Java is a general-purpose, high-level programming language used to create software for multiple platforms, including web, mobile, and desktop applications. Java’s broad utility, ease of learning, strong security, and well-established resources make it a popular choice for many companies and creators building software tools. Once you’ve decided to learn Java, the next important question is deciding how it is you plan to learn that skill. Most students find that they learn better when they receive guided training and there is no shortage of available options for students to receive guidance in their Java training. To learn more about the different Java training options and what advantages and disadvantages they carry with them, read on.

What is Java?

Java is a programming language and computing platform created at Sun Microsystems in 1995, now open-source and free to use. It is a high-level and general-purpose language, designed so that a programmer can write an application once and run it on any device with Java Runtime Environment (JRE) software. This wide utility makes Java one of the most popular programming languages, used to create web, mobile, and desktop applications (including video games), web and database servers, machine learning systems, and smart appliances. Java is an object-oriented language, which allows programmers to build projects faster by using shared code libraries and reusing previous code. Java’s syntax is highly similar to C++ and C#, which makes it easier to learn, and its long history and consistent popularity have generated many resources for learning and support. Other programming languages have also been adapted to run on the Java platform, making it a useful system for coders to understand even if they do not primarily write in Java. 

What Can You Do with Java Skills?

Programmers can use Java to create software for most platforms, including web, mobile, and desktop applications. Software products created with Java include video games; social media and entertainment platforms; ride-sharing, hospitality, delivery, and other service scheduling apps; mathematical software; and research software for measurement, experimental control, and data analysis. Many businesses seek Java programmers to create and maintain enterprise applications to manage their operations, including tasks like inventory management, service scheduling, and retail sales. Java also supports cloud storage and processing, enabling more distributed services. Similarly, Java programmers can write code to operate web servers, database servers, and smart devices. Java-powered devices include home security systems, smart appliances, self-driving vehicles, and robots. Java-based applications were at the forefront of early Big Data and continue to be significant among data mining, machine learning, and generative programs. In particular, Java programmers now build many chatbots, search assistants, and other expert systems. 

Why Training Format Matters

The format of a training program affects not only a student’s learning experience but also the quality of their education. In extreme cases, the training format can prevent a student from starting or completing a program. Programs can range in cost from free tutorials to expensive degree programs. While greater cost often provides better instruction, more content, and more resources, many students do not need more expensive courses. Some courses allow students to study at their own pace using pre-written or -recorded lessons, while others use live, scheduled classes. Schools may hold live classes in person or online, with class schedules varying in the length and frequency of their sessions. Each of these options yields advantages and disadvantages that affect a student’s learning, either due to the format itself or the way that that format interacts with an individual’s goals, learning style, and circumstances.

Types of Training Formats

The most traditional training format — and usually, the fastest and most effective — is live instruction delivered in person in a classroom. Alternatively, students may attend live classes online or learn at their own pace using pre-recorded online lessons either sold by training schools or shared for free.

Live In-Person Classes

Live instruction remains the most consistently effective training format for most skills, including Java programming, primarily because of students’ direct contact with an expert instructor. In-person classes maximize the advantages of live instruction by allowing instructors to quickly adjust lessons, answer questions, review student work, and provide advice. For some students, being personally present helps them concentrate better on lessons. Students can also work together most easily in a shared classroom, and they have the easiest access to class materials, software, and computing hardware at a school.

In exchange for these benefits, live courses tend to be the most expensive option. Students’ travel to a class site adds further expense and takes extra time. For some students, transportation difficulties reduce their in-person options. Other students do not have suitable training schools anywhere near them. Even when there are plenty of schools in reach, in-person study still limits students’ choices for course types, instructors, and scheduling options.

Live Online Classes

Compared to in-person classes, live online classes offer almost the same fast interaction with an instructor. Students attend live online classes using streaming video, either through services like Zoom or directly on a school’s website. By eliminating the limits of location and travel, online classes offer students a much wider range of options, with more different schools, instructors, course types, and schedules to choose from. Online classes are also less costly than in-person study, eliminate travel problems, and are generally more comfortable for students.

Live online classes do have several limitations. The streaming video format may suffer from technical problems. Online attendance also interferes with some students’ learning styles, especially those who have hearing difficulties or attentional deficits that are worsened by sitting at home at a computer. Online students must also download course materials and install software on their personal computers. However, most Java resources are available for free download, and even in-person Java classes require students to have computer and Internet access to complete homework assignments.

On-Demand Classes

On-demand classes are delivered online using written and pre-recorded video lessons. Students can access, view, and practice lessons on their own, giving their studies greater flexibility. Students can schedule study around other obligations like work or, if they choose, they can speed through lessons or skip previously studied or unnecessary topics. On-demand courses are also much less expensive than live options.

Still, this flexibility has other costs. On-demand classes offer no direct instruction and greatly limit feedback, even when supplemented by chats, message boards, email, or phone contact with an advisor. Given this slower, less consistent feedback, students’ progress can become delayed or incomplete. Some students have trouble staying focused and motivated without the help of a fixed schedule and regular class interactions. Depending on the payment method for an on-demand course, these delays can increase costs or force students to abandon their studies.

Free Courses

Free Java tutorials can be found online as texts, videos, or interactive web apps, provided by training schools, coding websites, or social media sites. A wide range of free lessons are available, although finding specific topics may require some searching. In addition to having no cost, free lessons also do not require registration, scheduling, or any other commitment. Students can view any lessons they find in any order or timing they choose. 

