Guess what?
A jacket!
We're giving away a jacket!!
can you even believe it?
Brand new. Never worn. And still in the plastic bag that it came in.
Beautiful leather collar and sleves; heavy wool body with Java logo stiched very expensively into the back. Lined. Really, really, really nice.
I think they call it a bomber jacket. Which would make anybody wearing it da bomb.
:-)
It's a special Friday Free Stuff that's dedicated to the men and women who are Sun Certified professionals in the Java technology areas.
I got to meet some of these guys at JavaOne, and they were the coolest.
So I decided it's time for Sun Certified professionals in the Java technology areas to feel the MaryMaryQuiteContary love.
That's what the jacket w/the Java logo is all about. It's the nicest thing I've ever given away in Friday Free Stuff -- by orders of magnitude. And only Sun Certified professionals in the Java technology areas are eligible to win*.
And it's a piece of cake.
All you've got to do is tell me (in the comments section of this blog entry) how being Sun Certified for Java technology has saved your bacon; got you the job/raise; made you smarter; impressed the ladies (or gents) ;-)
I'm looking for personal testimonials here, people.
So here's a big important thing... I've got to weed out the imposters... so by "playing" this edition of Friday Free Stuff*, you are consenting to letting me verify that you really are Sun Certified for Java technology, and not just some wacko out to score the jacket.
Remember, the point of this edition is for the Sun Certified professionals for Java technology to feel the MaryMaryQuiteContary love. So you got to be Certified to win. And by playing you're giving me permission to check.
For that tiny group of stragglers out there who aren't yet Sun Certified for Java technology...
hello??
what are you waiting for here, people?
get Sun Certified for Java technology today.
mary
p.s. I'm going to take my time in choosing here, people. it's a hot, hot, hot prize*. it's not every day I pony up a brand new Java jacket. I'm going to take my time in choosing. Don't try to rush me. I don't like that.
p.p.s. * Friday Free Stuff is not a contest. It's me giving away stuff that I personally own to somebody that I choose. I pay for shipping with stamps that I buy at the post office. Sun employees can play but are not eligible to win* the prize*.
Posted by Michael Nascimento Santos on September 24, 2004 at 07:12 PM PDT #
Yours,
Click and Hack (the Type-It Brothers)
P.S. Don't code like my brother.
Posted by Click and Hack, the Type-it Brothers on September 25, 2004 at 09:08 PM PDT #
Wow! Mary, that's one serious prize you've got there. Dunno if I could wear one, though. You see, I would distract the rest of my team enough for us to miss our deadlines ;)
Anyway, my testimonial about certifications is probably a bit contrary to what others will say. I think I got my SCJP back in 2001. I was already working with Java and the company paid for everything. Right after SCJP, I started the SCJD assignment but I've yet to finish it. In 2003, I participated the SCBCD beta and got my cert among the very first. In 2004, I got a reminder from IBM to use an old voucher I had so I did a quick one-week push for the XML certification exam and passed alright (why isn't Sun providing an XML certification, by the way?).
So, how's this testimonial different from others? Well, the most value I've got from those couple of certificates has come from the path itself, not the destination. Studying the intricacies of the Java language spec effectively made the local Java guru at my place of employment at that time. Similarly, reading the EJB spec for SCBCD did pretty much the same two years later (surprisingly few have ever even seen the front page of the spec...).
Today, I don't put much value on someone having a certificate. The exams are way too easy to pass. What I do value is the knowledge some holders of the said certificates have gathered along the way.
Posted by Lasse on September 26, 2004 at 04:16 AM PDT #
Posted by Luke Hutteman on September 27, 2004 at 10:27 AM PDT #
I believe the certification showed my previous employer that I was serious about doing development. Many times I hear people say that certifications are not worth much, which is probably true if you already have a lot of experience. But, for people who don't have a lot of experience in a particular area they are one way to separate yourself from others.
Posted by Jeff Dillon on September 27, 2004 at 10:36 AM PDT #
I've been a software developer for over 15 years and written programs in many different computer languages. Back in 2000, my project team decided to develop a new application using Java (Swing) for the user interface and J2EE for our server components. I learned and enjoyed working with Java and writing Swing UIs. After a while, my team leader complained that I had pigeonholed myself as "just" a Swing developer. I did two things in the spring of 2002 in attempt to appease him. I got him to send me to JavaOne to help understand all of the different forms of the Java platform and I studied for and passed my Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 platform exam.
Although I was initially trying to get my team leader off my back, those two events changed my view of the Java platform. I became excited about the language and the platform. I was amazed at all the things that could be done in Java. Studying for the test allowed me to obtain an understanding of the language that bled over into the day-to-day project work developing both Swing and J2EE components. I was able to help out co-workers with language questions.
Did becoming �certified� help me get onto some better projects? I believe so. Did having it on my resume when I switched jobs help? It probably did. More importantly, I developed an almost zealot-like affinity for Java. I now seek out information about how Java is being used and how I can use.
Posted by Kurt on September 27, 2004 at 11:28 AM PDT #
If know the question was what Java certification did for you, but if there's one thing I'm glad it did NOT do for me, it's turn me into a Java zealot. There are too many of those out there already.
<tt><soapbox></tt>
Zealots think their technology is better than anything else, without bothering to check on the merits of what else may be out there. I think it's much better to stay on top of multiple technologies so one can make an informed decision on which technology is better for a particular task. And while certification will certainly help in seeing the Java-side of things and how to apply Java to a particular task, it think it's a mistake to close your eyes to everything else.
Even when you don't end up using the technology in question, broadening your horizon helps you gain a wider perspective, which will help no matter what platform or language you use. In my case, doing .NET has helped me prepare for many of the upcoming C#-inspired changes in JDK5 (which looks like it's gonna rock by the way).
