Android Basics: User Interface

Android Development for Beginners: Useful for those that have no programming experience but want to make an app.

How to Begin App Programming - Starting with a Personal Project

I'm certain this has been covered numerous times, so please forgive me for being +1, and thanks in advance for all responses.

I want to learn to program Apps for Android and iOS (preferring to start with Android since I just switched from an iPhone 6 to a Pixel -- love it!), but I don't know where to start. Google search pulls up a ton of options, but I have a full time job and three kids, so I was hoping reddit could help me save some wandering.

I'm willing to shell out a little cash to learn (Udacity has an Android basic class, $99/yr subscription), but I'd prefer to start out free until I figure out if this is something I can/want to really pursue.

Personal Project: I'm a firm believer in having a project to start on, something that will personally motivate me to get through boring videos or tutorials. So, I want to help fix (or make) an app for my favorite workout tracking app, Fleetly Fitness. I liked it because it includes gamification, and had an easy to use UI. They came out with some fanfare a while back, but have stopped supporting their apps (I used iOS at the time, not sure if they ever made it to Android). Their API is still available so I hope to be able to work on it, and make it work for me (and maybe help others if it works well enough).

About me: I went to school for Civil Engineering, which required me to take a programming class... Stupidly, I took Fortran, which was an easy A, but I should've pushed myself to take something more useful. I'm selftaught in (what I'd consider) advanced excel (if/then, lookups, macros, pivot tables, etc), and intermediate access database. So, I feel/hope I have a good basic understanding of programming logic, but not sure what language to start with or how to survey the entire field of training options.

Also, as an aside, I wouldn't mind having the option to switch careers in the future, and I figure programming is a good skill to have.

Thanks again!

Edit: I really like to take things apart and try to understand how things work. That approach, from a learning standpoint, makes things take longer, but it really helps when I need to solve problems.

I mentioned FORTRAN just to say (perhaps naively) that I understand the basics of programming logic/syntax, and debugging code. I expect that I'll have to learn all new languages, and theory.

Also, I took HTML in high school, and again, understand the only similarity it has with XML is that it's a mark up language. Just mention it to say that it at least eases the transition for me to see some familiar syntax.

Is this course any good for learning Android Development?

I've recently decided to learn Android Development along with my basic knowledge on Web Development since I love both, for Android I went with this course on Udacity ( https://www.udacity.com/course/android-development-for-beginners--ud837 ), as stated it's from Google and till' now I feel it's really useful and I learned a lot from them, I have two questions in mind.

What do you think of the course? And what path / course should I go with after I finish this one?

Thanks in advance.

Are Udacity's courses good?

I'm planning on doing Udacity's Android courses starting with Android Development for Beginners and then doing the other ones, too. I've searched on reddit and haven't found anybody say if these courses are any good, so here I am asking it. I already know Java by the way.

What to do after finishing Android Dev for Beginners?

https://www.udacity.com/course/android-development-for-beginners--ud837

Course I'm taking currently. I'm almost halfway finished with it and am pleased with what I've learned. It's just the beginning, and I know I still have a lot to learn afterwards.

https://www.udacity.com/course/developing-android-apps--ud853

The above course is for intermediate Java developers. Would I be considered "intermediate" after finishing that course? I want to continue with my learning to be able to develop android apps and games.

Android Development for Beginners: Useful for those that have no programming experience but want to make an app(X-post /r/android)

[DEV] APOD - easily Browse Thousands Of Space Images Provided By NASA's Astronomy Picture Of The Day Service. this is my first app. I've also included a Writeup/sources/My Experience for anyone interested in developing their own Android apps. AMA

Hi everyone, I'm excited to share my first app, APOD - Easily Browse Thousands Of Space Images Provided By NASA's Astronomy Picture Of The Day Service. It may not look like much, but I definitely learned a lot while developing it. The reason I built this app was because I have a love for space; when you build something you love, you're much more dedicated to finishing it. It's my first app, so I imagine you'll find bugs :). If you find any or have any improvement suggestions please let me know!

