A mobile application, which is otherwise called as mobile app is an application developed for smartphones and tablet PCs. In short, it can be stated as software for your phone.
Right from simple interfaces like dictionary to complicated stuff like navigation maps are created by mobile application developers. There are also programs developed for social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
With the sudden popularity of this field, it is turning out to be a popular specialization in the field of software programming. If you are planning for a career in this field, the details given below can be highly helpful:
What is a mobile application and who is a developer?
As mentioned earlier, it is a software program that runs on a mobile device like Apple iPhone or devices with Android Operating System.
Nowadays, in addition to these two giants, many other companies also have their own operating system for the mobile devices they introduce.
Typically, mobile applications are either native, which means written for a particular mobile operating system like Google Android or Apple iOS or they can also be developed as mobile web based apps, where in markup languages like HTML5 are used and they require a browser to run.
An app developer is a software programmer or engineer, who can design, develop and test the programs on one or more mobile operating systems and devices.
What type of educational training is needed to become an app developer?
To become a developer, you should be proficient in programming languages like C, C++ and objective C. Knowledge in these languages are needed, if you want to develop programs for iOS devices like iPad and iPhone.
In case, you want to do the same for Blackberry Operating System, you should have proficiency in Java. In addition, you should be aware of the fundamentals of UI design and also the fundamentals of application testing, development and design.
Once you have the fundamental knowledge, you can just decide on the platform and the mobile operating system in which you will have to specialize.
Are there any certified courses like degree/diploma courses?
Presently, neither Apple nor Google has any certified courses available. However, there are many institutions that offer certificate and diploma courses in this regard.
In addition, many educational institutions have included mobility technology as a part of their curriculum.
What are the educational institutions that offer courses for mobile application development?
The Sathyabama University in Chennai has developed a mobile apps development lab and this was developed in collaboration with Virtusa. This is a unique initiative understanding by Virtusa for helping students to learn the latest Mobile application development.
The course on mobile application development is inculcated by Virtusa as a part of curriculum in this university and this course is offered in the final semester.
The whole course encompasses 5 levels, wherein the fundamental two levels are handled by the faculty members of the university and the final three levels are handled by the Virtusa staff. From this university, many corporate companies hire candidates for mobile application.
What are the popular programming languages used in the mobile application development?
Here are the programming languages that are used for this purpose:
- For Android, Java knowledge will help
- Objective C for iOS
- HTML5 for web based applications
- Java (J2ME) for Blackberry Operating System
- For Windows Phone 7, knowledge of C# with XAML can help
What are the career options available in this field?
When you choose this field, you will have the following career options:
- Applications developer/Engineer and this position needs programming skills
- Mobility architect, which requires architecture, design and programming skills
- User Experience and usability expert, for which you need understanding of human interaction and ease of use metrics
- Mobile UI designer that requires creative and artistic skills
As the enterprise mobility is the fast development area, many IT companies are improving their capabilities and operations for effectively meeting the mobility requirements of their customers. This opens up the door for those looking for right expertise in this area.
How will be a day in the professional life of a mobile application developer?
You may be spending part of the day in writing and understanding the needs for the mobile application and interacting with end users in identifying the user experience and usability.
What is the future of this field?
This field can bring you a pretty bright future. Mobile application development is integrated in a number of fields like banking, commerce, shopping, in-car entertainment, television, etc and so there is a bright future if you choose mobile application development as a field for your bright career.
It can be said that the future of software programs is mobile. So, you can be rest assured about a bright future. Even, you can work as a freelance developer as well and can earn handsomely.
What is the average salary of an app developer?
The average salary can be around Rs.3.5 lakh per year. A skill in JavaScript can bring better pay. So, this can be a lucrative career to choose.
If you in your college level, you can also take up courses in programming languages separately from private computer institutions that are operating from around India.
