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The turning point called Cốc Cốc
Hello! I'm Tung, and I'm a person who loves reading books and sports :D After 35 years of my age, I have had more than 10 years involved in iOS application development, and now I'm holding the position as the Tech Leader of Cốc Cốc's iOS team.
Sharing more about myself, I used to be a Web/Desktop developer, and changed profession to iOS Developer in 2009. At that time, Vietnam didn’t have many iOS developers, so it was really a brave decision for me to make. So I enriched my experience in the profession in both outsourcing and product companies, as well as working as a freelancer for more than 2 years. And it was the first memorable milestone in my career.
The second milestone was joining Cốc Cốc, which has been a journey for more than 5 years so far. When I first joined, Cốc Cốc was the only company that seriously developed Search Engines and Web Browsers, and I discovered one thing:
I've joined an organization with many talents!
That’s why I’m so proud to be one of the members who built the first iOS version of Cốc Cốc Browser - the product which is still being used daily by millions of Vietnamese users.
The professional story of an iOS Developer who became a Tech Leader
Mr. Tung’s sharing about his work and the iOS Developer team at Cốc Cốc
As Tech Leader, my responsibilities are:
- Be responsible for the development of Cốc Cốc iOS Browser.
- Ensure team members’ work and help them develop their careers in the most effective way.
- Participate in the recruitment and training process.
And our iOS Developer team will be responsible for ensuring the browser is always stable, and developing and building new features to bring more value to users and our company. To be more specific:
- We update the latest and important changes from Chromium as it helps Cốc Cốc to be a safer browser with better performance.
- We work with Teams of Tester, Designer, Product Manager, User Research, Marketing, ... to bring a better and better product to users.
- We make features such as listening to background music, blocking ads, downloading media,... to bring convenience and comfort to users.
- And of course, we fix bugs so that users get the best experience :D
And while the job is a series of tasks of constant improvement and constantly facing the challenge of satisfying Cốc Cốc users, working here is a completely different and unique experience for any developer.
First, it’s a typical product. Making a browser requires you to have both mobile knowledge and web knowledge. And working with a Chromium core browser allows you to simultaneously expose two almost completely different environments: the open-source part of Chromium and the closed source part of WebKit. This brings a lot of challenges but also stimulates a lot of creativity and development.
Second, Cốc Cốc has a large user base. We have the opportunity to serve millions of users, and that’s something you can't experience in any other company.
Mr. Tung's professional sharing from his experiences
The biggest challenge not only for iOS Developer but also for Software Developer, in general, is the quick-changing nature of technology. On the one hand, you have to deepen your existing knowledge, and on the other hand, you have to update new knowledge to keep up with the requirements of the job.
For example, at the start there was only the Objective-C application programming language, which is now nearly 30 years old, has a syntax, unlike any other programming language. After only a few years, it was gradually replaced by the more modern Swift language. And Swift itself after 7 years has also developed rapidly, going from version 1.0 to version 5.5. That's because the real problem has become bigger and more complex, tools must also evolve to be more powerful, and people also need to grasp trends to survive and thrive in the industry.
So, for an iOS Developer to stick with and go further with the profession, in my opinion, there are a few factors that will attract you:
- Job opportunities are always available and the income is attractive. You can choose to work for a company, or create your app and reach out to millions of customers yourself. You will probably remember a successful case which was Dong Nguyen and his Flappy Bird.
- The opportunity to conquer new knowledge as well as come up with new creations. Apple is a company that makes great products. iOS is a platform that is always innovating. All you need is the knowledge and imagination to harness the possibilities of these products and platforms.
The prediction of future opportunities and messages to the young generation of iOS Developers
Smartphones are an indispensable part of many people's lives today. Vietnam is currently a "mobile-first" country when many people own a phone and there is no need to own a computer. So for many companies, the easiest way to reach their customers is on mobile. And also on mobile, whether Android or iOS, they will find the most loyal customers.
And you certainly know that Apple's ecosystem is still growing and evolving. With the demand from users as well as companies, I think the future opportunity for iOS developers will still be very bright. But with more opportunities, more people will join to become iOS developers and to stand out from the others, you must find your strengths to be different, as well as constantly learn to improve yourself.
Today, technology changes very quickly, and many tools can help build mobile applications of all sizes. So to become a successful iOS Developer, I have a few things to share with the young generation of iOS Developers :))
- Build yourself a solid foundation.
- Always be ready to update new knowledge.
- Seize opportunities with new tools.
- Equip soft skills such as teamwork, foreign languages,...
And most of all, to all iOS colleagues: Dare to find a challenge for yourself!
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