Is Investing in a High-Cost Android Course Worth It for Career Growth?
I’ve been working as an Android developer for four years and have contributed to two major Microsoft apps with 10M and 1B+ downloads. I also published a small app on the Play Store in just a week and have invested in improving my skills by reading Android-related books and taking courses. With this background, I felt confident about my expertise and began applying for Android roles.
However, I faced multiple rejections during interviews. The interviewers focused heavily on the internal workings of Android APIs—details beyond my practical usage, like understanding the mechanics behind coroutines rather than just knowing how to use them.
Recently, I came across a course by a highly experienced Android instructor (10+ years) who has transitioned to full-time teaching. His demo session stood out because of its focus on internal details, experiments, and case studies. It resonated with me, and I believe it could help me not only crack interviews but also become part of the top 1% of Android developers globally.
The challenge is the cost: ₹40,000 upfront (25% of my monthly salary) and ₹2 lakhs (10% of my annual salary) after securing a new job. It’s a significant investment, and I’m wondering:
- Is it worth taking this course given my situation and goals?
- Are there more cost-effective alternatives to achieve the same level of expertise and confidence for interviews?
Discussion
(3 comments)- 1
a month agoI just work here @ Robinhood- No.
- Focus on building 1 good app and learning the concepts behind it along the way.
As a fairly senior Android engineer, I don't know the internals of many of the newer frameworks. And I honestly don't need to: the skills needed to grow to senior and beyond is heavily skewed towards non-technical skills. If I need to learn it in order to accomplish a critical task or goal for the team/company, I will learn it. Else, the knowledge doesn't give me that much value.
- 1a month agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
The course could be worthwhile if:
- There are some selective criteria (so the fact that you got in is a positive sign) OR
- You meet very smart people who are also doing the course
You are smart to be a bit skeptical since most programs won't offer the above.
You already have some major accomplishments as an Android engineer. Have you tried changing your approach to applying for jobs before the major time + financial commitment of this course?
- 0
a month agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroFrom first glance, the course doesn't seem worth it. I think it's much better to organize all the ways you've been failing Android interviews, look for patterns, and then honestly just use ChatGPT (and Google) to fill in those knowledge gaps. For your coroutines example, ChatGPT's explanation is decent (it's more about the overall APIs rather than the under-the-hood stuff though): https://chatgpt.com/share/678ed83d-58ac-8007-8565-e8cebd73c1a7
At the end of the day, interviews are inherently random (and dumb), so don't worry too much about the straggler interview asking you dumb trivia nobody else did. It's really hard to control for those.
