OCA/OCP Java SE 7 Programmer I & II Study Guide: Demand for Java Certs?

[Brad Collins]

Kathy, Bert,

First of all, thank you very much for all you've done for us devs over the years! In particular, thank you for the Head First series. Head First Design Patterns is still one of my favorite books of all time!

Regarding Java certifications, how much demand do you see for them? Are employers/clients demanding that prospective hires hold certifications? Or is certification a little something extra that sets your resume apart from the next person's?

I ask because, although I have read through another OCA study book with the intention of obtaining a cert, I do not see a great deal of demand for or emphasis on certifications. Then again, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place. Are there certain sectors that place more emphasis on certs while others place less?

[Bindu Lakhanpal]

I just want to add my view here. What I felt after my certs( SCJP6 and SCWCD5), that I got interview calls. In any good interview no one cares for the degrees or cert. All that matters is how you perform.

My performance also improved because I studied diligently for the exam. This goes true about the performance in job. About clients and hence employers, I think you may be right. I am not sure if that matters. May matter to some.

But for me the real value a cert adds is the knowledge I get while preparing for it. True, that one may get knowledge without appearing for the cert, but for me having a goal to pass the exam with good score, made me study things, which otherwise I would have overlooked.

[Bert Bates]

Good question, good answer.

I think that *sometimes* if several candidates are competing for a job, I'd break a tie with a certification. And has been said, studying for a certification forces you to go deeper than you might otherwise go. Programmers are - on a day to day basis - pragmatists. We learn what we need to learn to get today's job done. Studying for a certification gives you the permission to study more deeply and do something for your own career, rather than just for your employer.