What kind of degree do I need to become a mobile application developer?

Question

I am interested in changing careers and becoming a mobile app developer. I've been trying to teach myself how to build mobile apps using HTML5, jQuery Mobile, and appmobi.

I really want to become a mobile application developer, but need some guidance as to what kind of degree and/or certificate I should get in order to get a good job. I already have an undergraduate degree - Bachelors of Science in Experimental Psychology.

Answer 1

I'm not sure if it's the best degree for the job, but whenever you're developing software, a degree in computer science will come in handy. You don't need it and I know many good self-taught programmers, but it does help a whole lot to know what you're doing and why some things go wrong even though the code looks totally normal.

Answer 2

First off, if you're really looking to get a degree so that you can develop mobile apps, then look for Software Engineering programs (especially ones that offer concentrations in mobile or web applications). A Computer Science degree isn't a bad start, but you'll likely get a lot of math and computational theory that won't help you when writing applications in the real world (it won't hurt, but you'll have to learn a lot about programming and software development out in the real world after you're done - I say this as someone with a CS degree and a decade of experience writing software, some of it in the mobile space).

But honestly, the best two things you can do are:

1. Start writing applications
2. Read (and understand) source code for other mobile applications

It sounds like you're already doing number 1; add number 2 in there and you'll be well on your way.

Honestly, a software-specific degree may be largely unnecessary at this point. You already have a college degree, which gets you over the main hiring hurdle. Speaking as someone who has worked with (and interviewed/hired) a lot of software developers, a degree in CS/SE (undergrad or masters) is no indication of the ability to write software well, and a lot of people in the industry know this. Some of the best people I've worked with had no degree at all or something completely unrelated (e.g. geology). And I've worked with people who had advanced degrees in CS and could barely implement FizzBuzz.

If I were interviewing someone today, I'd be a lot more concerned with seeing code they wrote than what credentials they had. Good open source contributions will get you farther in an interview than a degree.

Also, a lot depends on what you consider a "good" job. Places that are working on cool stuff in cool environments are going to want to see code. Places that are doing boring software but paying a lot of money (e.g., a lot of financial firms) are going to want credentials. Again, if that's what you're aiming for an SE degree is the better choice.

Answer 3

I switched my career from neuroscience to programming one year ago. Currently working as a web-app developer.

Here is the thing. You are competing with people who've been doing it since a very young age. Programming is becoming like music in that sense. It is insanely hard to catch up.

The degree and career itself is many-fold harder then psychology. It takes much more self-discipline, time-commitment, talent etc...

Is it doable? Yes. However it will take you much more time then you anticipate by far. Programming is damn hard to work up to a professional level from 0 experience.

This year was absolute hell for me in terms of having very little time to do anything else but learn and practice. Are you sure you are willing to make that kind of commitment?

In terms of education: get computer science degree. Anything else will not properly prepare you or have you taken seriously in a lot of cases.

Answer 4

You dont need a degree.

Especially since it sounds like you already have some programming experience. Write some apps, publish them, get some users - thats a far quicker path to a good job than a new degree because you'd have concrete examples of completed projects in your portfolio. Plus who knows, maybe you'll make enough off one of the apps that you dont need to work.

Answer 5

Software Engineering or CS would be the most useful degrees to already have, but neither would be a great use of your time/money now in pursuing the specific goal of becoming a mobile app developer.

Spend some money on reference books and a few representative devices to test with, spend your time (lots of it) focusing on learning everything you need. In 6-12 months you'll be employable, in 2-3 years you'll be up there with everyone else (degree-d or not). You will have to really immerse yourself though.

If you do go for the degree, bear in mind that most of what you learned won't be directly applicable to the job and the stuff that was relevant will be outdated. You'd get a graduate-level position, or internship if you're unlucky, and still have to learn most of what you don't know now.

Answer 6

Microsoft has just brought out a certificate exam for Windows Phone development, passing that and putting a small app that shows your skills on the app store would get your CV to stand out.

However you must also be able to prove you can program, as the exams only cover knowing the API not programming skills. So contributing to an open source project would help as well.

As to a 3 or 4 year degree, it will cost a lot and take a lot of time, but I have found no one cares what your degree is after the first job.

Answer 7

The best answer is going to depend a bit on if you are planning on making a career out of writing software, just thinking about doing mobile applications for a couple of years and then moving on, or using mobile applications as a way to get your foot in the door.

If you are planning on making a career out of writing software then you are better off going for a degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering. The value of a second Bachelors versus a Masters is debatable to an extent and would likely depend more on how much money you want to invest versus what classes you are going to take. The reasoning for this is quite simple: if you want a job with a large company then degrees are important for career advancement as well as even getting your foot in the door for an interview.

