Not Enough Mobile Programmers!

Where are all the app developers asks Forbes? It's a well known fact that the IT industry hasn't really slowed down since it went mainstream in the early 90's. Back in the 'old days' there was always the need for an IT admin, a help desk person, a engineer, and the list goes on. Among the laundry list of IT personal sat the programmer, at the top of the pay scale, and always in demand.

That was over 20 years ago and the demand for programmers has never been stronger, especially in the mobile sector. But there is a fundamental problem in the equation that did not exist before, and that is programming used to be just writing software for someone else, but now you can write mobile apps for yourself (as a programmer) and be your own boss if you are a successful mobile publisher. So it seems to re-shape the question being asked in the industry as: 'Where are the programmers that want to work for someone else?'.

The answer to that touches just about every mobile developers heart strings I know. After all why would they want to program for someone else when in fact they can make potentially alot more on their own? With so many mechanisms in place for someone to be independent it only makes sense for a lot of us. There are mobile development shops out there (like mine), who do both. We publish our own apps, and contract for entrepreneurs and other development shops to make someone's mobile dreams come true. But I can testify first hand that the contract work is by far and away not the most lucrative, and not the most fun. Without digging too much into the mundane - it's always hard to 'figure out' what someones idea is, draw it up, program it, present it, re-program it, and re-present it (insert infinite loop here) . We do the contract work to fill holes in time, and to help others learn more about mobile - not always for the money.

So back to the question, where are all the app developers? My answer is that there wasn't that many to begin with, and those that do program proficiently in mobile don't always want to work for someone else doing it. If you an employer looking for a mobile app developer to keep on staff you might just be out of luck unless you partner with someone in profit sharing, offer them a nice salary with a corner office and all the time off they want, or find a reputable contractor that can do the work you need…