Encouraging Young Developers in Congressional App Challenge

One of the best opportunities for California high school students interested in mobile app development is the Congressional App Challenge — where young Los Angeles iPhone app developers from area schools stand to see their hard work displayed in the United States Capital. Dogtown Media CEO Marc Fischer was honored to speak alongside Congressman Ed Royce at the award ceremony this Wednesday, inspiring another generation of iPhone app developers to overcome adversity and apply their core STEM skills to creative, cutting-edge mobile app startups.

The rapidly growing tech industry in the US is uniquely positioned to reverse the downward trend of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education standards by creating exciting technical career paths for high school and college students to pursue. While only 44 percent of US high school graduates are prepared for college-level mathematics, math-heavy career paths like backend web engineering and mobile app development have exploded over the past decade, leaving thousands of positions unfilled in spite of record-breaking unemployment. With the median salary for software engineers and iPhone app developers hovering around $100,000, it’s no surprise that public education is slowly pivoting to address the problem.

The potential rewards are even greater for underage entrepreneurs with tech interests, as the startup industry demonstrates again and again the potential for young iPhone app developers to bootstrap their way to become the next FaceBook, SnapChat, or Instagram. Success stories like Boyon Slat, a high-school student who invented a revolutionary passive pollution filtration system, just go to show how far a good idea and an Internet connection can take tech-savvy young startup founders.

For us at Dogtown Media, the real challenge is showing how iPhone app development can be a force for good — not just for profit. Environmental changes and social pressures are sure to only grow in the years to come. Perhaps the greatest tools will come from our youngest entrepreneurs. At the very least, we can hope that mobile app development draws more high school students to excel at STEM subjects than every before. If the award-winning students from the Congressional App Challenge are any sign, the future is bright for young iPhone app developers.