With a good portfolio you can get an interview and job with a smaller company or a company that deals exclusively with software, but you need to make sure you really stand out compared to someone that has been writing software for years and just never went for the degree. Since you are starting from scratch you are better off get getting the degree so recruiters can check that box off.

However, if you are planning on just getting in to mobile applications for a few years or as a way to getting your foot in the door to software development as a whole you might want to look into certificate programs at a reputable university that allows you to just take a couple courses related to mobile application development. These are generally targeted as people trying to get additional credentials on their résumé and assume that you already have a firm grasp on software development so you might find them challenging, but they do provide you with a solid foundation in the area and you can walk away with a portfolio you can show during interviews. Likewise, depending upon where you are, the night school programs can be a good way to make contacts in the local developer community as I've known a number of developers that will take a class or two (at the company expense) to stay fresh in certain areas.

In the long run, if that leads to a job with a larger company you might be able to take care of education benefits that the company offers to be able to get a Bachelors or Masters degree that is more relevant to what you want to do as a career.

One thing to remember though is that depending upon where you are, the economy is tough right now and companies are favoring candidates with proven skills (i.e. degrees, experience, portfolios) versus ones that are changing fields. If you are bright and disciplined you can likely learn enough in about a a year or so to be a competent entry level developer, but you will be competing against recent graduates or developers that are switching companies so you need to focus on having a good portfolio. A good portfolio is going to require some form of code review so you need to make contacts for that and it might still be worth while to take a class or two just just to say you have (i.e. pad your résumé for the first pass through HR) and to have some code view done as part of your assignments.

Answer 8

A software engineering degree would be better than a pure CS if your goal is to write commercial software. Either gives you the basic computer science theory that is very helpful in any software development role, and software engineering gives you the practical skills need to produce real product that many pure CS programs omit.

A lot of CS graduates have little or no idea how to write an actual application that anyone else might use or maintain.

Having said that, in the mobile application space a portfolio is far more important than any degree. If you have an app in the Apple App store you can find a job writing iOS apps. Trust me on this.

Answer 9

With a psych undergrad, it actually might be good for you to look into graduate degrees in Information Science. There should be specializations in such a degree program that deal with human-computer interaction, data visualization, information architecture, how people interact through social networks, etc. Since much of your study would be in how people think about and interact with information, you will likely apply a lot of what you learned in your Psychology studies. The more computer-related specializations probably will require that you take some undergraduate-level programming courses, or may have special tracks for people without software development experience.

Answer 10

Take a programming course to see what it is like. Keep working on your skills and try to get a job in this area. You'll find out what you need. Your current degree has given you a well-rounded background in math, science, critical thinking and other areas of liberal arts. All you need to decide is if you have the aptitude and willingness to spend a lot of time programming.

If this doesn't land you a job because you lack a degree, you can consider going to school for a few more years or try another profession.

Answer 11

I actually have a degree (BSc Hons) in 'Mobile Game Development'. I shit you not ;)

That's from the J2ME days too! To be fair, the first two years covered general software development and the later two years specialised in mobile technology and games.

People always look surprised when I tell them my qualification.

Answer 12

Ok, I've looked into degrees recently because I'm getting a full ride (I got hired on by the university as a programmer without a degree).

You have compsci, BS. Math-intense, very theoretical. If you want to learn set theory and computational complexity (whether certain things are even computable or not), this is it. Though many people do get that degree and go on to become mundane programmers instead of computer scientists writing papers and developing awesome algorithms and whatnot. It's offered as a 4 year degree.

Many community colleges also offer a 2 year degree in compsci. It's usually just the general requirement courses (history, english) plus about 4 classes. These are the fundamentals of programming classes, fairly easy. Check things out, and you might even get all of these to transfer if you ever want to go for the 4 year.

You have what's usually called MIS. At my university, it's taught through the college of business. They'll also have those 3 or 4 basic programming classes. Plus some "managing software teams" classes, a few network/computer security classes, etc. These are also useful for getting programming jobs. I'm not necessarily inclined to believe that the courses are more practical though... understanding the theoretical stuff is important, so some dumbass boss doesn't tell you that you have 48 hours to solve what's essentially a halting problem or the like.

Keep in mind that it can be called other things at other universities. If there are 2 year degree versions of MIS, I haven't noticed. Wouldn't shock me though.

Mathematics degrees also get people programming jobs. But usually at the higher end. If you were some brilliant mathematician, you might land a job at Google or whatever doing something technical, though it wouldn't be mobile apps.

Someone else mentioned "software engineering" degrees... but at least where I am, that's only a grad degree (Master of Science, Software Engineering). Might be available elsewhere as an undergrad.

You should check out other places, some colleges offer degrees in game programming and all that crap. Though, I get the impression those are the "let's bilk money out of laidoff factory workers" sort of schools, so be cautious.

A certificate might actually be better... won't spend 2-5 years getting it, might only spend $5000 as opposed to $25,000+.