Hello everyone, I want to get into the world of developing (as a career). I am 21, (I live in California) currently taking this semester of [community college] off to find the path I want to go down and I need your help.
What degree would be best for this field? Computer Science? What degree is going to give me the most knowledge and equip me best?
Also as far as making a living what direction should I pursue? Web development? Software Development? I've given thought to developing for android, however, I feel this would be a side thing eventually and should not be the goal.
Thank you for your time and support.
Hi folks!
Please forgive me if this is the wrong forum to post a general question about mobile app development..
So my story is that I'm mostly a graphics guy who got asked by a good friend to design a logo for his company. From there I got talked into designing his website and then into building his site. I can throw sites together but I'm no a web programmer and I advised him to hire some real web developers but aside from the fact that I would cost him less, he has trust issues and only wants to work closely with a friend ( me) and trusts my judgement and sense of design. So now I'm trying to mastermind his web presence from the front end to the back end, learning as I go. It's actually TONS of fun!
Then he came around one day asking to make him a mobile app. After the laughter subsided I explained to him the work and money that goes into that which really shocked him. However I told him I would look into what I could do for him, but that I was pretty sure this was out of my league.
I found some great services that will let you build basic mobile apps but now I've become VERY interested in the challenge of developing mobile apps from scratch and have decided to learn some programming languages to enable me to develop web/mobile apps. It seems that mobile platforms are poised to become the norm within the next decade and I would love to be part of its beginnings.
I have three questions:
1.Am I WAY out of my league here?
I ask this because a) I have NO programming experience. b) I ONLY want to use online sources and books, and c) Ideally I would like to be able to build my first app within a couple of months to a year at most.
2.What languages should I learn?
I'm feeling ambitious and want to be very thorough. I figured I should try learning c++ and Java (to an intermediate level). From there I could come around objective-C
3. the Jquery Mobile, HTML5 alternative?
I've noticed a small community of developers heralding HTML5 as the app-building tool of the future, together with JQUERY mobile...That sounds VERY appealing to me as someone who is more used to looking at web development code, and if something is 'the wave of the future' I definitely don't want to waste time learning languages that might become obsolete in a few years... But can you really build a powerful app with just these two tools?
If you've read through my entire post, I am grateful for your patience, and I hope to find some valuable insights on these forums.
Cheers!
I have read your entire post, and while I wish I could help, I'm afraid I'm in your exact situation and wonder about these things myself.
At least you got a small bump!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2
lenglain said:
Hi folks!
Please forgive me if this is the wrong forum to post a general question about mobile app development..
So my story is that I'm mostly a graphics guy who got asked by a good friend to design a logo for his company. From there I got talked into designing his website and then into building his site. I can throw sites together but I'm no a web programmer and I advised him to hire some real web developers but aside from the fact that I would cost him less, he has trust issues and only wants to work closely with a friend ( me) and trusts my judgement and sense of design. So now I'm trying to mastermind his web presence from the front end to the back end, learning as I go. It's actually TONS of fun!
Then he came around one day asking to make him a mobile app. After the laughter subsided I explained to him the work and money that goes into that which really shocked him. However I told him I would look into what I could do for him, but that I was pretty sure this was out of my league.
I found some great services that will let you build basic mobile apps but now I've become VERY interested in the challenge of developing mobile apps from scratch and have decided to learn some programming languages to enable me to develop web/mobile apps. It seems that mobile platforms are poised to become the norm within the next decade and I would love to be part of its beginnings.
I have three questions:
1.Am I WAY out of my league here?
I ask this because a) I have NO programming experience. b) I ONLY want to use online sources and books, and c) Ideally I would like to be able to build my first app within a couple of months to a year at most.
2.What languages should I learn?
I'm feeling ambitious and want to be very thorough. I figured I should try learning c++ and Java (to an intermediate level). From there I could come around objective-C
3. the Jquery Mobile, HTML5 alternative?
