Connecting mobile applications helps us work, play, and communicate more effectively. So, the need to recruit application developers is expanding, which is a career path worth pursuing many young people.
What experience and skills do you need to develop a career in this area? Is the degree the deciding factor? What are the job opportunities in the years?
If you want to become an application developer, consider the information below. The article will include valuable tips to help you prepare well for career success.
Job Description
Every profession needs job positions for application developers. Although this profession is quite popular, only some people can understand the industry’s responsibilities and working environment.
Here is some vital information related to this job position you should refer to.
What is an Application Developer?
Application developers design, create and are responsible for developing applications on mobile devices, websites, or operating systems.
Application developers will often work on projects. They will collaborate with the engineering or project teams to create applications that meet users’ needs.
Duties and Responsibilities
Here are the main tasks that application developers usually take on:
- Coding and design: The essential task that application developers need to handle. People who do this job will use programming languages to write code for the operating system or application they are designing.
- Application management: Companies will require an exact application lifecycle and management plan.
- Application deployment: After completing the project, developers must collaborate with stakeholders to deploy and use the application. They also need to shift their focus to customer support.
- Troubleshooting and debugging: During incidents, developers identify, sort, and debug quickly. Techniques such as eliminating identified problems on a case-by-case basis are essential requirements for any developer.
- Monitoring, Updates, and Security: After debugging and continuing to deploy an application, developers still have to keep an eye on and update with regular fixes and upgrades.
- End-user support and training: Developers will make videos and manuals so all involved members can use the software effectively.
In addition to these primary duties, application developers are responsible for project management, understanding customer requirements, and performing pre-testing during app release.
Where do Application Developers Work?
An application developer can pursue a full-time job in the office or work remotely with a flexible schedule.
However, application development is highly collaborative work. Most people who pursue this job spend most of their time at their desks.
Education Requirements
Application developer is an attractive profession because of its high-income potential and flexible working environment. They have the opportunity to collaborate with people with expertise in different industries.
Yet, only some achieve success in pursuing this career. Here are the education, certification, and work experience requirements you need to be able to work as an application developer.
Education & Training
Employers will require applicants to have at least a bachelor’s degree. A candidate’s diploma can be related to majors such as Software Engineering, Computer Science, and Cybersecurity.
Degrees associated with Business Administration or Mathematics are also accepted depending on the company’s field of activity.
To apply for a position as an application developer in large companies, in addition to a bachelor’s degree, you need to have a master’s degree. A master’s degree in computer science can be helpful if you’re planning to apply for a high-demand position.
Work Experience
Employers always appreciate young candidates with work experience while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. You can also try participating in projects on and off campus and local organizations.
During your working time, you need to accumulate significant knowledge and skills related to coding and optimizing applications to meet user requirements.
Certifications
When pursuing a career as an application developer, you have many majors to choose from. For each job, you should conquer the relevant certifications.
Beginner application developers should study and earn basic certifications such as MTA, MCSD, CCDH, and APEX. You can also look for other free certifications to make your resume more competitive.
You can refer to some completely free reputable certifications: Certified Scrum Master, Certified Web Professional, Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer, or IBM Certified Application Developer.
Essential Skills
To thrive in information technology, especially in the application development field, you need to improve your skills constantly. Here are the critical skills an app developer needs:
Core Skills
Application developers will use programming languages and knowledge of building applications to create products. Here is the expertise that an application developer needs to master:
- Programming languages: C/C++, Java, and JavaScript
- Graphic user interface design.
- Cross-platform development.
- Agile Methodology.
- Responsive web design.
- Website design and development.
- SQL.
Soft Skills
Soft skills an application developer should have include:
- Analytical skills: Application developers must study user needs to create the most suitable products.
- Problem-solving skills: Provide solutions to users’ difficulties, thereby optimizing the experience.
- Creative skills: Application developers must come up with many options to meet customer requirements.
- Patience and attention to detail: This skill will help developers always find a new direction after each experiment.
- Communication skills: Developers will work with the team and related departments. To communicate technical information understandably, application developers need to be able to communicate effectively.
Essential Tools
Application developers will need tools to support teamwork and automate some processes to save time and effort. Here are some tools that app developers use.
Quixey
Quixey is trusted and used by businesses. Companies specializing in providing application design firms or services using a codeless platform will empower users with Quixey.
This software will help users access the application quickly. Automating work will be simplified without requiring users to write code. As a result, users can work efficiently and comfortably customize the application.
Embold
Embold is the powerful debugging tool available today. The platform will conduct analysis and problem detection of the application.
