help find first job

[Katya Maltseva]

Hi,
I am taking JAVA classes.I am looking for intern or entry level position in Java programming in Virginia (Washington, DC) area. I would welcome any ideas on where and how to look for a first job.
Thank you.

[Keith Rosenfield]

Hi Katya,
I have the same question. I live in New Jersey and it is nearly impossible to find entry level positions. I did find one on HotJobs.com a couple months back so I submitted my resume and got the interview. I made it to the second interview but regretably did not get the job. Since then, I have not seen any entry level positions on any of the job sites. I keep hearing that it's just the state of the economy. I would suggest to you to continue your studies in Java and go for your certifications. This way, when the economy does pick up you will be better qualified. I currently hold two java certification and I'm currently preparing for my third.
Here are some job sites that I use. I have posted my resume on most of these sites and I suggest you do the same.
JavaJobNetwork.com
FlipDog.com
ComputerWork.com
Dice.com
Monster.com
JustJavaJobs.com
ComputerJobs.com
ComputerJobsBank.com
Net-Temps.com
Good luck in your job search.

[Katya Maltseva]

Keith,
Did you take any courses to prepare to sertifications test? How hard was to pass the test?
Thank you,
Katya

[Keith Rosenfield]

Katya,
I prepared for the SCJP exam part time for a year and full time for a month. There are many ways to prepare for the exam. There are books and study programs. The book I studied from was the Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide. It is a good book but recently I read a book that in my opinion is even better. It's "Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guid" by Kathy Sierra(founder of this site) and Bert Bates. When preparing for the exam focus on learning, not memorization. Isn't that reason for getting certified? Whatever book you choose, you should read it at least twice. That way you pick up some of the finer points you missed the first time though. You should do all the chapter problems and take any practice tests that come with the book. If you have any questions there is a SCJP forum in this site. It also is a great place to meet others that are also preparing for the exam. After completing your studies you should take as many mock tests as you can. I took and highly recommend the ones by Marcus Green. The mock tests will bring out those areas that you need to brush up on. Keep taking mock tests until you can consistently score over 80%. I was scoring in the 90%'s before I took the real exam. If you prepare this way for the exam it will not be difficult. Don't put any time constraints on your studies. Take as much time as you need to be confident that you will pass. Most important is to enjoy the process.

Good luck.

[mark mathis]

Hey guys,
Keep on learning! I found that the JAVA market was a hard one to get into myself, but it is a great field to be in once you're in. Don't keep yourself in one corner - learn a little C#,PLSQL,and basic unix commands too.
I volunteered for a non-profit to help in their enterprise development just to get something on my resume after I got layed off from IBM. You may want to get involved in an open-source project or something like that as well...
mark

[Keith Rosenfield]

Hey Mark:
Are you currently employed in the Java Development field? What do you do?
How did you find employement?
I not to keen on working on a voluntary basis. I have bills to pay. But if I did want to work on an open-source project, how would I go about it? I suppose the experience would be payment enough.