As a beginner mobile developer, I need some guidance

Question

I need input on my research so far on paths for mobile development

With job availability being the priority, so far I see 2 reasonable options (I'll add my take on both so far)

1. Xamarin/Xamarin.Forms development

I feel like this cross-platform development technology is still very young, and therefore risky to invest time in, as it could easily die out. Also, the Xamarin.Forms cross-platform UI development platform seems like it is unstable.

2. Android/iOS native development

Seems to have alot more support online. Is more of a secure option for jobs at the moment, though Xamarin is quickly growing popularity as more and more companies move towards x-plat dev.

Is this accurate? Any input would be greatly appreciated as the answer will influence my future

Thanks

Answer 1

Heh ... "And just how long, Young Turk, do you imagine 'your future' to be?"

In other words: "how many decades?" (Answer: "about five.")

Are you even thinking in terms of "decades?" (Answer: "obviously not.")

:-)

Let me, therefore, give you this marvelous bit of good news ... (from a point-of-view of nearly four .. ahem decades):

You can never predict [a company's] future.

All you can ever hope to do ... is to satisfy their client's business needs, today.

I have (believe it or not) been making money in this business since before there was (uhh....) "a PC." Therefore, of this statement I feel I can be quite sure . . .

"Your statement," Young Turk, "is 'most temporal.' " (In other words: "even next year, it probably won't be relevant.") Therefore, I cordially suggest that you "instead, take the long view."

Assume that it is, in fact, impossible(!) to predict "how the chips of present-day technology may fall," knowing that(!!!!), in the long view, "it absolutely doesn't matter anyway."

The companies who need to hire you "have made their bets." Only time will tell whether their bets were the right ones. (Hell, they don't know, either.) Meanwhile: they need you, and meanwhile, they have Money. You don't have to "pick the winning horse." You only have to find people who have, today, "gambled upon this horse."

" Two years hence, none of this will matter anyway." (Seriously. "Welcome to The Business.")

---

PS: "Don't be afraid." It is precisely this very aspect of "the software development business" that first captivated me, all those years ago, and that still engages me, today.