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Passed UML test with 79%

 
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Hello to all,
Yes I Just (yesterday) passed IBM test on Object Oriented Analysis with UML test with 79% marks (Surprisingly passing marks were 70% instead of 69%).
With the exception of Requirement modeling, I did fairly well in the other areas.
Honestly speaking suggestions on study material & discussion on various topics has helped me a lot in passing the exam.
Although I have taken the test & passed also but I am not quite sure whether it is given due weightage in the market or not any way I don't care much for that because my experience with the different technologies certifications is that they proved to be a valuable learning guidelines ( I have JCP & IBM XML Certifications also) & studying the recommended material was well worth to grasp the new concepts.
As I am also JCP so now I am eligible for VCSD by passing one more test. I think many people in this forum knows a lot about this, can any one suggest which route one should follow for VCSD, what is the criteria for deciding upon the route & what is the market value for VCSD.
may be this will increase my apetite for preparing for yet another tough test.

 
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Congrats Deepak,
A great news, a person with certifications JCP, XML and UML
have a very bright future.
Well best of luck for VCSD and i am very sure that u will be able to clear it, as u have indepth knowledge of certification exams and core knowledge as well.
Well Congrats again,
Nisheeth Kaushal.
 
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congratulations . all the very best for the future. great news.
Your Friendly Bartender
Shailesh.
 
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Hi Deepak,
Congratulations!
I would suggest you take IBM VisualAge for Java test to become an ICSD.Alternatively, you may go for IBM Websphere Application Server(WAS),Standard Edition(SE).I am preparing for the former.May be I will take IBM WAS, SE too!I plan to attain ICED title by the end of this year.
As far as the market goes, it depends very heavily on where you are located.I am based in India now, so even though I am an OCED, there are not enough opportunities here.Most companies demand for IBM products expertise.This is quite unlike Europe where there is considerable demand for Oracle Java products.
However, I am looking on a long-term basis.That is why I am going for IBM JCert track, even though I have cleared the Oracle Jcert track.I am sure when the market opens up, people like us who are certified on various products will get good opportunities.
Looking forward for the discussions with you on the Certifications in the JavaRanch forums.
-- Sandeep
SCJP2, OCSD(JDevloper), OCED(Oracle Internet Platform)
[This message has been edited by Desai Sandeep (edited July 22, 2001).]
 
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Congrats Deepak!
Many Many congratulations on Passing this exam!

Asif
 
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Congratulations, Deepak! Good Luck with the VCSD - which path are you folowing?
Is the IBM VisualAge for Java test a design project similar to the SCJD test? I looked at IBM's site but couldn't figure it out.
 
Deepak Arora
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Thanks to all of you for so much of encouragement & wishes. I wish success for you all in the future.
I have not yet decided for which track i will follow for VCSD but as sandeep has suggested me to go for ICED, I will give it a very serious thought but sandeep can u elobrate a little more that why you thought ICED is valued more than OCED or this is just my misinterpretation.
if i will decide upon IBM Visual Age for Java then will you pls suggest some study material/links. Also suggest on what basis one should decide upon option b/n ICSD/OCSD further how one should decide b/n visual age or WAS honestly speaking these are my not so strong areas as i have never worked with websphere application server or visual age for Java.
Trust me I always take your advises too seriously whether it is your discussion on package dependencies or which route to follow for VCSD. I belive you can certainly take me out of this dilemma.

Looking forward for your response.
Deepak Arora
 
Deepak Arora
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Jyotsna,
I think IBM Visual Age for Java is an Integr. Development Environment tool & have heared that is is very powerful tool to work with. I will start exploring it very soon.
Deepak Arora
 
Jyotsna Clarkin
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Originally posted by Deepak Arora:
Jyotsna,
I think IBM Visual Age for Java is an Integr. Development Environment tool & have heared that is is very powerful tool to work with. I will start exploring it very soon.
Deepak Arora


Yes, Thanks Deepak. I know that VisualAge is an IDE - I just want to know if the IBM test involves a design/coding project.
As far as I can tell this test (is it IBM test #282?) is a multiple choice test and doesn't require one to design an application.
Whereas the SCJD does require a project.
Am I correct ?
regards,
Jyotsna

[This message has been edited by Jyotsna Clarkin (edited July 23, 2001).]
 
