How can I learn Xamarin for mobile development?
20th Jul 2017
The easiest way for an experienced .NET developer to learn Xamarin is to find a company that uses the technology and provides on-the-job training and apply to join their development team. If you are living in Belfast reading this blog could be very beneficial as I am recruiting for a local SAAS software house that is seeking a .NET developer and they will teach you Xamarin.
However, if you do not want to change jobs right now there are other ways to learn this exciting new technology?
If you want to become a Xamarin Certified developer (and you have plenty of money) the best place to go is the Xamarin University. Here they will teach you the technology through a variety of different methods including live online classes, office hour’s tutorials, self-guided learning, guest lectures and affordable tuition. If you have some experience with Xamarin then take the assessment exam as you may be able to skip some of the entry-level classes.
You will need to complete all the required classes before you complete the final exam. Xamarin will require you to attend most live classes and they will send the link to the exam to developers who have done so.
Don’t let this put you off. A lot of developers have grown accustomed to learning with on-demand services but the instructors who work at Xamarin can provide a lot of value and can answer questions in real-time. It will take a lot of commitment to attend the live classes and you will have to plan things a few weeks in advance. You are looking at around 24 hours of live classes in total.
There are several class tracks you can follow which include normal cross-platform development to Xamarin Android and Xamarin iOS to Xamarin Forms.
I have read several reviews on the classes and for the most part, they are quite complimentary. The instructors work hard to make the classes fun and they don’t take themselves too seriously.
To prepare for the final exam you are given access to the presentation slides so you don’t have to go through every video again. The final exam takes 3 hours and you need to score over 80% to earn the certification. Do double check the required classes before doing the exam as the requirements could change.
I understand that a talented developer doesn’t necessarily need formal training or maybe a certification isn’t important to you. If this is the case, there are other cheaper methods available to learn Xamarin. I have talked to developers who simply downloaded Visual Studio 2015 with Xamarin, followed a blog like https://blog.xamarin.com or https://developer.xamarin.com/guides/ and got stuck in. If you already have a strong background in C# then it shouldn’t be too difficult to grasp the basic concepts.
Of course, if you are an active user on StackOverFlow you will be able to pick the brain of other developers who have learned Xamarin or are in the process of doing so. YouTube is another good resource for general tips but this probably best suited for developers with commercial experience using Xamarin.
If you’re a developer looking for your next move or are interested in applying for the .NET Developer role in Belfast and learning Xamarin, why not contact me on gareth@corvus.jobs
Senior Digital & IT Recruiter