<tt></soapbox></tt>
Posted by Luke Hutteman on September 27, 2004 at 01:08 PM PDT #
See, our company gives us bonuses for achieving certain goals, so I put the exam down as one of mine. This means I get extra money for knowing something I should know well anyway, so it's all good. </br> Anyway, after the first year I was too busy at work to actually go out and do the exam, but had done the studying. The second year was going much the same route until I decided to just bite the bullet. And I got it. </br> <u>So what has it done for me?</u>
I'm a much more competetant Java developer. It meant I got a good enough bonus at Christmas time, to spoil myself (couldn't find a Java jacket though!). I learnt loads more than the standard "all you need to know" stuff. Gave me a deeper understanding of the language than you learn in university.</br> In four words - It made me better</u>
Posted by James on September 27, 2004 at 02:59 PM PDT #
Posted by Will on September 28, 2004 at 08:33 AM PDT #
In April of 2002, I joined the ranks of the (far too) many computing professionals who suddenly found themselves out of a job when their employer realized the bubble they were riding on had popped. Being the sole income for the family, I was "a bit" stressed, however, I was still pretty upbeat because I had (what I thought were) marketable skills, an excellent work ethic, and well... dang it, I'm just cute.
As you can probably guess, cute don't cut it in the real world. I spent five and a half months looking for a job and watching my bank account get smaller and smaller. Eventually, we got to the point that we decided to sell the house, move back to Nebraska and have my wife and kids live with my parents in the country while I sleep on my brother's couch in the city and look for work. My wife and I decided that on Friday we would talk to a realtor and put the house on the market. And then...
Flashback: 2 months earlier.
With my ego effectively reduced to the size of a tadpole, I started trying to figure out what "they" were looking for that I wasn't providing. I knew I interviewed well, but the problem was that I simply wasn't getting past the resume screening to even have a chance at the interview. I had heard that having a certification on your resume would NOT get you a job but it might get you an interview. Sounded like exactly what I needed.
I immediately began studying for the Java Programmer certification and quickly found out that there was much more Java than I had yet run into. It still wasn't helping me in my job search but I felt like I was at least DOING something to make progress. Plus, I was actually learning... ...A LOT! Finally, after many I-haven't-studied-this-hard-since-college weeks, I felt I had filled in the critical gaps in my knowledge and took the leap to schedule the exam.
The day of the exam came, and my days of NOT being Sun-certified went. I passed the exam and prepared myself to wade through the job offers that were due to start pouring in. When I walked out the front door, I found... ...no line of prospective employers waiting to swoop down on me and my certification. "Man, this economy is messed up. I guess I'll just have to..."
Flashback: 2 weeks before Exam Day
I had an interview for a contract Java position and really did well. During the interview, certification was mentioned in passing and I dropped in that I was scheduled to take the exam soon. After the interview, I was told that it was down to me and one other person and could expect to hear back soon. I checked back periodically (frequent enough to appear enthusiastic but not so frequent that I would appear deranged) but still got the same answer: it's a tie, nobody wins yet. Fine. I had studying to do anyway.
Flash-forward: Newly-certified
I called the company I had interviewed with and left a polite professional message wherein I calmly informed the hiring manager of my recent certification and carefully avoided using the word "Yippee!"
Flash-forward: Wednesday (2 days before meeting with the realtor)
The phone rang and I got offered the job! It was only a six-month contract, but it was enough to let us keep the house! Furthermore, on my first day working, my boss told me that the Java certification (and the fact that I called to let him know about it) was what pushed me into the lead and into the job.
Since then, that six-month contract got extended to last 18 months and eventually became a permanent position with the company.
So... My Sun certification helped me get a job that saved me from having to sell my house.
But, even more important than all that, it made my daughter think I was really smart. :)
Posted by Dave K. on September 29, 2004 at 04:09 PM PDT #
Posted by Lasse on September 30, 2004 at 09:10 AM PDT #
Posted by James on October 08, 2004 at 01:19 AM PDT #
Posted by Dave K. on October 08, 2004 at 09:58 AM PDT #
Saved my bacon: probably
Got me the job/raise: yes, many raises in fact
Made you smarter: yes
Impressed the ladies (or gents): yes
Long ago, in 1998, I was primarily a batch report programmer working with Oracle related technologies. I wanted to work with a "cooler" technology (defined in my own naive as one that had it's own magazine(s)). I thought that was going to be Visual Basic until I found out about Java.
I took a training class in the summer, but I didn't do any real work with it for a while. I asked to be taken off the contract I was on in hopes that a Java one would come up. One did, but it only lasted a couple of months and in the meantime our small consulting company was bought by a much larger company.
The next six months, I spent mostly on the beach (off contract), but I did use that time to become Java Certified. Learning what I needed to know for the certification exam gave me a solid foundation in Java and that proved to be as valuable or more so than the actual certification. (I think this would count as getting smarter)
I think being Java Certified that was one of the key things that got me my next consulting gig. That one turned into a 9 month assignment primarily in servlet and then EJB development. (The Director was a woman and I think the certification impressed her, does that count as impressing the ladies?).
Since then, knowing Java / being certified has contributed to getting multiple jobs, raises and overall well being. Oh, and it may very well have saved my bacon all those years ago, since I'm not sure how much longer I would have kept my job without getting another consulting assignment, and Java Certification definitely facilitated obtaining that next assignment.
BryanPosted by Bryan Hutchinson on October 08, 2004 at 11:02 AM PDT #
<mary
not that it's a contest. it's me giving away stuff that i own to somebody i choose.
Posted by mary on October 22, 2004 at 12:20 PM PDT #