This skill will get you ready to take on any project that comes your way. It will also give you an edge amongst job seekers and get you in front of big companies and recruiters. Apart from your developer skills, you need to be able to work well with a team, have good problem-solving skills, meet deadlines, can communicate well, and have good organizational and collaboration skills. This skill helps you function well within an organization. It will also give you an edge by getting more job opportunities.
3. Get certified
Certification is very important nowadays. It is evidence of your achievement and recognition. Getting certified help you showcase your skill as an android developer to recruiters and employers. Furthermore, you can add it to your LinkedIn profile and curriculum vitae. Some of the popular Android certifications include
- Google associate Android developer – Kotlin
- Google associate Android developer – Java
4. Create Applications
After you have satisfied the requirements for being an android developer by learning the required skill. You can put these skills into practice by developing an Android app. It might not be perfect, but you have to start from somewhere. You can promote your app by joining online forums or communities to tell them about your app. Get the word out on social media, tell people to download your app, and tell you what they think. Run ads if you have the resources. Furthermore, Google allows independent Android developers to publish their applications on the app stores as long as they meet Google’s terms and conditions. Having one or two apps can give you an edge in terms of employment opportunities and serve as a source of income for you as well.
5 Start applying for jobs
Now that you have knowledge and skills as well as a certificate or university degree designating you as an android developer, you can start applying for jobs. One way to go about this is to create a LinkedIn profile that highlights your skills and achievement as well as your certifications. Make sure you optimize your LinkedIn profile so that recruiters and employers can see you( read our blog on how to optimize your profile on LinkedIn). Optimize sections like your headline, summary, job sections and other relevant sections. Another way you can attract recruiters is by creating a professional curriculum vitae. You can submit this to various organizations online and offline. Furthermore, you can register and create a profile on websites like Glassdoor, Upwork, Fiverr and other job websites out there. This way recruiters can view your profiles and if they are interested in what they saw, they might set up an interview.
Where can you learn about android development?
Here are some websites you can visit to learn about android development:
1. Android App Development
This is a specialization course organized by Coursera. This program offers five different courses that teach you some new Android developer skills. The course starts with learning Java programming, then the components of a Java app and various development and testing methods while ending with a capstone project.
2. Android Basics
This course is perfect for aspiring Android developers who are new to programming and want to learn real-world skills. This course is for you if you want to learn how to build and accelerate your journey toward becoming a professional Android Developer
3. Android App Development for Complete Beginners
This is a beginner course offered by skillshare. You don’t have to have any prior knowledge about coding to take this course. In this course, students will learn how to work with Android Studio, how to create a basic user interface, how to make the application interactive, and how to install and test your app on your Android device.
4. Youtube
Youtube is a video website owned by Google. On YouTube people can learn a lot of things. Users can get access to a full course on android development and other related skills like java, Kotlin, XML etc. You can follow online learning platforms like Udemy, Udacity and Simplilearn on YouTube. Some YouTube channels to follow include;
- Android developers
- Coding with Mitch
- Goobar
- Codetutor
5 Java Programming Masterclass for Software Developers
This is another course offered via Udemy. The course comes with 80 hours of video content and 36 coding exercises. It offers the opportunity for students to move from beginner to Android developer. It prepares them to build apps and even sit for the Oracle Java Certificate exam.
Some Bootcamps For Android Developers
- Nucamp
- The tech academy
- Code fellows
- Digital house
- Codepath
- The hacking school
Some Android Developer certification.
- Oracle Java Certificate exam.
- Google associate Android developer – Java
- Google associate Android developer – Kotlin
Where to register for a job as an android developer
- Upwork
- Hubstaff
- Glassdoor
- Fiverr
- Freelancer
- Outsourcely
- Freeup
- PeoplePerHour
- Workhoppers
- Textbroker
Conclusion
Starting a career in android development is lucrative in 2022 and has a lot of career opportunities for professionals and freelancers. This guide is to help you get a basic idea of what you need to know to become an android developer. The guide has explained some of the important things you need to know like the career path of an android developer, how to become an android developer and what courses you need to take to become an android developer. However, to become an android developer, you need intensive training, practice, learning, and a well-designed course curriculum to shape you into an android developer with the right skill sets. The idea is to keep learning and improving yourself. This way, you keep getting better and the better you are, the less competition.
