The internet of things is here. People around the world are connected 24/7 and busier than ever thanks to their wireless devices. They want platforms and software that will make their lives easier and help them keep up.
Everyday, innovators are coming up with new ways for apps to simplify everyone’s lives. That means that increasingly, more app developers are needed to flesh out these great ideas.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics’ estimates from May of 2014, there are more than 686,000 app developers in the country. The mean annual wage for these developers, a majority of whom work in California, is $99,530. And by 2020, 300,000 new mobile app developer positions will be added to the marketplace—a whopping 32 percent increase.
Do you want to get in on this booming industry? Here is some advice for how to snag that cool job from some app developers themselves.
Get a formal education
While it may seem tempting to learn code on your own, what most employers are looking for are those who know the ins and outs of app development. By going through a formal program, you’re going to obtain the education you need.
Nick Alekhine, a creative coder at Yeti, recommends looking for a top-rated bachelors or masters program. If you don’t have the time or money to go to school for four or six years, he says that a boot camp may be enough.
“A few people here at Yeti were not computer scientists,” he says. “They did a two or three-month long boot camp, and now they’re programmers.”
Before deciding on which boot camp to enroll in, make sure you study which types of app development are actually in demand. Then choose your classes accordingly.
“We’re getting to a point where you have all these code academies and boot camps that pump a lot of talent out there,” says Arun Umapathy, CEO of NYC Devshop. “Now there is an oversaturation of Ruby on Rails developers coming out of these academies.”
Build your portfolio
Before you graduate from school, make sure to do app development internships. If you just completed a boot camp, start looking for freelance development jobs. According to Mike Alto, CEO of W2MD, what you’ve already accomplished is important when you walk through an employer’s door.
“With this stuff, the proof is in the pudding,” he says. “Show me the apps you’ve built. You can have a degree from M.I.T., but if you haven’t designed an app, I would hire the guy who could show me his portfolio. It’s more about finding people who have hands-on experience.”
To figure out if candidates have the skills needed for an app developer job, Andrey Kudievskiy, co-founder of WeezLabs, says that he asks for code samples and sends a test that requires them to write code.
“The simple test doesn’t take more than 20 or 25 minutes,” he says. “If it looks good, then we will open the conversation and do an interview.”
Be a self-starter
At many companies, the bosses will come in and tell app developers what their clients need done. Then the developers will program until the work is completed. That’s why it’s important that they can work independently and effectively.
“We have a sprint-based model, where our clients pay us for two weeks of work at a time,” says Alekhine. “We sit down at the beginning of the sprint, and then it’s up to each member of the team to complete those tasks between the next two weeks. There’s no micromanaging.”
Be open to new perspectives and technologies
Since you’re coding for your company’s clients, you have to be willing to hear their opinions and change your ways, if need be.
“We look for developers who can take criticism and know when to seek out some additional help,” says Umapathy. “We want them to be resourceful.”
Since you’re going to be working in tech, you also have to research new methods for developing apps. The technology is constantly changing, and you must learn it in order to be a competitive applicant.
“It’s all about not getting stuck in your ways,” says Alto. “You have to be willing and able to change. You can’t think you have the most perfect way to do something, because a year or two will go by, and there will be a better way to do it.”
Photo credit: Rosenfeld Media