How to Learn Mobile Development Online

When people are starting to learn a new skill, they find dozens of tips and resources online; moreover, learning mobile development is no different.Mobile development skills are used to develop software applications that run on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. If you’ve always wanted to learn mobile development, there are plenty of options at your fingertips. From free tutorials to live classes, your options are outlined here so you can decide how to learn in a way that works best for you. 

What is Mobile Development?

As of 2021, there were as many as 6.4 billion smartphones worldwide. For smartphone users, The vast majority of smartphone users engage with their device using their apps–up to 88% of total use. Mobile applications are quickly becoming the most common way we interact with the digital space, and this shifts virtually every industry, company, and institution to prioritize using mobile applications in their branding and marketing strategies. In addition, adjacent industries, such as the mobile gaming industry, are becoming massive sources of revenue, meaning that more and more companies are moving towards mobile development as a primary, rather than a secondary, focus.

Learning mobile development skills involves learning general programming principles and tools, and languages explicitly designed for popular mobile devices. Both iOS and Android devices take advantage of proprietary programming languages built from the ground up to be optimized for those devices. Mobile development differs from general programming in that it emphasizes how applications can be designed to run optimally on any mobile device since there is a world of difference between an iPhone 12 and a Surface Tablet. Mobile Developers will be tasked with learning all the skills required to ensure that all of the application's necessary features are functional and easy to utilize regardless of who is accessing the application and on what device it is being accessed.

Read more about what mobile development is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Mobile Development?

One of the most compelling reasons to learn mobile development skills comes from the fact that the technological infrastructure is constantly improving. What was unheard of five years ago has become the technical default, and developers are constantly improving the hardware and software associated with mobile devices. This evolution makes mobile application development an incredible specialization for developers who want to be on the cutting edge as new industries and practices emerge. Whether you are interested in designing new mobile games, essential accessibility services, or working within newly emerging digital marketplaces, mobile app development skills will significantly boost your potential.

Mobile application development is also an excellent skill set for working within the developing world of the internet of things. Our phones and tablets are becoming more directly integrated with the devices and objects we interact with daily. From QR code readers to digital assistants to medical alert technology in wearables, mobile devices serve many seemingly mundane but still vital functions in our everyday lives. While developers looking to work in this field will need to learn other advanced programming skills, students with a background in mobile development will have a much easier time creating complex applications meant to extend the reach of the mobile device.

Live Online Mobile Development Training

Learners who don’t live near an onsite training facility or simply don’t want to commute to their classes will want to explore their options for live online mobile development classes. These courses allow their students to learn mobile development skills from the comfort of their workspaces, and they offer individuals far more options for training than in-person courses. These courses will still require their enrolled students to attend regularly scheduled classes, which can prove difficult, and they aren’t significantly less costly than in-person training options.

Those who don’t live in the Manhattan area can still enroll in Noble’s mobile development courses as live online classes. Students will enter a private digital classroom built to keep class sizes small and allow them to interact directly with their instructors. Virtual students will also benefit from all the same perks as in-person students, including the option to retake classes for free within a year and professional development assistance like one-on-one mentoring options. Using Noble’s Classes Near Me tool, learners can compare Noble’s options to other online training providers, such as Code Fellows and Coding Dojo.

On-Demand Mobile Development Classes

Many career seekers may have no room for a live training session in their schedules. Those with family or work commitments that prevent them from full-time training will want to consider enrolling in an on-demand mobile development training program. These training classes are asynchronous content delivery seminars that usually provide students with an archive of prerecorded video lessons and individual training modules. In most cases, these will be the least expensive training option available, and the flexibility they provide is often something that students will need to finish their training.

These courses will also vary the most regarding the content they cover and how they deliver it to students. This variability means that students will need to be extra attentive to the kind of training course that they enroll in. Since these courses don’t have live instructors, students will need to find other sources of advice to turn to when they encounter challenges in their training. Even experienced coders may need additional assistance when learning mobile development skills. On-demand training courses will require enrollees to find alternative paths to getting this assistance. Thus, on-demand classes can take students substantially longer than live training sessions, even if they are advertised as significantly less time-consuming.