Sharing my first app is awesome and all, but I really hope to make this post more informational so that maybe it will push some of you over the edge and into Android development. I plan to structure it with basic tutorial/information at the bottom, and then will update this post with your general questions and answers, so please ask all the questions you have! I'm not a professional developer by any means, but hopefully I, or someone else can help.

A bit of warning ahead of time, I'm not a good writer, so you'll probably find a lot of typos, repetitive words, sentences that make no sense, or formatting that just plain sucks.

About me

I graduated from college in August 2013 with a bachelors in Operations & Information Systems. I always had an interest in general developing but had absolutely no clue where to start. What the hell are all these languages? How can I create this or accomplish this? Sound familiar?

Why I got into development

As a kid I always had a life goal of working for myself, or having a really high paying job :). I know what you're thinking, this sounds cliche as fuck..lol. However, my reason behind it wasn't for myself, it was for my future kids/family. While growing I didn't have much. I shared my bedroom with two other brothers, wore hand-me-downs to school, went on little to no vacations, and to make matters worse, I attended school in a wealthier town (because we lived on the outskirts). Anyways, long story short, I know my parents tried their hardest and I thank them every day, but truth is I do not want my kids to grow up in that setting.

I landed my first role as a Business Analyst at a startup. After about a year I realized I had maxed out my position skillset and because it was a small startup, there were no positions to move into. So from that point on I knew I had to do something else. Sure I could find another job, but I still had that life goal of one day working for myself. So I stayed at that position for 2 more years until I finally left in January 2017. During those two years all I did was learn programming, save money, pay off my student loans, and had little to no social life. I'd leave for work at 7am and get home at 6pm, then code from 6pm - 1am. But don't let that scare you, I was on an accelerated timeline trying to learn as much as I could in as little time as possible. So why am I telling you this? Because, I hope it might inspire some of you who feel it's too late to learn. I had no knowledge of programming until I was 25. Enough with the boring shit... lets get to the resources!

What do I need for Developing Android Apps

For clarity, I'll keep this part simple. But I will absolutely answer, or try to answer any question(s) you may have. Almost all of my original tutorial links will point to Udacity. I am in no way affiliated with them, I just love their courses because they offer so much information for free. Since I am in a rush, I'll be updating this post with more useful information, so please check back soon! Some of the subcategories below will have an answer followed by links for tutorials.

What language(s) do I need to know?

If you want to develop native Android apps you'll need to have a basic understanding of [Java](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(programming_language), which is an Object-oriented programming language (OOP).

https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-java-programming--cs046

https://www.udemy.com/java-tutorial/

https://www.sololearn.com/Course/Java/

https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-java

Do I need a super ultra fast flux computer to create Android Apps?

Not when you're learning and have a physical device (take a look below). The tutorials and projects you'll be working on/creating will be small, so they won't take a long time to compile and build. I learned and developed on this shitbox until recently.

Do I need a physical Android device?

It depends.

I recommend a physical device because you'll free up system resources by not using the Android Emulator. Also, if you do not have an Intel processor, you'll need a physical device. Android Emulator only works on Intel processors.

Otherwise, if you have a decent computer with an Intel processor, feel free to use the Android Emulator.

Where can I learn how to build an Android app?

Awesome, so you've mastered the basics of Java and you're ready to build your first Android app. I completed the below courses and absolutely recommend them. Some may seem a bit challenging, but just be patient, It will definitely pay off!

https://www.udacity.com/course/android-development-for-beginners--ud837

https://www.udacity.com/course/android-basics-user-input--ud836

https://www.udacity.com/course/android-basics-multiscreen-apps--ud839

https://www.udacity.com/course/android-basics-networking--ud843

https://www.udacity.com/course/android-basics-data-storage--ud845

What to expect along the way?

