Career · Building digital products
Mobile app developer
Creates apps for phones and tablets that people use every day.
Career overview
What a day looks like
A developer thinks through how an app should behave on a small screen and writes the code for it. They run the app on a phone, look for where it breaks or slows down, and work with a team to make it comfortable to use.
Try it yourself this week
40 minutes
Sketch three screens of an app for a school problem
- Come up with a small app, for example for a timetable or for sharing class notes.
- Draw three screens as phone frames: the main screen, one more section and the final screen.
- Use arrows to show how a person moves from one screen to another.
- Ask a friend to go through your drawings with their finger and watch where they get confused. Write down those places.
What you'll learn about yourself: What suits you more: coming up with how an app looks, or thinking through how people will use it.
30 minutes
Find 5 problems in your favourite app and describe them like a tester
- Choose an app or game you play or use.
- Explore it for 15 minutes and look for annoying things: confusing buttons, extra steps, strange wording.
- Write down five findings like this: what I did, what I expected, what actually happened.
- Mark which problem is the most annoying for users and explain why.
What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you notice small details and enjoy finding things other people missed.
What you can do next
Next 3 months
Draw the screens of an app
Think of an app for a school task and draw its screens and the moves between them on paper.
In six months
Spot flaws in an app
Watch a favourite app and write down what feels awkward or unclear.
In a year
Ask a developer
Through people you know, and together with your parents, ask someone in this job what a working day looks like.
What it pays
No verified information is available in this section yet.
Where to study
No verified information is available in this section yet.
How to get into college
College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.
- Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab) - About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab) - There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university
The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.
- The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab) - Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
Courses and opportunities
Opportunities near this field
- Programmeenbek.kz job portal (opens in a new tab)
Министерство труда и социальной защиты РК
Who it's for: anyone looking for a job or an internship.
When: all year round.
The government job vacancy portal. It has a section for students and young specialists called «Жастарға» (For young people).
Checked: September 2026
Source: enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - Programmeup to age 35Youth internship programme (opens in a new tab)
Министерство труда и социальной защиты РК
Who it's for: college and university graduates (not for school students).
When: ongoing, up to 12 months.
A paid internship for graduates (under the terms on enbek.kz, at least 30 MCI (monthly calculation index) per month). The rules have changed before, so check them on the day you apply.
Checked: September 2026
Source: enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - Programmeup to age 35First job programme (opens in a new tab)
Министерство труда и социальной защиты РК
Who it's for: young specialists (not for school students).
When: subsidy for up to 18 months.
The state helps pay a young specialist's salary for up to 18 months. Check the conditions on enbek.kz.
Checked: September 2026
Source: enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - ProgrammefreeAtlas of New Professions (opens in a new tab)
Минтруда РК и Центр развития трудовых ресурсов
Who it's for: everyone.
When: reference guide, always available.
Atlas of New Professions: which jobs will appear, change or disappear in the next 5–10 years. Free to read.
Checked: September 2026
Source: atlasbt.enbek.kz (opens in a new tab) - Youth centrefreeShymkentages 16–35UNICEF Youth Hub in Shymkent (opens in a new tab)
ЮНИСЕФ Казахстан
Who it's for: school students aged 16+, college and university students, and young specialists.
When: all year round, opened on 20 November 2025.
A youth hub at the pedagogical university in Shymkent: skills development, social projects, volunteering.
Checked: September 2026
Source: unicef.org (opens in a new tab) - Youth centrefreeAstanaages 12–18TUMO Astana (opens in a new tab)
TUMO
Who it's for: teenagers aged 12–18.
When: all year round, opened in February 2026.
A free centre for teenagers with 11 fields, from coding and robotics to film, graphic design and 3D.
Checked: September 2026
Source: astana.tumo.kz (opens in a new tab) - Volunteeringfreeages 16–35UNICEF youth volunteering programme (opens in a new tab)
ЮНИСЕФ Казахстан
Who it's for: ages 16 to 35.
When: recruitment in waves: summer and autumn.
UNICEF youth volunteering: about 20 hours a month. You need to speak Kazakh or Russian.
Checked: September 2026
Source: unicef.org (opens in a new tab)
Can you work before you turn 18?
Under Kazakhstan's Labour Code, teenagers can work, but with limits.
- Usually you can work from age 16. From 15 — if you are getting basic or general secondary education. From 14 — only in your free time outside school and only light work. If you are under 16, you need a signature from a parent or legal guardian.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - From 14 to 16 you can work no more than 24 hours a week; from 16 to 18, no more than 36 hours a week.
Source: kodeksy-kz.com (opens in a new tab) - Under-18s must not be given heavy or hazardous work, jobs with full financial liability, night work, overtime or business trips.
Source: mybuh.kz (opens in a new tab)
History of the career
No verified information is available in this section yet.
Well-known people in this field
No verified information is available in this section yet.