Free Intro Courses & Tutorials

Potential students who aren’t ready to jump into a complete mobile development course may consider looking at some free training options. Since mobile development languages are advanced programming skills, the most common kind of free training resource that students will benefit from is a more generalized web development programming tutorial. Interested individuals can take advantage of Noble Desktop’s Intro to front end Web Development seminar to learn the basic coding principles of HTML/CSS and JavaScript. This seminar can help participants decide whether or not they want to continue with an advanced programming education. Once students have decided to continue, they may wish to take advantage of the course offerings available on Noble’s official YouTube page on their Web Development playlist.

Noble also offers an Intro to React seminar, which covers the basics of using JavaScript’s React library for front end development. While this seminar isn’t focused on mobile development, it does cover how React Native, Meta’s open-source software framework, can be utilized to develop applications for Android and iOS devices.

Curious individuals may also explore the free training seminars available through service providers such as Udemy and Coursera. On top of these options, since most major mobile applications are developed for iOS and Android, both Apple and Google offer tutorials on using the proprietary languages and code editors used for developing applications on their platforms.

Comparing Online Methods with In-Person Learning 

Learners may look at the wide range of choices they have for learning mobile development skills and worry that they won’t find the mobile development course that best suits their needs. While every person acquires information differently, experts make a few generalizations about mobile development learning options to help curious individuals decide which course is right for them.

The most popular type of training course is a live instruction session, where students work directly with online instructors who give them real-time feedback on their mobile development skills. These live online courses tend to be immersive, and most students prefer them. Live instructors easily guide their students through complex parts of the course, and they provide students with vital feedback on their code. Students can efficiently work with their peers on projects from anywhere in the world. These courses may be expensive, yet they provide enrollees with numerous benefits relative to alternative training methods.

Some people prefer in-person courses at a dedicated training facility. In-person courses let participants interact face-to-face with their instructors, allowing their students to work with a cohort of like-minded colleagues in a controlled training environment. While the lessons being delivered are identical to live online, some participants rely on the physical affordances of the classroom space to be successful. Unfortunately, in-person training courses tend to be taught at a limited few dedicated training facilities, meaning that options are restricted if the potential student doesn’t live in a major city like New York City or San Francisco. 

Live online training courses address the issue of requiring physical attendance by allowing students to learn from the comfort of their homes or office. Learning from live instructors providing lessons in private digital classrooms, participants typically enjoy small class sizes and focused attention. In recent years, online pedagogy has vastly improved, and students may find that learning online is just as effective as learning in-person. Individuals who learn online save time and money by removing the commute to a class. No longer are enrollees restricted to learning at a nearby training facility; they can select the best class even if the instructor teaches it from hundreds of miles away. However, course enrollees have a greater personal responsibility to keep their workstations running, and they will need to supply their hardware and software, which can be a significant cost barrier for some.

Students who need additional flexibility in their training will want to consider on-demand mobile development courses. These asynchronous courses give participants the freedom and flexibility to pick up and put down their lessons when most convenient. Students enrolled in an on-demand class can move as quickly or as slowly as they see fit, which can be essential for some students looking to learn new skills while not ignoring work and family obligations. These courses tend to vary the most in terms of quality, so students must be extra prudent when selecting a course. While they tend to be the cheapest options since the company doesn’t have to pay live instructors, participants may find that they need to take extra steps to troubleshoot when they get stuck on challenging aspects of the course.

Tips to Succeed when Learning Mobile Development Online

New students enrolling online classes for the first time may consider preparing themselves for their new learning environment. While online training can be every bit as productive as in-person learning, there are still steps that students can take to help them succeed in their courses.

