App Engineering: skills required to be an app engineer

L’

App Engineer

is the professional who creates, develops and updates applications
for computers, tablets and smartphones. He is therefore a Software Engineer specializing in the field of Apps, working with graphic designers and
Data Scientist
to best meet customer needs through the creation of a specific application.

App Engineer: what it does

L’App Engineer, which can be translated into Italian as
App Developer
, must possess computer skills that enable him to:

• Take in the client’s directives and interpret their needs so as to create applications that conform to their needs and goals;
• 
  create application prototypes
  , before the actual App;
• 
  write code
  quality code needed to develop the actual application;
• 
  test the application
  before delivering it to the customer or launching it on the market;
• 
  fix any bugs
  system bugs;
• 
  updating applications
  , implementing them with new features and solving operating problems and possible critical issues detected by users.

For
become an App developer
it is therefore necessary to possess the right mix of Hard Skills and Soft Skills needed to plan, design, create, test, submit, and update applications. As a rule, each App Engineer chooses to specialize in a specific branch:

• the
  App Engineers
  
  for mobile devices
  develop applications for tablets and smartphones with different operating systems, using the most suitable programming language from Objective-C, C++, Python or Java;
• the
  App Engineers
  
  for Android
  specialize in programming for Android, and create applications from generally open source code;
• the
  App Engineers
  
  iOs
  specialize in iPhone and iPad programming and are therefore proficient in the Swift and/or Objective-C language.

How to Become an App Engineer

To become an App Engineer you need to possess precise
Hard Skills
.

First of all, if you intend to develop applications for Android you need to master the
Java language
. In addition, it is essential to have a thorough
knowledge base of SQL
for managing and organizing databases within applications. It is then advisable to know the
XML
For data description. Android developers, currently the most in demand in the market, typically use
Android Studio
for App development.

Instead, the iOS developer must know every secret of the
Swift language
, the most widely used in the Apple world.

To become an App Engineer it is advisable to have a
bachelor’s degree in computer science
or in
Computer Engineering
, but numerous App development courses are also open to those without a degree.

Soft skills needed

In addition to the Hard Skills, which are essential for being able to perform the role of an App developer, possessing specific
Soft Skills
guarantees an advantage:

• 
  analytical skills
  , to interpret customer needs and translate them into a functional Application;
• 
  Problem Solving
  : It is important to be able to interpret users’ needs and be able to remedy any problems encountered in using the application;
• 
  creativity
  ;
• 
  attention to detail
  ;
• 
  patience
  : developing an application can take quite some time, so it is important to have the ability to be patient;
• 
  communication skills
  , necessary for collaboration with other team members and for explaining the operation of the App to the client.

The
salary for App Engineering

in Italy
is about €26,000 per year, up to €32,000 for developers with experience. However, if you choose to work as a freelancer, you can significantly increase your earnings.

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