To give better context, let us first define what a mobile application is, this will help us dissect what a mobile application developer does. According to Wikipedia, a mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch.
The use of mobile applications has increased exponentially around the globe as illustrated below.
(Sourced from Orbelo)
Within the context of Eswatini, interestingly, the Digital 2020 Eswatini report (Kemp, 2020), reports the following statistics which prove a significant adoption of smartphone usage:
- There were 1.14 million mobile connections in Eswatini in January 2020.
- The number of mobile connections in Eswatini increased by 23 thousand (+2.0%) between January 2019 and January 2020.
- The number of mobile connections in Eswatini in January 2020 was equivalent to 99% of the total population.
By 2021, there we 7.1 billion app users worldwide, and more so, the average smartphone user has 35 or more apps downloaded on their device. Globally, app revenue has been expected to rise from $581 billion in 2020 to around $800 billion in 2022.
Now that we have a better understanding of the above, let’s get into why you would consider being a mobile app developer.
Increase your earning potential
The figures look really good as mobile app developers in South Africa earn around E547 000 annually. This is largely due to the third reason below.
Increase in smartphone usage
As aforementioned, this increase in smartphone adoption plays a critical role in companies wanting mobile apps to drive customer adoption and retention in their business, from insurance companies to SACCOs, retailers, and so on. Because of this, there’s a need for talented mobile app developers.
High demand for mobile app developers
Reports have indicated that there will be a surge in the demand for mobile app developers from 17% to 24% by 2026. What better time than now to get into this field?
Low barrier to entry
For this reason, I would like to particularly focus on how easy it can be to learn mobile app development. Endless resources exist online both free and paid that can take someone from a completely non-technical background or even with a technical background and teach them all they need to know to be a talented developer. In Eswatini, CodEswatini has been running Mobile App Development workshops focusing on Flutter (more on this in future articles).
A part of what drives this reason is that tech is one of the few fields that overlook the need for academic education. Companies all over the world including the likes of Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc. hire tech people with no academic backgrounds. To put it into context, 1 in 3 developers (approximately 35%) surveyed indicated that they were self-taught. A similar survey for HR practitioners reported that 80% of them have at one point recruited developers with non-academic backgrounds in the past and 24% of them, do so routinely.
- You will constantly be learning and be upskilling
The technology field is a good opportunity for those who get excited about constantly being outside their comfort zone and who don’t settle for routine in a job as you will constantly have the need to learn and have something new to work on.
There you have it, I hope the above reasons are compelling enough to get you to take the plunge and begin a new journey as a mobile app developer. If you are looking for a starting point, you can join one of CodEswatini’s workshops. You can find out more on social media, @CodEswatini, or you can write to us by email, codeswatini@gmail.com.