From there, developers can detect errors and vulnerabilities affecting the stability and security of the application before deploying.
The platform includes many other valuable tools, such as preventing unmaintainable code, integrating pre-existing plugins, standard code editor deep testing, and more.
GeneXus
GeneXus is an intelligent tool that automates the creation and protection of programs and applications. This tool also supports working with databases and many different languages and platforms.
Applications created by GeneXus meet the needs of businesses and customers. It also helps you automate application deployment on the most popular platforms.
It is the most helpful freeware with many valuable features that you can access in recent years.
Of course, you’ll need to pay a small monthly fee to unlock more advanced apps.
Atom
Atom is an open-source editor. While installing the desktop editor, you can do cross-platform editing, UI tweaks, and add vital features without affecting the configuration file.
All these advantages have made Atom the leading tool for built-in package management. Application developers often use Atom to build cross-platform applications.
SQL Sentry
SQL Sentry is a highly effective database performance monitoring tool.
The main task of this software is to analyze the cause and detect problems in the operating system and virtual environment. In addition, SQL Sentry also displays the entire data warehouse, managing scheduled events.
The software also includes an alert system and allows users to store and edit queries. It helps you identify contributing problems in the operating system and virtual environments.
Job Outlook
In 2017, app developer was voted the top job in the US due to its high growth rate, salary, and satisfaction. At present, this work still attracts attention.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, application developers have a job outlook of 22%, 4% higher than the average for all occupations.
Health and medical insurance companies highly demand this job. In 2026, the demand for mobile application development jobs in the medical field is expected to increase by 24%.
Salary
On average, the app developer salary is $91,513 a year. Salary will vary depending on expertise, work experience, and geographical location.
App developers who work with Android and iOS platforms will receive higher salaries than general app developers. According to some statistics, the highest salary that a mobile application developer can receive is up to $152,000.
The average web application developer will receive $106,000/year. Those with more than ten years of experience working can earn more than $156,000/year.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Before pursuing any career, you must consider its advantages and disadvantages carefully. Here are the issues you need to keep in mind before becoming an application developer:
Pros
- Various job positions.
- Many specialties.
- Competitive salary.
- Great development potential.
- Can work as a freelancer.
Cons
- Sedentary work.
- Requires constant learning
FAQs
Below are frequently asked questions regarding the tasks an application developer needs to handle. If you do not understand this profession, immediately refer to the information below.
What is the role of the applications developer?
Their primary duties are to develop, modify the source code, and update the applications. This software must help you with tasks, computer programs, and problem-solving.
What makes a good application developer?
Technology companies often require application developers to be able to write good code. In addition to technical skills, these developers need creativity, problem-solving ability, and empathetic listening to customers.
Is application developer a hard job?
Application development is a relatively easy job. Their main task is to design applications. To meet the job requirements, application developers must understand programming, coding, and customer needs well. They also often work with the team to complete the job quickly.
How many hours work for application developers?
On average, an application developer will work 40 hours per week. They can also work evenings or weekends when a project requires quick completion. When customer requests are received, they must be ready to work at all times.
Do developers work at night?
Quite a few developers like to work at night to increase work efficiency. And most freelancers will often choose to work during this time.
What is the highest risk of application development?
The risks that an application developer regularly faces are:
- The application needs to help solve the problem for the user.
- No UX/UI integration or poor integration.
- Poor security.
- The network often fails and is not secure.
- Unreliable data storage.
What are the challenges in application development?
The challenges facing an application developer today are:
- The development method is unknown.
- The application is not compatible with the platform.
- The high cost
- The app experience needs to be optimized.
Of course, as you become more experienced, you will have more options to deal with these common problems flexibly.
The process requires you to be diligent and highly focused on your career.
What are the four phases of app development?
The four stages of application development are:
- Pre-design: It includes understanding user needs, design plans, and budgeting.
- Design: Use tools and code to develop and design software.
- Action: After testing the software, detect bugs and fix them to create patches and updates.
- Support: Answer questions and assist users in using the application.
What does every app need?
A successful and user-optimized application must have a simple interface, high performance, good security, and regular updates. Some users will require the software to be available on various platforms, from iOS, Android, and desktop.
Career Advice
Being an application developer is an interesting job. Application development will be a more suitable profession for those who know code, can design user interface layouts, and consider the end user in the working process.
In short, this is a job with high growth opportunities and attractive salaries. When you accumulate enough experience, you can develop a career in a specialization such as web application development or application development for iOS and Android.