Android Apps Development: A Hot Career Option

Brands are rushing ahead at breakneck speed to build their apps on the Android OS, and that trend has opened up enormous job opportunities in the Android domain.  

According to a leading IT job site, www.dice.com, job openings for Android developers soared by 50 per cent in early 2012. In the wake of the increasing rush for proficient developers, a plethora of IT training institutes across the country are launching special curriculum and conducting classes for Android application development. So if you wish to take this unexplored yet promising career option, you can hone your creative skills in a good institute.

Android development: A big career boost!
Neeraj Kumar, director, Tech Mentro, Noida, says, The Android OS is literally flexing its muscles in the mobile domain and it won’t be wrong to say that jobs for Android application development may even surpass the Apple market. The Android applications platform promises vast job potential in the current IT field. This is not just confined to the mobile application development, but also has scope in hardware solutions like Android customisation or optimisation, device drivers, etc.

Echoing similar views, Vikram C, founder of InfoWinder Training Academy, Jaipur, says, Android development as a career segment is the next big thing in the job industry. The job market for Android programming is gaining momentum at an amazing pace. Moreover, there is a dearth of talent in this much-talked about field and, soon, major companies will make a beeline for good Android development professionals. So, for those who are planning to make a career in this uncharted arena, getting enrolled in a good training institute will serve the purpose and help them gather the requisite skills.

Why are training institutes important?  
At a time when online tutorials are the order of the day, why would anyone opt to enroll in a training institute for Android programming? Ramesh Kumar, director, Linux Learning Centre Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, quips, Training institutes help you have a wider view of the whole process. The live training experience helps you exercise your creative skills practically, which is essentially required to gain proficiency in Android programming. Since Android application development is a new domain, classroom training makes it a holistic experience for all those who want to acquire the know-how about the subject.

The skills in demand
While most Android applications are written in Java, an adept Android professional should have the basic knowledge of Java, HTML and other general technical skills, says Madeeswer Gandhi V, managing director, IgniteMindz, Chennai. Developers who know the principles of object-oriented programming and understand user interface will have an advantage over others. But getting trained in a good institute will definitely help them cope with the requirements of the job market. A proficient programmer should be able to juggle between languages effortlessly, since Android apps development essentially needs learning a new syntax. Innovative thinking to work on the differing needs of the consumers will spell success for an Android programmer and this is possible once you get good training, says Gandhi.

The moolah factor
So, what is the average remuneration that an Android developer can expect? The average salary starts from Rs 15,000-Rs 18,000 per month, depending on the expertise, experience and the position of the individual. The rapid growth of the Android market will soon see companies fighting it big to hire more talented developers and this will, in turn, give way to higher remuneration, says Tarun Acharya, managing director, Linux Lab, Pune. And what are the basic fees to get enrolled in a training institute? For beginners, it ranges between Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000, and the course duration is generally four weeks,  adds Acharya.

Handy tips

While building a career as an Android apps developer seems to be the next big thing, what are the tips experts can give to beginners in this industry? When you develop a personalised app, publish it on the cloud-based Google Play (earlier known as Android Market). Keep a provision so that even others can use and benefit from it. You can also quote a price for it. Once your apps become popular, money will automatically flow, says Ballabrao Vasu, chief technical officer, EasyARM, Bengaluru.