Communications of the ACM
Your Next Job: Mobile App Developer?
Credit: Labho.com
As market demand surges for apps to run on smart device operating systems, companies are facing a shortage of mobile development talent, and that could lead to new opportunities for IT professionals with the right programming skills. For example, job postings for Android developers soared 302% in the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of 2010; ads for iPhone-related positions rose 220% in the same time frame. By some estimates, the number of mobile developer job listings has increased by 101% compared to the year-earlier period. It's not just tech companies that are on the prowl for mobile development talent. Today, all kinds of product and service companies are rushing to debut new apps.
Despite healthy demand for mobile app developers, that demand isn't translating into widespread offers of full-time jobs on corporate IT teams just yet. That's because many companies with lean IT budgets aren't ready to commit to hiring highly specialized mobile development talent. Whether you're a recent college grad or a midcareer professional, you may have what it takes to be a good mobile app developer if you possess certain specific qualities, such as strong Java, HTML and general technical skills. Developers who are steeped in the tenets of modern object-oriented programming and understand user interface and design patterns will have a leg up. Expertise in the specific APIs and user interface toolkits of major mobile platforms like Google's Android and Apple's iOS is a plus. A skilled programmer should be able to move between languages fairly easily, since mobile development essentially just involves learning a new syntax.
From Computerworld
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