Desai Sandeep
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Deepak,
I believe Jcert "Vendor" Certified Java (Solution/Enterprise) Developer (VCSD/VCED), is an excellent way to learn the production tools used in the industry.It is extremely difficult to say which vendor is good and which vendor is not.It actually depends on the context in which you are discussing this issue.
At the highest level, each vendor is committed to release the very best product in the market.The difference is in which areas these vendors focus to market their products.For instance in India, you would find better support for IBM products than for Oracle products.So, if you are looking for opportunities in India, perhaps IBM Jcert certifications is a better choice.If Europe is your target destination then Oracle Jcert Certifications is suited more for you.
In the US, you can say these vendors are doing equally well.However, I would like to add that if you are looking at integration business, i.e. legacy (IBM Mainframes,IBM AS/400 systems,etc.) applications to web techologies market then probably IBM has an edge over others.I see this market catching up in the future and therefore I suggest you stick to IBM as the vendor.It is most likely going to be IBM who would be deciding the future of Java, just as they have ensured that COBOL stayed in the market for more than a decade!
You are in the same ship as I am!I have also not worked on IBM products - VAJ or WAS.My experience with OAS suggests that starting to learn from an AS could be an intimidating task.So just to be on the safer side, I started with VAJ.Also, it is win-win situation for us, since VAJ is the best IDE in the market.
As regards resources on VAJ, visit VisualAge Developer Domain for more information.
Hope this helps,
Sandeep
 
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Hi All
Can you give me more details/urls about the IBM's UML exam?
I am very much interested.
Thanks & Regards,
Senthil.
 
Deepak Arora
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Sandeep,
After going thorough test objectives for WAS & VA4J i gathered that
1) For ICED test on Webspehere is also one of the requirement & skill 3b as well as skill 2b(For ICSD) so it might be a better idea to earn certification once that is also helpful in acquiring ISED.
2)WAS CErtification requires knowledge of JDK,Servlet,Jsp & Web which I have (& am sure that you also have it)
3)Studying Servlet book by O'really which is a common book, I have already read it & even you must have ( I think so).
4)knowledge if WWW session tracking etc.
5)Knowledge of WAS this is probabaly most tricky part of entire test
6)Caroline also suggested in one of post that WAS is probably more important than VAJ as it is a development tool.
7)Test Objective list of va4j is very much intimidating
8)Oracle product documentations are always poor so that might be one of the reasons for difficulties you have faced with OAS.
by the way have you seen the WAS Documentation & V4J Documentation what is your opinion abt them
what about other routes like weblogic or any other you know of.
 
Desai Sandeep
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Hi Deepak,
Please find my views to the points you mentioned :


Originally posted by Deepak Arora:
1) For ICED test on Webspehere is also one of the requirement & skill 3b as well as skill 2b(For ICSD) so it might be a better idea to earn certification once that is also helpful in acquiring ISED.


Well, I was thinking on similar lines earlier.To become an ICED, I would need to take just one test Skill 3B - IBM Websphere Application Server (WAS), Advanced Edition (AE).Infact I don't even need to take Skill 2B - IBM Websphere Application Server (WAS), Standard Edition (SE).
Easier said than done!I know one thing for sure, if you want to have a crack at any of the vendor products, it is best to start off with their IDE, especially if you are doing it independently.Once you get accustomed to the IBM way, then things will not look intimidating.
I would have spent more than 2 months just to get a simple EJB bean deployed in the Oracle Application Server and get it called from the EJB client.The reason is not only poor documentation from Oracle, but also the complexity of the products.Most of it has to do with the libraries and the jar files.It you look at the posts in the IBM Application Servers forum in JavaRanch, you would realize IBM products are no different either.The funny thing is their own product jar files are not compatible.Also, just as Oracle has come up with its own architecture/technologies, I am pretty sure IBM WAS will have similar challenges to offer.
I intend to crack this by learning the VAJ IDE, which has its own WAS Test Environment.Once you start deploying and testing applications in the Test environment, you can safely move on to the next step of trying with the actual AS.I am sure this would reduce the learning curve.You will have minimum problems of testing applications with an IDE than with an AS.


Originally posted by Deepak Arora:
2)WAS CErtification requires knowledge of JDK,Servlet,Jsp & Web which I have (& am sure that you also have it)
3)Studying Servlet book by O'really which is a common book, I have already read it & even you must have ( I think so).
4)knowledge if WWW session tracking etc.
5)Knowledge of WAS this is probabaly most tricky part of entire test


Knowledge of Java Technologies (Servlets,JSP,EJB,etc) is a must to learn the products.That is the reason you have two tests at the third Level.The Test 483 - Enterprise Connectivity with J2EE(Skill 3A) tests you on all the above Sun Reference Implementation (RI) technologies / specifications.
However, to get the same working on IBM WAS/Oracle AS is a different experience all together.That's going to take some effort.You have to understand the architecture, the troubleshooting aspect of it, debugging which is possible only using VAJ IDE (again signifying the importance of IDE) and lots of other vendor-specific features.
The test which I took from Oracle - Enterprise Development on Oracle Internet Platform (Skill 3B from Oracle), assumed I knew all the specifications very well.They were testing on scenarios which you could answer correctly if and only if you have come across it in real-life.And most questions on Remote Debugging, and deployment had links with their IDE-Oracle JDeveloper.You cannot isolate the Vendors' IDE at Level 3.So I believe, it is best to learn it.You needn't take the test, but I think you should know sufficiently well for Skill 3B test.


