Tag Archives: Java/Java EE

What does it mean to be OCP Java SE 11 Developer Certified?

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Update (11/05/2020): Read The 1Z0-819 Exam page to learn how you can easily our Java 11 Study Guides to prepare for Oracle’s 1Z0-819 Exam, as well as the 1Z0-817 Upgrade Exam.

I wrote a similar blog post for the Java 8 OCP cert. There are different requirements for what you need to know in terms of which exam path you took in order to take the cert. This post summarizes the differences.

Also see Should I take 1Z0-816 or 1Z0-817

The three main paths

Oracle has several paths for one to become OCP Java 11 certified. The major ones are:

There are a few others paths like you took the OCP 8 and not the OCA 8. I’m not covering those paths as they are less common. (Officially OCA 8 was a pre-req for OCP 8. You can take the exams in either order, but most people went in the prescribed order.) If you took an “unusual” path, see Oracle’s list of options.

What one would expect

It seems reasonable to assume some things here.

  1. People taking the OCP 11 directly should be tested on the topics that entail being Java 11 certified.
  2. People taking the upgrade from OCP 6, 7 or 8 should be tested on just the topics that were added since they took the exam.
  3. People taking the exam after the OCA 7 or 8 are tested on OCP level knowlege.

These assumptions turn out to not match what Oracle actually did. The rest of this blog post describes the surprises.

Major topics people who are OCP 6 certified can avoid being that those starting a with Java 11 cert must know

  1. Annotations
  2. Concurrency (beyond threads)
  3. JDBC
  4. Secure Coding

My thoughts: This is a lot of topics to be able to skip! There’s probably a bunch of smaller things, but these four are plenty big in their own right!

Major topics people who are OCP 7 certified can avoid that those starting with a Java 11 cert must know

  1. Annotations
  2. Secure coding

My thoughts: Less than OCP 6.

Major topics people who are OCA 7/8 certified can avoid that those starting with a Java 11 cert must know

  1. Some topics that used to be on the OCP 8

Summary

I like that Oracle isn’t covering topics on the upgrade exam that have been removed form the OCP 11. But there’s a lot of topics you can skate by without knowing if you take the upgrade exam with an older certification.

Choosing an exam: Java Foundations vs OCP 11

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Update (11/05/2020): Read The 1Z0-819 Exam page to learn how you can easily our Java 11 Study Guides to prepare for Oracle’s 1Z0-819 Exam, as well as the 1Z0-817 Upgrade Exam.

Three years ago, I wrote about why you should take the OCA 11 rather than the Java Foundations exam. Now that the Java 11 cert is out, the situation changes.

Java Foundations vs OCA 8 (1Z0-815)

Until the OCA 8 is discontinued, I think everyone considering the Java Foundations exam should take the OCA 8. The reasons in my original blog post still apply:

  • The OCA 8 is not that much more difficult than the Java Foundations exam. It’s definitely in reach for an entry level programmer.
  • Taking the OCA 8 lets you use it as a pre-req for a later exam. You can take either the OCP 8 (IZ0-809) or OCP 11 part 2 (IZ0-816). This means you will only need to take one more exam to become OCP certified.

So when should you take the Java Foundations exam:

  • Cost: The Java Foundations exam costs less than half the price of the OCA 8. If you can’t afford the OCA, this is an option.
  • Requirement: If you took a course that requires the Java Foundations or lets you take it for free.

Java Foundations vs OCP 11 part 1 (1Z0-815)

With Java 11, it’s a harder decision deciding which exam to take because:

  1. The OCP 11 part 1 (1Z0-815) is significantly harder than the OCA 8 (1Z0-808). The OCP 11 part 1 is still in reach of an entry level programmer, but it is more work.
  2. Passing the OCP 11 part 1 does not give you a certification. Another (even harder exam) is needed for that.

So who should you take the Java Foundations exam:

  • Time: If you don’t have the time to study for two harder exams, the Java Foundations exam gets you a certification faster.
  • Cost: The Java Foundations exam costs less than half the price of the OCP 11 part 2 and a quarter the cost of the OCP credential.
  • Requirement: If you took a course that requires the Java Foundations or lets you take it for free.

Just be aware that taking the Java Foundations exam does not serve as a prerequisite to later certification exam. If you plan to get OCP certified in the future, be aware that the Java Foundations exam is a one off.

Jeanne is a Java Champion!

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On Tuesday 6/23//19, I became a Java Champion. If you aren’t familiar, there’s a good overview of the program. To me, it’s an amazing peer recognition award! As of right now, there are 287 Java Champions. (Andres Almiray maintains a list of Java Champions)

One of my friends took video of the announcement. It was fun. I was the track lead of the Modern Java Innovation track. When I got up to explain the track, Wes (the MC) said there was a mistake on the slide. He then explained the Java Champion program and announced me as one.

Shortly after that came the official tweet

You might be wondering what I did to become a Java Champion. Many things including speaking, writing, volunteering with a robotics team, community contributions like CodeRanch and more.

A year ago at conferences, I started getting asked if I was a Java Champion. I was not, but it motivated to organize my accomplishments. I stood up a Google site to list what I’m most proud of: http://jeanneboyarsky.com/. Time to add Java Champion to that list! (and yes, I know how to make a website; I choose google site so I could focus on content)