Matriculant Gets Programming Job Before Certification Exams

2015-10-08 Arnold

Java developers are in such high demand that some graduates of GetCertified Code College’s Java Bootcamp course start their first programming job before taking their certification exams.

 

This is the case with a recent graduate – Craig – who is about to enter the workplace as a junior Java developer.

 

Armed with a passion for computing and a desire to become a programmer, Craig started his search for the right training institute to help him reach his goals, shortly after matriculating. “It was my dad who suggested Code College, having heard it recommended by business partners,” he says.

 

Arnold Graaff, owner and head lecturer at Code College, met with Craig and, after discussing his desire to gain a broad understanding of programming, recommended Java as a core subject. Java is a modern, versatile language used for web programming, enterprise applications, Android apps, electronic control systems and more.

 

Code College is situated close to a Gautrain bus stop and this proved convenient to Craig, who found it easy to travel between home and the institute without depending on his parents.

 

Code College balances theory with practice, with practical projects to be completed after each section. Craig describes the projects as fairly easy in the beginning but progressively more complex as the course proceeds. “I found that, as long as I grasped the materials and took the time to revise what I learned, I was able to complete the projects.”

 

This is where Craig gives credit to Arnold Graaff, who presents the course. Reports Craig, “Arnold has an advanced knowledge of Java and made sure everyone understood the material individually. It takes guts to admit that you don’t get something but he encouraged us to ask questions anyway.” Graaff holds a BSc in Computer Science with Honours and boasts 30 years in the IT industry.

 

Second, Craig says he learned an important life lesson from Graaff. “At school, we were taught to stick to the syllabus and not stray from our study books. However, Arnold encouraged us to become detectives, looking for any extra information that could help us grasp the subject – and to continue independent study throughout life.” That lesson prompted Craig to study on his own. Currently, he’s teaching himself Ruby and the Java Spring Framework.

 

Craig was also drawn to Code College’s community spirit. “I studied hard to understand the topics. Eventually, I found the desire to share with others and hounded Arnold to give me the opportunity to lecture. He let me do so and, under his guidance, I was able to assist others with their problems.”

Craig contributed enthusiastically to Code College’s Google Group. “Whenever I found a tutorial or article that helped me understand the subject, I would post it to the group.” Code College offers ongoing support to current and previous students through online and mobile social platforms, including Google Groups, WhatsApp, its own discussion forum, and more.

Craig studied HTML and CSS as well, and enjoyed these subjects most. “However, when the Bootcamp introduced us to Java Servlets, I was able to do much more with HTML and CSS than before and that really rocked my world.” Java Servlets are web components that can generate web pages and process user input.

Having uploaded his CV to a few job sites on a whim just 5 months earlier, Craig was surprised to be invited to interview for a position requiring the skills of an experienced junior Java developer. After being grilled by 3 senior Java developers and completing a 12-page test, he was offered the position of Junior Java and Oracle Database Developer.

All this without having yet received certification. After training, participants register to sit for the internationally recognised Oracle Certified Associate Java exam and Oracle Certified Professional Java exam. “I’ll definitely take the exams,” says Craig. “Now with a job, I just need to find the time.”

However, Code College will place graduates through its sister company, Compuways IT Recruitment. “Junior Java developers are in such high demand,” say Graaff, “that we have a backlog of requests for their talents.”

Graaff encourages any scholar who is passionate about computers to take Code College’s entrance tests, even if they don’t have high maths scores. “Our assessments will decide their aptitude for this exciting career opportunity.”

Study loans, to be repaid once employed, are available to candidates who can motivate their need.

