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How to Get a Java Job? Prepare Yourself to land a job and keep your skills fresh in Java market

18 August 2006

Java is one of the hottest skills in IT industry. More and more developers are needed to develop enterprise applications in variety of industries from financial services to pharmaceuticals and biotech. IT professionals with focus on Java technology enjoy long term growth potentials and good compensation. Programmers with basic Java skills make $65,000 per year on average. Experienced Java programmers with advanced J2EE and EJB skills make $85,000 or higher. Getting a Java job is the right move in your career path. Here are some tips to help you land a Java job and keep your skills fresh in Java field.

Build Basic Skills

To look for a job in Java programming, you must prepare yourself with some basic skills:

1. Making yourself familiarized with Java syntax.

2. Using JDBC to develop database applications.

3. Learn Java Swing API to develop graphical interface.

4. Develop JavaBean components for JSP web applications.

5. Learn to use Java in different OS environments.

6. Learn a IDE tool to create Java applications.

Learn Advanced Skills

Although advanced Java skills are not prerequisite considered by hiring managers, they can make your resume stand out, and employers do reward you for advanced skills and experience. If you plan to have Java in your career path, you must learn to master these advanced skills:

1. Get ‘deep development’ server-side Java skills including J2EE, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) and servlets.

2. Unified Modeling Language (UML), the standard notation in object-oriented design methodology.

3. Learn Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and Web Services Description Language (WSDL), which are key Web services underpinnings, to be well positioned for the expected surge of Web services. Another technology to know is XML Schema, or XSD, which is at the core of SOAP, WSDL and Uniform Description, Discovery and Integration.

4. Get development experience in Java based application server environment, such as IBM WebSphare, BEA WebLogic, sybase EAServer.

5. Business experience and in-depth knowledge in analyzing and creating business-logic modules.

Training

A lot of colleges use Java as the teaching language for programming/algorithm courses, thus a lot college graduates have got good Java knowledge when the enter the job market. For those who didn’t get formal Java training, there are wide choices among myriad Java training options, from free online tutorials to Sun Microsystems Inc.’s Java University. Also, You are never short of tech books on this hot topic.

For busy IT professionals, the best training option is self-study. Available resources are more than enough, all you need is to allocate the time and get started. You must have a self-training plan and stick to it. Discipline, Persistence, and focus are the most important factors for self-training success.

If you don’t use Java on your job, you should setup Java environment on your PC with JDK that you can download from Sun website for free, so you can practice your skills. There are also all kinds of Java development tools with free license for development, you can download a few and learn to use them.

Certifications

There are hundreds of Java certification options. Recruiters say Sun’s offerings carry the most weight, but any certification may help; only about 25% of Java developers are certified.

For beginners, Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) is the best choice. You just need to pass only one exam to get it, so it is fairly easy. Sun offers 2 high level certification programs: Sun Certified Java Developer (SCJD) and Sun Certified Architect for J2EETechnologies (SCJA). They are more difficult because they require essay exam and completion of programming assignment. SCJD has higher market value.

It is hard to determine how much the certification would help in your career. Some training experts say certifications can help boost your salary 35% or more, but other recruiters say Java certifications mean little to them.

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