For a Java programmer, do you think it really makes a difference to have a Java certification when looking for a new job?
I am interested in knowing if a certification is actually considered when evaluating candidates or if the employers only care about their own evaluations and candidate's past experience.
Good Answers (3)
Jimmy H
President & Co-Founder at Artis IT
Best Answers in: Computers and Software (2), Computer Networking (1), Software Development (1)
Ever heard of the 80/20 rule? The Paredo Principal? If you are certified by Sun Microsystems, it means you are an expert in the 80% of the Java that you will use 20% of the time (probably more like .0001% of the time). However, it does show that a 3rd party, reputable source has deemed you as a force to be reckoned with. Short answer, you cannot get a Java certification without knowing a good deal of Java. At my company, we always saw it as a differentiator when evaluating candidates, but not a requirement. Also, I have mine.
If you follow the links of who it's important to and why, I believe you will ultimately find that it is not an indicator of general skill level or aptitude. However we do not live in a world where determining actual skill or aptitude is feasible. Per the previous person's comments, the key phrase is "sales tool".
So, it can't hurt to have them. The best thing to do is, if you have time, and you can get your current company to pay for the tests, do them.
Certifications are just a baseline to be used in evaluation processes, so it would give you the right to continue showing other skills and knowledge needed for the position.
The same happen with other types of certification, like an ISO-9000 in a enterprise level, that shows that the company have certain level but for sure it will be needed to demonstrate that the company is good in what they do.
It also depends on the maturity of the market (country) and the company doing the recruitment, since it is worthless to have a certification in a market that do not required them, and people who do not understand what a certification is could be easily impressed (which is good!!) or under estimate their value.
More Answers (8)
I don't think so at all. The certifications tend to impress folks who aren't programmers, but a good coder is one who THINKS, and certification doesn't prove that at all.
Hi Maricel,
Certifications are definitely important to AEG. Not only does it offer proof that the candidate participates in continued education, it also provides our sales team with a good sales tool.
Hope things are going well for you.
mwc
Yevgeniy (Eugene) K
Senior Software Developer, experience in Java, XML, SOA, and DRM
When I interview a candidate, it doesn't come into consideration. I expect it's the same in most places, at least in software industries.
I suppose in larger organizations it might be a factor during resume filtering step, which is basically just keyword parsing and many times done by non-technical people.
In any case, the best way to both find and fill a job is through an internal network. In that case the certification is not very useful.
Short answer: Experience trumps certification.
But if there is a image advantage for the business (sales, consulting, etc.) then it has more value.
In my experience, it absolutely do. Having a Java certification means that you are prepared for a tough test and more important that you know how to program in Java.
I find spare time participation in open source projects a better metric of competence than Java certificates, which are really just a way for Sun to make some money from Java.
Participation in an OSS project shows the person has an interest in computing that continues after work finishes, It shows that they can collaborate in a distributed team to find problems, fix bugs and make changes. If I ask someone a question about, say, classloaders, and they can talk about classloader leaks, and how threadlocal references can trigger them, and cite a project like Tomcat as an example, then they know what they are talking about.
Equally importantly, open source java is a small world. There is usually someone in a project you know vaguely, and, with public repositories, it is easy to check up on their coding skills.
As a corollory to this, dont ever post on a popular mailing list (like tomcat users) asking really obvious questions like "what's a classpath". Because once posted, that question remains searchable forever.
I concur. I've never had it impact hiring decision, when hiring for hard-core developers (and I've been disappointed in a programmer that did have the certification). Passing a test in your core competency isn't saying too much.
I can imagine it may be relevant for a potential employee that is not an experienced developer but will need to get his/her hands dirty at times. Or it would influence me positively if a professional programmer from another language had the Java certifications.
Hi Maricel, certification does not factor into my selection process for Java developers as having conducted more than my fair share of interviews, certification has never been an indicator of aptitude or ability. Just as I've had PhD candidate fail miserably where undergrads have sailed past simple questions, the same has been true of certified programmers (I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere!). Certifications soon become dated too, remember that most things you'd be certified for have a shelf life of only 18-24 months before they're replaced by the next best thing.
