It would seem that the story that diplomas and certificates are not needed for employment has already been discussed many times in the IT field. On the one hand, a certificate can improve a resume, increase the chances of a salary increase, and generally improve knowledge of the Java language. On the other hand, there is an opinion that the presence of this document does not significantly affect the career of a programmer. In this text, we will look at whether certification really matters and what exams to take in 2021/22.
Why get a Java certificate?
In this article, we'll look at Oracle's Java Certification. Firstly, because Oracle develops Java, and secondly (and this is a consequence of the first fact) because the company's certificates are listed as one of the best among developers. In fact, these are the only certificates that can really come in handy when looking for a job. So, to begin with, we list the reasons why you should get certified.
Opportunity to learn Java better
This is an important, but not the most obvious reason, because many programmers are more motivated by a career advancement or an increase in salary as a bonus to a certificate. The Java Certification gives you the opportunity to learn the Java programming language very closely in a short amount of time. During the preparation, you will improve your understanding of object-oriented programming, exception handling, algorithms, multithreading, concurrency and other key topics. With certification, you'll have a real opportunity to learn about new Java features and how they affect your day-to-day work.
The certificate gives you an advantage over other candidates
Many international and government organizations and consulting companies working on government projects highly value Java certification. Having a certificate adorns your resume and will make the recruiter pay attention to you.
Your salary may rise
According to Certification Magazine's salary survey , over 55% of respondents who received 1 or more new certifications in 2017 reported receiving a bonus.
About Oracle Java Certification
The Oracle Certification System changes every year. We have already written about what types of certificates Oracle provides (but this was in 2020). In this text, you will focus on those that can be obtained in 2021. Oracle currently has two types of exams and certificates, respectively - associate and professional levels.
Oracle Certified Professional Java Application Developer (OCPJAD) - Java EE 7
This certification validates a programmer's skill in developing and deploying applications using the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 7. The certification assesses competency in Java EE programming and assesses the ability to: understand Java EE architecture, manage persistence with JPA entities and component validation, implement business logic with using EJBs. Exam Fee: $245 Duration: 110 minutes Passing Score: 66% Exam Topics:
Java EE architecture;
Manage persistence with JPA entities and BeanValidation
Java Messaging API;
Building Java web applications using servlets;
Building Java web applications using JSP;
Building Java Applications with WebSockets;
Using the Batch API in Java EE 7 Applications;
Using the Concurrency API in Java EE 7 applications;
This exam will help you gain a basic understanding of Java. After passing the associate level certification, you will be able to claim the title of professional (this is the next stage). Having an OCAJP certification confirms that a programmer or candidate has all the necessary skills to become an experienced Java developer. This certification will also help you get an internship or entry-level job in various organizations. Exam Fee: $245 Duration: 150 minutes Passing Score: 65% Exam Topics:
Fundamentals of Java;
Working with Java data types;
Using operators and decision structures;
Creating and using arrays;
Using loop constructs;
Working with methods and encapsulation;
Working with inheritance;
Exception Handling;
Working with selected classes from the Java API.
Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer 2 (OCPJP) - Java SE 8
The second exam and the final stage for obtaining a professional certificate. This certification is preferred if the examinee has professional Java experience. Exam Fee: $245 Duration: 150 minutes Passing Score: 65% Exam Topics:
Java class design;
Parallelism in Java;
Java Stream API
I/O system;
Using Java SE 8 Date/Time API;
Building database applications with JDBC;
Localization.
Java SE 11 Developer (Upgrade from OCP Java 6, 7 & 8)
This certificate can be obtained by those who are already certified in older versions of Java (eg 6 or 7). They can, as they say, "finish" questions on the updated material. By the way, certification for this exam ends on November 30, 2021. By passing this exam, a developer will prove a deep understanding of object orientation, functional programming with lambda expressions and streams, and modularity. Exam Fee: $245 Duration: 180 minutes Passing Score: 61% Exam Topics:
Understanding modules;
Transition to a modular application;
Local variable type inference;
Java interfaces;
Lambda expressions;
Lambda operations on streams;
parallel streams;
Java File I/O (NIO.2).
Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer (OCPJP) - Java SE 11
Passing this exam demonstrates fluency in Java SE 11, which includes a deep understanding of object orientation, functional programming with lambdas and streams, and modularity. Exam Fee: $245 Duration: 90 minutes Passing Score: 68% Exam Topics:
Java object-oriented approach;
Working with arrays and collections;
Working with streams and lambda expressions;
Parallelism;
Working with Java data types;
Exception Handling.
How to Prepare for a Java Certification
If you are a beginner and want to improve your Java programming skills, we recommend spending at least three months preparing for the exam.
Develop an exam preparation plan that takes into account your workload and work schedule. To focus on your Java certification exam, it's best to clear your calendar for the next few months so you can focus.
Read professional literature for preparation ( here is a list of Java SE 8 books ). Most accredited Java certification books will include practice questions. Take notes while reading a book. They can then be used for a quick review just before the exam.
The question is holistic, as is the question of whether a programmer needs a special higher education. On the one hand, the certificate does not provide any benefits. On the other hand, its presence can catch the eye of HR, especially in a situation with developers who come from another language or retrain from testers. In addition, having a certificate will show that you know how to set goals and achieve them. My incentives were:
Desire to expand and consolidate your knowledge and understanding of Java, including those parts of the API that are rarely used in current tasks;
Study the innovations of the long-awaited Java 9 ... 11 in order to be ready for the future that will surely come (brushed away a mean man's tear, picking the project on EJB3.0).
It is possible, of course, to achieve these goals without certification, but for those who are familiar with SMART and the principle of the stick (losing money for trying to certify) and the carrot (document and icon for the collection), it is easy to understand that this way training is much more effective.
To be honest, for a long time I could not decide whether it is worth getting a certificate at all. Many consider this a waste of time, because the questions in the tests do not reflect the level of knowledge, but the level of preparation for a particular exam. There is a widespread opinion about a bunch of trick questions, where instead of curly braces in the code, round ones are written and therefore the code will not compile. However, my pros were:
The ability to fill gaps in knowledge, structure the theoretical base, put everything on the shelves.
Become a certified specialist, thereby attracting the attention of recruiters from other companies, and use the certificate as one of the arguments for a salary increase.
The creators of CodeGym will not let me lie: the most common question that potential students ask them is: "Do they give any certificate after studying?". JR certificates are not given, and there is, in general, a simple reason - employers are not interested in them. To check what you know and can do, they are quite capable of interviewing without any online course certificates. The difference between the Oracle certificate is that it is an official confirmation from the creators of Java that you are fluent in this language. Having it in your possession will be a very serious advantage for outsourcing companies, i.e. for those who "lease" their developers to other companies to work on external projects. What do you think: is it worth getting a certificate in Java? Perhaps you already received it? We are waiting for your answers in the comments.
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