You’re never too young — or too old — to start developing apps

One has 10. Another has 82. No, that’s not the number of apps they’ve made — it’s the number of years they put in their ‘age’ column. Before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference officially kicked off at the San Jose Convention Centre on Monday, there was a little pre-event showcase on Sunday, which featured students. It’s the student developer showcase. Khaleej Times spoke with them to find out what makes them tick. Yuji Sasaki from Japan, 17 The self-taught developer started coding when he was 11. He’s the one who’s been into developing for eight years. His new app, ‘Sumou’, is a game of the traditional Japanese sport sumo wrestling. “I have always liked making things. Making programs seem to be inspiring. It seems I have infinite possibilities to make the things I like.” Riana Karim from the US, 17 The high school senior’s interests is in human health, so she created a Web-based app to collect and analyse data on the geographic prevalence of autism. For her efforts, she was recently recognised by the Society of Women Engineers and the National Center for Women in Technology. “Personally, I think the biggest challenge I had was not feeling qualified enough... to sort of combat that, I found a lot of resources online; you can learn a lot of things online.” Neel Sarwal from the US, 17 Hailing from Dallas and with Indian roots, he currently has four games on the App Store plus two more games and an app in the works for his startup. “It’s really easy to get into developing - even if you’re super young or super old.” Gaby Ecanow from the US, 17 She has her own business — EcaKnow Games — the motto of which is so fitting: ‘It’s never to early to start coding!’ Through a combination of self-teaching and online methods, she was able to learn C#, Python and Jave at the end of her sophomore year. She showcased her latest app, which can be so familiar to practically everyone ‘RoShamBo TicTacToe’. “Anyone can code as long as you put the time and the effort and you believe in yourself. Anyone can pick it up.” Emirhan Erdogan from Turkey, 19 After attending last year’s WWDC, he founded his own firm, Appyist. He also designed a six-week ‘Hello iOS’ course to help introduce people to the platform - the success of which led to founding TurkishKit, a monthly event for students interested in developing software for the Apple ecosystem. “Coding is simple; it doesn’t take too much time. My suggestion to students is to start learning how to code and design for mobile apps... it’s never been easier.” Leo Vallet from France, 20 Looking for a ‘Flappy Bird’ remake? The teen from Lyon has it for you on the App Store. Nowadays, he aims to solve the perennial problem of parking with ‘ParkMatch’, which is still under development, but looks really promising. Currently, he has over 20 iOS apps, and has been coding for over four years. “I’d like to use technology and apps to help people out so they won’t have problem when they park their vehicle... to create a win-win situation for everyone.” Philipp Zakharchenko from Russia, 16 He believes that design is very crucial for something to be engaging. His app, ‘Deadliner’, allows you to track and manage your deadlines, events and meetings, set goals and create milestones. He learned coding at 12 with Visual Basic, but Swift changed him; within a week of learning the platform, he made his first to-do list app. “I’m excited because I feel that I can do something for this world.” Yuma Soerianto from Australia, 10 The youngest of this year’s group taught himself how to code when he was only six years old, and at present he has four apps on the App Store. His dream: “Teaching the world how to code.” And he has his own YouTube channel - ‘Anyone Can Code’ - so it’s safe to say he’s well on his way to fulfilling his dream. Beatriz Magalhaes from Brazil, 21 Learning that she had diabates at the tender age of 13 inspired her to come up with ‘Diapets’, an app that helps kids with Type-1 diabetes learn how to deal with their treatment with the help of a cute dragon. The digital media design student from Rio de Janeiro is very active in promoting the human side of technology. “[Diapets] is a very personal project for me. I think that everyone can change something very personal that matters to them - just by coding.” Masako Wakamiya from Japan, 82 Yes, 82. She’s walking and breathing proof that it’s not too late for anything. She’s not a scholarship recipient, but is the oldest attendee. Her app, ‘Hinadan’, is a game that promotes the Japanese culture. “I don’t see age as a hindrance to develop apps... and it even makes me feel younger.”