The Essential Online Courses That Made Me an App Developer

From Flash Animator to Full-Time App Developer

Back in 2012, I was fascinated by creating interactive games and animated stories in Flash. When apps started becoming popular and self-publishing became possible, I knew I had to learn this new platform.

I enrolled in a Mobile Application Development course at Aarhus University in Herning, Denmark. They loaned me a MacBook, and that's where my iOS development journey truly began. To supplement my university coursework, I took my first Udemy course in Objective-C.

For my final exam, we had to build an app. I chose to create a spirit level app with sound – something that would challenge me to work with hardware sensors. That app, Spirit Level X, is still on the App Store today and has been downloaded over 105,000 times. It's earned well through banner and interstitial ads.

My second app, Plank Challenge 4 Minutes, has been downloaded over 127,000 times on the App Store and is also available on Google Play.

One of my most successful apps, Calculator 3D, has achieved over 17,900 downloads with 22.3 million impressions on the App Store.

Today, I have 70+ apps on the App Store and several on Google Play, with over 500,000 total downloads. My dream of creating interactive stories and games continues at full speed – now enhanced by AI tools that help with development, translation, and more.

My Development Setup

Why Online Courses Still Matter

I've worked as an app development instructor for a private company, taught block programming with App Inventor and Scratch, worked as an Interactive Play Designer at LEGO, and taught Computer Science at a high school for 5 years.

Despite this experience, I still take online courses regularly. Technology moves fast, and there's always something new to learn. Online courses from Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and Domestika have been essential to staying current.

But here's the key: You don't need to take every course out there. I've taken many courses over 12 years, but if I were starting today, I'd focus on just 5-8 core courses and build from there.

The 5 Essential Courses (Start Here)

If you're serious about app development, these are the courses I'd recommend you start with. They cover the fundamentals and will get you building real apps quickly.

Specialized Courses Worth Adding

Once you've mastered the essentials above, these specialized courses can take your skills to the next level:

My Honest Recommendation: Where to Start

What I'd Skip (To Save You Time and Money)

I've wasted money on courses that didn't deliver. Here's what I'd avoid:

• Outdated iOS courses – Anything teaching Swift 4 or earlier is too old. iOS has changed significantly.
• Ultra-specialized courses too early – Don't learn advanced topics like Metal or CoreML until you've shipped several apps.
• Courses promising "Get Rich Quick" – App development is a real career, not a get-rich-quick scheme. Avoid courses that promise overnight success.
• Sketch-based design courses – Sketch has been surpassed by Figma. Learn Figma instead.

The Results: 12 Years Later

These courses, combined with consistent practice and shipping real apps, led to:

• 70+ apps published on the App Store
• 500,000+ total downloads
• Calculator 3D: 17,900 downloads with 22.3 million impressions
• Spirit Level X: 105,000+ downloads
• Plank Challenge: 127,000+ downloads
• Positions at LEGO and as a high school Computer Science teacher
• Teaching experience helping others learn app development
• A sustainable, enjoyable career doing what I love

The key insight: Online courses work, but only if you build real apps while learning. Don't collect courses – ship apps. Start with one or two courses, build something real, and add skills as you need them.

Your first app won't be perfect. My first app was a simple spirit level with sound for a university exam. But I shipped it, learned from it, and built on that foundation. That app has now been downloaded 105,000+ times and still earns money today.