How Do You Get a Job in Application Development?

Anyone who’s been keeping even a passing eye on global tumor trends is well aware of the fact that the number of overall smartphone users has skyrocketed in recent years, according to Smart Insights.

The opportunities to gain a following for new mobile applications that gain traction is infinite, but because there are constantly so many different developers with new ideas on the horizon, it can be somewhat difficult to break into the market at its current level of saturation.

Despite the unquestionably high level of competition, it is very possible to earn a decent living as a mobile app developer as long as the the following important things are kept in mind about the way the current state of the market.

Becoming a Developer

The best path to becoming a mobile app developer generally begins with a degree in computer science. It is not strictly necessary to graduate from a higher education institution in order to become a mobile app developer, but doing so will generally give an aspiring developer at the right competitive edge for the most promising job opportunities.

In addition to to getting their degree, a mobile app developer should generally also have one of the major application publishing platforms in mind before they get too deep into developing their passion project. The major platforms are RIM, Symbian, Windows, Apple and Android. Each of the major platforms for mobile app publishing has its own pros and cons, so every developer should be well aware of them before investing too much into any particular project.

After earning their degrees, the mobile app developer on the rise will have to make sure that they’re properly educated in both development and the art of marketing. Both Apple and Android have their own independently-developed tutorials and video courses to give prospective developers the skills they need to begin their burgeoning projects.

As with any project that is built upon getting a sizable online following, being able to effectively promote the project will be just as vital to its success as the quality of its development. Of course the are some anomalous projects that manage to take off with only a minimal investment in marketing, but since these are few and far between, the chance of this happening shouldn’t be counted on as a guarantee.

Current State of the Mobile Web Development Market

Google Play and the Apple App Store collectively contain roughly 4.2 billion apps, with 2.2 million posted by Google play and the Apple Store holding 2 million. Not only has the number of applications continued to rise, but the rate of mobile usage in general has risen concurrently with the number of applications developed to meet the demand. Smartphone use for business purposes has seen an upward trend just as much as smartphone used for leisure has.

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What the statistics indicate is that well over half of the time that individual spend on any digital media is dedicated to mobile application use, which has very clear implications about the potential revenue to gain should a new application project prove successful.

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