Many learners underestimate just how vital the classroom learning environment is to their learning process. The classroom is designed to minimize outside distractions and funnel students’ attention toward their instructors, which is essential for many students who find themselves easily distracted by external stimuli. Future learners, worrying they will be distracted in their online classes, should consider ensuring that their workspace is free from these outside issues. Creating a distraction-free zone can be as simple as closing a few windows or as elaborate as requesting that roommates leave the apartment during lessons.

On the flip side, studies repeatedly suggest that students overestimate their multitasking ability. Students will need to resist the temptation to use the digital classroom space as a justification for attempting to work on multiple projects simultaneously. Even something as simple as trying to fold laundry while attending an online training seminar can massively impact the effectiveness of a student’s retention and skills development. Learners will need to do an honest self-assessment about how difficult it will be to avoid attempting to multitask, and they will want to take steps to address this. Similar to minimizing external distractions, this can be as easy as getting important work out of the way before class or as elaborate as using tools to block access to specific web pages during a class.

Finally, those in asynchronous mobile development courses will want to research to find places to go for advice and assistance if they run into roadblocks while learning these new skills. On-demand courses, particularly those for specialized skills like mobile development, can be difficult for learners. In an in-person or online course, students can interact with a live instructor to help them overcome these hurdles. In an asynchronous course, students must prepare to find other methods of getting assistance on complex topics.

Key Insights

• Mobile development skills are the skills utilized by computer programmers to build software applications designed to run on mobile devices and operating systems. Online learning is an ideal way to learn mobile development skills.
• Students can take online classes two ways: live-online–ideal for students looking to mirror the advantages of an in-person training course, or on-demand–perfect for learners looking for increased flexibility in their training.
• Learners moving to an online learning environment should minimize external and internal distractions to get the most out of their online training.
• Students in on-demand training courses will want to research to find other places on the internet where they can get advice and assistance if aspects of their mobile development class become too complicated or confusing.
• Individuals looking to learn mobile development online should consult their options for comprehensive live training with Noble Desktop.

Learn Mobile Development with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to learn mobile development skills will need a decent amount of focused training. They will need to learn programming basics, web development programming languages, and specific programming languages built for mobile operating systems like iOS and Android. However, no matter your level of experience, Noble Desktop has a mobile development course that fits your needs. Whether you are an experienced programmer or you need to learn HTML/CSS, Noble Desktop offers individual bootcamps and career development classes that can help you on your way to becoming a skilled Mobile Developer. Experienced instructors teach Noble’s classes, bringing expert-level web and mobile development knowledge. Learners can take Noble’s classes in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or online in private digital classrooms. Even online, class sizes are kept small so that students aren’t competing with each other for their instructor’s attention. Plus, anyone enrolling in a Noble training course will have an opportunity to retake the class, for free, at any point within a calendar year, giving prospective students peace of mind. It allows beginners even more chances to get hands-on mobile development skills.

Individuals with prior coding experience may wish to enroll in Noble’s iOS App Development Bootcamp. This class will teach members how to work with Apple’s Xcode code editing program and their Swift programming language to build optimized applications on mobile iOS devices. Students will learn how to build interactive swipe and touch screen elements and how to add assets to the application, its launch screen, and its presence on the App store. By the end of the class, individuals will develop and post their applications to the App store. They will also understand how the mobile development process works from start to finish (people should be aware that posting applications to the app store require a paid Apple account, which every participant will be required to sign-up for to complete the course).

Those with less coding experience but still want to learn the necessary skills to work as mobile developers will want to consider enrolling in Noble’s Full Stack Development Certificate program. This program doesn’t focus specifically on mobile development. Future coders wishing to specialize in that field may need additional training, but learning full stack development skills is integral to becoming a successful and well-rounded developer. In this class, students will learn how to code web pages in HTML/CSS and JavaScript, languages that mobile developers use to build non-proprietary versions of their applications. In addition, students will learn essential JavaScript libraries and how to develop and maintain the infrastructure upon which applications operate. This career-focused course provides participants professional development training, including one-on-one career mentorship and portfolio development workshops. Pair this training seminar with Noble’s iOS Development Bootcamp for further specialization in mobile development.