SCJP..... is it worth it?

[kavitha 00]

I've been preparing for the certification with the hopes that it will make up for the lack of experience i have in java.... but i hear so many of you saying that they dont really care for certification when u finally go out there looking for a job. I'm really starting to wonder whether it's really worth the effort.... and whether i should rather spend my time learning the concepts.
am really

[This message has been edited by kavitha 00 (edited November 01, 2000).]

[Bob Tank]

HI, I'm been a mainframe programmer for 5yrs now and just got my SJCP. It's been really tough for me to find something, So right now, I think I might have wasted my money getting certified.

[Manuel Palacio]

Hi,
Yeah many people wonder: is it worth it?
I am a computer science student in Sweden and just got certified 2 weeks ago. I think it's worth it if it's not the only thing you can show at a job interview. I see the certification as a complement to my education/work experience and I did it just because I want to be good at Java programming but I woudn't go bragging about it. Now I'm planning on taking the SCJD and I consider that maybe more worth than the SCJP but then you need to be a programmer to get certified as developer.
The SCJP is not so tough so it does not say much about how good you are at programming. On the other hand you have be quite good if you want to pass the SCJP
Regards
Manuel

[Bob Tank]

I agree. SJCP won't get you a job. It just enhances your resume.

[jesse jay]

I am currently searching for a job in L.A. and I feel that the scjp has been of minimal importance in my job search, I feel that it is of greatest importance to those w/out experience because it allows them to feel more preped & qualified and allows you to say "I know java" with some confidence.

[Suresh Gouru]

It definitely helps you to get a job easily,but under guidance.
I am very much confident that you can get a job but under *guidance.
very much required for cerrtified or not certified.
but adds a litte bit more confidence ,if you can get through.

best of luck .
suresh gouru

[kavitha 00]

Looks like I have nothing to lose... I'll be taking the exam sometime during the first week of december... Thank you all for your help. Although I have a year and a half of programming experience I dont have much "java" experience. So I guess the certification will at least get me a few interviews.
kavitha

[shailesh sonavadekar]

Kavitha all the best for the exam. I would like to highlight one thing that as official naming policy of this forum , user has to register with proper first & last name. So , please register with proper last name ( oo will not do ) & help maintain the decorum.
SHAILESH
YOUR FREINDLY BARTENDER

[Shama Khan]

One comment that I didn't see here and therefore would like to mention it is that if you don't have professional java experience but are certified, you can do a real life project to demonstrate your knowledge pretty much as Maha has done.
There are many free products ie. free webservers) to help us build a well rounded application.
In conclusion, I strongly feel that the just the certification is incomparable to the experience of actually working on an application using Java.
Shama Khan

[Mark Herschberg]

I've done quite a bit of hiring, and I hire engineers (not consultants). I don't place much weight on certification. It's just a hoop people jump through. I know good programmers that don't have it, and bad programmers who do. During my interview process I can usually tell if they know Java or not based on my questions, not their resume (I've seen soe pretty flashy resumes with little substance)
However, if you have little experience, it might help get your foot in the door. I think it also carries more weight in the consulting world.
--Mark
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