Do you want to learn how to approach the mobile system design interview? Please read my previous post: "Cracking the Mobile System Design Interview" (also available here at dev.to).

I am starting a new publication with the sole purpose to help fellow Android and iOS engineers prepare for their next technical interview. This is a very personal post about my background and the journey that led me to start writing about technical interview processes for Android and iOS developers. Hope you like it! ♥️

Who am I?

I sometimes wish I had a romantic background. I would love to tell you that I started coding in BASIC when I was ten on my dad's i386 computer. That I was selling my games to high-school mates by the age of fourteen, or that I had created a killer website before starting University.

Truthfully, my background is quite far from the classic hacker story. I was raised in a pretty average household in the 1980s. I was never a geek nor particularly passionate about computers. My parents were quite conservative regarding screens: TV, video games, or computers. They tried to limit the time I spent in front of them and encouraged me to play football (soccer) outside, read a book or build stuff (I loved to make things: race tracks for my remote control car, villages of mini houses with streets and lights, etc.).

When the time came to start University, I wasn't even sure about studying Computer Science. It was a last-minute decision. I was pretty good at maths and loved science. So I hesitated between majoring in more traditional sciences like Maths and Physics or taking a more applied option like Industrial Engineering (really hot at the time). Computer Science came into the picture by accident.

That summer, a friend of mine got a book to learn to code, and we followed it together. Programming allowed me to understand the challenges behind complex problems, yet offering the skills to build things on my own. It was a great mix of theory and creativity.

University started, and yet again, I would love to say that I was a natural at it, but I wasn't. I had to study hard to pass my tests. With time and practice, I became a good student and a fast learner. I developed the ability to identify the most relevant topics and skills to learn. I became good at studying!

That is the most crucial skill which has allowed me to have a pretty good and comfortable career in the Tech Industry. I have been a Software Engineer for almost 15 years. I started doing web development with jQuery. Then I had the opportunity to go into lower-level challenges, programming a real-time communication middleware for embedded systems in ANSI C. Around ten years ago, I discovered mobile development, and I became instantly in love with its technical challenges and broad reach. In my career, I have worked on small projects in start-ups where I was the sole mobile engineer and in big tech companies with multiple teams and 50+ developers, supporting millions of users worldwide.

On many occasions over the years, I felt overwhelmed. I believed I was not good enough, and I did not belong to this industry. My mind travelled back several times to that summer when I learned to program with my friend and wondered if I had just made the wrong choice. But many years later, I am still enjoying building software!

Why am I writing The Mobile Interview?

Last year, after more than seven years without interviewing as a candidate, I was once again back in the arena. As you can imagine, after so long, my interviewing skills felt a bit rusty, and I had to prepare consciously. I had to refresh my coding and technical design skills for mobile applications development.

I was astonished about how many materials there are nowadays to help candidates prepare for technical interviews, from coding platforms to online courses and youtube video series, together with the more classic books. There are lots of complete guides and helpful resources for anyone preparing for a technical interview.

But there was something odd: all the resources I found concentrated on full-stack or backend profiles. When I searched for mobile-oriented content, there seemed to be a huge hole.

Frustrated with not finding enough insightful content focused on preparing for Android and iOS interviews, a quick thought ran through my brain like lightning: I certainly couldn't be the only one feeling disappointed and a bit cast aside by the broader community.

So I decided to do something about it and that's how TheMobileInterview.com was born. Since I couldn't find the materials to help me prepare for my interviews, I decided to create my own and share them with you.

My goal is to help anyone get their next iOS or Android Engineering role, from anyone trying to land their first mobile development job to more seasoned developers looking to advance their careers. With the help of a few friends and my own experience, I will be compiling a complete archive of resources, helpful tips, and insightful learnings entirely focused on the technical interview process for mobile.

Who is The Mobile Interview for?

This publication is for anyone preparing an interview process for mobile application development roles, independently of their years of experience.

Any iOS and Android engineers who are already working but would like to sharpen their skills, refresh and learn new concepts regarding mobile apps architecture, performance, etc.

**I will also help managers and interviewers **participating in hiring processes for Android and iOS developers. I will be sharing my learnings and insights on how to put together a fair, accurate and inclusive hiring process to find the best talent.

And in particular, to anyone who ever left an interview thinking they could have done a better job if they had prepared. To anyone who has ever believed they were not smart enough, and to anyone who has ever felt they did not belong to this industry.

You are good enough. You are smart and can harness the skills required to excel at this job. You can be yourself and still belong to this industry. You can have a very successful career in tech. And with a bit of guidance and focused effort, you can ace your next interview!