SCJP or not ?

[Johannes de Jong]

Hi all,
I'm a bit curious as to how many of us taking the Cattle Drive are SCJP. I'm not.
Maybe a few of us can gang up and work towards a target date together.
Regards

[Greg Harris]

i am here because i want to become an SCJP. a friend from school said this site was a huge help for passing the exam when he took it last year, so i stopped by a few weeks ago...
the cattle drive is helping me transition from c++, but i definitely need more to prepare for the test! so, johannes, i will gang up with you to get ready.
i am between semesters at school for the next 2 weeks. this summer is going to be busy, but i think i can sqeeze Java in my schedule somewhere!
anyone else up to the challenge?

[bill bozeman]

I passed the exam at the beginning of this year. It was pretty challenging but quite fun. Let me know if you want any help with anything.
Bill

[Amber Woods]

Good idea Johannes, you articulated what I have been thinking for a while.
I am also interested in studying for SCJP. I have a ways to go before I will be ready and could definately use help in preparing for it.
Amber

[Rick Prevett]

I am not an SCJP either. Don't think I'm yet knowledgable enough for the 'gang'. But I'll keep an eye on y'all and be cheering for each one of you.
rick

[Adam Vinueza]

Ditto what Rick Prevett wrote.

[Johannes de Jong]

No hurry guys. I have a personal target date of the end of October 2001. First I want to complete at least primary school here at the Ranch before I even venture into the Certification forum here at the Ranch.
And thanks Bill your offer is appreciated and will be accepted

[Greg Harris]

October sounds good to me, too. i will be turning 30 that month, so that will be a good motivation tool. my original goal was to take the test before fall semester starts in August, but i can use 2 more months of studying.

[Matthew Phillips]

October sounds like a good target. My primary goal is becoming a good Java programmer, but I certainly wouldn't mind having the certification to back it up. Count me in if you'll have me.
Matthew Phillips

[Michael Pearson]

I'm about 3 months into the learning process. I think 6 months is the minimum to really prepare for the material on the SJCP.
I've read the applicable content in the Just Java 2 book recommended for the Cattle Drive and purchased a few others from the Bunkhouse.
I've read a lot, but here's what I liked the most:
General Java
- A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification, Khalid A. Mughal
- Just Java 2, Peter van der Linden
Patterns
- Java Style, Patterns for Implementation, Jeff Langr
General Optimization
- Practical Java, Programming Language Guide, Petter Haggar
I'm starting Java Thread Programming by Paul Hyde this week. I didn't find enough in-depth information in the general reading guides and this one was highly recommended in the Bunkhouse.
I also think Marcus Green's Tutorial is worth going through.
http://www.jchq.net/tutorial/introj2.htm
I'll shoot for October with everyone else!
Michael

[Rashid Ali]

Dear Jo, I am also interested in SCJP and have got some training in that but could not be appeared in the exam so far. Intend to learn more !
Please include my name in your list as well.
Thanks
Rashid

[Joel Cochran]

Count me in, Johannes! I've got a long way to go, but my goal was this fall so October is as good as any other month.
------------------
I'm a soldier in the NetScape Wars...
Joel

[Anonymous]

I passed the exam last month .. I started studying January 1st! lol
The entire process was the toughest thing I've done yet .. I invested 4 hours of study per day .. plus countless hours on the Java Programmer's Certification board here at JavaRanch.
Good luck to those who are taking it .. it feels great once you pass, believe me!
Now I'm looking for a job .. which is a battle in its own right.

------------------
Eric Neuman
Sun Certified Programmer for the Java� 2 Platform
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[Johannes de Jong]

Great new-years resolution Eric. That makes it 4 months x 4 +- 160 hours ?.

[Mike Cunningham]

October's a realistic target date in my mind. I've been trying to cram for the SCJP using a quick and dirty approach...but judging by my test results of the various mock exams, I'm far from ready. Count me in.

