What is Mobile Development?

Mobile Development is the process of programming applications for dedicated mobile devices. As mobile devices, particularly smartphones, are becoming more and more common in our everyday lives, industries and institutions from almost every professional field are making greater use of mobile applications. This broad usage includes private-sector venture-capital start-ups, more traditional commerce industries, and public-sector agencies. In this overview, you’ll learn more about mobile development, what it can do, who uses it, and how to learn it to determine how to add this skill to your professional toolbox.

What Can You Do with Mobile Development?

One of the most compelling reasons to learn mobile development skills comes from the fact that the technological infrastructure is constantly improving. What was unheard of five years ago has become the technical default, and developers are constantly improving the hardware and software associated with mobile devices. This evolution makes mobile application development an incredible specialization for developers who want to be on the cutting edge as new industries and practices emerge. Whether you are interested in designing new mobile games, essential accessibility services, or working within newly emerging digital marketplaces, mobile app development skills will significantly boost your potential.

Mobile application development is also an excellent skill set for working within the developing world of the internet of things. Our phones and tablets are becoming more directly integrated with the devices and objects we interact with daily. From QR code readers to digital assistants to medical alert technology in wearables, mobile devices serve many seemingly mundane but still vital functions in our everyday lives. While developers looking to work in this field will need to learn other advanced programming skills, students with a background in mobile development will have a much easier time creating complex applications meant to extend the reach of the mobile device.

How Do You Get Mobile Development Tools? How Much Does it Cost?

Since most mobile development is done on one of the two major mobile operating systems, iOS and Android, the tools developers use will depend on their development platform. Both operating systems use a proprietary coding language, Swift for iOS and Kilton for Android, but both are open source, making them free to use. Apple iOS developers will also need to use a specific free code editing application, Xcode.

While mobile coding applications are free, making them available to users and hosting them will cost money. This cost will vary from app store to app store, but a flat registration fee of between twenty-five and a hundred dollars is expected. In addition, while it isn’t a direct fee, most app stores will take a cut of any sales on a mobile application, meaning that developers who are hoping to design mobile games or other paid applications will want to be aware of the split.

What Are the Benefits of Learning Mobile Development?

As of 2017, mobile use has surpassed desktop PC use for overall web access purposes, 53-46. This gap is expected to increase meaningfully, and the difference only becomes more and more skewed as it is broken down generationally, with younger audiences using mobile devices far more frequently than older audiences. As such, mobile development is growing more valued in almost every corner of the digital development landscape. Anyone hoping to work in the rapidly changing world of web development will benefit from learning mobile development skills. 

Mobile development is also becoming increasingly pervasive in virtually every industry, especially as younger audiences default towards mobile devices as their primary way of interacting with the digital world. Thus, cutting-edge start-ups and new businesses are beginning to prioritize the functionality of their mobile applications. Services such as Uber rely upon mobile applications for both consumers and contractors. In addition, older institutions, including public sector institutions like government agencies and universities, have shifted towards mobile applications that users must interact with to access essential services. Since 2018, mobile gaming revenues have outperformed PC and console gaming revenues combined to the tune of $70 billion. No matter what kind of field you want to work in as a developer, investing in fostering mobile development skills is likely to help open doors.

Read more about why you should learn mobile development. 

Mobile Development Careers

Since mobile software applications are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, more and more industries are beginning to prioritize the importance of mobile applications. New mobile applications for companies can range from new business start-ups to companies trying to build brand loyalty to government agencies looking to make vital services more accessible for users. Thus, many different career paths are available for anyone with a background in mobile development. A few of these options include the following:

Web Developer: Web Developers are programmers who specialize in building web applications and assets for those applications. They use various programming languages, depending on the project specifications and the functionality they want to build into their applications. Many Web Developers work closely with mobile development projects to ensure a seamless connection between browser-based and mobile applications. Web Developers will be less specialized than their mobile development counterparts, but they will still benefit from learning how to design assets and code for mobile development projects.

Mobile Developer: Developers are specialized programmers working on dedicated mobile design and development projects. They are likely to work with either Swift (for iOS) or Kotlin (for Android), meaning that they will be working with proprietary technologies and programming languages designed to optimize the performance of their software on specific devices. They are also often deeply involved in the planning stage of a project since mobile development languages tend to be more narrow than web-based alternatives. As a result, dedicated mobile developers can earn more than their non-specialized counterparts, but they will need significantly more specialized training to serve this role.

Software Project Manager: In most professional environments, mobile applications are developed by teams of employees working on discrete aspects of the project, including designers, developers, market researchers, beta testers, and other vital elements of the design process. Ensuring that these teams work together and projects are completed on time and within budget is the role of Software Project Managers. Software Project Engineers need not only to know the programming languages being utilized to build their mobile development projects but also to know the soft skills necessary to oversee the human element of the project.

How to Learn Mobile Development

As mobile development skills are becoming increasingly in demand, there is an ever-increasing number of places to learn those skills. Service providers offer both in-person and online mobile development courses, and those online courses are available as both live and asynchronous training options. While every student will learn differently, these different training methods tend to come with certain benefits and disadvantages that can make it easier for knowledge seekers to find the right training option.

Many trainees find that live instruction is the best way to learn a new skill, particularly one as complicated as computer programming. Live instruction courses allow students to work with expert instructors, and these classes are relatively flexible, offered both in-person and online. These classes allow students to work directly with professional mobile development instructors who can provide class participants with personalized feedback and assistance. Students will be able to work on hands-on projects that replicate the kinds of mobile development work they can anticipate handling in their professional lives. These courses are ideal for individuals with the time and availability to attend regular classes, even though they are more restrictive in offerings than other options.

