On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 5:24 PM, Aaron Trevena <aaron.trev...@gmail.com> wrote: > can anybody recommend some good online/offline java introductions? > > I'm rather hoping I can get a scjp in my spare time over a couple of > weeks on my own and then make a start on a proper trainging course > after that.
Have you looked around for SCJP information? I'm starting down that route and from what I've heard so far, being a SCJP won't necessarily make you a good programmer, though you'll know a fair bit about the language specification (what counts as overloaded, when is something eligible for garbage collection, what things are syntax errors and would be flagged by the compiler). So the preparation you need for that is "teaching to the test" and learning obscure tidbits. SCJD, on the other hand, really asks you to develop a program, and is the more "worthwhile" certification to have IMO. It does have SCJP as a prerequisite, which is why I'm doing that one first. (You can also do SCJA before SCJP, but I'm not sure who the audience for that is supposed to be; managers, perhaps, or non-coding architects, but probably not developers.) So, basically saying, SCJP can be a good thing to have, especially as a stepping-stone towards SCJD, but learning for SCJP won't necessarily be a good introduction to *developing with Java* (as opposed to learning about the Java compiler and the runtime environment, for which is probably *is* a good introdcution). Cheers, Philip -- Philip Newton <philip.new...@gmail.com>