The Marriage of IBM and Sun Microsystems

The hot news in the IT industry today that is, IBM looking to acquire Sun Microsystems. In that may be a huge collaboration between the two technology majors, this can potentially hit Microsoft’s market hard. According to the source, if this merger/acquisition does go through, the combined companies can take over 40 % of the total server market revenue & 60% of market for servers based on UNIX operating systems.

IBM manufactures & sells computer hardware & software, and offers infrastructure services, hosting & consulting services ranging from supercomputing to nanotechnology. IBM is the largest manufacturer of servers in IT market, followed by HP, Dell and Sun Microsystems. Sun Microsystems are currently running losses. Last year, the stocks & share prices of Sun Microsystems have plummeted and continue to do so this year.

Numerous analysts are speculating about the possible profits for IBM post the acquisition of Sun Microsystems, which owns the right to Java programming language & MySQL open source database. According to the Wall Street Journal IBM has dropped its offer to $9 & $10 a share from their previous demand of $10 to $11 per share. If this major takeover happens, this will be one of the biggest in IBM’s history.

The possibilities are myriad. We can possibly see IBM computers with Solaris & other Sun Microsystems products and hence can give Microsoft, UNIX a run for their money. It will increase the demand of IBM and Sun Certifications in the IT industry.

SCJD as a follow up to SCJP

Sun Certified Java Developer (SCJD) is a specialty level certification for java programmers. SCJD is not as easy as SCJP. SCJD checks the individual’s skill to perform in the practical world. The applicant should be able to work on commercial web applications. An applicant should be proficient in Java programming language using Java Standard Edition (J2SE). This is the qualification that Sun requires in a programmer who is appearing for SCJD.

As a prerequisite, the applicant must be a Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) in any edition. In SCJD, you learn how to apply skills and language that you have learn while doing SCJP to solve practical problems.

There are two exams or assignments that are required for SCJD certification. First, CX-310-252A is a programming assignment type of exam. It takes a lot of time (at least several weeks) for completing this program. Second the CX-310-027 exam is an essay type. SCJD applicant must use custom file formats in his program for a detailed program. The program should be detailed in every aspect. Also, there is no strict limit for both these exam.

SCJD certification has become a global standard for many IT companies and the SCJD certified people are in good demand in the IT industry. The reason for this demand is that SCJD’s are assumed to be more competitive, confident & they have ultimate evidence to show that they can perform complex task or projects very well than a non-certified developer. The graph shown below provides an indicative measure of salaries which a SCJD certification leads to, although this is only valid for the US.

Median Salary by Job - Certification: Sun Certified Java Developer (SCJD) (United States)

CAREER TOOLS: Salary Calculator, Career Path Tool, Cost of Living Calculator, Meeting Miser

Source:Payscale

Related to: SCJA and SCJP

Entry Level Java Certifications - SCJA and SCJP

There are four levels in Java certification. The first is the associate level, which affirms that you have a basic knowledge which enables you to get an entry into a career in Java application development. On the next level, the associates need to be trained on foundation set of Java skills, which confirms by becoming a Sun Certified Java Programmer. Thirdly, you have advanced or specialty training & certifications that helps in your career growth into more specific job roles that make you a very value asset for your organization.

Source: Java Certification Path

SCJA
Sun Certified Java Associate (SCJA) is the newest of Sun's Java Certifications. It tests your basic knowledge of Object oriented programming, UML (universal markup language) concepts, the Java programming language & general knowledge of Java platforms & technologies. By becoming a sun certified associate, sun confirms that you have a basic set of knowledge that helps you get an entry into a career in application development or software project management using Java technology. It is targeted at new-comers to Java who are not necessarily working in technical positions, such as project managers, students, or developers for whom Java is not a primary requirement. SCJA certified associates are great in demand by employers & clients.

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Let's talk about certification: SCJA

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Source: Slideshare

SCJP
Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) is an entry level Java exam and is a prerequisite for other Java related certifications. There have been a number of previous versions of SCJP. The current version, SCJP 6.0 is aimed at JDK 6.0 release of Java. It is basically for programmers interested in showing their skills in the fundamentals of the Java Programming language. It’s not necessary to be Sun Certified Java Associate prior to taking this exam. This exam tests looping constructs and variables, and does not cover specific technologies such as GUI creation, Web or network programming. It is designed as a fairly detailed test of basic knowledge of the essentials of the Java programming language. It tests looping constructs and variables, and does not cover specific technologies such as GUI creation, Web or network programming. In recent years, the SCJP certification has become a global standard for many successful IT companies.

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