In the cutting edge market, a certified professional always stand out of the crowd and also gives a measurable insight to the employers about your skills.
There are various certification available in the market, but we here will specifically talk about Java Certification. Like other vendors, Oracle also offers certification for its open source, widely known & powerful The Java Programming Language.
So in this post, I will help you to learn what the Oracle Java Programmer certification is, how you can practice and the benefits you can expect from being a recognized professional.
- Various levels of Oracle Java Certification
- Where you get the Certification?
- What you will get after certification?
- How to Prepare for 1Z0-808 Certification?
- Conclusion
Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) - 1Z0-808 is the entry-level certification for Java programmers. It helps you build a foundation of the language while expanding your knowledge of general programming. You’ll learn (or reinforce) the basics of the language like variables, data types, arrays, loops, classes, methods, exceptions and also some not-so-basic topics like implicit narrowing, explicit casting, auto-boxing, nested classes, polymorphism and inheritance, abstract classes and interfaces, and some specific APIs to deal with collections, strings and calendar objects.
Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) - 1Z0-809 builds upon the fundamental OCA skills and demonstrates a high level of knowledge and skills. It deals with more advanced topics like design patterns, generics, File I/O (NIO.2), JDBC, threads and concurrency. While you can get the OCA even having little or no previous experience working with Java, in my opinion getting the OCP needs to be backed up by some hands-on experience.
| Exam Code | Exam Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1Z0-808 | Java SE 8 Programmer I | 245$ |
| 1Z0-809 | Java SE 8 Programmer II | 245$ |
The list below shows the topics included in the 1Z0-808:
- Java Basics
- Working With Java Data Types
- Using Operators and Decision Constructs
- Creating and Using Arrays
- Using Loop Constructs
- Working with Methods and Encapsulation
- Working with Inheritance
- Handling Exceptions
- Working with Selected Classes from the Java API
And this is the list of topics included in 1Z0-809:
- Java Class Design
- Advanced Java Class Design
- Generics and Collections
- Lambda Built-in Functional Interfaces
- Java Stream API
- Exceptions and Assertions
- Use Java SE 8 Date/Time API
- Java I/O Fundamentals
- Java File I/O (NIO.2)
- Java Concurrency
- Building Database Applications with JDBC
- Localization
- Improved and updated knowledge of Java programming language.
- You will stand out different from other programmers (non certified).
- Experienced professional will have positive impact on their career.
- If you are a beginner/ looking for your first job, it will boost up your profile.
Just to share with you, I started my career as a Ruby programmer who eventually landed up on Java due to project requirements. Although for me, a programming language is mare a syntax for carrying out some functionality. But even after working over Java for a while, I was not very confident over my knowledge of Java because I had no mechanism to evaluate it. So a certification not just helped me to evaluate my skills but also gave me chance to dig deeper into those areas which were untouched by me. Similarly if you are working on an out-dated version, you will get a very good insight of what's going on in the newer versions.
Obviously preparation means efforts and study, as there is no way to circumvent it. And yes, so you have to study and you actually should! But more than that we are not machines but humans, thus the preparation should depend upon one's preference, schedule, capacity, etc.
Some people like to stick to the old school way:
- Joining an institute for seeking a professional help.
- Buying a book and get stoned with the knowledge river.
If you ask me, I would personally like to go for some smarter option so that one can utilize one's time efficiently. In this era, one thing that is always available with you is your cell phone. So try to exploite this little device and instead of a hard-back book, go for an ebook or an app which may help you to enrich your knowledge as per your preferred time, place, way, etc. Also, most commonly these test follows some question bank with a specific set of questions. So if you follow last 5 years questions papers (aka dumps), your test preparation would be accurate and efficient. Thus will help you to achieve a good score.
By following dumps, you can even dig deeper into particular topics of your interest searching further about them over Internet.
One of such application which I suggest for 1Z0-808 and IZ0-809 is this:
https://www.certification-questions.com/java8-dumps.html
You get,
- A vibrant and self intuitive test simulator which works cross browser and device.
- Simulator is also available as iOS and android app.
- No need to sign in or login to access the application.
- Free test samples.
- So, first you use then you pay for more only if you like.
- 100% money-back guarantee.
- PDF downloads also available.
The Oracle Java certification is no doubtedly considered as one of the most recognized certifications in the IT world from decades. Whether you’re an experienced Java programmer or a beginner, the Java Programming certification will be positive for your career.
Your main motivation should be to improve and update your knowledge of the Java Language, while at the same time getting it validated with a highly recognized by the software development community with a good score.
However you must keep in mind that getting a certification like this doesn’t happen overnight: it requires preparation and takes some time and effort.
A good eBook, app and an exam simulator are the best resources you can use to prepare for the exam. The best way to approach your preparation is by setting a realistic goal, plan ahead the time you want to spend studying and then make the most out of it.
All The Best!