For course details, visit codecollege.co.za/bootcamps/java-training-course

Advanced Android Programming (23-27 March)

2015-03-11 Alta

Advanced Android Programming Training Course

 

Prerequisites

 

Beginner Android

Advanced Java

 

Day 1

  •  Android and Model View Controller
  •  The activity lifecycle
  •  Debugging Android apps
  •  Your second activity
  •  Android SDK Versions and compatibility
  •  UI fragments and the fragment manager

Day 2

 

  •  Creating user interfaces with Layouts and widgets
  • Displaying Lists with ListFragment
  • Using fragment arguments
  • Using ViewPager
  • Dialogs
  • Audio playback using MediaPlayer
  • Retained Fragments

Day 3

 

  • Localization
  • The action Bar
  • Saving and loading local files
  • Context menus and Contextual Action Mode
  • Camera 1 View finder
  • Camera 2 Taking pictures and handling images
  • Implicit intents

Day 4

 

  • Two pane Master Detail Interfaces
  •  More about intents and tasks
  •  Styles and includes
  •  XML Drawables and 9 patches
  •  HTTP and Background Tasks
  •  Loopers, handlers and handler/thread

Day 5

 

  •  Background services
  •  Broadcast intents
  •  Browsing the Web and  Webview
  •  Custom views and touch events
  •  Tracking the Device’s location
  •  Local Databases with SOlite
  •  Loading Asynchronous Data with loaders
  •  Using maps

Duration and pricing

 

  • Full-time over 5 days (R8995 excl VAT)
  • Part-time over 4 weeks (2 nights per week, 3 hour sessions) (R10995 excl Vat)
  • Part-time over 8 Saturdays, 3 hour sessions (R10995 excl Vat)
  • Distance-learning over up to 3 months (R7995 excl Vat)

Certificate

 

1. Upon completion of this course we will issue you with attendance certificate to certify your attendance and / or completion of the prescribed minimum examples.
2. You have the option to get the competency / academic certificate if you :
hand in a project (pre-approved) covering most of the topics in the book.

Schedule

 

Please enquire by contacting us

Bookings

 

You can download the course registration form on our home page or by clicking here

Brochure

 

You may download a pdf copy of this page by clicking here.

Questions

 

Please email us

Java SE 7 Programming (Advanced Java) Part-time 14 March

2015-03-06 Arnold

Alignment

Oracle OCP Certification aligned to Oracle Exam 1Z0-804

Prerequisites

You should already be at the Beginner Java level before attempting this course.

Intended Audience

The Java SE 7 programming  (Advanced Java) course is intended for people who has completed our Beginner Java course or is at the same level. The Advanced Java training course is meant to apply everything you have learned in the Beginner Java course, learning new things and making use of more practical features of Java like IO, networking, data structures and more. After completing this course and the one before, you would have covered most of the topics required to prepare for the international exam, OCA and OCP as well as build small SE applications. To get intensive job-graded preparation assistance, have a look at our Java Bootcamp.

After this course you should be able to

Course Material

Course Material Provided

Course Contents

Day 1:
Static Classes

  • Static Methods,
  • Static Variables
  • Math Class
  • Math Methods
  • Static Imports

Wrapper classes

  • Autoboxing
  • Number formatting

Date / Time API

  • Moving backward and forward in time
  • Getting an object that extends Calendar
  • Working with Calendar objects
  • Highlights of the Calendar API

Day 3:

I/O Fundamentals

  • Saving Object state
  • Implement Serializable
  • Transient variables

File I/O (NIO.2)

  • Java I/O Streams
  • Path Interface
  • File Class
  • Stream API (NIO2)

Day 5:

Collections and Generics

  • Collections
  • Sorting an ArrayList with Collections.sort()
  • Generics and type-safety
  • Comparable interface
  • A Custom Comparator
  • Collection API : lists, sets, maps
  • HashSet
  • HashMap
  • Polymorphism wildcards

Lambda Built-in Functional Interfaces

  • Listing the built-in interfaces included in java.util.function
  • Core interfaces – Predicate, Consumer, Function, Supplier
  • Using primitive versions of base interfaces
  • Using binary versions of base interfaces
 Day 2:Exception Handling

  • What if you need to call risky code?
  • Checked Exceptions
  • Flow control in try/catch blocks
  • Exceptions are polymorphic
  • When you don’t want to handle an exception…
  • Ducking (by declaring) only delays the inevitable

Nested Classes

  • Getting GUI: A Very Graphic Story
  • Getting a user event
  • Listeners, Sources, and Events
  • An inner class instance must be tied to an outer class instance
  • How to make an instance of an inner class

