People all over the world are spending more time than ever before on mobile devices. And with so much time being spent using smartphone apps, it’s no surprise that our learners have been requesting more courses related to mobile development.
Over the past year, 25,000 of you have highlighted mobile development as a primary area of interest. Which is why we’re excited to share that we’ve just released our first Pro Skill Path related to mobile development. Develop Basic Android Apps with Java is designed for anyone that wants to get started with Mobile Development, regardless of experience.
💡 If you’re interested in building iOS apps, we’ve got something new for you too. We’ve updated our Learn Swift course with a collection of new modules, plus additional Pro-exclusive quizzes and projects. You can find out more about that at the end of this article.
A look inside Develop Basic Android Apps with Java
We spoke with Codecademy curriculum developer Sara Rose to find out more about the new Path — who it’s designed for, what you can expect to learn, and what you’ll create. Check out the interview below.
Q: Who is the Develop Basic Android Apps with Java Skill Path right for?
This Path is for anyone who wants to get started with Mobile Development generally, learn Android specifically, or even just wants a cool way to apply what they learn as they learn to code! We wanted to make a course truly designed for anyone and everyone looking to get started with Android development, regardless of experience.
Never coded before? We’ve got you covered! This Skill Path will take you from never having programmed before to understanding programmatic thinking, Java syntax, and developing Android apps.
Already know Java and looking to get into Android? Simply skip over the Java content you know and get your feet wet with Android.
Already know how to code but new to Java and Android? You’ll breeze through the Java syntax and be ready to go in no time.
Q: Will I really be able to build an app by the end of this Skill Path?
One of my favorite things about this Skill Path is that you’ll begin working on your capstone project really early on. Over the span of the Path, you’ll be building out Unquote, a fun and silly trivia quiz game.
As you learn new concepts, you’ll immediately apply them to Unquote — building out the project piece by piece. By the time you get to the final project, you’ll have written every part of Unquote and be ready to share it with anyone in the world — literally.
One of the coolest things about Android is how easy it is to share and distribute your apps. By the end of this course, your friends and family can be using your apps on their own real Android devices.
Q: What skills will I take away when I’m finished with this Path?
We’ll teach you how to program in Java and think like a developer — skills that you’ll be able to take with you to any other programming language and be able to apply to wherever your coding takes you. Plus, we’ll also try to get you as pumped about Android as we are — it’s such an awesome platform with amazing global reach. Android grows and improves every year.
In this Path, you’ll also be developing on your own computer off of our platform. You’ll be working with Android Studio — Android’s Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
Q: Once I finish this Path, what should I do next?
There’s always so much more to learn! In addition to giving you the basics to get started, this Path is designed to empower you to continue growing as a developer.
If you enjoyed building a project from start to finish, we recommend checking out the Create a Front-End App with React. In this Skill Path, you’ll build an app to search for highly rated businesses in a given city and connect it to the Yelp API to pull review data.
You could also learn Swift, so you’re ready to be a cross-platform mobile app developer. Let your ambition and ideas guide what you should learn next. We’ll give you the basic skills and tools you need to get running, but there’s no limit to where this programming journey takes you.
What’s new in Learn Swift?
For those of you that are interested in iOS app development, we’re excited to share that we’ve made some recent updates to our Learn Swift course.
Learn Swift, created by curriculum developers Sonny, Kenny, Galina, and Alex (pictured below), will get you up to speed on the programming language used to build apps for iOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and Linux.
We’ve rolled the Learn Swift course out a few modules at a time. We recently launched the four remaining modules, which dive into Dictionaries, Functions, Structures, and Classes. The course and all modules are available for free, with Pro-exclusive quizzes and projects to help you take your learning to the next level.
Kenny shares more about the course in the quick interview below.
Q: Who is the Learn Swift course designed for?
Learn Swift is especially good for beginners who have not written code before and want a taste of the world of programming. The course assumes no prior knowledge and walks the learner through from the basics of a Swift program to creating mini programs of their own.
But Learn Swift isn’t just for beginners. It can also help more experienced learners get a sense of the Swift programming language and its unique patterns of development.
Q: What will I learn by the end of this course?
After completion of Learn Swift, you’ll know the fundamentals of the Swift programming language. You’ll feel comfortable with writing Swift syntax, creating mini projects, and you should be able to read through a Swift program and understand the intention behind the code.
The fundamentals you’ll learn in this course cover common programming concepts, including variables, data types, conditionals, functions, and more. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to apply those fundamentals in order to more easily pick up other programming languages as well.
Want to explore all the courses and Paths we offer? Check out our full catalog.