[Oracle] *LAVA HOT* Java SE 11 Developer Certification (OCP) for 25$ and Free Java 11 Certificate Preparation Course

Is this Introductory course or you have to know Java programming?

That IS a great deal if you need it. Of course you can get your employer to cover the certification cost but if you can't... I will let my team members know about this one, thanks.

ysl5710 wrote: ↑ Is this Introductory course or you have to know Java programming?

This course contains the introductory part (it was already free previously) and also the exam preparation part (more advanced concepts).

ysl5710 wrote: ↑ Is this Introductory course or you have to know Java programming?

Certification exam for Java is not a trivial matter. That said the preparation books I read didn't assume extensive prior knowledge but they did assume the previous "associate" level certification, which has its own book / exam and is much more approachable if no prior knowledge. I am not familiar with preparation course though.

Is it realistic to learn Java from 0 and pass the exam within the time frame?
Assume general understanding of programming and 8 hours a day training.

How realistic is this program within 2 month for beginners?
I have a bit of Pascal and done assignments for Java before

bit of HTML and XML

Employers don't look at these, don't waste your time. It's just Oracle trying to create demand for another revenue stream

If you want to just learn the language there's plenty of free resources

useless certificate, better spending your time on a project like Github

If you really want to learn Java, or any programming language, way to many free materials.

If need to land a job, do leetcode instead

SomeGuyNamedBob wrote: ↑ Employers don't look at these, don't waste your time. It's just Oracle trying to create demand for another revenue stream

If you want to just learn the language there's plenty of free resources

It's quite a task to speak for all employers!
I think a clear deadline and an exam are excellent motivators. The only question is whether it is doable.

Karlik wrote: ↑ It's quite a task to speak for all employers!
I think a clear deadline and an exam are excellent motivators. The only question is whether it is doable.

nah, the man was right, no employers look at these.
dont waste your time and money

rockxxxlee wrote: ↑ nah, the man was right, no employers look at these.
dont waste your time and money

You'd be surprised. I've seen folks with marginal qualifications themselves put into positions of interviewing and hiring for development positions. Something like this, with Oracle's name on it, would totally put your resume on the top of the enormous piles of nonsense that gets received for any job posting.

Seems like Java is out of top 10 programming languages to learn in 2021

frenk927 wrote:

Google is pushing for Kotlin nowadays on top of Java

shopperisbest wrote: ↑ useless certificate, better spending your time on a project like Github

While I dont totally disagree with you, Github is a "nice to have" and so is a certificate. A certificate is also a "nice to have". An employer may not even bother looking at your Github if your resume doesnt even pass their quick eye ball test. The more you have the better.

rockxxxlee wrote: ↑ nah, the man was right, no employers look at these.
dont waste your time and money

Actually a lot of employers look for these type of things. Reason being is because a lot of times when you submit your resume, it goes through HR first. And who works in HR? Non technical HR people. You have to pass through these people first, before it gets to someone that would then dig into your resume.

Resumes dont always end up in the hiring managers hand right away. And some times, the hiring manager may not even be technical themselves.

SomeGuyNamedBob wrote: ↑ Employers don't look at these, don't waste your time. It's just Oracle trying to create demand for another revenue stream

If you want to just learn the language there's plenty of free resources

Yes, all these certifications are revenue streams. Some of the worse ones are the ones that require you to re-certify every few years which are very annoying.

Now having said all this.

For those people that say "employers dont look at this" you would be quite surprised at how many actually do. Usually when you submit a resume, its going to go through the key word scanner - Someone from HR is going to read it or some other non technical person, and eventually when it does land in the hiring managers lap - They may not even be technical themselves or verse in this particular language.

I have met managers where they had a very strong background in JCL and Pascal, both pretty much useless languages in my opinon but regardless they are still the hiring managers. They are the manager as they know what needs to be done, and have a good enough background to be able to manage a team and set out work tasks. They may not be that deep in the weeds to know how to code themselves. Heck, maybe you have a Project Manager hiring and they know they need a Java resource. Last time I checked, Project Managers mainly show off their PMP and know little to no coding.

You would think if your hiring for a Java developer, that the hiring manager themselves would know Java but they may not.

Now I'm not saying certificates are the be all end all, far from it.

Having a certificate on your resume is a "nice to have". Its a feather in your cap. It shows that you know SOMETHING.

I have interviewed people before where they said "yes I have lots of SQL experience". Then when we start to talk about any particular analytic functions they like to use within Oracle then their eyes start to glaze over....

Or when I ask about any experience with data warehousing which of course they say yes. Then when I try to ask do they have experience with Kimball or Inmon methodology again their eyes glaze over

Lots of people say "ya I'm an Excel expert" but really all they know is how to make a pivot table.........I also have team mates where I worked with them for a few years try a certification and they fail it (eventually they get it). Not all these certificates are that easy to get.

If your going to say a certficate is not worth it, you mind as well say a degree is not worth it too.

I get it though. If you want to show you REALLY know how to code, then yah github, have your portfolio of projects to show and you can hash it out with the hiring manager. But theres lots of non technical people you have to get through before you can even get to the one thats technical.

Again, certificates are "nice to have" and really just show you know SOMETHING about the subject matter. It also is a conversation piece, and non technical people can recognize "oh hey hes got a certificate". I been to a few interviews where the hiring manager had to bring in a member of the team in order to ask the technical questions as they didnt know what to ask themselves.

If you have someone that has experience, a good portfolio and a certificate thats pretty impressive. Do you need all of it to land a job? Maybe not. But the more you have the better.

Another thing, if your a new grad or someone that is just starting out in the work force having a certificate helps on top of your degree. Even people that have worked a few years and maybe want to NOW get back into Java they could always get a cert.

Studying for a cert gives a good guideline and structure on what things should be studied versus going wild and coding what ever you like.

Just my two cents and playing devils advocate

How is the exam taken? Is it a proctored exam?

What? No COBOL, C, Fortran? Young whippersnappers!