With the increasing pervasiveness of software, from the server to the cloud to IoT (Internet of Things) and wearable devices, the demand for skilled developers will remain high for years to come.
But the shift in software trends also means more responsibilities for developers, and the constant need to grow their skills. In fact, companies are only willing to hire software engineers who are comfortable handling the different layers of the development stack, have the capacity to think strategically about current and future innovations, and can masterfully draw insights from large data sets, all while managing old systems using the newest languages and frameworks.
It seems hard to become a master iOS developer, but it should only take a little time if you take the right steps and work diligently at the following:
- Learning iOS
To become a professional iOS developer, you obviously need to know iOS. This means that you must have an iPhone and Mac. The iPhone will give you a chance to explore how iOS works, but the Mac will be your key working tool – more specifically the Xcode application, which is your integrated development environment (IDE) for making iOS apps.
Xcode is where you will do your code writing, debugging, testing, and lots of other things, so you must familiarize yourself with it completely.
- Master The Full Stack
To become a master, you must know everything about coding for iOS. If you have gone through some basic programming classes, you should be able to learn Objective-C and Swift if you want to do any professional iOS development.
While it will take time and experience to master these object-oriented programming languages, you must be able to fully immerse yourself in all the loops, classes, data types, pointers, and variables.
- Learn To Build Software
At this point, you must be able to build software well and to completion. This means good structure, testing, debugging, and using source control.
Source control is particularly important as a developer because it lets you make checkpoints, review previous versions of your code base, and elaborate why you need to make a certain change. Many companies are using ‘git’, so make sure you are proficient with it.
- Build Your Custom App
So, there are many people who can study hard to reach this point – know iOS, Objective-C, Swift, git – but what will set you apart from everyone else is actual experience building an app and possibly publishing it in the App Store. It is proof that you are skilled and experienced in iOS development, since you will obviously need all the other skillsets to reach this point.
Time To Apply For A Job
If you want to be recognized as a professional iOS developer, you will need to work with a company. With your skillset, you only need to pass the interview. This means showing that you can do the required work in time and within the stipulated budget, and help them realize their business goals.
You will become more marketable with experience, now that you can write in your resume that you are a professional iOS developer and prove it. You salary will also keep increasing.