[Pauline McNamara]

Some day I might try for SCJP, but first I want to work through the Cattle Drive to see if it's a realistic goal for me. I'd like to listen in on your "gang" - will you be staying here or moving over to the certification forum?
cheers and best of luck, Pauline

[Johannes de Jong]

I'll come back with some suggestions soon all. Thanks for the interest.

[Paul Ralph]

Sorry this post is tardy, but I've been thinking about this for a looooong time.
I've been doing certification study for a while and I'm going to go for it next Thursday (31st) at 6:45pm Mountain time.
Wish me luck.
Paul R

[Amber Woods]

Good Luck Paul!!
Let us know if you have any pointers on study habits.
BTW How long have you been studying to take the test?
Amber

[Joseph Russell]

Good luck.
Maybe in a month or two I'll go ahead and take it. JQ+ is a really good mock exam. Costs $20. If you don't pass they'll reimburse you. If you search in the cert thread you'll find their link.

[Johannes de Jong]

Good luck Paul.

[Greg Harris]

good luck!

[Paul Ralph]

Amber: Too long. :grimace: I don't know if it's months or more than a year. It certainly hasn't been *consistent* study. So, don't use it as a guage for yourself. I feel like one of those weight loss commercials. Results may vary and Results not typical.
I also had the advantage of taking a 2mo Java course while I was retraining for IT.
Joseph: I agree. JQ+ is really good and worth the money.
Paul R
[This message has been edited by Paul Ralph (edited May 24, 2001).]

[Lance Finney]

I passed SCJP a couple weeks ago. I was on a couple java projects last year, but I only learned what I ran into on the projects (not enough). I read RHE slowly from January to March and learned a lot. Then my company sent me to a four-week Java "Boot Camp". When I got back, I focused hard on this site and many mock exams for a couple weeks.
I got 79%.

[Joseph Russell]

Paul...same here. I've been going slowly through java. I just don't see a huge need right now to study massively hard. I'll keep playing and when I find out I can probably make at least twice as much as I do now (wouldn't be a whole lot) I'll go for it.
RHE is really good too.

[Johannes de Jong]

Hi all,
I'm sorry but it looks like I will have to face reality and accept that Java in my working environment wont happen for quite some time, if ever. With that the driving need to get my SCJP in a hurry, if one can call 6 months that, has also diminished.
So I got everybody worked up to start a "study group" and then I end up pulling out. I'm sorry for that.
Java will stay my hobby & I will carry on learning as much as I can informally by reading, doing the cattle drive etc.
Thanks all for responding & good luck to those that do intend getting their SCJP.

[This message has been edited by Johannes de Jong (edited May 30, 2001).]

[Rashid Ali]

It's okay Johannes at least upto myself

[Paul Ralph]

Johannes, I think you should see if you can find a copy of Mughal's book at the library. (You probably already know it's called A Programmers Guide to Java Certification.) Their idea is to teach Java as they teach the certification. Perhaps you're not ready for that level of learning (I wouldn't know), but I know that you're looking for other Java books to study. I suspect that having passed "Elementary School" you are at a level to understand this book.
I wish I could recommend this book personally, but I haven't read it myself. I've only heard lots of good reviews, including one at the bunkhouse, and it just seems like a good fit to where you are in your study.
Paul R

[Johannes de Jong]

Thanks Paul , I'm busy planning my trip to "programmers" heaven, a book store in A'dam that only sells IT books, I will look out for it.

[Greg Harris]

i have "A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification" by Mughal Rasmussen... one of the 5 books i have accumulated. it is straight forward, it has numerous practical examples that are easy to follow and understand. it has study questions throughout each chapter and a practice test at the end. it does not have a cdrom, but there is a website with the examples source code and a test engine... i am only a couple chapters into it, but i have used it as a reference before picking up one of the other 4 books.
i am just a beginner here, but i would highly recommend this book! after all, you will never find a book that has everything you want.