Those requiring flexibility in their training may consider an on-demand mobile development course. These training programs offer individuals the chance to learn mobile development skills at their pace, giving students with work and family obligations the opportunity to receive a mobile development education still. These courses differ wildly in their content and delivery method, but they are generally cheaper than their live training counterparts and will usually include a significant component of recorded tutorials. These courses lack live instructors, so that participants will miss personalized feedback on their work. Learning mobile development can take significantly longer without an expert to consult, especially acquiring more complex concepts.

Future students who are partially confident that they want to build a career out of mobile development but are still interested in getting a feel for the skills required before they decide on more training will want to explore the free training options available to them. Noble Desktop offers free web development training seminars, a valuable way for students to learn the basics of programming without needing to enroll in a professional training course. Since mobile development courses require that prospective students are familiar with the basics of web development, future learners may take advantage of free resources before enrolling. They may enjoy the Intro to Front-End Web Developmentseminar and the other videos on the Web Development playlist on Noble’s official YouTube page.

Read the complete guide on how to learn mobile development.

Comparable Fields

Mobile development represents a good-sized niche subset of web development. This large market share is because most dedicated mobile development uses specialized programming languages, such as Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. Thus, most people who receive mobile development training will become already familiar with basic programming skills and will instead be deciding how to expand on their repertoire of coding knowledge. Prospective students interested in advanced programming training will want to consider some of the different fields and languages they can learn.

Individuals may wish to expand their programming options and learn front end web development skills. Learning such skills includes HTML/CSS and JavaScript and its associated libraries like React and jQuery. Front end development concerns itself with the programming languages that inform a web browser how to display a webpage and how to build interactive elements into that display. As a result, front end programming is responsible for all web application elements that users see and interact with. Frequently, an element of front end web development is applied to mobile development, but mobile development languages are far more versatile in their stereotypical environments.

The alternative to front end development is back end development programming, which utilizes languages like Python, Ruby on Rails, and dedicated JavaScript libraries like Node.js that handle the hidden infrastructure that allows a webpage to run. These are the elements of a webpage that users won’t have access to and perform vital functions such as connecting to servers, querying databases, or running certain kinds of code. Learning languages like Python will also give students a chance to learn more advanced data science and machine learning skills, which are also cutting-edge parts of modern web development.

Finally, students may combine these skills to become Full Stack Web Developers, expert programmers who handle both the front end and the back end operation of web applications. The path of a Full Stack Developer requires significantly more training. Still, the languages that students will learn are incredibly versatile. Future Web Developers may transfer their skills to other professional programming positions since learning a back end language doesn’t preclude coders from finding a job as a Front End Developer.

Individuals interested in learning about front end development, back end development, or full stack development should consult Noble’s Learn pages to discover more about these career paths.

Learn Mobile Development with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to learn mobile development skills will need a decent amount of focused training. They will need to learn programming basics, web development programming languages, and specific programming languages built for mobile operating systems like iOS and Android. However, no matter your level of experience, Noble Desktop has a mobile development course that fits your needs. Whether you are an experienced programmer or you need to learn HTML/CSS, Noble Desktop offers individual bootcamps and career development classes that can help you on your way to becoming a skilled Mobile Developer. Experienced instructors teach Noble’s classes, bringing expert-level web and mobile development knowledge. Learners can take Noble’s classes in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or online in private digital classrooms. Even online, class sizes are kept small so that students aren’t competing with each other for their instructor’s attention. Plus, anyone enrolling in a Noble training course will have an opportunity to retake the class, for free, at any point within a calendar year, giving prospective students peace of mind. It allows beginners even more chances to get hands-on mobile development skills.

Individuals with prior coding experience may wish to enroll in Noble’s iOS App Development Bootcamp. This class will teach members how to work with Apple’s Xcode code editing program and their Swift programming language to build optimized applications on mobile iOS devices. Students will learn how to build interactive swipe and touch screen elements and how to add assets to the application, its launch screen, and its presence on the App store. By the end of the class, individuals will develop and post their applications to the App store. They will also understand how the mobile development process works from start to finish (people should be aware that posting applications to the app store require a paid Apple account, which every participant will be required to sign-up for to complete the course).

Those with less coding experience but still want to learn the necessary skills to work as mobile developers will want to consider enrolling in Noble’s Full Stack Development Certificate program. This program doesn’t focus specifically on mobile development. Future coders wishing to specialize in that field may need additional training, but learning full stack development skills is integral to becoming a successful and well-rounded developer. In this class, students will learn how to code web pages in HTML/CSS and JavaScript, languages that mobile developers use to build non-proprietary versions of their applications. In addition, students will learn essential JavaScript libraries and how to develop and maintain the infrastructure upon which applications operate. This career-focused course provides participants professional development training, including one-on-one career mentorship and portfolio development workshops. Pair this training seminar with Noble’s iOS Development Bootcamp for further specialization in mobile development.

Key Insights

• Mobile development is a subfield of computer programming that deals with developing software applications optimized for mobile devices.
• Mobile development skills are increasingly becoming in high demand as more and more industries are prioritizing mobile applications.
• While mobile development projects won’t have a direct cost, they will require enrollees to learn specific programming languages; hosting completed applications on a mobile application store will have an upfront cost.
• Mobile development is far more specialized than other fields of computer programming, meaning that it will require more dedicated training and be less transferable to other fields, but this can make it better for building a specific career niche.
• Those interested in learning mobile development skills may wish to enroll in a comprehensive in-person or live online training session through Noble Desktop.