Getting started as a developer in any language or platform can be a struggle. This presentation contains all the little things I wish I knew when I started as an iOS developer.

1. Becoming a Mac/iOS
Developer
Robert Brown
@robby_brown

2. So You Want to be a Mac/
iOS Developer?
What to expect:
This presentation contains everything I wish I knew
two years ago
I will focus on Mac and iOS development, but the
ideas apply to other specialties

3. So You Want to be a Mac/
iOS Developer?
What not to expect:
This is not an introduction to Objective-C, Xcode, or
any other tools.

4. Beginner

5. Find a Mentor
Find one to three people who you can ask questions
When you hit a problem, spend an hour trying to figure
it out on your own
If you can’t solve it after an hour, ask your mentor

6. Find a Good Book
Mac/iOS:
Objective-C Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch
Guide
Beginning iOS 5 Development
iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

7. Find a Good Book
The Pragmatic Bookshelf
iOS SDK Development
Core Data (out of print but available on Amazon)
Core Animation

8. Find a Good Book
The Pragmatic Bookshelf
iOS Recipes
Designed for Use
iPad Programming

9. Find a Good Book
Design:
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-
oriented Software
The Design of Everyday Things

10. Find a Good Book
Maintenance:
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
Code Complete

11. Find a Good Book
Management:
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
The Mythical Man Month
Driving Technical Change

12. Tutorials
Apple Tutorial
Stanford on iTunes

13. Stack Overflow
Q&A for developers by developers
Lots of developers have the same problems as you
If someone hasn’t already asked your question, you
can ask the community yourself

14. LinkedIn
Start right away, even if you don’t have a good résumé
Connections are more valuable than skills
Skills are important too
Recruiters can’t find enough iOS developers
Link to blog and portfolio

15. Twitter
@daringfireball: John Gruber—Straightforward Apple
news and opinions. WARNING: Coarse language!
@mattgemmell: Matt Gemmel—Great iOS dev and
blogger. WARNING: Coarse language!
@cocoanetics: Oliver Drobnik—Another great iOS
developer and blogger.

16. Twitter
@gzicherm: Gabe Zicherman—Authority on
gamification. WARNING: Coarse language!
@bdudney: Bill Dudney—Former Apple engineer and
great author for The Pragmatic Bookshelf.
@mzarra: Marcus Zarra—Author for The Pragmatic
Bookshelf and Cocoa Is My GirlFriend.

17. Twitter
@glyphish: Glyphish—Quality, inexpensive iOS icons.
@macrumors: MacRumors—Most “reliable” Apple
rumors.
@macrumorslive: MacRumors—Live tweets Apple events.
Good for events that aren’t broadcasted.

18. Twitter
@darthvader: Darth Vader (obviously)—Great comic
relief for nerds.
@davedelong: Dave Delong—Apple employee and
amazing developer.
@robby_brown: Robert Brown—Hey, that’s me!
Independent iOS contractor and blogger. No brownie
points for following me.

19. Intermediate

20. Learn Best Practice
Most developers/books/tutorials don’t follow good
practice :(
Design patterns are generic best practices
Other best practices are language specific
Follow the naming conventions of the language
Develop a coding standard

21. Learn Best Practice
Find a good mentor
It’s hard to learn best practice on your own
Do code reviews and pair programming

22. Learn to Design Code
Design Pattern: formalized description of best practice
There is a vast difference between code that works
now and code that will continue to work in the future
Mac/iOS naturally pushes good design patterns

23. Learn to Design UI
Design for mobile first!
If your app doesn’t look good, no one will buy it even if
it has amazing functionality
The Mac/iOS community naturally gravitates toward
good UI/UX
Be aware of why and how other app are designed.

24. Learn to Work in Teams
Most interesting software is written by a team
Good communication skills are critical
Knowing how to design helps to subdivide projects
A good coder is not necessarily a good project
manager and vice versa

25. Learn to Work in Teams
Do code reviews and pair programming
Use a version control system (VCS)
EVERY developer MUST use version control

26. VCS Clients
Tower Cornerstone
Versions Gitbox
SourceTree Terminal (for real devs)

27. Github
Git is the standard VCS
Github is an open source community
Github has many reusable Mac/iOS components.

28. Blogging
Teaching others helps reinforce learning
Writing skills are critical
Great Book: Technical Blogging
My Blog: Rob's Program Knowledge Base
A collection of obscure errors and elegant solutions

29. Expert

30. Find a Specialty
Find an area that interests you and dig deep
You should enjoy what you do
Broad knowledge is critical, but deep knowledge gets
the good jobs
My specialties: Multithreading, Core Data, UI/UX Design

31. Be a Mentor
Teaching others helps reinforce learning
Return the favor for those who mentored you

32. Give Presentations
Teaching others helps reinforce learning
Communication skills are critical
Slide Share: presentation sharing service
My Presentations

33. Stack Overflow
Teaching others helps reinforce learning
Answer questions
Gain reputation in your community

34. Github
Contribute to one or more open source projects
Makes a great portfolio
Great way to collaborate with others and learn from
them

35. Master

36. Change the World
Create a startup
Write a book
Write for a magazine
Do something else crazy

37. Summary
Know who and where to get help
Network and develop good reputation
Have a portfolio both of code and writing
Be involved in the community
Help others

38. Want to Learn More?
Lots of links in previous slides
http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/so-you-want-
to-be-a-developer-part-1
http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/so-you-want-
to-be-a-developer-part-2

39. Questions?