Am I ready for SCEA ?

[tanu dua]

Hi,

I am SCJP,SCJA,SCWCD,SCBCD certified (3+ years experience) with good knowledge on Core Java and Web Components like JSP and fair knowledge on components like EJB but does not have any knowledge on Web Services.

I am thinking to go for SCEA , what you guys think shall I go ahead and start preparing for that or shall I wait more to have more knowledge and then go for it.

Please advice


Thanks
Tanu

[Gowher Naik]

According me you have enough knowledge for SCEA exam.

[Hong Anderson]

SCEA certification requires long process.

So I recommend just go on, you will learn how to create architecture and design on the process of doing assignment.

[tanu dua]

Thanks for motivating me to go for SCEA .

May I know the books which I should read for that ?

Thanks
Tanu

[Cameron Wallace McKenzie]

Remember, a certification exam isn't just about proving what you know, but it's about studying and learning about new concepts. The SCEA objectives list a great number of subjects that you won't necessarily know 100%. So, you get motivated, you study, you learn, and then you tackle the certification.

I'd say go over the objectives. Brush up on the areas where you're weak, and tackle the exam. From your existing certifications, you've got a great background!

-Cameron McKenzie

[Pranav Akshath]

you were ready a long time ago

[tanu dua]

But do we have any book which I can make as a base to start with and studying books on specific subjects around that ?

Thanks
Tanu

[Paul Michael]

Marc Cade's book sounds like the perfect book for you.

Though I must say that this book is not enough to get you a high score for part 1. This should only be your starting point. Please feel obliged to read further on other topics mentioned in the objectives.

Best of luck!

[Juan Pablo Crossley]

is the SCEA ready for you? is the question I will do... if you are preparing the test put your soul in the SCEA 5, the Cade's book is good start point for the previous exam, and you will have some objectives covered by it. But try to point to the next test, so, study EJB 3 (the concepts), refresh concepts in the webservices, etc.

You have more certifications than me, and I passed the first part in the SCEA beta (and sent the second part recently), so I think you have the knowledge to try the new one.

Good luck,

[tanu dua]

Thanks.

As far as I know there are not much differences in the SCEA5.0 and SCEA1.4 except the EJB and JSF concepts . So , can I make Cades book as reference book and study the EJB3.0 and JSF concepts separaetly or do we have any separate book for SCEA5.0

-Tanu

[Mihai Lihatchi]

Well . I was in a similar position. I thought I was ready for SCEA with enough
experience 3+ years and some Java certs (SCJP,SCWCD and SCBCD).
So I went directly for the SCEA 5 beta. Passed part I and prepared for part 2.
With not so much experience in pure design /UML and not enough time (I was also looking for a job and doing the work at the previous company) I realized there was no time to do the beta(fortunately it looks like the part 1 of the Beta is equivalent to part 1 of the real exam).
So ask yourself whether your design and UML experience is at the required level. Fortunately the official part 2 will not have such a tight deadline (20 days or so) but it will still require design skills.

[Khaled Mahmoud]

After experimenting with SCEA 5 beta exam,
I think that the J2EE tutorial 5 by Sun is a great
resource about many many technologies such (Web Services, EJBs, JMS).
At the end of this tutorial is very useful two case studies.

Good Luck.

[Manjunatha Heggade]

I think you are ready if you have enough experience in UML/Design. When I say enough , I mean at-least two projects you need to have involved in design.
Good luck.

[Chintan Rajyaguru]

My take on this differs little bit from others.

If your heart is set on it, by all means go for the exam. If you prefer to work as an architect/senior developer on projects, passing the exam won't be enough on its own. Some projects ask for several years of IT experience (among other things) for an architect. I would say look at the kinds of jobs/projects you are interested in (try to find some on dice.com that ask for SCEA certification). Do you have the necessary skills and experience besides certification? If yes, certification is the only missing link and you should go for it. If not, I would wait and gain necessary experience. Who knows, by that time the exam might include cool concepts like SOA/JBI/BPEL and more, making the certification even more valuable!

I personally don't recommend taking any certification exam just because you are ready to prepare for and pass the test. I would encourage you to look at your career goals and take the test if it helps you move forward.

Good luck!

[tanu dua]

This is what I have decided after reading all your helpful advices.

As I dont have any project at my hand for now in my present job , I thought to give the SCEA as I am done with all the Sun Java Certifications except for Web Services.But by looking the SCEA objectives I think I still have a long way to actually start preparing for the exam.

As most of you pointed out that you should be backed with some good experience in design , which I think for me , is that its gradually devloping and i will try to align the SCEA objectives with my future projects .

So in short , I have decided that I will surely give the exam but will take some time to really go for it and before that I will polish my skills like EJB,UML,Design etc.

Thanks to all of you.Keep Responding

Cheers,
Tanu

[Phil Haigh]

Are you ready?

To set the scene, I have many years software engineering under my belt, the last seven have been pure Java/J2EE.

Well, here are a few thoughts:

Part 1: IMHO Part 1 can be passed by anybody prepared to read enough. It's a classic 'cram and pass' exam but the subject matter is wide, so the more Java experience you have the better.

I prepared for it inside a month and passed with 85%.

Part 2: This requires that you have sufficient experience designing software using J2EE to complete it in a reasonable timeframe. You need to be comfortable with UML - there is a fair bit of modelling involved - and have enough experience to make the architectural and design decisions and know why you are making them. Understand what patterns to apply and where, and again why.

I took about 80-90 hours over six weeks to prepare my submission.

Part 3: Is basically about justifying your design. Knowing why you took the decisions you did, demonstrating that you understand your own submission. I'm sitting that tomorrow morning...

In summary, if you only have your 3 years of Java/J2EE to call on, and mostly in design and code, you will pass part 1 but may struggle to complete part 2 to the required standard.

If on the other hand you have prior non-Java experience and some experience of architecting a solution (writing a Software Architecture Document solo, or as the lead) then you should be OK.

Books: I used the Mark Cade book and Head First EJB, most of my EE experience was around the web tier (not much EJB), it provides an excellent condensed guide, you should be prepared to read in further using other material (e.g. the O'Reilly Head First series) on any subject you aren't comfortable you know. Remember you need to know how to architect and design, not code in minute detail.

Good Luck.

[tanu dua]

Thanks Phil.

I will take forward your advice and resources to prepare for my certification.

Tanu
[ January 03, 2008: Message edited by: tanu dua ]