iPhone apps: A DIY skill that's in big demand
Experienced iPhone developers can command big salaries as companies scramble for more iOS app makers
iPhone developers are in demand across the United States and Canada, causing salaries to skyrocket for those with experience creating complex, mobile applications on Apple's iOS platform.
And there's good news for programmers without such skills: You can teach yourself how to develop iPhone apps, thanks to the extensive amount of free information that Apple provides to developers on its website.
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"The type of talent that we are constantly looking to attract is the iOS developer," says Scott Michaels, vice president of Atimi Software, a 100-person mobile application developer based in Vancouver that counts among its clients HBO, ESPN, and Bloomberg. "We need developers with experience in Android and Windows Mobile, but our primary demand is for iOS and Mac-capable developers."
Michaels says there aren't enough developers that have deep knowledge of and experience with Objective-C, a computer language used in Apple products that differs from the more common C and C++.
"We're 100 people, but we have work for 130 people. We just don't have those extra 30 bodies," Michaels says. He adds that salaries for experienced iPhone developers "just keep going up. Our year-over-year salaries are up almost 20 percent."
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Atimi isn't the only company looking to hire experienced iPhone developers. So are eBay, CapGemini, Oracle, Charles Schwab, General Electric, and hundreds of other software, consulting, and Internet-savvy corporations.
Indeed, IT job site Dice.com has 1,380 postings for iPhone developer positions, up 191 percent compared to last year. Similarly, Dice.com lists 1,617 available jobs for Android developers, up 129 percent from last year. Another 1,215 job postings ask for mobile developers in general, without specifying a platform.
"Mobile is one of the hottest [IT skills]," says Alice Hill, managing director of Dice.com. "All of these things are converging at the same time. You have this explosion in smartphones. You have this sudden interest in tablets and other devices.... You have a shortage of experience and great demand. If you're a mobile app developer, that's the perfect, perfect storm for you."
