Schools begin preparing the next generation of app developers

Google’s Android system for smartphones and devices quickly outpaced anyone’s expectations within its few years of operation, at least in terms of sheer size. This has plenty of work for software developers who want to contribute to the growing cloud. The best online schools with degree programs in app development are preparing students with the programming expertise their burgeoning careers require.

In 2010, predictions by Android’s developers at Google indicated that the fledgling software system might be installed by 200 million users as early as 2013. A CNET News article from May 2012 reports an updated trajectory that predicts 700 million users by 2013, the 200 million threshold having been crossed in 2011. Interestingly, the article reports that the explosive growth hasn’t resulted in huge profits for Google, but the 370 million Android devices activated by May 2012 places it among the most rapidly expanding technologies in our society.

Much of the strength of the Android system comes from the development of web applications, commonly referred to as “apps.” These software programs work as digital tools that aid the owner of an Android device by storing data, improving communication and allowing access to digital accounts across the cloud.

Many applications are being designed to allow Android users to communicate with different technology interfaces and protocols. Tech review website PCWorld released a list of the top five cloud apps for Android devices in May 2012. Each of these software programs acts as a portal, allowing an Android user to contact a software interface available over the web, such as Amazon clients or Linux-based cloud machines. This creates a lot of available work for web designers.

With each passing day, Android devices are becoming more like digital Swiss army knives as they continue to add hundreds of tools. Some are very basic in practicality, such as flashlight apps or schedulers. Some apps let users create with photos, play with music or express creativity in many other ways. Thousands of game apps exist that serve no purpose except for providing a diversion. And there’s still room for more.

Learning about web application development lends itself to online colleges as most of the work is performed through digital media anyways. The best online schools for web application development focus on a number of important topics, including web-based user interfaces, different Internet languages, web servers and Internet marketing techniques. For successful web application development, it’s important to encourage cross-platform communication with other interfaces. Learning to market effectively is also helpful as developers often work in smaller firms to develop these Android applications.

Software developers have a unique opportunity to jump on the bandwagon of a strong software platform experiencing incredible growth because of its open development policy; once an application is completed, it’s very easy to publish it to the Android market. Learning how to capitalize will require some additional education in most cases. Luckily those students with a computer science degree or advanced knowledge of software development may only need a course or two in Android-specific practices. With an audience topping hundreds of millions, Android applications are proliferating faster than just about any technology available on today’s market.