In general, the major reasons for Java certifications are as follows:

• Certification improves skill level to attain expected Job or Promotions
• Certification boost confidence to drive an assignment
• Clear evidence that you can enter into an application development or a software project career using Java technologies.
• The certification empowers in application development using  Java programming language, and general knowledge of Java Platforms and Technologies.
• With Oracle Java certified professional, you become more competitive in the job market.

Which Java Certification is right for me?
The answer is simple, do all the certifications that can improve your career potential in terms of money(high salary) and technologies.

There are certain Java Certifications require pre-requisite in terms of training or prior certification. One must consider following to choose correct Java Certification Path.

You can find all certification details from Oracle's site or from the below link.
http://www.epractizelabs.com/oracle/java-certifications/index.html

1. If you are a desktop application developer with prior Java SE certification interested to improve your Java Knowledge you have following option to get latest Java knowledge.
   • Go for Upgrade to Java SE 7 Programmer – Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 7 Programmer Oracle Certified Professional exam.
2. If you are a desktop application developer without prior Java SE certification you must do the following certifications to get Java SE 7 knowledge.
   • Java SE 7 Programmer I – Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 7 Programmer  (complete this exam first), provides basic knowledge required to program Java code.
   • Java SE 7 Programmer II – Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 7 Programmer, provides programming knowledge required to develop a Java SE 7 application.
3. If you are a Java EE application developer with prior Java SE certification interested to improve your Java EE Knowledge you can consider following certifications.
   You can either go for expert level Java EE 6 certifications or OCP level Java EE 5 certifications.
   • Oracle Certified Expert Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 6 Web Component Developer - provides knowledge required to develop Java EE 6 Enterprise applications using JSP and Servlet.
   • Oracle Certified Expert, Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 6 Enterprise JavaBeans Developer - provides knowledge required to develop Java EE 6 Enterprise applications using EJB.
   • Oracle Certified Expert, Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 6 Java Persistence API Developer - provides knowledge required to develop Java EE 6 Enterprise applications using JPA
   • Oracle Certified Expert, Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 6 Web Services Developer - provides knowledge required to develop Java EE 6 Web service applications using JAX-WS, JAX-RS and XML processing APIs
   • Oracle Certified Professional, Java EE 5 Web Component Developer - provides knowledge required to develop Java EE 5 Web applications using JSP and Servlets
   • Oracle Certified Professional, Java EE 5 Business Component Developer - provides knowledge required to develop Java EE 5 Web applications using EJB and JPA.
   • Oracle Certified Professional, Java EE 5 Web Services Developer - provides knowledge required to develop Java EE 5 Web service applications using JAX-WS and XML processing APIs
4. If you are a Java EE application architect interested to improve your Java EE Design Knowledge you can consider following certification.
   • Oracle Certified Master, Java EE 5 Enterprise Architect
5. If you are a Java ME developer interested to improve your J2ME knowledge you have only one certification choice, Oracle Certified Professional, Java ME 1 Mobile Application Developer exam.

Oracle currently offers many Java certifications, which are classified by level and specialization. Most of the certifications require you to pass a multiple choice exam, but some require you to complete an assignment plus an essay exam. Refer Oracle site or EPractize Labs preparation articles to know more about each exams.

Reference:

http://www.epractizelabs.com/oracle/java-certifications/index.html

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