OMG I am Toast!

[Rog Schafer]

What in the world have I gotten myself into!? I scheduled the SCJP 310-065 exam for Oct 29 and so I get serious about 3 days ago to study for this. Of course, now I learn that I am about to take an exam that is the toughest in the IT industry. OK. no problem. I have my SCJP for Java 6 Study Guide (Sierra/Bates) from Amazon -- this will be a breeze. First chapter self-exam 4 of 9 correct hey, I'm ok. Just a couple of minor corrections... I'm good to go. Chapter 2 self-exam 7 of 15 correct and on top of that, I used up 50 minutes to answer them!
Hmmmm. Gee whiz do you think I might have to push back this exam date a bit? :roll:

Hello.
I am a career 20+ years IT guy with over 5 years experience maintaining/some development of java applications here in our Big Company Corporate IT department. Hey, I'm as surprised as you are that I have survived this long with very little formal training in web development technologies. Just happens that in a big company there is usually someone around to mooch ideas from. Ahemm... welcome to the new world of corporate IT where the most capable people (those I mooch from) are cut and it is now my mission to update my technical skills so that string I am now dangling from is not snipped too. Oh wait! I forgot that won't happen until I am 3 months from retirement! (disclaimer: previous comment should be disregarded as simple sarcasm)(disclaimer of disclaimer: previous disclaimer added as I am typing this from the workplace where there is direct connect from "Add New Topic" button to "Corporate Reduce Headcount Candidate Inbox")

Seriously though, I really enjoy java development and am really hungry to learn more. I plan to be active on these message boards while I am pursuing the SCJP and hopefully I can help others out as I also make progress. OK. I am finished for the moment. Time to get down on my knees, and pray to God, for safe arrival at the SCJP pearly gates.


Roger

[marc weber]

I see you've grasped the "logic" of a corporate environment. After 13+ years in such an environment, I've noticed that all the good people are gone. And I'm still there. (Hmmm...)

If it's any consolation, your experience with the self exam is not unusual. When I decided to get certified, I knew the fundamentals of Java fairly well, but I scored only about 40% on my first mock exam. The thing is, the SCJP exam demands that you know the basics better than "fairly well." You need to be solid. That's why it's considered a tough exam.

So you've got some work to do. The book you have is top-notch, and you've found this forum, so there's hope.

You said above, "just a couple of minor corrections." That's the key. These chapter exams will help you identify what you need to work on. It's critical that you go back and understand exactly why you missed those questions. If you need help working through them, or in grasping the concepts, that's when you should post here. You'll find this a very helpful and responsive forum.

See you around!
[ October 18, 2008: Message edited by: marc weber ]

[Mohammad Khan]

OMG I am Toast!

Hey, put some butter on!


Don't worry, you will do much better in exam.