My Experience as an Android Engineer; One Year Later.

I crossed one year as an Android Engineer on 18th October, 2022. Looking back, this has been a journey of learning and unlearning.
I initially started out as an intern at Kyosk.app where I got introduced to working with a well structured tech team on large codebase projects. Later on I got promoted to a fulltime Android Engineer.

I contribute to building and maintaining Android app features in Kotlin that serve 100k+ SME retailers across Africa in the FMCG market space. It’s really amazing seeing the code I write make a positive impact in people’s livelihood. Click the link below to check out the Kyosk Android App.

Kyosk App - Apps on Google Play

Here are some useful tips that I picked along the way:

1. You don’t need to know everything in Android development. Android development is constantly evolving. Having a good foundation of Android development fundamentals puts you in safe space of managing new updates in the Android eco-system. A good place to start learning Android development fundamentals is here.
2. YouTube is your best friend. At first you might have difficulties using the Android documentation or reading technical blogs. An easy approach that worked for me is by referring to YouTube videos. This made me understand concepts in a better way for free. The con is that it will take you more time compared to referring to the actual documentation. Two of my favorite Android-related YouTube channels are The Android Factory and Philipp Lackner.
3. Build meaningful relationships with your work colleagues. There’s always something to learn from your colleagues, especially if they are more experienced than you. Gaining and sharing meaningful insights with them will make your career path a bit more easier to navigate.
4. Join a community and be an active member. This will not guarantee you a job but it will improve your likelihood of getting a job. Typically, your network is your net worth. Having a strong network of developers in the same space as you will keep you motivated and up-to-date with what’s trending in the job market. If you’re looking for an Android community in Kenya, checkout Android254 & KotlinKenya.

5. The fastest way to learn Android development is by building real-world projects. It doesn’t have to be perfect but if your app tries to solve a problem in society then you’re headed in the right direction.

6. Rome wasn’t built in one day. Give yourself time to learn the basics and don’t compare your learning journey with someone else’s. Ultimately, your journey is unique to you. At my one year mark, I still feel like there’s a lot that I need to learn. Though I’m also aware that this journey requires plenty of patience and consistency.

7. Rest as much as you can. For you to be consistent, you have to rest. Schedule some time off during weekends to chill with your friends or do some outdoor activity. This will put you in the right mental & physical space to perform well at work and avoid burn outs.

Career Aspirations

I’m currently focusing on climbing up the career ladder to be a senior Android Engineer while exploring other full remote job opportunities in the global market.
I’m also looking forward to travel the world and attend Google and Droidcon global conferences.

Connect with me

In case of any queries or leads to job openings(preferably fully remote), please feel free to reach out through:

1. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-mathari-8b1042189/
2. Twitter: https://twitter.com/KennethMathari

You can also peep through my Github profile to checkout some projects I’ve worked on:

KennethMathari - Overview