is SCEA worth

[Aju Bangalore]

is SCEA really worth...all pandits just take time and suggest me ...
I have been doing java j2ee for 5 years...
i have completed scjp/wcd & websphere...
but SCEA looks like more doing college degree...
how much time does assignment take ..how much time does complete processin 1,2,3 take ...we could as well do MCSD with less pain and now .NET market is improving what do you all say...

[Ajith Kallambella]

It's a very subjective discussion and even at the end of the day it is entirely up to the individual.
How long you need to clear parts 2 and 3 is again dependent on the individual ability, familiarity with the technology and not the least, how soon one wants to get certified. I guess the time limit given for parts two and three is one year from the day you sign up.
The recent decision by Sun to "expire" the certification after two years has drawn mixed opinions. One camp says it is too much of an effort to get certified once every two years, especially for the tests like SCEA that are multi-part and complicated. Other camp says it is good because then you can show you are "current" with the changes in the technology. Needless to say this decision has not been quite popular and become another reason why SCEA is tough and its worthiness is questionable.
As for getting MCSD/.NET instead of SCEA, you are really comparing apples and oranges. The betting on Java is perhaps as good( or as bad ) the betting on MS technologies. Pick your battle :roll:

[james edwin]

Hi,
In my opinion no harm in going for certification if you have time to do or you can manage time.Because during certification preparation,you will learn lot of stuff(minor details in technology,new things also...n lot more) which we leave while actually working on technology.
From my point of view,no harm in going for it.After all it's look goof in your resume..

[David Rocks]

5 years at J2EE! you must have a time machine

[zack ma]

That guy is just kidding us, J2EE first release is in 1999.

[Gus Mus]

Maybe he means by Java + J2EE = 5 years

[Francis Siu]

hi Aju
I think that SCEA exam is what the master of Java programmer who want to take it.
Yes,It is relative hard and expansive.
And I think that it is worth if you prepare enough to take it.

[Debanjana Dasgupta]

I think SCEA exam is much more than certification.
For me , it has really helped me learn a wide arena of topics.I had no architecture experience, so the preparation for the test has been very useful. Now, that I going through Part II, its again a great learning voyage.

[Al Newman]

Aju, I think it's really up to you. Looking over the Cade book it seems to me that Part I is going to be the most difficult part, probably because I've been doing design for 10+ years. So the project looks fairly easy to me.
For the Part I exam I'm going to have to deeply study the design patterns portion deeply. That will probably be the hardest part.
I think I'd recommend getting one of the cert guides for Part I and then maybe one or two UML and/or UML with Java kind of books for the project.
I think the Essay should be easy once the project is finished, because it's asking you what you thought the tradeoffs were and why you selected the path you did.
Is it worth it? I think so. Certifications such as the SCEA really mark you out from the crowd. The only equivalents are from the JCert initiative which ask you to take and pass two exams.

[Darryl A. J. Staflund]

Hi there,
I think the SCEA is great if only to challenge yourself and keep your knowledge of Java current. I'm currently working on Part II of the certification and I find it so rewarding. I'm learning to think about projects from an architectural perspective instead of a programming standpoint and I FINALLY get to use design patterns and UML in some truly significant way. Not that I haven't used designed patterns before, but I come from a Perl background so my past approaches to programming has been very different. And never have I worked on a project where UML played more than just a peripheral role. The greatest difficulty I have in approaching the SCEA assignment is developing an architectural mindset when approaching issues.
Darryl

[Al Newman]

Perl, Darryl? There is a difference in perspective, no kidding!
I did a project in Perl about 18 months ago. I should have slit my throat before accepting. A real no-hoper....
Perl wasn't the problem, it's a great scripting language. If I had stuck to Unix SA work when I had a chance Perl would have been a favorite tool. But trying to write a formal system in it was difficult. Doable even though I prefer Java bigtime.
What made the project a nightmare were things like mutating specifications (daily), no budget, and the architect being both A) Clueless and B) Faithless.....

[SJ Adnams]

Alfred I agree.
The biggest challenges in software development are not architecture or coding. shifting requirements, changing scope, and of course explaining that although development only took 4 weeks (at the appropriate day rate $$) there was 3 weeks unit testing blah blah blah and here is the bill.
Any the customers always think they're being screwed.

[Edy Yu]

The certificate itself may be worthless. It is just a piece of paper and I highly doubted that any managers or employers will treat it seriously. But the learning curve towards that piece of paper and beyond is priceless. It can change you from a hot-hand programmer to a real software professional.
Just my thought.
[ April 17, 2003: Message edited by: Edy Yu ]

[Al Newman]

Edy, you'd be surprised I think....
First, that piece of paper will tend to move your resume to the top of the pile. People have heard of the certifications. They have a brand name, and people know they are hard to pass.
Second, a fair number of the best-paid positions (Investment banks, etc) in London and New York are beginning to require or heavily favor certification holders in recruitment.
One more thing I suppose. I had a job interview yesterday, and they trotted in their house guru to work me over. He hit me with a set of questions and some test problems. I held my own. Priceless.....
[ April 18, 2003: Message edited by: Alfred Neumann ]