Becoming an Android Developer – The Positives

Ever since smartphones emerged, there has been a tug of war between the two major operating systems for mobile devices; Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. With smartphones now commonplace around the world, there are growing opportunities for both iOS and Android developers. Successful mobile apps development professionals are in demand in a variety of industries, and what was once considered a speculative career choice is now one that promises great rewards.

In terms of mobile apps development, becoming an Android developer is seen as the better alternative, and there are good reasons for believing it as well.

Expected Future Growth

The field of mobile apps development is expected to witness an addition of over 300,000 new jobs, and Android is right at the heart of it. While there would be a multitude of openings for iOS developers as well, the sky-high prices of Apple products have made Android based smartphones more popular. As a result, the demand for Android developers is expected to be a lot more.

 Global Mobile Apps Download

With Android phones becoming more and more popular in European countries like France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain, there would be great demand for developers at famous international destinations as well.

Variety of Roles and Great Earning Potential

An Android developer is no longer just an ordinary developer. Android mobile apps development has become a universe in itself, and a variety of developer positions are on offer. Mobile architects, lead software engineers, Android engineers, and Android mobile developers command the highest salaries among a plethora of other roles for Android mobile apps development professionals. On an average, an Android developer earns around $102,000¹ every year, and trends show that salaries around the world can only be expected to spike in the coming years.

Easier Platform for Entry Level Developers

If an entry level developer wants to develop applications for the iOS, he would not be able to do it with an ordinary PC, as a Mac is a fundamental requirement. However, the restrictions are far lesser for mobile apps development on the Android platform. Android applications can be developed across multiple operating systems such as Linux, Mac, and Windows. Once the applications are developed, Android apps can be ported to other operating systems such as Ubuntu, Symbian, Blackberry, Chrome OS, and Windows 10 quite easily too.

Android’s fundamental programming language is Java, a language common across multiple devices, platforms, and operating systems. An Android developer who familiarizes himself with Java would also be able to develop applications on Linux, Windows, and a host of other operating systems. In comparison, Apple’s programming languages, namely Objective-C and Swift, are mostly used for developing applications on iOS and OS X, both Apple-based operating systems. Despite Apple’s announcement of making Swift an open-sourced language, Android still takes the cake for developers.

Play Store Privileges

Another prominent reason for the rise of Android developers in recent years has been Google’s Play Store, thanks to the wealth of conveniences is offers to developers. Whenever you want to deploy an app to the Play Store, you only need to wait for a few hours before the app becomes available for download. If you need to update your app more than once in a day, no problem! Play Store also allows developers to launch alpha and beta releases, which can be targeted to specific users. Based on user reviews, the developer can make changes to the application and launch it on a full-scale basis on a later date.

However, things are quite different on the Apple front. You might have to wait for weeks before your app is available on Apple’s App Store. Things are comparatively more difficult in terms of app updates as well, thanks to a lengthy update process.

With so many positives going for it, it’s no wonder that the market for Android development has reached such dizzying heights. Aspiring developers are recommended to sharpen up on their Java skills through Android mobile apps development training courses. The most qualified developers are sure to benefit from the rapid growth of the Android market in the years to come.

Sources:

1.        https://acadgild.com/blog/10-reasons-android-will-change-your-career/