Day 4:

Networking

  • Connecting, Sending, and Receiving
  • Network Sockets
  • Writing a simple server
  • Writing a Chat Client

 Threads & Concurrency

  • Thread class
  • Runnable interface
  • The Thread Scheduler
  • Putting a thread to sleep
  • Atomic methods
  • Using an object’s lock
  • Synchronization

 

 

Duration and pricing

  • Full-time over 5 days (R8995 excl VAT)
  • Part-time over 4 weeks (2 nights per week, 3 hour sessions) (R10995 excl Vat)
  • Part-time over 8 Saturdays, 3 hour sessions (R10995 excl Vat)
  • Distance-learning over up to 3 months (R7995 excl Vat)
  • The OCP Exam is not included in the course price

Certificate

  1. Upon completion of this course we will issue you with attendance certificate to certify your attendance and / or completion of the prescribed minimum examples.
  2. You may sit for our Advanced Java assessment test and on passing you will obtain our competency certificate.
  3. Our Advanced Java assessment can be booked and taken by someone who has not enrolled for the course at a cost of R950.

Schedule

On the calender on this page below.
If your browser doesn’t display the calendar below, please click on this link or try using Google Chrome, alternatively please enquire via our ‘Contact Us’ page.

Bookings

You can download the course registration form on our home page or by clicking here

Brochure

You may download a pdf copy of this page by clicking here.

Questions

Please email us

Veteran Programmer Recommends Getcertified’s Java Bootcamp

2014-12-29 Arnold

SAP is one of the most advanced computerised business systems in the world. Many IT professionals have built life-long careers around this complex application and are considered to be top experts in the industry. So it was a welcome validation that one school leaver’s father, himself a SAP programmer, advised his son to attend GetCertified’s Java development course.

Java is a programming language favoured by corporations due to its robust security, technical detail, and ability to easily process large amounts of data. It is also used extensively to write Android apps and, of course, SAP programs.

The student hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps and approached him for advice on how to get started. While researching available study avenues, the elder came across GetCertified’s web site and reviewed the details of our Basic and Advanced Java courses. Impressed by the course content, he encouraged his son to enrol.

Although the student’s matric math marks were average, his aptitude test and face-to-face interviews revealed a strong capability to master Java, and he was accepted on this basis.

The student himself had no previous programming experience, having only recently matriculated. He found the initial course difficult as he grappled with the basics of programming as well as the Java language. However, he commends his lecturer, Arnold Graaff, for helping him gain the insight needed to succeed. “Arnold was always ready to provide me with additional mentoring,” he says. Under that tutelage, by the time the student tackled his practical project in the advanced course, he had a solid understanding of Java and general programming principles.

Graaff’s own qualifications – a BSc in Computer Science with Honours and 30 years in the IT industry – make him the perfect instructor.

After training, all participants register to sit for the internationally recognised Oracle Certified Associate Java exam and Oracle Certified Professional Java exam. The student achieved an outstanding 96% pass at his first sitting. Total time studying was 6 months.

After exams, he was afforded the opportunity to work on a 6 month contract with BMW South Africa as a junior Java developer. Should his work meet their standard, the company will consider offering him a permanent position.

GetCertified partners with Compuways – a top IT recruitment company placing tech personnel since 1990 – to find positions for students who successfully complete the course. “Junior Java developers are in demand and we have standing orders for their skills, enabling us to place them very quickly” says Graaff.

Bursaries or study loans are available on request to applicants who passed pure maths in matric, or who perform favourably in GetCertified’s aptitude test and face-to-face interviews.

For course details, visit www.getcertified.co.za.

——

About GetCertified IT Training

Johannesburg-based GetCertified IT Training was established in 2004 as a subsidiary of Compuways IT Consulting. The company provides targeted, quality IT training to two markets: IT professionals who want to cross-train themselves to improve their career prospects, and individuals wanting to enter the IT job market for the first time. All courses are aligned to recognised international certification syllabi and are designed to achieve a level of practical proficiency required by prospective employers.