The answer is not straightforward since when I started to study in Java I didn't even know there was a Sun Certification Program. This is what I set out to do: I made a list of the topics that I thought were important to study: OOP, Java syntax, basic classes, networking, applets, I/O, Threads, AWT, and I made a list. I went through that list one topic at a time utilizing a few books at a time for each topic, until I felt ready to move on to the next topic.

Then, after about 6 months into my studies, it dawned on me that if I could get *some* kind of certification (beyond the modest work that I had published in the Web as a result of my studies), my chances would be much improved.

I remembered I had bought a book on Certification and I took the mock exam. I thought I would pass with flying colors since I thought I knew Java well by then, only to be disappointed. It was then that I decided that passing the Certification exam would NOT be an easy task and therefore WORTHWHILE doing.

So six months into my studies, I decided to take the Certification exam which happened two months later. A total of 8 monthsfrom not knowing OOP or Java to passing the exam. But I did also study some topics that were not on the exam.

Easy. OOP. The ability to tell "because THAT class inherits from THIS one and this method is overridden by the IDE to do nothing. It has helped immensely. Also, you are able to converse intelligently even about topics that are not included in the exam, like RMI, JNDI, JDBC, since they after all, they ARE Java.

I think learning OOP well is one of the better benefits from passing the exam.

My overall objective last spring was to make a career change and return to software development. I had invested some time studying the current market and getting advice about the most appropriate path to pursue; Java/OO Development was clearly my best option. My background at the time was not related to state-of-the-art software development, so I knew I would need some demonstrable evidence that I had learned this new technology before I ever warlked in to my first interview.

Sun's certification process appeared to be a sufficiently rigorous standard that would be recognizable in most Java shops. The certification process also helped me identify precisely which Java skills to learn first; deciding to go straight for certification kept me from being sidetracked by the many interesting and useful but not absolutely essential features of the language. As with so many other pursuits, clearly defined goals and the discipline to focus on them yielded results.

The SCJP credential was a recognizable benchmark of a basic level of knowledge; it provided a measure of credibility to a person with no other immediately demonstrable Java skills. The certification also indirectly indicated a self-starting can-do attitude to some prospective employers who were looking for those characteristics, even though in a career-changer.

I believe that presenting this certification as the first step in my continuing education, rather than as an endpoint that made me instantly employable, was the best way to present it as a strength that could be built upon rather than as a crutch that might not be relied on.

If you're already working with Java every day, I'd guess that you're learning more cutting-edge skills faster than you would by studying for the Programmer Certification exam. There is no teacher like experience, so get all you can every day, especially in the rapidly evolving new technologies that the exam cannot cover.

For those who are trying to pick up a new language and put it to work, I don't hesitate to recommend certification - you'll cover the fundamentals you'll need and have a recognizable measure of achievement to bring to your first interview. The exam is difficult, but fair; if you know the material you will pass. Get the best exam simulator and use it. Part of the difficulty of the exam is the amount of material that is covered in a short time, so be sure you're ready when you walk in the door to take it.

The most immediate "on the job" benefit is being on the job, absolutely no pun intended. Certification was a necessary first step to take and was probably the most effective ( efficient ) way for me to learn the basics of an entire new technology quickly and with sufficient thoroughness to be able to handle an entry-level job.

The day to day benefits of Certification are in knowing the fundamentals of the language and having the confidence of knowing how and where to find answers to the questions that always come up.