How to be a great Java coder, top tips for improving your Java coding skills

Helpful guest post from the Software Placements team. If you can code well in Java then you have a really valuable skill, that can take you anywhere in the world. Here in Ireland we have many companies crying out for top skilled Java programmers. There are many many companies looking for fluent Java programmers. If you are one, then get in touch with Software Placements asap, and if not then here are some tips to improve your skill level asap and then hopefully let us help you to get the job you deserve.

Be familiar with Oracle’s Java website 

It is important to be aware of the different versions of Java, and when is the best situation for each category to be used.

You may never need to use all the different versions listed above, but it’s vital to understand when and why they are used.

Online options to upskill your Java competence

You may be a great coder who has simply never used Java before. There are many online courses that you can follow to learn more about Java. One that we have used and found to be very useful is the udacity course.

There are many more other MOOCs out there (massive open online courses) which you may also find useful but this one is a great starting place. If this one is too easy, then have a look at the many other more specialised courses in a whole range of useful IT skills.

Get Java certified

There are many different levels of Java you can take course for. The tests can vary in complexity, and will often quiz you on tough edge cases. Even just studying and working through the mock exam questions (there are lots of great resources online) will deepen your understanding of the language and do no harm for future competency based job interviews.

Sign up for the free monthly Oracle Java Magazine

You can sign up here. This is a helpful, free readable monthly pdf newsletter

you can sign up for. It will help to keep you up to date with changes in the language, and new tools and libraries that have been developed.

Stackoverflow’s Java section is a great resource, use it, learn from it, grow your own reputation through helping others

You may have find your way to this site already, simply by googling various questions you have had when coding in Java. If not then it could be your new best friend.

To date it already has over 1 million Java questions tagged and answered by it’s community of expert Java users. You may not always understand or agree with the answers given. This however is often part of your learning process as you read the comments and suggested answers to each question. All answers are rated and voted on, those deemed to offer the best answer to the question are given the highest scores. As you read the comments and responses to both the questions, and the answers, you gain real insights into the subtleties and complexities of the Java language. All of this will deepen your understanding of the language and increase your employability. Also if you are able to offer helpful and meaningful answers yourself then you will be recognised for the quality of your answers which is then something that is worth mentioning in future job interviews.

Use GitHub to demonstrate your Java coding skills

GitHub offers you a fantastic way to show to your Java coding peers what you are working on. There is also a page which showcases the top trending Java repositories on GitHub.

You can learn a lot here by looking at the code uploaded and working through how they have managed to achieve the results that have been positively ranked by other members of the community. It’s a good opportunity to showcase your own work and if you are able to achieve a positive ranking on GitHub then you have a great way to demonstrate your expertise to potential future employers in interviews.

Putting it all together to become and demonstrate your Java abilities

All of the above are suggestions for how to learn Java in more detail and to then be able to showcase this expertise to potential employers. This will give you the opportunity to follow a successful and stimulating career path. We have further tips here of what our Java recruiters are looking for. There is a big demand for top Java developers and we hope you follow this suggestions and we look forward to successfully placing you in a great job with one of the many Irish companies looking for skilled Java developers.

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.net or on Twitter: @SimonCocking