What after the certification?

[Aki Mohan]

Hi,

I have passed the certification recently and I'm wondering what should I do next. I want to enhance my Java knowledge and at the same time I want to create a goal for myself. Are there any recommended books or links? that I should read or any suggestion would be highly appreciated. I'm not sure what should I do next like, Programmer II certification or learning Swing or Android Programming using Java. Please help me out.

Thanks,
Aakash

[Ted North]

Aki Mohan wrote:Hi,

I have passed the certification recently and I'm wondering what should I do next. I want to enhance my Java knowledge and at the same time I want to create a goal for myself. Are there any recommended books or links? that I should read or any suggestion would be highly appreciated. I'm not sure what should I do next like, Programmer II certification or learning Swing or Android Programming using Java. Please help me out.

Thanks,
Aakash

Good question! I am wondering something similar as I too will probably soon pass the OCA.

I have created very simple Android apps but it seems that to create really truly interesting programs one would need to know more about Java as with Threads, enums, inner classes, and Regular Expressions to really create interesting things. Knowledge of these advanced topics seems necessary even to follow along with more advanced programming books on Java that explain how to code 1) Android apps that use these constructs in addition to SQL databases, or 2) advanced video game engines like jMonkey, or 3) coding a website with Java Server Pages (JSP). From my experience Android for Dummies is very easy to follow along with except for the last project that uses inner classes and JDBC for SQL queries. Plus, something to think about when jumping into the world of Android is that the whole Android API is Java but not the same set of classes, methods, and fields found in the Java 7 JDK. This is another learning curve to scale but the basics of Java are still there.

I would say to do what interests you and keep learning and stay positive. Maybe read a book about Android development and see what concepts you are missing as this could be helpful in determining what you need to learn more about, which could help you prepare for the OCJP7 exam.

I hope this does not discourage you and is like a blimp of positivity you can fly on.

Respectfully,

Ted

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Careerwise, the material in Programmer II is going to be much more useful than Swing. Overall, I think it is better to learn the Programmer II material regardless. Then you have a good foundation for Android.

Remember the OCAJP is an entry exam. It intentionally omits a lot of Java.

[Aki Mohan]

Hey Ted, thanks for the input mate. I'm planning to start reading about Android Programming and at the same time I'm looking to get a stronghold in Java. BTW how's your preparation going on? I'm sure you're gonna do awesome in the exam

Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:Careerwise, the material in Programmer II is going to be much more useful than Swing. Overall, I think it is better to learn the Programmer II material regardless. Then you have a good foundation for Android.

Remember the OCAJP is an entry exam. It intentionally omits a lot of Java.

Thanks for the input Jeanne, it helped to make up my mind. I think for now I'll start reading for Programmer II although I'm already working with JSPs and Servlets but I'm not finding it much interesting. Is there any particular book that I should follow for Programmer II apart from the SCJP6 by Bates and Sierra?

Thanks,
Aakash

[Ted North]

Aki Mohan wrote:Hey Ted, thanks for the input mate. I'm planning to start reading about Android Programming and at the same time I'm looking to get a stronghold in Java. BTW how's your preparation going on? I'm sure you're gonna do awesome in the exam

Aakash

Hi Aki,

My preparation is going well I suppose. I am getting better and better with Java SE 7. I am lucky to have the time and resources to study right now. It would be much nicer if my brain was absorbing these concepts faster though of course. I am going to take the exam soon while I have time and see if I can use smart test taking strategies and all of my accumulated java knowledge to hopefully at least obtain a 80-89 score. I may be pushing it to take the test this early but I think I have somewhat of a chance so I am going to try.

That is cool you are going to program some Android. I found it fun and interesting. Plus, you can easily release the app to Google Play store for sale or for free. You will find also that you can use all the core classes from the SE JDK - at least this is what I assume from my limited Android experience. Using classes from the package java.lang like the String class, Math class, and Arrays or even java.util.ArrayList is possible in addition to the added classes of the Android API. I recommend the Android Application Development for Dummies book by Donn Felker - even though you are not a dummy (It is a great low pressure read). There are excellent tutorials that explain how to install Eclipse with Android emulators, how to install the Android SDK as well as how to build full functioning apps that can run on an emulator or actual Android smartphone by creating .apk files, which are Android executable files that run on the Dalvik Virtual Machine (VM) that Android uses. All of the software is free since Java is pretty much open-source - even the Android emulators that can emulate a wide array of tablets and handsets.

Thanks for the question and update.

Regards,

Ted

[Aki Mohan]

Thanks Ted, surely gonna try that