What is a Mobile Developer? Explore the Mobile Developer Career Path

The Day-to-Day as a Mobile Developer

Mobile Developers are Software Developers who specialize in building applications for mobile device operating systems such as Android and iOS. Depending on their employment, they may be involved in every stage of the development of an application or exclusively involved in specific stages such as design, development, testing, release, or maintenance of the application lifecycle. They will most likely be working on a team with other Developers, Designers, Product or Project Managers, and UX or UI professionals.

The day-to-day for a Mobile Developer depends on their employment. A Mobile Developer might work for a startup, a large corporation, or freelance. Their primary tasks will involve creating, maintaining, and implementing source code for mobile applications that meet the requirements of a client, stakeholder, or end-user; creating prototypes; iterating on prototypes; creating wireframes; coding based on a design comp or wireframe; finding and fixing bugs; and collaborating with their teammates at meetings. They usually work a 40-hour week but occasionally work overtime for code sprints.

What Skills Should Mobile Developers Have?

Mobile Developers will most likely specialize in either Android or iOS development. From there they might specialize further to game, productivity, social media, or another application development sector. An Android Developer needs to know Java, XML, and Kotlin. They’ll also need to be familiar with C++, Android Studio, Eclipse, and Unity. IOS Developers should get to know Objective-C, Swift, and Xcode. Both Android and iOS Developers will also find React Native, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and Bootstrap useful.

Mobile Developers should understand the platforms, tools, and languages available, as well as how to use them to design for any mobile device. Mobile Developers must also comprehensively understand the entire lifecycle of an application and how to develop a minimum viable product (MVP). They will need to be ready to work on a team, often under tight deadlines.

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Learn the Skills You Need to Become a Mobile Developer

Coding

Coding is another way to say computer programming. It is how humans "instruct" computers through the process of designing and building a functioning computer program. Computer and web programs are built using coding languages like C, Python, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, and more. Coding can be used to create desktop, mobile, or web applications.

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SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the practice of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic using tactics like keywords and backlinks to create organic, high-ranking search engine results.

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iOS Development

iOS development is the practice of building mobile applications for devices powered by Apple's iOS operating system. iOS applications can be developed using Objective-C or Swift, two languages created by Apple.

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Java

Java is a class-based, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language that was designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. Java is used by Software Engineers to create computer applications. Java can also be used to build modules and applets for use within a web page.

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React

React is an open-source JavaScript library that is maintained by Facebook for building user interfaces. React is often used as a base in the development of single-page or mobile applications, social media style applications, and other web platforms.

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XML

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is used to encode documents that is both human-readable and machine-readable. You'll find XML across the web.
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Mobile Developer Salaries

A Mobile Developer in the United States makes, on average, $118,967 annually, according to Indeed.com.

Salaries for Mobile Developers vary by region within the the United States. Listed below are some Mobile Developer salaries for specific areas with the United States compared with the average national salary:

U.S. Average $118K source n/a
New York City $169K source
+42.07%
Miami, FL $158K source
+33.64%
Orange County, CA $152K source
+28.51%
Chicago, IL $139K source
+17.36%
Houston, TX $121K source
+2.36%
U.S. Average $118K source n/a
Washington, D.C. $117K source
-1.2%
Fairfax, VA $110K source
-7.3%
Dallas, TX $110K source
-7.45%
Alexandria, VA $92K source
-22.65%
Los Angeles, CA $89K source
-24.75%

Typical Qualifications to Become a Mobile Developer

You do not need a higher education degree to become a Mobile Developer. Some Mobile Developers have a computer science degree, but most do not. It is more important for a Mobile Developer to demonstrate proficiency and their ability to learn new things.

There are no industry-standard certifications for this position but Mobile Developers can earn a certification from a bootcamp or online course. These certifications will usually only boost a Mobile Developer's employment outlook if they're freelancers.

Searching for Mobile Developer Jobs

Mobile Developers work in a variety of environments including corporations, startups, freelance, contract, or government entities. They can find jobs in nearly any industry, both onsite and remotely.

You can find Mobile Developer jobs on sites like:

Indeed
LinkedIn
Google Jobs
Glassdoor
AngelList
Dice
Authentic Jobs
Mashable
Stack Overflow
Startupers
StartupHire
Hired
ZipRecruiter

You can find freelance, contract, or remote Mobile Developer jobs on sites like:

Upwork
Fiverr
LinkedIn
Freelancer
FlexJobs
WeWorkRemotely

Tips to Become a Mobile Developer

A Mobile Developer should have a well-rounded portfolio that showcases their work with mobile applications. A good portfolio might include case studies that show the process of building an application from start to finish, articulate the process of building a single part of an application, or an interactive and complete MVP. Posting these portfolio examples on GitHub and Medium or a cleanly designed blog is common practice so that potential employers can view your work.

A Mobile Developer's LinkedIn profile should be up-to-date, including all past work experience, and include keywords relating to Mobile Developer's skills and responsibilities. It should also show and tell how your past experiences offer transferable value to your position as a Mobile Developer.

To get a leg up, try to connect with a point person with a letter of introduction at each company you send an application to, whether you applied via LinkedIn or not. This will provide you with name recognition and sometimes first-hand advice. You should also make these connections with people who might be your manager at any company you would like to work for regardless of whether they have posted job openings. These connections will also help freelance Developers grow their client base.

What Job Titles Would a Mobile Developer Hold?

The positions that Mobile Developers can apply for may be narrowed down based on industry, location, company size, and interest in specializing. Mobile Developers will likely find positions at startups the most quickly but will notice that rising through the ranks from a junior position to a senior position at a larger company or going freelance is possible within a couple of years and may result in a better annual salary and overall work-life balance.

Mobile Developers can look for these positions:

Mobile Application Developer
Mobile Developer
IOS Developer
Mobile Application Programmer
Android Developer
Mobile Engineer
Mobile Software Engineer
Hybrid Mobile Application Developer
Software Developer, Mobile

The Day-to-Day as a Mobile Developer

What Skills Should Mobile Developers Have?

Learn the Skills You Need to Become a Mobile Developer

Coding

SEO

iOS Development

Java

React

XML

Dev Bootcamp

Mobile Developer Salaries

Typical Qualifications to Become a Mobile Developer

Searching for Mobile Developer Jobs

Tips to Become a Mobile Developer

What Job Titles Would a Mobile Developer Hold?

Related Careers

Salary Comparison to Mobile Developer

Web Developer

Software Engineer