Android is a great place to jump in. There's a lot of work for mobile developers and Java is a very marketable skill even outside Android. The tooling (Android

Android is a great place to jump in. There's a lot of work for mobile developers and Java is a very marketable skill even outside Android. The tooling (Android Studio) is also relatively accessible, and you don't need to know 4 different languages to finish a project (only Java, as compared to web programming where you'll need a working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JS as well). You can also ship something to real people relatively quickly, and without a gatekeeper. Shipping an app of any kind, even a free Android app, will force issues like QA, version control, and customer support which are skills outside of just coding that developers should have. Finally, Android development has a vibrant community that's learning together, and the landscape is rapidly changing. Your friends could jump in now, and wouldn't be starting from too far behind.