Being unpaid work, these tutorials provide no guarantees of organization or quality. Even when accessed from reputable sources, free materials are often limited, usually focused on early, introductory topics or specific coding techniques or tools. Free lessons also provide minimal or no feedback. Free Java lessons are best used either to familiarize students with the language before they enroll in a formal course or else to learn more about specific aspects of the language.

Depth of Training Formats

The majority of Java courses begin with an introduction to the language. Introductory courses stop there, at a simple or ‘vanilla’ level enabling students to learn more in later, advanced courses. More in-depth courses like bootcamps and certificate programs cover introductory, intermediate, and advanced uses of Java, including complex coding techniques, development tools, applied projects, and associated skills that complement Java and prepare students for related careers.

Certificate Programs

Java certificate programs are complete training courses, usually organized around specific professional projects or careers. For example, a Java certificate program might focus on web development, mobile development, or enterprise applications. The goal of a Java certificate program is to provide students with a professional-level education that teaches them enough to produce effective code and qualify for entry-level employment. Java certificate programs begin with an accelerated introduction to the language, quickly progressing to advanced concepts and coding techniques, then presenting units on assistive tools like Java frameworks and specific applications of the language like web applications or web server coding. Certificate programs usually also include career guidance and support like portfolio creation, interview practice, personal mentoring, and job placement assistance. 

To cover all these lessons, Java certificate programs typically last for two or three months on a full-time schedule. Some certificate programs also offer part-time scheduling, which increases a course’s length but allows students to work or manage other responsibilities while they study. Due to their length and complexity, certificate programs are also expensive, though less costly than a comparable college course. To help with costs, some certificate programs offer financing or installment plans. For an example of a certificate program, consider Noble Desktop’s Full Stack Web Development Certificate, a comprehensive course on web development including lessons on web development languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, training in further tools that assist web developers, and career guidance for the web development industry.

Training Bootcamps

Bootcamp courses focus on a single complex skill or set of related skills, presenting their lessons in an intensive, accelerated format. Like certificate programs, bootcamps are intended for professional training suitable to qualify graduates for employment, though bootcamps cannot cover as many topics, in as much depth, as a certificate program. Some Java bootcamps focus entirely on the language itself, ensuring that students can fully master its programming techniques. Alternately, some Java bootcamps are focused on project types or careers like mobile applications or web development. These latter bootcamps teach fewer techniques unrelated to their focus, trading this time for lessons on subject-specific tools like development frameworks.

Bootcamps are considerably shorter than certificate programs, taking only a few weeks, and are also much less expensive. Still, some bootcamps offer part-time scheduling and delayed payment options to make them more accessible. Bootcamps’ compact nature makes them a useful option for people retraining for a better career, as they can add specific skills quickly, without unnecessary delays. Bootcamps can also be useful for recent high school and college graduates needing to add more job skills. For example, NextGen Bootcamp offers a Java Programming Summer Program, a bootcamp course for high school and college students that teaches both practical Java coding and the underlying principles of computer science.

Introductory Courses

An introductory Java course teaches the programming language itself, ensuring that students understand its core concepts, terms, and techniques. These courses usually stop at a basic or ‘vanilla’ level where students can write code manually but lack specialized tools that support specific programming projects. For some students, this basic knowledge is sufficient for their needs. For others, an introductory Java course is a starting point, giving them the background necessary to handle more advanced studies like web or software development. 

Aside from being the shortest and least expensive courses, introductory Java courses also have few or no prerequisites. Some introductory courses explicitly teach students basic computer science concepts alongside Java. A few introductory Java courses focus on specific uses of the language, such as gaming, data science, or web applications. Overall, there are many more options for introductory Java classes compared to bootcamp or certificate courses, including on-demand classes and free tutorials.

Learn Java Skills with Noble Desktop

NextGen Bootcamp hosts a Java Programming Summer Program, both live online and in-person in New York City, teaching professional Java coding to high school and college students. The program, which takes about two weeks on a full-time schedule, begins with an introduction to programming that grounds each concept with its corresponding uses in Java. The course continues through lessons on more complex topics like file management, object-oriented programming, and recursion. In addition to class instruction, students receive a proprietary workbook, work on applied practical projects, and can review the recordings of each class session. After completing this program, students receive a verified digital certificate.

For adult learners, Noble Desktop offers online Java Private Tutoring in three-hour increments. This instruction is 1-on-1 and personalized to each student. Though designed primarily for beginners with little or no programming experience, the tutoring program progresses quickly to higher-level programming concepts and includes a complete, original project suitable for a starting portfolio. Students can also use this course to prepare for further computer science studies.

Python is another high-level, general-purpose programming language used for many of the same projects as Java. Students seeking training in computing fields like web development, software engineering, or data analysis should consider studying Python in addition to Java. Noble Desktop’s Python Developer Certificate program is a complete professional training course offered in-person in New York City or live online anywhere. The course requests that students have prior experience coding in HTML and CSS, such as taught in an introductory web design or web development class. This knowledge will help in the program’s second unit, which teaches web development using Python, following the introductory unit that introduces Python’s fundamental terms, syntax, and techniques. Students may choose one of three bonus units to conclude their Python studies: Data Science, Data Visualization, or Machine Learning. The complete program takes several weeks of full-time study but includes several portfolio-quality projects and four 1-on-1 mentoring sessions to help with difficult topics or career preparation. Students also receive a certificate upon completion and may retake the course once for free within one year.