English, Git and my project on the framework. Tips for learning and more from developers who have passed JavaRush

The best advice for learning Java and further employment can come from those who successfully completed their studies and got a job as a developer. We've rounded up the best tips from Success Stories to help you learn and land your first job.

1. How to learn Java

• Use books

In addition to the practical CodeGym course, the programming base can be improved thanks to books .

1. Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates - Head First Java
2. Bruce Eckel - Java Philosophy
3. Gerber Schildt - "Java 8, A Beginner's Guide";
4. Robert Laforet - Java Data Structures and Algorithms
5. Alan Bewley - Learning SQL.

• Watch video tutorials

The more sources, the better, because bloggers can express the same material in different ways. CodeGym students watch tutorials and lectures by Ivan Golovach and Sergey Nemchinsky.

• Write your first Java project

You can start thinking about the first project when you understand the basics of Java Core. In addition to useful practice, you will have something to show and talk about at the interview.

2. What to do besides learning Java

• Master frameworks and additional technologies

After level 20 on CodeGym, you can start to understand things like version control systems (Git) and what Maven is. After level 30 start learning Hibernate. At the finish line before employment, you need to study the Spring framework and its components (Spring Web, Spring Security, Spring Boot).

• Learn English

You can go to study offline courses or buy a subscription to one of the online schools. It is also necessary to separately learn a pool of technical vocabulary in English.

• Create your project on frameworks

A junior who has at least one real project listed on his resume is much more valuable in the labor market than one who has mastered only theory. You can make your own project on the Spring Boot, Hibernate, MySQL frameworks, or take an internship somewhere, for example, on CodeGym .

3. How to organize training

• Create an individual learning schedule

After two weeks of rest, it is already difficult to return, and not everyone can write code every day for several months in a row. Give yourself a target in hours for the week - say 15. You can code for 1.5 hours each weekday and another 3-4 hours on both weekends, or take a break for a couple of evenings, but then the "output rate" will increase. Thus, the schedule will be flexible, but regular. Of course, then it will be possible to measure work by tasks and projects, but at the level of syntax and core, even hours will do.

• Take a break from your computer

You can, for example, use the WorkRave program, which kicks you out of the computer for five minutes every 25 minutes. It's better to stretch than suffer from back pain.

• walk

It may seem that you will be wasting your time, but it is not. An hour of walking from work (and to work too!) can be incredibly effective in absorbing new information. You can listen with headphones along the way to audiobooks or podcasts on the topic of IT.

4. How to prepare for an interview

• Indicate in your resume the entire stack of languages, technologies and frameworks that you have worked with;
• Sign up on LinkedIn - there are many HRs from different companies on the resource. Carefully fill out the profile - in fact, this is also your resume;
• Try yourself in free Java tests - they are often given on paper before a Junior interview. It is better to prepare in advance;
• Make such a development plan: go through the vacancies of Junior/Middle Java Developer and see which technologies and frameworks are mentioned most often. Write out, come up with technical specifications for them, set yourself deadlines for implementation;
• Remove the word Junior and the expected salary from the resume; leave just Java Developer, and discuss the salary individually with each company.

5. How to perform a test task

• Try not only to complete the task, but also to ensure that the code conforms to the principles of object-oriented programming;
• Check your code for efficiency. For example, an interview might be rejected if PrintStream is used instead of BufferedWriter;
• Plan your lead time with a margin of 50% - it is better to start and finish earlier than to finish the project at eight o'clock in the morning of the deadline.

Results

Using advice from the personal experience of our students, you can avoid mistakes, and at the same time organize a convenient training schedule, master the technologies you need in the future, write a resume correctly and save time. Good luck!