[Johannes de Jong]

you will never find a book that has everything you want
Seems to be the problem. We all understand things differently as well. What is easy for me is difficult for another and vice-versa. I just hate bying a book, end up hating it, and it sits gathering dust in the book-case.
Thanks for the tips guys. Can I send the bill if I hate it

[Greg Harris]

sure, you can send me the bill... but that doens't mean i am going to pay for it!
i usually spend 30 or 45 minutes at the bookstore looking through several books until i find one that has examples i can understand... not too elementary but not so obscure that i cannot figure them out. i bought this book of the web, so i took a chance, and it worked-out.

[Matthew Phillips]

I am reading Muhgal's book now and it seems to be right at the level I need for learning Java. Between that and the RHE, I am gaining a solid understanding of Java, as well as good information for certification.
Matthew Phillips
P.S. Johannes, don't feel bad about pulling out of the group. It doesn't mean the rest of us have to stop.
So how do we want to organize this study group?

[Paul Ralph]

I just hate bying a book, end up hating it, and it sits gathering dust in the book-case.

That's why I recommended going to the library. But maybe the libraries near you stink. If so, my deepest sorrow and sympathies.
Paul R

[Johannes de Jong]

The libraries here have the bad habbit of stocking mostely Dutch books , not many good Java books around in that Lingo.
I sat out today, to buy "A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification" but they did not have it in stock.
Stood for about an hour browsing in different boooks. They all somehow did not "feel" right.
Ended up bying "The Pragmatic Programmer" because my hero Frank Carver freaks about it.
Saw this funny green Java book on the shelf but paid it no attention. It has a bug on the back, and hey I'm a mainframe programmer remember, serious books dont have little bugs on them. As I paid for "The Pragmatic Programmer" I asked the guy behind the counter which Java book he recommended. Well he grabbed the bug book, turns out to be Dietel & Dietel's - Java How to Program.
Our boss lady recons it helped her a lot with JDBC & Servlets. Thats the next batch of assigments. So without looking I bought it. Also turned out to be the most expensive of all the Java books .
I started reading while walking to the metro station. Got on the one that just pulled in without looking and still reading. Well I got on the wrong metro and ended up on the other side of A'dam only realized it when they told everybody to get off. Took me an hour to get back on the right metro.
So after all the hard work researching which book/s to buy, I actually ended up bying impulsive.
And you guys know I make my best decisions when I do that.
So I have a good "feeling" about the two books. Will keep you posted how they turned out
Mr. Plotzeling
[This message has been edited by Johannes de Jong (edited June 01, 2001).]

[jason adam]

Being very new to all of this, and being a holder of the esteemed MCSE cert. *sniff sniff... is that sarcasm, yup! Sure is!*, I was wondering if the Java books y'all are recommending are geared just to learning the test, or if the test is actually geared towards learning and being highly proficient in Java, or is it for people to say "I have the fundamentals, now let's get to the nitty-gritty"?
Not like I am anywhere near taking the test, but if it is really worth-while to get it, I might as well start preparing. I'd be interested in joining any "study group" that pops up, if not to just learn more about it.
Thanks!
Jason

[Marilyn de Queiroz]

>I was wondering if the Java books y'all are recommending are
>geared just to learning the test, or if the test is actually
>geared towards learning and being highly proficient in Java, or
>is it for people to say "I have the fundamentals, now let's get
>to the nitty-gritty"?

Questions about recommendations for books for certification (and other questions about certification, such as requirements, etc) are probably better asked in the Programmer Certification Study forum. In my opinion, Brogden's Exam Prep and Exam Cram and the RHE book. Lots of people like Rasmussen & Mughal (sp?), but I'm not familiar with their book.

Sun changed their exam last fall to try to make it test more on the proficiency in Java and less on memorization.

You can also read the book reviews in the bunkhouse for more info.

And there is also the cert FAQ http://www.javaranch.com/certfaq.jsp

[This message has been edited by Marilyn deQueiroz (edited June 01, 2001).]

[Amber Woods]

Found info about Maha Anna's experience in studying for the SCJP and just thought I would share for all those interested. Check it out:
http://www.javaranch.com/maha/Resources/resources.html
http://www.javaranch.com/maha/index.html