I think the the 1.5 exam has much more value in personal satisfaction but it doesn't make a huge difference in the job market. Now that there is more material available for studying (e.g. Berts
book is hitting shelves now) studying for the 1.5 exam is much easier. In the end it depends on your view, do you want something that will look more up to date for longer, but on the downside of being a little harder to study for, or do you take the view "They just want someone to be
Java Certified and won't look much further beyond that"