The most important skills for being an app developer have changed and developed over the last probably three to four years. It’s no longer just about being a head-down, working-by-yourself, coding-away developer. That’s not really what companies look for these days. Companies now seek app developers who are happy to work as part of a team, happy to collaborate, happy to solve problems together, and in some instances, even business-facing developers who can help solve business-oriented problems.
The importance of skills and experience in the current market state has changed a lot over time. Years ago, it was really important to tick the boxes of having different programming languages on your resume. Those things are becoming more and more easy to learn. The ability now of an app developer to bring their personality and experience to their role, be a business-facing technologist, and have the customer in mind, rather than just ticking the boxes of having all the skills they need to have, is more and more important.
What makes someone good or exceptional as an app developer is that they can work as part of a team. They have a growth mentality. They want to learn, and they also want to help mentor and make the people around them better, as well as most importantly, being a customer-facing technology professionals.
Everyone needs app development talent, and skilled app developers are really hard to find. When a company is interviewing you, they are trying to understand if you will fit into their team, if you’ll fit into their culture, and if you’ll be able to enrich their culture and organization. So, keep that in mind—there’s an expectation that you can articulate how you would fit into an organization and how you would make it a great place to work for everyone.
The advice that I’d give to anyone thinking about becoming an app developer is: do it. It’s going to be the biggest growth sector and industry globally. You get to work in industries that you might have never thought possible. If I had my time over again, I definitely would have loved to have been an app developer, and I’d recommend it strongly for anyone thinking about getting into the sector.
