jsync | Java Staffing Specialist

Java Keeps Changing But I Stay the Same - How to Keep Up to Speed on Java

09/07/2005

by Dave Fecak

Java professionals, unlike some other technology pros, face a constanly changing landscape of technologies, API’s, products, and concepts that are impossible to completely master. The wide acceptance of the open source movement by large and small development shops alike has definitely raised the proverbial bar, and developers face increasing pressure to learn on the fly.

The good news is that the amount of resources available for Java professionals to help stay abreast of these changes is vast, and if you are creative there are thousands of avenues to explore. Employers are incredibly interested in employees and candidates that take the extra time to keep pace with changes in the Java world, so make yourself more valuable and use some of these tips on staying on top of your ever-changing profession.

There are quite a few local colleges and universities that offer continuing education or Master’s Degree classes in the evenings, and many of these programs are now catering more to the Java community than in the past. Two popular choices for local professionals are Villanova University and Penn State Great Valley. Sometimes Master’s programs and continuing education courses have a bit of lag or a more generic focus – as in they might not be teaching the latest technologies and might give a broader scope geared towards professionals with very little or no experience in that subject area, but they can still be a valuable tool.

• No time for weeks of school? There are several training centers locally that also cater heavily to the Java community, and most offer specific product training as well. Product specific offerings tend to be centered on application servers, design tools or IDE’s – so you are less likely to see a class entitled “EJB for Advanced Users” than something like “EJB on _____ Application Server”. These programs are usually hands-on 5 day courses that result in some certificate after completion. Keep in mind the value of the certificate is usually much less valuable than the knowledge gained. Reviews of these trainings, in my experience, have been historically ‘mixed’ so make sure you investigate before making the investment.

• Gas prices too high to drive to classes? We still have options! Perhaps the boss will splurge for some books or magazines, and you don’t even have to leave the house to get them. Magazines such as JavaPro and JDJ have been around for years providing timely information to Java professionals, and often the back issues can be accessed online for FREE (sometimes with source code)! There are also several publishers that have a strong focus on the Java community with countless titles on topics as generic or specific as you would like. O’Reilly, Addison-Wesley, Sun’s Java Series, and Wrox are among the most popular. (Did you know Philly Java Users’ Group Members get a 20% discount on O’Reilly titles?)

• Sounds great, but I’m on a budget – I attend JUG meetings for the food! :( Have no fear – the most inexpensive and arguably the best way to stay up to speed on new Java technologies is to actually USE THEM. Being well-read or trained on a technology is good, but actually having some hands-on experience is infinitely better. The proliferation of open source tools and community projects makes it very easy to do programming on your own with no investment, gaining free experience that will not only increase your technical skill set but will also show that you take your career seriously. There are several places to go to either participate in projects or to get a hold of free tools – sites frequented by open source enthusiasts include Apache Software Federation (Ant, Struts, Maven, MyFaces, etc.), SourceForge.net, Eclipse.org, Hibernate, and Spring among many others. Sun also hosts a project community that is fairly active as well with several projects that have posted Help Wanted ads for volunteers with various skill sets.

As you can see, it is very easy to learn new technologies no matter what your budget may be. Investing the time to keep your skills current is well worth it in the long run for your career growth.

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