Theta Android News: How to become an Associate Android Developer, and is it worth it?

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

How to become an Associate Android Developer, and is it worth it?

Associate Android Developer is a certification from Google that may enhance your career as a developer. In this post, we'll explore why.

Developing Android apps isn't particularly hard. The hard part is developing good Android apps, and proving that to clients. Getting a certification will help with that, and what better organization to be certified with than Google itself?

What better organization to be certified with than Google itself?

Associate Android Developer is a Google Developers Certification that comes direct from the company responsible for the tools you'll use. It's globally recognized, and in theory it can demonstrate your expertise in Android development.

Also read: Unity certification for developers: Is it worth it?

How to become an Associate Android Developer

To become an Associate Android Developer, you will need to take an exam on Android Studio, the Android SDK, and either Java or Kotlin (you can choose which language you want to use). After paying and proving your identity, you will be able to complete the exam and must submit within 8 hours.

Certified Android Developer

If your submission is successful, you will then be asked to complete an exit interview, which involves recording spoken answers. If you are successful in this portion, you will be awarded your certificate. Marking can take up to 45 days.

Unlike Unity Certification, Associate Android Developer Certification is relatively inexpensive costing just $149 (prices may vary slightly depending on your location). However, you will need to pay again if you don't pass the exam.

What do I need to know?

The exam is aimed at the "entry-level Android developer," so certification should be achievable for most people willing to put in the effort, especially if they have experience with Android development.

Programming on Laptop Android Studio

It is your responsibility to study and educate yourself prior to taking the exam, though Google provides the exam content to help guide this study. Students should understand:

App functionality – Know how to build apps utilizing messaging, multitasking, and other features.
User interface – Understand how to use Android's UI frameworks.
Data management – Utilize Android's frameworks to store and retrieve data in a mobile environment.
Debugging
Testing

You can also find a full study Guide here.

We recommend that you consider taking an Android development course before you sit for the exam to avoid having to pay twice!

Also read: I want to develop Android apps – Which languages should I learn?

The most comprehensive and easy-to-follow course for learning Android development is Introduction to Android App Development by Gary Sims. This course will take you from complete beginner to seasoned Android developer over a series of short video tutorials. Once you've worked through the program, you'll have more than enough experience to take a stab at the exam.

Is it worth it?

So, is it worth becoming an Associate Android Developer? I feel confident this time saying yes – at least for the right student.

Also read: I made $50,000 from Android apps and you can too

Certification of this nature won't be a huge game-changer. Getting it is relatively easy, and employers will also want to see other qualifications and examples of your past work. Having developed a hit app or worked for a big software firm would absolutely matter more than Associate Android Developer status.

Google Developers Certification

In fact, the level of expertise in Android demonstrated by this certificate is probably nothing an organization wouldn't be happy to train you in anyway.

So if you're already in a good position in your developer career, this may not be game-changing for you.

That said, in a sea of CVs (a CV sea), this additional certification might just help you stand out. More to the point, if you're a new developer and you want some kind of experience or qualification to gain the trust of potential clients or employers (especially if you're self-employed), the Associate Android Developer certification is a great place to start.

If you have absolutely no experience or degree, this might be just enough to build confidence in a client.

Potential employers can search through an index of certified developers.

The price of the certification alone should clinch the deal. When it's this affordable, there's almost no good reason not to add it to your resume. It also doesn't take a huge investment of time. As an added bonus, potential employers can also search through an index of certified developers; giving you another chance to get discovered.

Also read: How to work as a software developer online: everything you need to know

Android development

Keep in mind Associate Android Developer is just one of many Google Developers Certificates. We'll be looking at those in future, but for now, let us know what you think of the Associate Android Developer certificate.

Will you be getting it? What good alternatives do you recommend?

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