Robs Programming Junk

When I began reading the SCJP Study Guide (Sierra/Bates) for Java 5 I remember reading that many considered the SCJP one of the hardest (if not the hardest) exams in IT certification. Well I'm half way through the book now and I have to agree. The subtle aspects of Java can really throw someone for a loop. I've been using Java on and off for probably close to 10 years now. Like many others though, I'm learning a lot by studying for this exam.

Some of the information in the study guide is really general in nature. Most of it though covers a lot of "gotchya's" that you might not usually consider. Some of it is good but some of it is kind of ridiculous at the same time. Who's going to use an assert statement to parse command line parameters. I mean let's be real. Ok, what professional is going to do that. Sure there are hacks out there but seriously is this something we need to test people on?

Overall the experience has been positive. I'm still shooting for the exam next month. I've got to improve a bit yet on some of the testing. My code reading abilities (or I should say "bug spotting abilities") in random code is getting better. It's another area I think is a bit ridiculous to test on. Isn't that what the compiler is for? Having me spot it out is a poor way to test competency in an area.

Well, I must get back to the books. Just a couple of weeks until next month when I'll schedule a test.