High demand, solid financial possibilities, and prestige are the main advantages of working as an iOS developer. Furthermore, labor market rivalry is less intense than, say, in the world of Android development. Such developers are especially in need at companies that develop mobile games, applications for banks, online stores, educational platforms, like foreign language learning, essay writing service, or online course.
Who an iOS developer is and what he does
An iOS developer creates apps for smartphones, tablets, watches, and other Apple devices. He writes the code, thinks up the interface with the designer, adapts the app to different models of gadgets, tests it, fix bugs, and supports the app after the release.
What you need to know to become an iOS developer
For training to be successful, consistently learn programming languages, the features of Apple tech, and develop soft skills.
- Features of Apple tech. Get to know at least the smartphone – learn the software, the characteristics of updates, and the applications’ interface.
- Programming languages. To develop applications for the iPhone and other Apple products, you need to know the languages Objective-C and Swift. Even though many applications are now written in Swift, older applications are written in Objective-C, needing support. So it is better to know both languages.
- Application interface layouts. Creating an application interface based on the designer’s layout will be necessary.
- Programming libraries. Learn to cooperate with the libraries of other programmers. A library is a set of ready-made functions, classes, and objects used to solve problems in programming. They speed up and simplify the work and improve its quality. You can write it yourself, but it’s better to use what you already have to avoid wasting your time.
- Git. It’s a system of version control of an application. It helps your team work together: you can see the changes made by others and roll back the application version.
- XCode. It is a development environment for iOS programming. It’s free. Explore its interface – this is your primary tool for work: here, you will write code, edit and test ready applications in simulators.
Essential Soft Skills for iOS Developer:
Teamwork
An iOS developer communicates with a designer, project manager, and tester. You need to be able to explain the technicalities of your work to them in simple terms and come to a compromise in the discussion.
Criticism accepting
You aren’t the only one who can criticize. At the beginning of your journey, you will be given advice and criticize your decisions. Even if you are diplomatic, others may be impatient and harsh – you need to be able to respond constructively.
Patience
As in any other area of development, knowledge is not given easily. You’ll have to spend a lot of time studying, making mistakes – that’s normal.
Where to start
If you don’t have an Apple device, install a virtual machine, an app that lets you run Apple’s operating system and applications. There you can run code in iOS programming languages. Learn how iOS smartphones differ from androids and read the app rules for the App Store, so you don’t have to redo the program all over again.
1. Master the general principles of development Study the Swift or Objective-C language documentation
Start with one language, and once you’ve mastered it, the second language will be much easier to learn. Learn functions and variables, learn how to split program code into files. Understand the basics of object-oriented programming.
2. Learn how to work with the layout
Download an application layout or create at least something simple yourself. Use Figma, which is an intuitive tool for designing interfaces. Create an application interface from the layout.
3. Learn how to connect databases
Databases are needed to store information: content, photos, user data, etc. The database can be MySQL or any other database. Set up a server and a program to manage the database.
4. Learn how to use Git
You need Git for teamwork. There are many online tutorials to help you figure out how to use it. It will take anywhere from two to five hours to learn how to use it.
5. Get your app on the App Store
If you’ve created an app, look at the App Store rules and see if you can get your app there. Note that there is a charge for this; a developer account costs $99 per year.
6. Upgrade your skills
Online courses will help. You’ll get all the materials and tools you need to work, articles, books, and videos to learn. You’ll have a clear plan for achieving your goal. And your work will be checked by experienced experts. If you study development on your own, you will have to control yourself, and because of the lack of experience, you won’t be able to find and correct all the mistakes.
What is the average time it takes to become an iOS developer?
1. The first option is to get a university degree in programming. You will study mathematics and programming in Java, Python, and C++. If you learn to program in these languages, Swift and Objective-C will be easier to understand than starting from scratch. The only disadvantage of such education – is long years of training, during which the acquired knowledge may become obsolete.
2. Online courses. The minimum period of training – is 6 months. You will have to study intensively, solve many problems, and google. During the training, you will develop an actual application, not just code, with more motivation and spectacular work in your portfolio. If you easily give technical science and have a strong interest in the profession, you can get a job in six months. There are courses where you will learn how to develop, promote, and manage projects. The classes last from three months to two years.
