Mobile development gained the spotlight among IT specializations long ago. It’s fair to say that during the last few years, its popularity has surged due to further smartphone development and our (pandemic) habit of being chronically online. Here’s a fact: average American checks their phone 262 times daily – like once every 5.5 minutes. What do they usually do? Of course, get stuck into apps. Another research shows that 21% of Millennials open an app 50+ times per day.
It might be bad news for our mental health but also – great news for mobile developers that create these apps and keep them running. So if you’re contemplating the best career choice in IT, here’s an option: Android app developer.
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:
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:
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:
If you’re a total rookie, this list might look intimidating, but no worries – you just need to start your learning at some point.
See? You don’t need that much programming knowledge compared to the full-fledged backend- or full-stack devs. All you need is Core Java (if you choose Java as a basis for further studies) and test tools.
As for the time you need for training for a junior Android dev position, here are the results we’ve got some time ago:
So, if you’re a newbie without programming knowledge and study extensively, you need about a year to become a job-ready Android developer.
Can you make it faster? Well, it seems that you can do it in 7 to 9 months now that we have designed a special training roadmap in CodeGym University – our new online apprenticeship, which includes training with mentors and a focus on obtaining relevant professional skills.
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.
Therefore, you need two separate courses to:
Introduce you to programming fundamentals.
Give in-depth knowledge and practice in Android development.
This course is suitable for both newbies and those who have already acquired a 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. You can choose what's best for you:
A program for learners who want to study Android development from the zero level, including the basic knowledge of Java programming. It includes four months long training on Java Fundamentals + the final project; three months long module about Android App development;
A program for learners with basic programming knowledge who need a brief training to master Android development. It includes only three months long module about Android App development.
What you get during the course:
90-minute online classes with a mentor twice a week
Support by your mentor and CodeGym team in a Slack chat
Plenty of coding tasks with instant verification and coding style hints
Development of 4 full-fledged mobile applications
Certificate of completion
The training lasts 3-7 months, depending on your starting level of knowledge, plus additional time to complete the final project and get extended feedback from the mentor.
The practical projects during the course: ‘Quizz game,’ ‘Memo/reminder app,’ ‘Weather app,’ and a Reddit clone.
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:
It might be bad news for our mental health but also – great news for mobile developers that create these apps and keep them running. So if you’re contemplating the best career choice in IT, here’s an option: Android app developer.
If you’re a total rookie, this list might look intimidating, but no worries – you just need to start your learning at some point.
See? You don’t need that much programming knowledge compared to the full-fledged backend- or full-stack devs. All you need is Core Java (if you choose Java as a basis for further studies) and test tools.
As for the time you need for training for a junior Android dev position, here are the results we’ve got some time ago:
So, if you’re a newbie without programming knowledge and study extensively, you need about a year to become a job-ready Android developer.
Can you make it faster? Well, it seems that you can do it in 7 to 9 months now that we have designed a special training roadmap in CodeGym University – our new online apprenticeship, which includes training with mentors and a focus on obtaining relevant professional skills.
