Ask HN: Self Taught iOS developers
If you are a self taught iOS developer who knew little to no programming before starting with iOS and now have app(s) in the appstore or work/freelance as a iOS developer, I would love to hear from you on the following:
- Were there any specific online courses/videos that you think were a key in your success and you will highly recommend to others?
- Books that you will highly recommend?
- How did you get your first gig or idea for an app?
- What were your biggest challenges - too much knowledge out there, not able to devote much time because of other things, lack of motivation at times etc.?
22 comments
[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 77.4 ms ] thread- Built my first app based on what I knew from tutorials
- Biggest challenge: programming is hard
Just one thing, don't be disappointed - it's not you, it's iOS SDK and Obj-C - these are a real crap. If you want to enjoy, try Qt.
-http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Objective-C-Edition-Develo...
-Just a problem which I tried to solve. Was searcing for one but didnt found any good solution.
- Lack of research, just creating app is not enough, you have to market your app. Also, Lack of time was my another problem
Bought a book for Cocoa programming to learn Obj-C. Alright, but not a deal breaker.
First gig I offered for $200 flat rate to get the portfolio rolling, through a HN post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6382405
First app idea was actually a game, I learned what was necessary to build it (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/firework-flare/id513766705?m...).
Biggest challenge: going from basic programming knowledge to having to use design patterns, strange (at the time) syntax.
After you got the basic knowledge, how did you progress to the design patterns - was it while working on apps or you devoted extra time to learn them?
I mainly went in naively until I interned at an app development agency. They introduced me to the common design patterns and iOS-ways of doing things and started me along the right path.
I've now graduated with a first and work as a full time developer at a startup.
My one piece of advice would be to set yourself an idea and try to build it. Build, try and don't be afraid of exceptions. They're there to help you.
My portfolio - http://kathuria.me
My first big project was "Ocean Commotion"[1] and the motivation was that I didn't see many good multi touch games in the app store. It still disappoints me how most iOS games would be better suited to play with a mouse or keyboard when there is this amazing interface available. Did you know an iPad can handle 11 touch points at once, and an iPhone can handle 5?
My game started out as two orange rectangles that I could drag around on a blue background. Once you realize that views all get their own inputs then having 5 objects all respond to touch events at the same time is pretty straightforward.
For your first app I recommend starting with something simple. One recent game I made was "Jack Slap"[2]. It is a simple reaction time game, and would make a decent introduction into working with Xcode. Don't worry about the details up front. Just think of a concept or single feature you like and start doodling in code to get a feel for things.
My biggest challenge is probably my artistic ability. You can tell that I got an artist involved for Ocean Commotion, but not for anything else. Making an app look good is an important part of the process. Fortunately there are lots of artists out there who can't code to help you out!
[1] http://oceancmotion.com
[2]https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jack-slap/id846622220?mt=8 (iTunes link)
So far I am buying the wrong lottery tickets.
Job market for iOS is still strong, and will be for a long time. But on top of that, job market for programmers is strong and once you can program, it is easy to branch out.
Note - I have no affiliation to any of the links above, I just think they're good resources. Good luck!