With the advancement of technology and the invasion of mobile devices and applications, the demand for skilled mobile app developers is gradually increasing making it a lucrative career option. Mobile devices and applications are making a great change in the way people communicate, or do business or access news and entertainment. This change is making mobile application developer one of the most in-demand and fastest growing IT career.

Skills and Responsibilities

The essential skills in a mobile application developer are:

1. Mobile developers are fluent in object-oriented programming languages such as Java, Objective-C and C++.

2. They code, test, debug, monitor and document changes for mobile applications.

3. They are skilled at working inside the development environments of one or more the top mobile OSes.

4. Mobile app developers can apply application programming interfaces (APIs) to hold mobile functionality.

5. They are familiar with the terminology, concepts, and best practices for coding mobile applications.

6. They make changes and enhancements to existing mobile applications.

Educational Requirement

In order to become a mobile app developer an aspirant need to have a bachelor’s degree in software engineering, mobile application development, mobile computing, computer science or a similar programming-centric field of study. Some of the marketable skills to look for in a mobile development education program include iOS application development (iPhone & iPad), Android application development, object-oriented programming (OOP), Java programming (Java SE/ME/EE), JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Objective-C and C++ programming, user-interface (UI) design, game & simulation programming, mobile app portfolio assembly, database & OS fundamentals, and mobile media marketing & deployment. One can also opt for some certification courses to enhance one's skill set. At present, the most marketable certifications for mobile application developers include:

1. Google Associate Android Developer

2. Mobile Development Institute Certified Developer (MDICD)

3. Logical Operations' Master Mobile Application Developer (MMAD)

4. ATC Android Certified Application Developer

5. Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD): App Builder

6. IBM Certified Mobile Application Developer

Scope of Mobile App Development

The opportunities in mobile app development are endless. Some of the roles in this job profile include-

Mobile marketing

1. App developer

2. UX/UI designer

3. Growth hacker

The life and times are different as a mobile app developer. This work involves a lot of hard work and coding.

Mobile App Developer Job Outlook:

The mobile device market is growing at rapid speeds. This growth is increasing the demand for mobile application developers and the requirement for new and innovative mobile applications. The rapid growth of mobile is generating a host of employment opportunity for both corporate and freelance mobile application developers.

Some of the companies hiring mobile app developers include advertising, marketing firms and video game studios that want to build an application for clients and media firms. Recognizing mobile as an influential content distribution channel, government agencies and financial institutions can provide their core services to mobile users, software development firms and real estate agencies.