“Nothing great in the world was accomplished without passion.”
― Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
I’m going to be an Android developer. I still can’t believe it but I will. My ex-supervisor and another programmer both told me the same thing—you can’t be an Android developer. One of them even said that employers might be freaked out by my age.
I’m in my late thirties. Sure, I’m not young anymore, but I’m not over the hill either. Despite their negativity, I’ve stuck to my goal of becoming an Android app developer. I’ve been an Android user for over a decade, and developing apps for Google’s mobile OS has always been my dream.
Life’s too short to give up on your dreams.
The Big G And I:
Google guided me to become an Android developer. In my own tech universe, Google has always played a significant role in shaping my career and lifelong interests. Without Google, I can’t fully define myself.
That four-colored logo with the iconic big G always attracted me. From multiple Android mobile devices, including phones and tablets, to Chromebooks, I’ve owned a variety of Google-powered devices. While some were disappointing purchases, most provided me with incredible tech experiences. As Google enjoyed experimenting with its products, my initial tech journey almost fully aligned with Google.
Nexus, Pixel, Huawei, Samsung, Asus, Essential, and OnePlus—my Android journey has been an amusing experience, interacting with various UIs and the different Android skins, apps, customizations, rooting, and custom ROMs. The more of a geek you are, the higher the chances you’ll get absorbed into the vast ocean of Android fragmentation.
Java and Android:
Four years ago, I became a Java developer, working with the Spring framework. That’s when my coding journey began. At that stage, I didn’t see myself becoming an Android developer.
At first, I struggled with understanding coding structures, especially since I had no professional coding experience.
However, starting with Java turned out to be a blessing. It eventually paved my way to becoming an Android developer, as Java was the de facto language for the platform’s app development. Kotlin, a language developed based on Java, also has high compatibility with it, making the transition smoother.
2022: A Glimpse into My Future
2022 was the year everything started. It was a unique year, marked by significant changes and milestones. It was the year after I lost my dad, the year I started my Android programming journey, and the year I built my home network servers.
Since 2022 was a very slow year in terms of my job, where I was allowed to work from home, I had the time to build my first Android app portfolio using Java.
As I mentioned, I loved everything Google does and offers, so programming an app on Android Studio was a fantastic experience. I enjoyed coding in Java to build the app’s backend systems and interacting with it.
The whole process allowed my tech creativity to flourish naturally. Whenever I encountered difficulties, I sought help from my online mentors. Interestingly, some of them showed a deep interest in my coding, and one even asked if I was interested in joining their team.
My Android coding experience also contributed to my job. The project I was involved with used Spring Boot, and my Java-coded Android programming experience significantly enhanced my work. I could easily see where to modify and add new functions.
I believe Android programming taught me everything I needed to know about coding in general.
The interviewing processes:
After I returned from my Singapore trip in April, I started searching for a job. One of the significant reasons I left my previous work was simply because I wanted to pursue my career as an Android app developer.
As I mentioned earlier, despite others advising me not to pursue an Android dev career due to my age, I couldn’t ignore my inner passion for my dream goal. I felt the Big G kept telling me to become part of the vast Android community professionally. The Big G was always there.
Guided by the silent invitation from the Big G, I didn’t give up despite my initial struggles to find an Android app dev position. Rejection after rejection, I kept track and persevered.
Most of the companies I applied to were typical Japanese firms that didn’t understand my unique journey to learn Android programming on my own. They didn’t appreciate that I learned through English-speaking materials like YouTube tutorials and Udemy courses. Disappointingly, they didn’t even look at my portfolios.
However, one Japanese finance company showed interest in my experiences. During the interview, they asked me a lot of questions about my unique passion for Android while many others lean towards iOS. An engineer even asked me about my experience using LineageOS, a customized Android-based ROM, which I mentioned in my resume.
It seemed they deeply understood my unparalleled passion for Android. The interview was both memorable and enjoyable.
A few days later, I had a second interview, and I was hired as an Android app developer.
The dream I pursued for so long had come true. The Big G was always there, at the center of my tech universe. This is one step closer to my journey with the Big G.
I proved them wrong:
As I mentioned, my ex-supervisor dissuaded me from becoming an Android developer because of my age. Another mentor told me the same thing. But they were essentially wrong, and I proved them wrong. “Too old, too late.” People love saying those words, especially when it comes to age.
But is it true? Just because everyone else says it’s impossible, so what? If you have an undeniable passion for something, go for it! Life is much shorter than you think. I don’t want to spend my time on things I can’t be passionate about.
In my heart, the Big G was always there, undeniably guiding me. I love Android—its open-source nature, flexibility, customizability, fragmentation, and so much more.
If you have what it takes to be uniquely good at something, people will eventually notice your work and recognize your potential, regardless of your age.
What I experienced during this interview process was the undeniable fact that, in some ways, age doesn’t matter.
You can never teach passion to others:
Anyone can gain a certain level of skills in six months. You can teach skills to others, but there’s one thing you can never teach: passion.
Passion is something that must grow from within; it’s not something you can find in a day. You discover it through your interactions with the world.
Experience, discover, and learn. In the end, what really matters is how many passions you have—how many seemingly unteachable things you’ve gained through your experiences and your journey called life.
Conclusion:
Guided by the Big G, I’ve come all the way to this point. It’s been a long journey, but what really matters now is what I can do and learn from this new job as an Android app developer. I’m both a little scared and excited, but I believe this experience will spark new and unexpected passions for my future career.
Life is short—stay motivated and embrace the unknown.
Let us begin…