Mobile app development is a hot skill. With more and more people opting for it, there is a dire need to choose the most in-demand mobile technology. Looking at the popularity and demand for Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod, it is safe to say that a career in iOS Development is a good bet. Experienced as well as entry-level professionals are entering the world of iOS Development as there are immense job opportunities that provide good pay package and even better career growth. A new survey of mobile app developers by VisionMobile also shows that iOS is the right technology to spend your time and money on.
Need more reasons to kick start your iOS development career? Read on to find out…
Demand for iOS Skills:
The world has an insatiable appetite for new and better apps. Developers have numerous chances to exhibit their skill by developing interesting and innovative apps that run on iOS. With the growing popularity of iPhones, iPads and iPods and the appetite for new apps, we can expect a steady demand for iOS developers who can work some magic when it comes to developing apps.
The graph above from Indeed, a popular job portal illustrates the demand for this skill. If that is not convincing, here are some predictions of the ios market and the job demand by Joe Conway, Founder of Stable / Kernel, and author of ‘iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide’.
According to Joe, the demand for iOS Developers will remain high through 2015. He believes that this huge demand is due to the fact that skilled professionals are essential for maintaining and improving existing applications. These applications must be kept up-to-date with the release of new devices and versions of the iOS operating system, and also must compete with similar applications. He also concludes that there will be a dearth of professionals with the ability to develop native applications for iOS, this year. The existing shortage is mainly due to the soaring demand for new apps, as mentioned above.
Huo Ju, OS X and iOS Developer, mentions on Quora that the growing number of iOS devices shipped, number of start-ups focusing on mobile apps and the number of them wanting to develop their own iOS app, has resulted in a phenomenal need for the iOS professionals.
Home automation and Health are the two industries that are witnessing a lot of demand. Other industries like Travel, Transportation, Retail, Insurance, Banking and Financial Markets, Energy and Utilities, Telco and Law Enforcement are just some of the sectors that require iOS Developers.
Bigger remuneration for iOS professionals:
With the demand for this hot skill comes a handsome remuneration. According to Indeed, a popular job portal, the average salary for iOS professionals is 68% higher than the average salary for other job postings. Indeed reports that the iOS professionals draw about 98,000 USD per annum.
This remuneration is not a short stint as the the salary trend by Indeed gives optimistic indication that this trend is expected to continue.
And Mondo, a company that recruits and places technology workers, reports that iOS Developers’ salary ranges from 105,000 to 155,000 USD per annum.
iOS related job titles and their salaries:
LinkedIn examined over 259,000,000 profiles in its database and concluded that the top position is occupied by iOS Developer job title. There are adequate job titles other than ‘iOS Developer’ for iOS professionals. Here are some of them and their corresponding salaries.
Now that you know about the demand for iOS skill, the salary and the different job titles, it is time to know what an iOS developer actually does and what skills are required to become one, be it a fresher or an experienced professional.
Job Responsibilities of an iOS Developer?
iOS Developers are responsible for building intuitive and eye-catching apps for mobile devices powered by Apple’s iOS operating system. In many ways, iOS Developers significantly contribute to a brand, as badly designed apps can result in negative opinion of the company. iOS Developers are expected to work in a diverse team comprising of managers, designers and other iOS Developers. Some of other job responsibilities of an iOS Developer are:
Design and build advanced native iOS apps on iOS platform
Work with cross-functional teams to define, design, and ship new features.
Unit-test code for sturdiness, including edge cases, usability, and general reliability.
Identify and correct bottlenecks and fix bugs
Continuously discover, evaluate, and implement new technologies to maximize development efficiency.
Help maintain code quality, organization, and automatization
Build sophisticated multi-threaded apps.
Tips for aspiring iOS professionals:
For those with little or no experience in programming, starting a career in iOS development can be arduous. Here are some tips to get you started:
Learn iOS development – There are numerous online resources and online courses that can assist you in your learning.
Start making apps right away – The best way to practice what you learnt is by developing applications. Start developing simple apps and make them available for free or at a low cost to the public so that you can get reviews and feedback. This will help you develop better ones in the future or further improve the existing ones.
Utilize any opportunity to create apps – You can improve your reputation by developing apps for small organizations at a low cost or for free. This will get you noticed for your skills.
Essential skills for an iOS Developer
According to Joe Conway, Founder of Stable / Kernel and author of ‘iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide’, a few of the must-have skills that will help you excel in your iOS development career are:
Ability to develop native, structurally sound software for iOS and Mac OS X platforms.
Keeping up with current UX/UI trends and remaining up to date on new functionality exposed through Apple’s SDKs.
Ability to utilize project management software, version control systems and develop automated testing and deployment strategies.
In order to start a career in iOS development, you will also require the following.
An Apple computer – A advanced one would be better as you require good speed and memory when you’re developing and testing your apps.
iPhone /iPad /iPod – If possible buy one of each as you will need to test your app on different iOS platforms.
Become a member of the iOS Developer Program – You need to become a member to access all the developer tools made by Apple.
What you need to learn:
Objective C – iOS apps are created in this language, so having a strong foundation in it is absolutely essential.
iOS – Within iOS there are a host of frameworks and tools like adding text and images, building views, and handling user interactions, that a developer must know.
Swift – Swift is Apple’s programming language for iOS Apps. Learning the fundamentals of programming is the foundation for building apps.
XCode – XCode is the development studio for creating Apple-based programs and apps. It’s free to download and can be very helpful if you become proficient in it.
Interface Builder – It is a great tool by Apple that lets you create smart and eye-catching user interfaces via drag and drop.
Version Control – Learning to use a versioning system for code is an essential skill for any developer.
Frameworks – Being familiar with important frameworks makes the life of an iOS Developer fairly easier as it allows you to reuse code written by other developers in your apps.
Conclusion:
There is a lot of demand for iOS Developers today. It’s a reality that hot jobs require even hotter skills in order to land a drool-worthy position. It becomes imperative to determine where to invest your time and energy for growth as a developer. And investing your time and resources in learning iOS development is the best step forward for a lucrative career.
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