I've noticed a small community of developers heralding HTML5 as the app-building tool of the future, together with JQUERY mobile...That sounds VERY appealing to me as someone who is more used to looking at web development code, and if something is 'the wave of the future' I definitely don't want to waste time learning languages that might become obsolete in a few years... But can you really build a powerful app with just these two tools?
If you've read through my entire post, I am grateful for your patience, and I hope to find some valuable insights on these forums.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want an easy place to start I can recommend trying badic4android for the same reasons nasa use it, that it lets you create proper standalone android apps just as coding with java does but much quicker and easier. The site for it is basic4ppc.com if you want to check it out.
Failing that the traditional method is using the eclipse ide and android sdk to program in java.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk
mistermentality said:
If you want an easy place to start I can recommend trying badic4android for the same reasons nasa use it, that it lets you create proper standalone android apps just as coding with java does but much quicker and easier. The site for it is basic4ppc.com if you want to check it out.
Failing that the traditional method is using the eclipse ide and android sdk to program in java.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow thanks Dave I hadn't found this one, it seems like there are tons of resources to facilitate mobile app creation. I will probably look into these to create an app for the non-profit I work for. However, I still think I should learn some programming to become a bonafide app-developer somewhere down the line.
Do you think the objectives I've set myself (in regards to programming languages/rough time frame) are realistic?
lenglain said:
Wow thanks Dave I hadn't found this one, it seems like there are tons of resources to facilitate mobile app creation. I will probably look into these to create an app for the non-profit I work for. However, I still think I should learn some programming to become a bonafide app-developer somewhere down the line.
Do you think the objectives I've set myself (in regards to programming languages/rough time frame) are realistic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you can do it in two months with any language if you take time to study it, I tried learning java but have memory problems and so couldn't get to grips with it so I use basic4android because its very similar to languages I used as a student and was able to have a gps mapping app up and running in under an hour which surprised me.
Html5 apps can be used offline and are cross platform so would be the way to go for a wider user base as you can reach pc and smartphone users as well as those who use games consoles. You could find out more at http://diveintohtml5.info/offline.html
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk
Well I'm just a high school students but from the words of my teacher, as long as you have a mind that can write working algorithms and understand algorithms, languages are second hand, they're just tools.
Personally I find it true as I only know C yet if I look at a java code I can understand what the code does. But that might be because Java has some similarities to C, but I still appreciate the concept.
$1 gets you a reply
Programming is like any other skilled activity
I'm a life-long programmer. 33 years so far.
The quick answer is 'Probably.' You can probably write decent apps in the time frame you're looking at. I'd say you'll want to dedicate no fewer than 5 hours a day at it for that year. The simple truth is that unless you're that rare Mozart, you aren't going to write commercial quality code until you have lots of experience trying to write commercial quality code.
Hobby code... you can probably get hobby quality stuff going in a few weeks. Yes, it'll freeze and restart and throw bizarre errors, but still, that's a very cool thing.
The question then becomes one of defining the level of quality you're after and the time you're willing to devote to learning your craft.
Hello all,
I have been lurking out on XDA for past 3 years now. I never felt i should start developing for android or any other mobile platform simply because i don't have enough skills, knowledge and time to do that. But now, I feel i should do something with my life and spend my time on something useful (earning money is a priority too, as i am growing up and gonna need money in collage).
So here is the real deal, I want to start developing for android or any other platform. An institute in my city provides exactly what i want (less time consuming). So here are my choices -
Android App Development
Mobile Games Development
JAVA
And now i am confused what should i choose.
So here i am, asking you guys, what will be most useful in regards of payment? I never will take it as a primary source of income throughout my life but its just for skills and making use of the free time i have.
Also i am thinking android app development should be the best choice out of three simply because of its large user base. But i am here to ask you guys. So, what should i choose out of the three above? Any other suggestions? Please let me know as it would be helpful for me.
Thanks in advance
I'm starting to watch a tutorial series on YouTube. Since xda is full of developers is there devs willing to throw in some wisdom/experiences/links/books/sample code/ whatever you think is beneficial? Long term goal is to make an android app of some kind. For now I'm learning the basics. Moral support is welcome since I'm pretty doing this on my own!
