You will find that as you make your first app, you suddenly realize that there is a gap in your knowledge that needs to be filled to make some feature come to life. This is normal and guaranteed; don't let it put you off. Think of how to describe the problem and search for the solution on Google.

You might also find that specific classes in a project will grow beyond the practical and maintainable. This is a sign that there is a better way to structure things and there is probably a ready-made design pattern out there somewhere that will make your life easier.

To pre-empt this almost inevitability, why not study some patterns right away. One great source is Head First: Java Design Patterns, available from all good book stores.

GitHub allows you to search and browse code that other people have written and see how they have solved problems. This is useful, because by seeing the file structure of classes, and then dipping into them, often shows how to plan your apps from the start and prevent you from starting off on the wrong path. You can even get a GitHub app that allows you to do this from the comfort of your phone or tablet. You can even configure Android Studio to save and share your projects to GitHub.

For example, search for android fragment on the homepage, www.github.com, and you will see more than 1,000 related projects that you can snoop through, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

If you get stuck, have a weird error, or an unexplained crash, often the best place to turn is Google. Do this and you will be surprised how often StackOverflow seems to be prominent in the search results, and for good reason.

StackOverflow allows users to post a description of their problem, along with sample code, so the community can respond with answers. In my experience, however, it is rarely necessary to post a question because there is almost always somebody who has had the exact same problem.

StackOverflow is especially good for bleeding-edge issues. If a new Android Studio version has a bug, or a new version of the Android API seems to not be doing what it should, then you can be almost certain that a few thousand other developers around the world are having the same problem as you. Then, some smart coder, often from the Android development team itself, will be there with an answer.

StackOverflow is also good for a bit of light reading. Go to the www.stackoverflow.com home page, type Android in the search box, and you will see a list of all the latest problems that the StackOverflow community are having:

I am not suggesting that you dive in and start trying to answer them all just yet, but reading the problems and the suggestions will teach you a lot and you will probably find that more often than not, you have the solution, or at least an idea of the solution.

Also, it is well worth signing up to some Android forums and visiting occasionally to find out what the hot topics and trends are from a user's perspective. I don't list any here because a quick web search is all that is required.

If you're serious, then you can attend some Android conferences where you can rub shoulders with thousands of other developers and attend lectures. If this interests you, do a web search for Droidcon, Android Developer Days, or GDG DevFest.

You can now read a wider selection of other Android books. I mentioned at the start of this book that there were very few, arguably no, books that taught Android programming to readers with no Java experience. That was the reason I wrote this book.

Now you have a good understanding of OOP and Java, as well as a brief introduction to app design and the Android API, you are well placed to read the Android "beginner" books for people who already know how to program in Java, just like you do now.

These books are packed full of good examples that you can build or just read about to reinforce what you have learned in this book, use your knowledge in different ways, and, of course, learn some completely new stuff too.

It might also be worth reading some pure Java books. It might be hard to believe, having just waded through around 750 pages, but there is a whole lot more to Java than there was time to cover here.

I could name a number of titles, but the books with the largest number of positive reviews on Amazon tend to be the ones worth exploring.