Greg:
"...my Navy Electronic Warfare background..." Ah! The 'good old days'!
I worked in the programming of RWRs in the late 1970s when I was a young lad in my 20s. 100% assembly (and proprietary at that) language. It was the AN/ALR-66 for the LAMPS helicopter of the Navy to be exact. Made by General Instrument Corp. of Long Island, NY.
You are in a good position converting C++ programs to Java and as importantly, finishing a college degree which is very important IMHO. Twelve months ago a college degree in CS/CIS may not have been as necessary when companies, including the ones with no decent business plan and run by youngsters whose previous job was delivering pizza in college before they dropped out, were hiring
anyone with a pulse.
There are still good jobs around but this time the employers are going to be more
picky. And a college degree will
always help.
And a good score in the SCPJ2 Certification exam can
only help.