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jerrygooch said:
I'm starting to watch a tutorial series on YouTube. Since xda is full of developers is there devs willing to throw in some wisdom/experiences/links/books/sample code/ whatever you think is beneficial? Long term goal is to make an android app of some kind. For now I'm learning the basics. Moral support is welcome since I'm pretty doing this on my own!
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not a developer nor am I an expert but I have transitioned from a Java beginner to an advanced programmer in just a few months. I say "advanced" only because my college course instructor told me. However, I don't consider myself that advanced until I get a good amount of programming experience writing my own applications I feel confident enough to distribute. I have written a few personal apps including some Android ones but nothing I deem worthy enough to put on the market. Sadly, I learned more from the internet and a couple of Java books than I ever did in my college courses.
Some of the Youtube tutorials I have follwed are by mybringback and thenewboston. They both go from the most basic to more advanced levels of Java and both contain some decent tutorials on Android app development too. Although their methods are somewhat unorthodox and their commentary takes some getting used to, they do try to explain things in a way that's easy to comprehend.
As far as Java books, the only ones I bought are Learn Java in 24 Hrs sixth edition with a bonus Writing Android Apps chapter and Java Demystified and of course the book used for my advanced Java course -- strangely enough published in 2004. I suggest learning what you can online since internet information is updated much sooner and more often than physical books. As far as Android books, well, these can become outdated shortly after you purchase them. The last Android book I bought was when Gingerbread was all the rage. I suggest you don't waste your money on those books and just stick to internet tutorials.
Finally, I would steer you toward coderanch.com where you can get all of your Java questions answered by professionals and advanced users alike; there is even a forum catered to android development.
Java can be confusing and overwhelming for beginners, but don't give up because what confused you the day before will make total sense a few days later and hopefully that motivates you to further your knowledge; there will always be a need for programmers and developers.
I hope that helps and good luck on your programming journey.
Or basically a developer in general.
I know XDA probably gets a helluva lot of these threads regularly, but bare with me.
No I am not a script kiddy. Rather, I'm looking for somewhat of a career advice.
So please don't simply say: Learn C and Java.
That is already an imperative for me.
Here's the deal.
I'm in my final year of my schooling life, Year 12, and next year I will probably begin University (or what the U.S call College).
Important decisions need to be made, like what courses I want to do, what subjects I should take.
Now my ultimate goal in life (not really but you get what I mean) is to be able to do anything to my device.
Like when I was following the PSP dev community, it was incredible. Custom firmwares, homebrew, plugins, exploits etc.
It was awesome. And I want to be able to help and give back to the community.
And I also want to be independent.
Like if theres a bug or something I don't have to rely on the developer to fix it.
For example, my current rom has a random reboot problem.
I want to be able to find and fix the problem myself and add new features and stuff.
That's my ultimate aim.
To be able to legitimately own my devices to such a degree.
Currently my skill resides in web-based javascript, which isn't even legitimate javascript (not in my eyes at least).
I've done some programming courses at school and one year I did Pascal which helped me to get a basic idea of programming functions, like loops and basic practice etc.
But it still doesn't really help me with the two big languages C (#/++) and Java that I have yet to start learning.
Anyways, there's a point to this I promise.
There are 3 courses that I'm interested in Software Engineering, Advanced Computing and Computer Science.
I've looked at the course descriptions and they still all sound the same to me. Although Advanced Computing seems to be more Mathematical based.
But yea, I'm not sure which one will help me achieve my said aim.
Do you guys have any basic career advice? Better yet, any career advice that could relate to my situation?
Are any of you in University/College right now? What courses are you studying?
Perhaps you've already graduated and you're currently an employed developer or something. What courses did you take to get there?
I'm sure XDA isn't one of the best places to ask this kinda thing; heck I bet the first comment will be someone saying how this is in the wrong section or something.
But yea. I just want to help and contribute back to the community.
Legitimate advice is more than welcome.
Trolls and attention ____s please exit to the left.
Closed
Wrong section