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Tips on Becoming a Mobile App Developer in West Virginia

Written by Judee ShipmanJune 12, 2012
 West Virginia
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Lately, corporations in the state of West Virginia maintain an intense, ongoing demand for fresh new mobile app designs.  Apps are used for watching movies, betting at online casinos, calculating auto depreciation and many million more unrelated digital functions.  West Virginia tech professionals currently enjoy a sharp increase in employment opportunities for local app developers.

West Virginia Schools and Training Programs for App Developers

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Aspiring West Virginia app developers often attend accredited local colleges such as University of Charleston, Stanley Technical Institute in Parkersburg, ITT Tech in Huntington and West Virginia Junior College, with facilities in Charleston and Morgantown. 

At the same time, other local techies acquire professional qualifications online.  Accredited online schools for app developers include Quinnipiac University, Regis University, University of Phoenix, American Sentinel University and Colorado Christian University, to name a few.    

Working as an App Developer in West Virginia

Some West Virginia app professionals join local computer programming services like Applications for Tomorrow in Martinsburg, Appsol Technologies in Harpers Ferry, Space Monkey Industries in Fairmont, Moonshine Computer Service in Glen Easton and Appalachian Computer Systems in Charleston, for example.  Other local techies develop apps for West Virginia-based prepackaged software firms like Jackson Computer Services in Wellsburg, Prosite Business Solutions in New Martinsville, Vital Monkey in Fairmont, Champion Accounting in Parkersburg or Computers Unlimited in Charleston.

According to recent employment data compiled by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, commercial businesses situated throughout the state of West Virginia currently retain approximately 630 developers of mobile applications on a full time basis.  Mobile app developers in West Virginia are reported to earn an average hourly wage of about $39.20, with a reported mean annual income of about $81,500.  However, independent freelancers often support themselves on high hourly consulting rates, due to a serious global shortage of talented app developers. 
  
Skills of a Professional App Developer

Technical skills required for successful development of mobile applications include interactive programming and fluency in at least one coding language, as well as complete proficiency with major operating systems and web based platforms.  The most currently popular setup for professional developers is the Apple iPhone in conjunction with the MAC Mini, using a programming language called Objective-C.  App developers are sometimes also graphic designers, illustrators, photographers and webmasters.  Other relevant skills are writing, research, server development and debugging practices such as reverse engineering.