Seeking help to decide which SCJP to take up

[Priya Balaraman]

Hi,
I recently registered in this group. I have been following the threads and all are very useful. I have had experience of 4 years working in Java/J2ee and then presently for the past couple of years not into it. I would like to jump back to Java IT field starting off with a certification. Please help me decide which is the better version - 1.4 or 1.5 of SCJP to start off....

Your comments/opinion is more than welcome.

Cheers !

[Ramakrishna Nalla]

Welcome to this Board Priya ...

For your query..just make a search on this forum... already so many threads..on this issue...1.4 Vs 1.5

Any how...my opinion...There are lot of books, resoureces and mock exams available for 1.4...and for 1.5 not so many resources availabe at present time...

And choice is yours...All the Best..

[Priya Balaraman]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes even i was in a dilemma and going on contemplating as to which would be better...

more suggestions welcome. i shall also go through the threads for info.

Cheers !

[Girish Bal]

I was also in such a dilemma. Now almost decided to take 1.4 exam. Then upgrade later if feel like.

[Priya Balaraman]

Right. Starting off with the 1.4 seems correct. Bought Khalid mughal and starting off preparation.

[Amin Mohammed-Coleman]

Originally posted by Priya Balaraman:
Right. Starting off with the 1.4 seems correct. Bought Khalid mughal and starting off preparation.

I've found this book to very useful and easy to understand
Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exam 310-035 & 310-027) By Syngress, Kathy Sierra (Editor), Bert Bates (Editor)


Thanks

[Wensheng Li]

I myself am going to take SCJP 5.0 at the end of August and struggling for it during this summer. I'm not sure if two months' effort is enough, especially for an inexperienced student like me, to pass such a brand new exam with very few related prepraration resources at hand.

However, I have decided to try my luck! I think it is more worthwhile studying for a certificate concerning the most up-to-date technolgoy and no extra exam (money) for upgrade is neccessary in the next couples of years. I suppose I will be able to put words like "I'm a fast learner who is always ready to learn the new stuffs" into my CV. And I believe this is one of the most important characterstics that a software engineer should have.

BTW,I was told that SCJP1.4 (maybe SCJP1.2, I'm not sure) will retire in the next few months.

Good luck to everyone!
[ July 19, 2005: Message edited by: Wensheng Li ]

[Ricky Gentry]

The book that Amin suggested is wonderful. It helped me pass the 1.4 several months ago. What I would suggest for you is that you use that to cover the 1.4 material, and then study the new topics on your own. I think there are only a few changes from the 1.4 to the 5 exam, and in a few more months a 1.4 certification won't be worth much in the way of getting a job.

[Jeff Bosch]

I suggest taking 1.4 if you're ready, then move on to a higher certification. Don't worry about coming back and upgrading to a 1.5 cert. (Unless your boss requires it, is willing to pay for it, and let you study on his time, I see no point in updating a lower-level certification.)

If you're not ready, you may want to prepare for 1.5.