Rich:
I have: BS-Computer Science, BS-Applied Mathematics, MS-Computer Science, SJCP, and will have the IBM-UML exam under my belt in another 3 weeks.
I am currently employed (Hewlett-Packard) - but have been laid off twice in the past 2 yrs (Lucent & AMS/Qwest).
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In the Java field - I found that the college degrees alone would not get me into the
J2EE. Yes, they would get me into IT, but not into Java. I had to do an internship/Co-op while going for the master's degree before I was noticed by Java employers.
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Next question: Did the MS degree help me with getting a Java job?
I would say that it got my resume noticed. But other than the co-op, and one OOAD class - my graduate work had very little to do with the real world. More theoretical than anything - mostly AI and Graphics.
I just recently obtained my
SCJP - so have not used it in the job search game.
Hope this helps.
John Coxey
(jpcoxey@aol.com)