Frustration, lots and lots of frustration. You'll spend hours debugging a problem and then realize it's all caused by one line of code. Don't let this get you down, just keep pushing yourself.

Also, you'll always feel like you're behind. Maybe you don't know this, or that, and think how everyone knows so much more than you. Don't do this! One of my favorite quotes of all time was from when I worked on The Odin Project.

Measure progress against yourself and don't compare yourself to others. Students often compare themselves against others who are further along in their coding journey or have more experience. This is a recipe for depression and frustration. Only compare yourself to your past self: has your ability and knowledge grown from where it was last week, month, or year? Then you are making progress.

I really apologize for becoming short towards the end, I've spent so much time talking that I'm actually in a rush now. I'll be back to edit this post with a lot more info, so PLEASE check back.

Thank you all so much!

Wow! Thanks everyone for the support and for checking out the app. I'll be updating this original post with more content soon!

For the case I think only this one course and a little Google would be enough (the course also teach you how to Google stuff :)): https://www.udacity.com/course/android-development-for-beginners--ud837

Coursera, Udacity, Udemy Android Courses, which to take?

I'm a fairly experienced developer, working mostly with SQL, Python, and R, but let's just call my Java knowledge zero. I want to get into developing some Android apps on the side for fun and to expand my skillset. However there seems to be a neverending supply of courses, books, videos, etc... to learn Android and I don't know which one to start with. Three below that caught my eye I'm considering starting with:

• Coursera - Mobile Cloud Computing with Android Specialization: This sequence of courses examines mobile cloud computing on the Android platform, starting with user-facing applications, through the middleware and services running on Android devices, all the way to integration with network-accessible cloud services. -- Would not get the certificate, but just take the courses

• Udemy - Learn Android Lollipop Development. Create Java Android Apps: You will obtain the skills to build progressively more complex Apps using Android Lollipop: you will start off by building basic apps, and progress to more complex apps showcasing the more advanced features of Android. The apps you create include a calculate, youtube video player, Flick Image search and display app, database drive Friends app, a note keep application that uses Google drive and Dropbox, a game, and more. -- I already bought this one for $10 once, it looks pretty well done and is constantly updating.

• Udacity - Android Development for Beginners, Developing Android Apps, Advanced Android App Development, Android Design for Developers, Android Ubiquitous Computing, Google Play Services, Gradle for Android and Java, Android Performance, UX Design for Mobile Developers: Google's official courses for teaching Android development

I rather enjoy a course style learning, I have taken several Coursera courses before and loved them. Particularly I enjoy a text with supplementary videos, not videos with supplementary text as many courses are.

Anyways, does anyone have much experience with these (I realize most of the edX one's are new)? Any recommendations? I doubt I need to take all three sets of courses but ideally there's a more or less "best" one.

Thanks!

I'll assume you already know Java.

Books:

• https://www.amazon.com/Android-Programming-Ranch-Guide-Guides/dp/0134706056/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1508984292&sr=1-3&keywords=big+nerd+ranch
• https://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Android-Development-Brain-Friendly/dp/1491974052/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1508983697&sr=8-5&keywords=head+first+java

Online course:

• https://www.udacity.com/course/android-development-for-beginners--ud837

Completed Helsinki's OOP in Java course, and now would like to take on Android.

As the title says, i completed the Heksinki MOOC OOP with Java course and am now wanting to go ahead and move onto Android development. I have found two courses and was just curious if there was any feedback from this sub on either of them.

The first one is the Udacity Android Development for Beginners course and it seems like it would be pretty decent course considering Google had some input on the development of the course.

The other course I am looking at is The Complete Android N Developer Course on Udemy. This course is a paid course which is on sale for $15 right now. It looks like this one might be a but more intensive and in depth but that doesn't necessarily translate to quality.

I was just curious if you guys and girls had any input as to which of these would be best to help me make a career change from Civil Engineering to a software development job.

Thanks everyone!