
Why Android and Not iOS
Android OS simply dominates the mobile world. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of app downloads for Android OS grew by 31%, from 21.6B to 28.3B. The installations of apps for iOS grew by 2.3% (8B → 8.2B). In 2021 Android OS reached an 87% share in the development market, and in 2022 it maintained the leadership position with a 70% share. It’s still (and will be) the most popular mobile OS in the world. Whereas Apple App Store performs better in revenue, the Google Play Store provides the apps ahead in usage. But frankly, there’s nothing to fight for in comparison between iOS and Android. Businesses prefer to develop apps for both platforms to reach all of their customers. So, let’s focus on the fun part – the benefits of Android development, the career perspectives, and the training roadmap to becoming a mobile developer. If you want to do so but don’t have any programming knowledge.What Are The Benefits of Android App Development As a Profession
Is Android app development a good career choice for you? You bet. Here are the significant benefits to drag you into it:Android is a market leader in mobile development (yep, let’s not forget about it). 71% of devices run on this operating system.
Android has a vast community on StackOverflow – the greatest community for professional developers and learners online. If you look at the popular tags in discussions, you’ll see that Android is placed 6th – it’s the only framework to land that high in the ranking, right after five programming languages – JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, and PHP. What’s so good about this fact? It means there’s a vast base of Q&As and code, which you might use while learning and working as an Android developer. It also means that there are tons of professionals with different experiences, which may help you with any Android development issue.
Android has loads of materials and libraries available for free. For instance:
- GSON & Jackson – Serialization/Deserialization
- Picasso & Glide – Image loading
- Volley & Retrofit – Networking
- Butterknife, EasyPermissions + so many other utility libraries
- and many more that you can use for free in development just because someone decided to make them and share them with the rest of the world
Android developers have a great professional tool – Android Studio. It is maintained by Google and built on top of IntelliJ platforms.
Android developers have some of the finest salaries in the IT segment. Here’s what the average salaries in the U.S. look like based on years of experience, according to Payscale:
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Your Roadmap: What to Learn to become an Android App Developer
Previously, we’ve conducted research among CodeGym graduates to discover how long it takes to learn to program in Java, depending on the students’ background. This survey inspired us to create the definitive roadmaps of knowledge you need for a certain developer profession. So, here are the knowledge and skills for becoming an Android Developer from level zero:

How to Become Android Developer from Scratch with CodeGym
If you break the roadmap of learning from a previous section, you will see that it roughly consists of two main parts:- Learn programming language core (Java, or Kotlin) + test tools + usage of version control system to develop and maintain your projects solo and in teams.
- Learn Android SDK, development tools + work with databases + UI design basics, etc.
- Introduce you to programming fundamentals.
- Give in-depth knowledge and practice in Android development.
About Java Fundamentals course
This course allows you to learn Java fundamentals from the very beginning, under the supervision of a mentor – an experienced software developer. You will study in groups and have two online classes a week with your teacher, and after each class – a homework to do, which consists of a set of additional text lectures and tasks with the automated check right on the CodeGym platform. This course is suitable for total newbies and those with prior programming knowledge from the university or online studies. You get:- Regular 90-minute online classes
- Support by your mentor and CodeGym team in a Slack chat
- Interactive online development environment to practice coding from the first lesson
- Certificate of completion
Module 1 – Java Syntax: covers the basics of Java language (commands, methods, data types, objects, and classes, etc.), loops, arrays. It also introduces you to I/O streams and exceptions, and covers some topics about collections and generics, as well as basic programming patterns. During this part, you will solve 271 practical tasks (real programs).
Module 2 – Final project: a practical two-week-long module to summarize your learning. You will create a project called ‘Crypto analyzer’ – and it may become the first project for your portfolio. After you complete the programming project, your mentor will verify it and give you feedback.
About Android App Development for Beginners course
This course is suitable for learners with basic programming knowledge (like Java Fundamentals). It helps you learn the basics of Android, set up your development environment, and turn your ideas into applications. The training in this course includes:- 90-minute online classes with a mentor twice a week
- Support by your mentor and CodeGym team in a Slack chat
- Development of 4 full-fledged mobile applications
- Certificate of completion
- Learning ‘the core’: introduction to Android, setting up Android Studio, leading into the UI, advanced XML, working with data, connecting to APIs;
- Design patterns, databases, code reusability, best practiced of mobile development;
- Debugging Android apps + live debugging sessions;
- And more.
Here’s What Students That Chose this Roadmap of Learning Say
When we launched the Android App development course, a few students decided to continue their programming studies by diving into mobile. They’ve shared their learning experience and further plans with us, so you can have a kind of ‘push’ to start your learning asap:- "I wanted to get real programming skills": the story of Radoslaw
- "I’m hoping to make coding my profession": the story of Lauren
- "I enrolled in the course with a mentor to have a better training environment": the story of Krzysztof
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