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YOUR CAREER PATH MAKES EASIER HERE
Weekly News
WHY MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
This week market analysts Juniper, predicted that by the year 2015 over 25bn mobile apps will have been downloaded. That's an awful lot of Angry Birds games. With new phones, new features and new updates being created every day, it's a growing industry and young graduates with their lifetime knowledge of mobile phones are in high demand. We chat to Alex Jones a recent graduate from Kingston University, and now a developer with Grapple Mobile, about coding, communication and geekery.
What attracted you to working in the
mobile industry and why did you choose mobile rather than web development?
As perhaps one of the first graduates
of 'the mobile generation', who have grown up with mobile phones and use them
as our primary means of communication, it is exciting to be right at the
cutting edge of development in an industry that is in an evolutionary phase.
It is a particularly exciting time for
app developers, with more device functionality appearing every week such as
GPS, video conferencing and audio streams in mobile format. This has empowered
developers to create more diverse apps, which are applicable and relevant in
all walks of life.
Did you find getting a job difficult?
How did you use your previous experience to help you?
The current competition for jobs is
tough because there are so many people looking for work. Employers are able to
place high demands on applicants and select only those with a broad range of
skills and previous experience. In the developer world, where once you could
specialise in just a single language such as HTML or Javascript; you now need
to have mastered several different languages and have years of work experience
to interest the top employers.
In my case it was the work I had done
for my dissertation, studying and developing in multiple languages, combined
with my enthusiasm for combining technologies and media, that helped set me
apart from other applicants and secure my role in mobile. If you can choose a
topic for your dissertation that is directly relevant to the industry you want
to get in to after University, it is definitely a huge advantage.
What are your career goals? Can you
plan a career in an industry which is constantly evolving?
I had initially planned to do a Ph.D in
advanced algorithmic computing after I graduated; however I was also interested
in getting into a role at the forefront of modern technology. When several
recruiters suggested I consider a job in mobile app development I realised this
would combine both creative and technological elements I was looking for. I was
keen to put my academic skills in software architecture to use and create
practical streamlined apps.
In the future I hope to create some
pioneering and high profile applications for global clients and to become one
of the top developers in Europe .
What advice would you give to recent graduates looking for a job in mobile?
What advice would you give to recent graduates looking for a job in mobile?
Keeping abreast of new technologies and
tools is imperative – in an industry that is moving so rapidly you need to be
constantly learning and experimenting.
Having a genuine enthusiasm and
humility is something that is also important and attractive to potential
employers.
What is your favourite app, either your own or someone else's and why?
What is your favourite app, either your own or someone else's and why?
I am a big fan of DAPP (the app design
app) it is a great piece of software that lets you mock up basic apps with
construction tools. Once you've dragged and selected your chosen buttons,
frames and images you can export the app code into real objective-c; this being
the language that iphone apps are written and developed in. Great for fast
prototypes.
Is the stereotypical image of coders
and developers as geeks who sit in dark rooms fair?
As technology has started to play a
larger role in mainstream culture, with people comparing phones and swapping notes
on apps with their friends all over the world, the industry seems to have
attracted a broader spectrum of individuals, rather than just those from
traditional computing backgrounds.
In my experience there are many types
of developers. In my present company the development team is made up of a
variety of people from different backgrounds, ages and who have diverse
interests outside of work – dj-ing, yoga, football, and even cake decorating.
However, given the industries need for
a significant number of specialists who understand very complex computer
systems, shaking off the geek tag might take a while
