Android Development Career and Scope in Nepal
3.5 billion, this is the number of SMART phone users around the world as of January 2020. Out of these users, almost 75% of them use the Android Operating System.
As we can see, it is a huge market for anyone wanting to enter the world of application development. In this sense, the scope is vast, to say the least, you have to prepare enough and expand your knowledge every day to compete with the global standard of application development.
In recent years, application development has been gaining popularity in Nepal too. We have many medium and large companies investing in developing their application, and most banking sectors are riding this wagon of owing their dedicated mobile app.
Therefore, it is a perfect time to pursue a career in this field because there is a lack of genuinely interested android developers. If you are genuinely interested and want to ascertain your skill, we guarantee you will be rewarded later in your life.
In this article, we will take a brief overview of the topic of android development, especially we will be discussing - the roles of android developers, the history, career path, the future of android development, and the scope of android development career in the context of Nepal.
Here is the table of content:
Table of content:
- Android Development Introduction
- The roles of Android Developer
. Android Development Tools and Frameworks
- History of Android Development
- Android Developer Career path
- The future of Android Development
- The scope of Android Development Career in Nepal
Android Development Introduction
Android Development or Android Software Development is the procedure of designing and developing an application for devices running on the Android Operating System.
Easier said than done, to develop an application for the Android OS, you first have to learn a programming language. Java, Kotlin, and C++ is the official language recommended by Google. After getting comfortable with the syntax of these languages, you need to learn the Android API (Application Programming Interface). The API is the code/tunnel through which we access and control the functionalities of the android system. The API is packaged in the Android SDK (Software Development Kit). Android provides developers with its Graphic API, meaning we cannot use the swing, AWT, etc. from the Java core to build the visual aspect of our application. So, the next step is to learn the standard Android APIs. After getting the hang of the android API and the design guide, you can start developing basic applications that are capable of storing and retrieving, capturing and recording media, etc.
Android Development career is only for those who want to seriously pursue this career because technology is continuously evolving, and you have to learn many different techniques and application packages. These include technology related to the database management system, version controls, JSON, XML, Sensors, etc. as you can imagine, the sheer knowledge and dedication required to become skillful in this field. Moreover, you have to compete with the skill of thousands of developers around the world, and there will be harsh feedbacks and reviews from users all around the world, and soon, this becomes a tough field to become qualified and compete. Nonetheless, in the end, the effort is worth it because the reward is fruitful.
The roles of the Android Developer
- Design and Develop applications
- Co-operate and collaborate with team members to define and implement features
- Interact with API's and data
- Write a good unit test for reliability, scalability and various edge cases
- Follow various of design patterns of application development
- Fix bugs and improve the application performance gradually
As an android developer, your primary task involves building an application, providing support, fixing bugs, and implementing new features. It is a long term process. The requirements from the client change frequently; as a result, companies recommend using a unit test to check for edge cases between each update. It ensures your application performs exactly as expected even after fixing bugs and adding a new feature.
It becomes challenging to the task to handle everything alone. You have to learn to work with other people so that you can delegate your assignments to other programmers. This increases productivity, and you learn the coding style of your colleagues.
Android Development Tools and Frameworks
Developing an android application is no easy task. You will require the aid of these various tools to create android applications:
Android Studio:-
Android Studio is an official android IDE (Integrated Development Environment) recommended by google. This IDE makes it easier to write code in Java/Kotlin and compile it to bytecode so that the Dalvik(now ART) can collect it during the installation.
ADB (Android Debug Bridge):-
ADB is a command-line interface through which you can connect your device to a pc, and then the pc can control/modify your device. It helps you when debugging your application.
AVD (Android Virtual Device) manager:-
Android Virtual Device (AVD) manager is a handy emulator management tool. It allows developers to create emulators of different sizes, versions, and resolutions.
Developing an android application is not limited to only Java/Kotlin or C++. You can use other programming languages, too, or use different frameworks that make it easier to write codes for your application. Here are a few frameworks that do just that:
PhoneGap :-
PhoneGap is popular for its ease of use and developer friendliness. It is because Phonegap uses frontend technologies - CSS, HTML, and JS to create an android application. The drawback is that the codes are not native, and the performance may suffer as a result.
Flutter :-
Flutter Framework is a hybrid approach of android app development. Flutter generates two versions of the same codebase: one for Android and another for IOS. Flutter is based on the Dart programming language. The flutter compiler compiles the code into the related versions, which can be understood by the runtime of both IOS and Android.
ReactNative :-
This is another alternative to building a cross-platform application. With the help of ReactNative , which is based on JavaScript, you can create an android application. It is relatively easier to get started if you are familiar with frontend technologies.
Brief History of Android
Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White are the folks who initially co-founded Android, Inc before it was acquired by Google. Android was designed to be used in the cameras, and later the scope was changed to be the alternative OS to Microsoft Windows Mobile and Symbian devices.
