I posted this below in another thread, but I thought it should get better its own title (feel free to moderate it )

I have been suggested that maybe trying for the Sun Certified Java Programmer exam would be a good idea. It is currently affordable for me, and it should help to diminish the "weight" of my last 1.5 years doing Tech Support, which I don´t want to do again.

I have been reviewing the topics, and the Programmer exam certainly looks feasible, with my current knowledge and some studying and refreshing I was already planning to do.

Actually, even the Certified Java Developer, that includes UML and some more advanced topics would be feasible, but probably in a longer time frame.

Does anybody know what is the reputation of these Certifications right now? I know that the MSCE has lost much of the respect it used to gather, but I don´t know about this one...

Since I have already some Java programming experience, UML and Object Oriented were major topics in College, and so on, this title seems to be an easy and cheap (relatively) way to improve my Resume (CV).

Any thoughts?

I've been developing enterprise Java applications for about 6 years, so hopefully I have a leg to stand on. I'm also a Sun Certified Java Programmer.

From my perspective, the two exams are kind of like university degrees. Pieces of paper that may or may not be useful. A lot of what I studied in the exam doesn't really apply to my job. Much of it was essentially facts that could and should be looked up only when required. The Sun CJP exam teaches you Java API facts, but it doesn't teach you to be a better programmer. It doesn't teach you object-orientation, nor does it teach design best practices, which are more useful in the real world than said piece of paper. None the best Java programmers I've worked with have either of the two certifications!

Having said that, if all you've done is 1.5 years of tech support (and I'm not dissing you, I also did some tech support work while in college), I think anything that can help distinguish you from the herd might be useful. In Australia at least, there are a lot of 'average' developers floating around looking for work, and anything that can help you get your foot in the door will be useful. Keep in mind, that getting your foot in the door is only half the story

Read books that teach you design patterns, OO design, and best practices (e.g. 'Design Patterns', 'Bitter Java', 'J2EE Design and Development'). These books dispense the experience of many other developers, and are essential if you want to accelerate your learning process.

But for more useful information regarding your career path, try posting to the forums at The ServerSide (http://www.theserverside.com). Hopefully, you'll find that writing code is one of the most satisfying things you'll ever experience in the world

And if you don't want to go the Java direction, there's the alternative Microsoft .NET development approach. But that's another story in itself!

Whoa, didn´t see this reply until now... Must have got lost in the email...

Well, I have some professional experience in VB and in PHP, JavaScript, MySQL, and the likes... But those 1.5 years Tech Support are the last thing I´ve done.

So, since I have some time while I look for something else, and since Java programming is what I want to go to, I thought this title would help.

However, I already have a Major in Computer Science, and I already know a lot of what UML is about...

Thanks for your reply, it is definitely insightful.