Android developer courses
Discussion
I'm 36. I work for a private medical insurance company in retention sales - we talk to members who want to leave, and retain about 85% of members who have decided to cancel their policies.
It's not what I want to do and, while I'm good at it, it's not paying what I want to earn.
So on Jobsite I've seen a few Android Dev jobs going for some fairly handy money. My question is whether I should just do the online course already provided for free by Google, or whether I should invest in a course leading to an actual qualification of some sort?
Opinions please...
It's not what I want to do and, while I'm good at it, it's not paying what I want to earn.
So on Jobsite I've seen a few Android Dev jobs going for some fairly handy money. My question is whether I should just do the online course already provided for free by Google, or whether I should invest in a course leading to an actual qualification of some sort?
Opinions please...
IT Development is hard to break in to. Most people want to see experience over and above attendance on courses or qualifications. I can't imagine there are many industry recognized "Android" specific courses anyway.
Android development is Java based. You could look at qualifications around that and then supplement it with a specific Android course. However, reality check time, you are simply not going to be able to do a course and walk into a developer job. Having the knowledge is vastly different to being able to apply it in a commercial environment.
You will be going in at the base level along with the graduates if you can even get your foot in the door. At that level when I am hiring I would expect a degree and maybe a couple of months experience or at least a years experience. I know, how do you get experience if no-one will employ you. It is hard. I was fortunate years ago that I got a noddy web admin job and once I was in, managed to turn it into a development role because people kept saying they need applications and I said I could do them. I am completely self taught and don't have a degree or any vocational qualifications, so it can be done but getting is hard.
There a loads of developers out there, but 80% of them are crap. You need to be in that 20%, but it is more than just being able to write some good code.
Android development is Java based. You could look at qualifications around that and then supplement it with a specific Android course. However, reality check time, you are simply not going to be able to do a course and walk into a developer job. Having the knowledge is vastly different to being able to apply it in a commercial environment.
You will be going in at the base level along with the graduates if you can even get your foot in the door. At that level when I am hiring I would expect a degree and maybe a couple of months experience or at least a years experience. I know, how do you get experience if no-one will employ you. It is hard. I was fortunate years ago that I got a noddy web admin job and once I was in, managed to turn it into a development role because people kept saying they need applications and I said I could do them. I am completely self taught and don't have a degree or any vocational qualifications, so it can be done but getting is hard.
There a loads of developers out there, but 80% of them are crap. You need to be in that 20%, but it is more than just being able to write some good code.
Thanks for that. It's not what I wanted to hear but it's what I suspected, and it's a helpful insight. I think what I'll do is complete the Google online course, start developing some apps of my own and see where I go from there - a couple of vacancies I've seen emphasise working knowledge of the environment and a portfolio of successful apps.
At the very least it'll be a fun challenge. Takes me back to my days programming BASIC on a Toshiba MSX in my early teens, then AMOS on my Amiga 600 and QBASIC later on. Kinda wish I'd stuck with it.
Of course it might turn out that what's between my ears just isn't up to the task
At the very least it'll be a fun challenge. Takes me back to my days programming BASIC on a Toshiba MSX in my early teens, then AMOS on my Amiga 600 and QBASIC later on. Kinda wish I'd stuck with it.
Of course it might turn out that what's between my ears just isn't up to the task
Give it a go and see what comes of it. I don't want to dissuade you from trying but it is only fair to point out that you couldn't walk into a job like that.
Development is about thinking in the right way as much as raw intelligence. For some people it just makes sense. When I first started I thought there is no way I could do programming but as I looked it clicked in to place. Don't limit yourself in just one area. I have had a good career as a web developer but I found databases in particular just made a lot of sense to me. This enabled me to separate myself from other web developers who only had a basic concept of databases and query writing.
Working in IT can be a lot of hard work. I always say you are not a proper developer until you have pulled at least one whole nighter. But it pays fooking well, especially down south. All of my team are currently on £43K+ with a few years experience behind them.
Development is about thinking in the right way as much as raw intelligence. For some people it just makes sense. When I first started I thought there is no way I could do programming but as I looked it clicked in to place. Don't limit yourself in just one area. I have had a good career as a web developer but I found databases in particular just made a lot of sense to me. This enabled me to separate myself from other web developers who only had a basic concept of databases and query writing.
Working in IT can be a lot of hard work. I always say you are not a proper developer until you have pulled at least one whole nighter. But it pays fooking well, especially down south. All of my team are currently on £43K+ with a few years experience behind them.
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