student taking SCEA and what books to read

[Yang Zheng]

Hi, everyone,

I am a first year college student studying computer science and i have some background in java programming. i am considering to take the scea. what books do you guys suggest to read before taking the exam?

(by the way, is it going to be difficult for students like me?)

any help is appreciated.

[Hong Anderson]

I suggest the following
- Design Patterns [GoF]
- Core J2EE Design Patterns 2nd ed.
- Head First Design Patterns (optional)
- Head First OOA&D
- Good JSP/Servlet book
- Mastering EJB 3.0
- Pro EJB 3 Java Persistence API
- Good JSF book
- SOA Using Java(TM) Web Services
- Java Message Service
- RMI tutorials
- UML Bible
- UML Distilled 3rd ed.
- Domain-Driven Design
- A book about a web framework
- Core Security Patterns
- Expert One-on-One J2EE Design and Development (optional)

[Praful Thakare]

are you serious? soo many books to clear just one level of certification? :roll:

[Jesper de Jong]

Have a look at the SCEA FAQ.

[Hong Anderson]

Praful Thakare wrote:are you serious? soo many books to clear just one level of certification? :roll:

You must serious. Do you think you will be fun and relax when working to pass a certification?

Actually, the books that I have suggested are too few, not too much for an software architect, you should know much much more.

Improving your attitudes and visions is also an important thing, if you want to be a good software architect (not just a SCEA).

[Praful Thakare]

You must serious. Do you think you will be fun and relax when working to pass a certification?

of course I can, anything in computers is to have fun, if you can't have fun then you don’t know what you are dealing with.
I am having fun with java for more then 9 years now (no i don’t have suns label **certificate** to prove my knowledge and exp)
may be that’s the reason i love reading Head First books more than any other java book cause its fun reading it.

Anyways, take it easy buddy, may be you miss interpreted the word "serious" dont take its literal meaning, I meant to ask, is't there a single book that covers all the topics?

Improving your attitudes and visions is also an important thing, if you want to be a good software architect (not just a SCEA).

And what’s the baseline for improvement? Man you must take some philosophical lesson on "Attitude of Software Architect”:lol:

[Hong Anderson]

I didn't miss interpret. I meant there is no a single book that cover all things should know to become a SCEA. Surely, I know what "are you serious?" mean.

"And what’s the baseline for improvement? Man you must take some philosophical lesson on "Attitude of Software Architect”"
One baseline is, whenever you don't think that reading one book is enough to be (or qualified to be) a software architect.

[Praful Thakare]

As Ali G Says

Respect !!!

[Hong Anderson]

Let's forget it. I think it's not relate to this topic.

Anyway, from your experience, what books would you like to suggest?

[Yang Zheng]

Hi, guys, thank you all for replying my post.. that's take it easy..

When i visit amazon, i saw to following books listed for scea:

Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for Java EE Study Guide (Exam 310-051) by Paul Allen
Sun Certified Enterprise Architecture for J2EE Technology Study Guide (Sun Microsystems Press) by Mark Cade

i am actually considering to buy one of this (or both)...

Do you guys recommend me to buy these books? (or are they useful in preparing the exams?)

Thanks

[Scott Soo]

Yang Zheng wrote:Hi, guys, thank you all for replying my post.. that's take it easy..

When i visit amazon, i saw to following books listed for scea:

Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for Java EE Study Guide (Exam 310-051) by Paul Allen
Sun Certified Enterprise Architecture for J2EE Technology Study Guide (Sun Microsystems Press) by Mark Cade

i am actually considering to buy one of this (or both)...

Do you guys recommend me to buy these books? (or are they useful in preparing the exams?)

Thanks

Hi,

My thought is found here https://coderanch.com/t/423502/Architect-Certification-SCEA/SCEA-for-beginners

Cheers!!

[Yang Zheng]

thanks, scott. very helpful link.

cheers

[Piotr Uryga]

Yang Zheng wrote:Hi, guys, thank you all for replying my post.. that's take it easy..

When i visit amazon, i saw to following books listed for scea:

Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for Java EE Study Guide (Exam 310-051) by Paul Allen
Sun Certified Enterprise Architecture for J2EE Technology Study Guide (Sun Microsystems Press) by Mark Cade

i am actually considering to buy one of this (or both)...

Do you guys recommend me to buy these books? (or are they useful in preparing the exams?)

Thanks

Get Cade's book. This book + mock exams was enough for me to pass Part 1, but at the time I took SCEA-1 I had MSc in Computer Science and 4 years of experience in J2EE projects.
After passing part I buy and download assignment and start studying. This is where the real fun begins. Read assignments objectives, try to understand it and then try to study... there is no deadline, so as You're beginner You are able to take Your time.


Good luck.

[Pradeep Mahajan]

Yang Zheng wrote:........there is no deadline, so as You're beginner You are able to take Your time..........

FYI. The JEE5 version comes up with a deadline for assignment submission.
"Time limit: 12 months from assignment download "
http://www.sun.com/training/catalog/courses/CX-310-301A.xml

[Piotr Uryga]

Pradeep Mahajan wrote:

Yang Zheng wrote:........there is no deadline, so as You're beginner You are able to take Your time..........

FYI. The JEE5 version comes up with a deadline for assignment submission.
"Time limit: 12 months from assignment download "
http://www.sun.com/training/catalog/courses/CX-310-301A.xml

Sorry for misguiding. I took old SCEA and there wasn't any time limit.

So in case of student/beginner I wouldn't waste my money for SCEA, unless sb is really motivated to pass this exam.

Why ? Basing on my experience and stories of many of my colleagues, after downloading assignment most of us could not motivate ourselves to prepare assignment I personally know of three persons who did not finished SCEA and stopped after passing part 1 and downloading assignment.
I forced myself to finish SCEA after two years from the time I downloaded assignment.
What's important - all of them were experienced engineers/architects with many years of work experience with J2EE and there's wasn't a case of lack of knowledge.

[J J Wright]

I've become a huge fan of the IBM Redbook series. Admittedly they're focused on IBM products like MQ Series and Websphere but they contain some great scenarios, patterns, and architectural insights that are conspicuous by their absence in Sun's documentation.

[Hong Anderson]

Which Red Books do you suggest?

[J J Wright]

I've found the WebSphere Commerce series pretty helpful. There's also heaps of stuff on integration. For example:

WebSphere Commerce
e-Business Patterns
Integration Patterns