I studied computer systems and networks at Uzhgorod National University. This gave me a certain foundation, from which I continued to build on and continued learning on my own. How did I study on my own? So, after university, I went to programming courses, the first time, as they say, it wasn’t my cup of tea! I gave it up. But after a few years, the thought came to me again that it was worth trying. What is the profession of an Android developer? Then I already got into courses on Android development and successfully completed them. A month and a half later I got my first offer!

In general, I’ve been in Android development for over 5 years. During this time, I changed several companies and gained a lot of experience.

Why Android? I chose this particular branch of programming about 6 years ago precisely through the open-source operating system and the number of users. This is a big plus for Android.

Junior Android Developer Tips

Usually, the junior has certain fears. Therefore, my advice is based on how to overcome these fears.

Don’t give up quickly.

I have come across such situations when people study for a month or two or three, a year and give up this business, because “I never learned, so this is not mine.” You see, programming is such a solid and complex thing that it is impossible to learn from A to Z in a short period of time. Moreover, there is no need to give up when something does not work out. In such cases, contact more qualified colleagues.

Chat with other developers.

This will help you learn more about the “inner workings” of the development process, innovations, and useful information about programming. To do this, attend hackathons, webinars, courses. In any case, new acquaintances will not hurt. This is especially true for newbies looking to get their first offer.

Rely on your mentor.

It will definitely come in handy if you are already working in your first job as a developer. I often saw such situations when comments (about work, of course) or a request to pay attention to something or to correct a junior was taken personally, as a person, and not as a specialist. This is very disturbing, first of all, for the junior him/herself. A mentor is not an enemy, but vice versa. This is a person who knows more than you and wants to help you and make every effort to teach you high-quality coding in a short period of time. Therefore, inhale-exhale, and no worries about the comments, but rely on your mentor. After a year of time, you will be able to work calmly on your own.

Develop constantly.

This applies not only to beginners but even tech leads. Now everything is developing and updating so quickly that you need to read forums or technical publications almost every day, but this is bearing fruit. Those who stood still were no longer “aboard the ship.”

Avoid burnout.

From my experience, I can say for sure that it will be difficult at first, but! You should know exactly what cheers you up. So leave time for various pleasant things for you personally. In my case, this is a sport. Completion of a hard day’s work and sports on schedule. This “unloads” the brain and makes it possible to tune in from work to everyday life. In the end, everyone has their own, someone sports, and someone computer games.

Move to the middle level

Formally, you need to get a middle interview! Significantly, I understand, I’ll explain now. But before that, a few words about the interview. You have to learn to pass interviews, I know that for sure. When you speak out loud about your competencies and soft skills, it is much easier to determine for yourself what is still missing. And correct the situation accordingly. What does the middle know and do? In my opinion, everything is simple here, the middle is able to complete the task from A to Z with high quality, without outside support. The middle can ask for advice but does not require mentoring. Once you feel free to float, you can be sure that you are on the right track to the middle level.

Useful Resources for Android Developers

In fact, you can just google what interests you. I recommend this YouTube channel, Medium, and Android development site.

If you want to join Group 107, then visit the vacancies page or the internship program page! See ya!