Reasons to choose the Java 5 SCJP exam

If you are thinking about taking the Java SCJP exam but are unsure whether to take the Java 1.4 or Java 1.5/5 exam then this link might be of interest to you. On the Java Ranch they have an SCJP forum and they had a vote whether people were studying for the Java 1.4 or the Java 5 exam.

I have discussed it a bit myself on this blog entry

http://hoskinator.blogspot.com/2006/04/hardest-java-exam-question-java-15-or.html

Someone then started a discussion on why people are studying for the 1.5 exam (which I am) and it's interesting to see the reasons people are studying for the Java 5 exam rather than 1.4.

Forum on why they studying for the Java 1.5 exam

I think the main reasons for studying for the Java exam rather than studying for Java 1.4 is that it is an exam based on the latest release on Java so it is going to be more relevant not only now but also in the future. I think the value of the passing the Java 1.4 exam will diminish in the future when people using Java 1.4 reduces whilst people using Java 1.5 increases.

The main reason I chose to study for the Java 1.5 exam is because it meant I would learn the new features included in Java which might be useful in my everyday programming life.

I suppose it will be better for the CV and it will probably be useful for my career as more employers use Java 5 features.

It also mentions some of the disadvantages and a lot of people seem to think that the Java 5 exam is harder than the 1.4 exam. There are also less websites with 1.5 particuarly mock exams compared to 1.4 exam resources. This will probably change in the future.