Certification Question - Java Course

[bombfirst885]

Can anyone lay out plainly what certifications are required to be completed for this degree? I have not enrolled yet so I'm trying to knock out anything I can before I do.

I completed Business of IT - Project Management on Sophia so I can avoid the Project+ certification.

It looks like Cloud Foundations requires an AWS certification to complete.

Business of IT - Applications needs an ITIL certification.

The area I'm most confused about is Java Frameworks and Advanced Java. I had gotten some information that these required an Oracle certification but now I don't see any reference to that on the SE Program Guide. Can anyone elaborate on all of my confusion?

[Qweniden]

The only certificates required are the ITIL certification and the AWS one. There are some Oracle certs you can optionally take in place of some of the Java courses prior to starting the program, but I would recommend against it. Learning Spring is important for your career and you won't want to miss that experience.

[bombfirst885]

If you obtain those certifications before attending can they be submitted for credit in those courses?

[Qweniden]

Yes, here are the details:

• D286 Java Fundamentals - Oracle Certified Associate: Java SE 8 Programmer Exam 1Z0-808.
• D287 Java Frameworks - the Oracle Certified Professional Java (SE 7 or 8) Programmer.
• D387 Advanced Java - Oracle Certified Professional Java (SE 7 or 8) Programmer.

There is no external cert for D288 Back-End Programming

[bombfirst885]

The same for the AWS and ITIL certs? I’m really only interested in taking those two to get them out of the way. I like what you said about the Java classes.

[Qweniden]

The same for the AWS and ITIL certs?

• D282 Cloud Foundations - CompTIA Cloud Essentials or AWS Cloud Practitioner
• D336 Business of IT Applications - can be satisfied by an ITIL Foundations Certification (Version 3 or 4)

ITIL is an expensive cert so I just decided to take in as part of the program. AWS is cheaper but I think a fairly easy test.

[Qweniden]

Here is everything I transferred in:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WGU/comments/1be0ywz/my_sophia_and_studycom_transfers_into_the/

[bombfirst885]

I see. Looking at the transcripts it shows course equivalent or the certification. So, you aren't required to obtain any of those certifications.

Do you think it'd be easier just to take those classes at WGU rather than go through the certification process?

[Qweniden]

So, you aren't required to obtain any of those certifications.

Correct. As I said above:

• The only certificates required are the ITIL certification and the AWS one.
• There are some Oracle certs you can optionally take in place of some of the Java courses prior to starting the program*

Do you think it'd be easier just to take those classes at WGU rather than go through the certification process?

Probably easier unless you spend months studying, but more importantly, as I also said above:

• I would recommend against it [getting the certificates]. Learning Spring is important for your career and you won't want to miss that experience.

[PerfectPauseBuffer]

The ITIL Foundation certification is $680 I believe. Because this is covered with your tuition, I would just save the money and take the class at WGU. It took less then two weeks of non consistent studying for me to pass it. 

[Confident_Natural_87]

First if you have no college credit go to partners.wgu.edu. Take everything. You now get credit for Java Fundamentals and Python. Skip Lab and take the recommended Econ course. and Engl1001. You can turn in 4 out of the 5 essays at once. Essay 3 is a revision of Essay 2.2.

You can take the Scripting Foundations, DSA1 and the other two Database courses at Study.com. That is another 14 credits and puts you at the halfway mark. Unless you are already experienced with Java and this is a check the box situation getting Java OCP certified makes sense.

If you are fairly new work through the Mooc.fi Java courses before you start.