Tips for junior Android developers to land a first job

1. Getting started in Seattle as an
Android Developer
Brenden West - May 2016
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendenwest
https://twitter.com/seattletechmntr

2. About me
- @Microsoft
- full-stack web development
- Interactive news productions
- program manager
- @ Consulting firm
- Outsourced software delivery
- Distributed teams in 12 countries
- Enterprise mobile software projects

3. What we’ll cover
- 3 Types of Android developers
- Do you have these core skills?
- Where do you want to work?
- What’s your rate?
- Tips for jr developers

4. 3 Types of Android Developer
Purpose Key Skills
Native Android-only apps ● Java & Android SDK
Hybrid Mobile web apps in
native wrapper
● HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, PhoneGAP/
Cordova or similar
● MVC framework (e.g. Ionic, Angular, React)
● Some familiarity w/ Android platform
● http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=android+co
rdova&l=seattle%2C+WA
Cross-
platform
Cross-platform native
mobile apps
● C#
● Xamarin
● Visual Studio
● http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=xamarin&l=
seattle%2C+WA

5. Core skills for native Android development
Android tools Android Studio, Android SDK
Key Android concepts ● Material design
● Activity lifecycle
● data storage
● networking
● concurrency/background processing
● Notifications
● Media (images, audio, video)
3rd party frameworks Ads, Usage, Notifications, data storage,
authentication
Testing JUnit, Espresso
Deployment Google Play Store
Package Management Gradle, Maven

6. Frameworks Example From Nordstrom
You own this if you have:
RxJava (Reactive JVM)
JUnit (testing)
Robolectric (UI testing)
Espresso (testing)
RoboGuice (dependency injection)
Dagger (dependency injection)
Otto (event handling)
GSON (json parsing)
Retrofit (map API’s to Java objects)
OkHttp (networking)
GoogleHttp
Robospice (networking)

7. Where do you want to work?
Team type Examples Role
In-house Amazon, Microsoft, Zillow,
Nordstrom, Disney,
- Relatively stable teams
- Priorities defined by long-term
product roadmap
- You have product ownership
- Opportunities to learn & grow
Consulting,
large
Accenture, Deloitte, Ciber,
Slalom, HCL, iSoftStone
- Enterprise clients
- Work scope/schedule defined by
contract
- Hit the ground running
- Customer is always right
Consulting,
smaller
Ratio, Pop, General UI,
Akvelon
- Similar to above, but potentially
shorter and more varied
contracts

8. Perm -v- contract
Permanent
Can be long-term
Higher hiring bar and longer interview cycle
W2 Contract
Agency finds client and handles paperwork
Lower hiring bar than perm. Good step for getting experience.
Get paid for the time you work
Duration can vary. Usually less than 18mo. due to legal constraints

9. What’s your rate?
Short answer - “Same as the market rate.”
(see http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=android&l1=seattle%2C+wa&tm=1)
Your past salary is not relevant
The only relevant measures are:
What the client will have to pay (see above)
What you’re willing to accept
Hourly rate = Yearly salary / 2000
Know your requirements:

10. Tips for JR developers
Publish an app. Crossing the finish line is super important. Also, exercise key skills as outlined earlier,
Learn the eco-system. See http://seattletechmentor.blogspot.com/2016/01/dont-learn-new-
programming-language-yet.html
Be findable - make sure your resume is wherever recruiters are searching (Indeed, Dice, Simplyhired,
Careerbuilder, Stackoverflow, etc.)
Don’t undersell yourself.
Does your resume show what you’ve already learned?
It’s OK to be aspirational. If you’re familiar with an in-demand skill, include it and discuss level of
expertise when a recruiter calls.
Join the community - find groups that match your interests;