Originally posted by Deepak Arora:
6)Caroline also suggested in one of post that WAS is probably more important than VAJ as it is a development tool.


I believe, IBM WAS is not a development tool but it provides an environment to host services like EJB,Servlets,JSP,etc.You would still need to use a development tool to develop these components.IBM VAJ can be used for development purposes.
BTW, I would like to add that IBM is now has two tools - IBM VAJ for developing thick clients like Swing Applications and IBM Websphere Studio for developing server-side web applications.They also plan to merge everything as one Suite sometime down the line.


Originally posted by Deepak Arora:
7)Test Objective list of va4j is very much intimidating


It looks like that, but it is not!Infact, IBM WAS test objectives looks very elegant, but quite opposite is true.
I have been reading VAJ from the IBM recommended book (Enterprise Development with VAJ Version 3.0) and found it very comfortable.Also managed to clear the IBM pre-assessment test on VAJ, before starting with VAJ .You will get about 25% questions on pure Java, which sounds very nice.


Originally posted by Deepak Arora:
8)Oracle product documentations are always poor so that might be one of the reasons for difficulties you have faced with
OAS.by the way have you seen the WAS Documentation & V4J Documentation what is your opinion abt them


Lots of factors - poor documentation, lack of support in India,incompatible products,etc.
I guess the same applies for any of vendor products.This is happening because these products are still immature and will take sometime to become steady.They say that IBM VAJ is the best IDE in the market, but I happened to find a bug in it within one month of my learning exercise!


Originally posted by Deepak Arora:
what about other routes like weblogic or any other you know of.


For the reasons I mentioned in my earlier post, I would suggest you stick with IBM tools atleast for a while, unless your work demands that you master a particular vendor product.For instance, one of my friends is a HP Certified Enterprise Developer (HP Saphire Application Server).He took the HP Jcert track, as he is working for HP.
Also,since you are taking the Jcert track, you always have the facility to switch between vendors, if you feel you need to do so!
Hope this helps,
Sandeep
[This message has been edited by Desai Sandeep (edited July 23, 2001).]
 
Deepak Arora
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Thanks Sandeep,
I am convinced that I should follow IBM Visual Aga track for ICED test thanks a lot for so much of information which i could have discovered only after spending a significant amount of time & efforts. I am fully convinced that it is better idea to start with a vendor's IDE & then later shift to its Application Server.
BTW what do you think doing all the certification in web technologies is not like putting all the eggs in single basket espesilly in the current scenario. I mean efforts for further certifications in the web tech. will really enhance your profile as far as job mkt is concerned.
 
Desai Sandeep
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Deepak,
I have reconciled to the fact this low period that we are going through is best for improving on our skills.It would be wrong to expect a turnaround in your fortunes at this time, even if you continue to add Certifications against your name.
I had mentioned in one of the threads that whenever I went for an interview, I always received a positive feedback about my profile.However, most of them kept saying that there would be plenty of opportunities once the market picks up.
The strange thing is I am getting plenty of opportunities on my earlier skill-set (Credit card package on the Mainframe), even though I have all these Certifications in Java.I suppose, this is one of the things which cannot be avoided- may be I have to back track one step to find a job!
We would be able to see the value of our Certifications only after the market picks up.Till then I suppose, we have to play the waiting game.
-- Sandeep
SCJP2, OCSD(Oracle JDeveloper), OCED(Oracle Internet Platform)
 
Deepak Arora
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Hello Sandeep,
I agree with you on that . Our company do not have as many projects so we have a lot of time to spare. It is a better idea to prepare for an certification & improving our skill set.
Is it a good idea to persue J2EE (ICED) before taking IBM VA4J (ICSD)what factors one should take into consideration before taking this decision.
I think even you have taken J2EE before V4J.
Do you advise me to do the same. I feel more comfortable with J2EE test contents than i am with the test contents of VA4J
Deepak Arora
 
Desai Sandeep
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Hi Deepak,
You may take Test 483 - Enterprise Connectivity with J2EE, before taking VAJ (or any of Level 2 tests).
I had completed the Level 3 and then came back to the Level 2 for Test 486 test.You may do that.The only thing is you willnot get the Level 3 Certificate of VCED, unless you clear Level 2(or for that matter all the previous levels).
-- Sandeep
[This message has been edited by Desai Sandeep (edited July 29, 2001).]
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