Mobile App Development Certification: Do I Need One in Addition to my Degree?

The IT industry has several career paths, but one IT career path that has experienced tremendous popularity is that of mobile applications development. Approximately two-thirds of the entire world use mobile devices. This is equivalent to almost 5 billion mobile subscribers.

People use these gadgets for almost everything including getting a ride, shopping, playing video games, and scheduling appointments, among others. This has resulted in a sudden surge for mobile app developers, and the trend is likely to remain that way for the next many years.

Reading about teenagers who have created fantastic applications can make you wonder why you need any certification to get started. However, the reality is that there are very few people that make fortunes or a living by developing and selling big apps. Most mobile app developers work as freelancers or are employed by major companies.

In most cases, employers seek for candidates with app creation experience. They search for employees with programming knowledge such as APIs (application programming interfaces), UX (user experience) designs, C#, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Swift and HTML/CSS. Although mobile application development certifications aren’t requested often, they could get your resume noticed or help you get a promotion.

Common Mobile App Certifications

Android Developer Certification

Unbelievably, the number of Android devices out there is much higher than that of iOS. Therefore, if you’re planning to start a career in mobile app development, getting an Android certification may be the best move.

Google has its own Associate Android Developer certification that you can obtain through Google’s developer certification website. However, don’t sign up for this certification immediately. Note that Google doesn’t offer training for this certification. This means that if you’re signing up now without any recommended knowledge you’ll waste both your time and money.

Swift Developer Certification

Swift is the iOS development language that contains a mixture of both C and Objective C. Therefore, if you have experience in these two languages, you should be familiar with Swift. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t offer Swift certification, and this means that you have to rely on the credibility of other certifiers.

Java

This is the backbone of Android, and it makes perfect sense to consider certification in Java development. This certification is offered directly from Oracle where you can find training classes as well.

JavaScripts

Though reputable, this certification is nonexistent. You can only get certification with Javascript by taking the Microsoft’s Programming in HTML5 with CSS3 and JavaScript course. However, this course doesn’t focus only on JavaScripts. This isn’t a programming language, but it is often used in web and mobile app development. It’s essential and easy to learn.

Mobile Networking Certifications: Aruba, Cisco, Citrix, and CompTIA

Mobile networking certifications help employers to identify professionals that can implement, manage and support mobile devices by integrating mobility with wireless and wired LANs.

How Certificates can Help you Get a Job

Businesses and organizations develop mobile applications for several platforms all at once to increase market penetration and the return on investment. Therefore, the more mobile application development certifications you acquire, the more sought-after you’ll become. Because Android and iOS are the two main dominants in the mobile application development industry, ensure that you focus more on them.

Combine Experience, Education, and Certification to Increase your Odds of Getting a Job in this Field

Although the requirements for mobile application development jobs vary, most employers require a bachelor’s of science in computer and information science, mobile apps development certification, and relevant work experience.

Education

Most mobile app developers often have a bachelor’s degree in computer and information science or a related field. Such degrees involve more focus on system design, data structuring, and programming. It is equally important to learn computer languages.

You will utilize these systems as you build application structures. Some bachelor’s degree programs combine programming language classes as part of the major but others offer them as electives. Some employers may also require certificates in mobile app development, while others require a master’s degree in a relevant computer science major.

Work Experience

Many organizations and companies will require relevant work experience before they can employ you. If you wish to gain experience as a student, you can take advantage of the numerous internship opportunities. These internships will enable you to obtain a real-world experience with deadlines and programming languages.

In the current job market, software is king. Businesses need skilled mobile application developers to help them design and build their tech products. In turn, they provide better perks and salaries. If you're interested in earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Science with a Major in Software Development - Mobile Development Track, ECPI University offers this course at an accelerated rate. For more information, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

Gainful Employment Information – Mobile Development Track – Bachelor's

For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.