After two years of turmoil, it was bought by Google in 2005, for as much as 5 million USD. After nearly three years of work, with the lead of Rubin, Miner, and White, the OS was made Open source in collaboration with many organizations. Following the event, on September 3, 2008 - HTC announced the first-ever mobile phone using the Android operating system - the HTC dream.
This was just the start of the soon to be dominant - the Android Operating System. After the initial release, android OS has gone through significant changes. With each update bringing new features and fixing the old bugs and security holes. The latest version of Android OS is called Android Q or Android 10.
Android Developer Career path
As an android developer, you have many options to choose from when applying for the position.
Junior Android Developer:
The first step to becoming an android developer is to work as a Junior Android Developer. If you have previous experience in OOP (Object Oriented Programming), you can quickly get this position. During this period, you learn about the Android SDK, Java/Kotlin, reactive programming, Gradle, git, dependency injection, etc. among many others.
Android Developer:
This is like the mid-level Android development career. At this point, you know the core of the android development but is still unsure whether you can complete developing an application from end to finish on your own.
At this point, if you don't learn regularly, then your career can stall, and it becomes difficult if you decide to do the basics and get over with it. It is the phase where you learn the advance android development processes. At this level, your focus will mainly be on Continuous Integration, Google Play Services, and writing lots of unit tests. Along the way, you should be able to explain technical terms to the consumers in a simple language. Also, the knowledge of multithreading is essential in this period. This position doesn't have a time definition, though 2 to 3 years of experience at this level should qualify you to apply for promotion.
Senior Android Developer:
At least two years of work in Android Development is required to become a Senior Android Developer. Your programming skills should be on par. In hindsight, you have to know/insight about the scope of the entire project, not only the technical side of the application. Senior Android is mostly involved with integrating the various parts of the use in the end product.
Most of your time is spent on working with API, Application Security, Databases, and various analytical tools. As a senior android developer, you have to care about the performance of the application too.
Most of the time, you will have a team of interns, junior, and mid-level android developers working with yours. You should be able to guide them and coordinate to produce the result.
The future of Android Development
The horizon of Android OS is not limited to mobile devices only. This OS has been integrated into Smart TV's, Fridges, Ovens, Alarms, Watches, and many other form factors. Android OS, because of its open-source nature - companies are able to produce cheap and affordable devices running this OS. This means there will be a surge in android users. Now, developers are exposed to new technologies and options to explore when choosing an android development career.
Even if you change your mind and are bothered by only being able to develop a repetitive application day in and day out, there is a better alternative where you can reuse your skills because the latest technological advancement has bought us Virtual Reality(VR), Augmented Reality(AR), Artificial Intelligence(AI), Machine Learning(ML) and Information of Things(IoT). These fields are evolving rapidly. You can utilize your skills and learn these technologies to stay ahead of the curve of technological advancement.
The increase in user base means there will be lots of developers applying for this career. In order to excel in the field, you have to be qualified and be able to compete in the global market because there are thousands of apps uploaded to the store each month. This is both challenging and expects one to have an unbreakable will and a passion for the craft.
If you've decided to proceed with your career in android development, we here at TechAxis provide a comprehensive course which takes you through the complete process of developing an android application. You will be taught by a qualified instructor who are themselves working in the field. The course covers all the topics of android development methodologies and the various aspects of Android. The course is easier if you already know the concept of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). If you want to enroll in this course, contact us through email or give us a quick call. You can discuss any confusion before joining the class.
The scope of Android Development Career in Nepal
In the context of Nepal, the number of android users is over 92%. Most of them are connected to the internet. As the internet takes its toll, it is inevitable that there will be interest from other forward-looking companies to develop an application for their customers too. And many companies are utilizing this opportunity to capture online consumers. To increase the time spent on their website and increase sales, they want their own application capable of handling user requests and keeping them inside the application. This has been a successful task for companies because we can see adults using online banking services, ordering ride-sharing service, and other various online services through their dedicated application.
The success of now household eCommerce names such as E-Sewa, HamroBazaar, Daraz, Tootle, etc. has proven the success of application-based services. This has encouraged other businesses to implement the same strategy to stay ahead of the modern games of business.
When developing an application for the Nepali market, we have to care about the various factors that impact the success of the application. First of all, the consumers in Nepal are not used to mobile interfaces, so instead of loading all the contents congested in a small space, the UI should use a large design that does one job and does it very well.
If we can carry out an application targeted for a specific market and solve their problem, we say that the success of the application is inevitable. The mobile app is applicable in every facet of life, from the finance, health, social security, governmental institutions, private organizations, NGOs, education, entertainment, telecommunication, manufacturing, and to the retail sectors, the android app development career has a broad scope in Nepal and around the world.
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