Programming Careers: A Guide to Finding Top-Paying Tech Jobs
November 27, 2024
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Prepare for a career as a Java developer. Gain the in-demand skills and hands-on experience to get job-ready in less than 6 months. No prior experience required.
Instructors: IBM Skills Network Team
Included with
(6 reviews)
Recommended experience
Beginner level
There are no prerequisites. You do not need to have any previous background or experience, or a college degree to take this program.
(6 reviews)
Recommended experience
Beginner level
There are no prerequisites. You do not need to have any previous background or experience, or a college degree to take this program.
Build the job-ready skills and hands-on experience in Java development that employers look for in less than 6 months
Learn how to deploy Java applications with industry-standard practices, design patterns, testing, and Cloud native technologies
Create interactive web applications by combining HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Java back-end frameworks like Spring
Design and deploy scalable, database-driven apps by integrating relational and noSQL databases, microservices, and Docket containers
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March 2025
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With experienced Java developers earning more than USD138,000 annually, Java is an excellent choice for anyone looking to start a career, or change to a new career using Java for software development. This IBM Professional Certificate program equips you with the skills needed to build and deploy Java applications, integrate front-end technologies, and create dynamic cloud and enterprise solutions.
Java developers design, build, and maintain software applications using the Java programming language, ensuring they are efficient, scalable, and secure.
In this program you’ll master Java programming fundamentals, web development, database integration, and modern deployment practices. You’ll gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools like Git and Docker while learning advanced Java development techniques. You’ll also work on several real-world-inspired projects, giving you valuable practical experience that stands out during interviews.
By the end of this program, you’ll be able to build Java applications, integrate front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with Java frameworks and frameworks like Spring, design database-driven applications and leverage generative AI tools. You’ll graduate with a portfolio showcasing your job-ready hands-on skills and a resume tailored for entry-level Java Developer roles.
Build job-ready Java development skills that employers are looking for. Enroll today and enhance your resume in less than 6 months!
Applied Learning Project
In this program, you’ll complete numerous labs and more than ten hands-on projects, providing real-world experience and practical skills to showcase in resumes and interviews, demonstrate your Java expertise.
Projects:
Perform a software engineering job search and analysis
Build a database-driven application using SQL and Hibernate
Build a console driven grocery store shopping application
Develop a console-based mood-tracking application
Build a simple-interest calculator
Create a single page portfolio website
Create and share a public/open-source GitHub project
Integrate front-end technologies with Java back-end frameworks.
Develop a simple online quiz application using Spring Boot and Spring MVC
Create a booking app for a bed and breakfast business
Deploy a guestbook application
Use CodeCraftHub to build personalized learning applications
By working on these projects, you’ll have a professional portfolio to demonstrate your skills to employers.
Describe software engineering, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), and software development tools, technologies and stacks.
List different types of programming languages and create basic programming constructs such as loops and conditions using Python.
Outline approaches to application architecture and design, patterns, and deployment architectures.
Summarize the skills required in software engineering and describe the career options it provides.
Build job-ready Java skills employers are looking for, supported by hands-on experience you can talk about in interviews in just one month.
Set up of the Java environment with the Java Development Kit (JDK), Java Runtime Environment (JRE), and Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
Implement data types, variables, operators, control flow statements, arrays, strings, and more.
Use robust exception-handling techniques using try-catch blocks, and differentiate among checked and runtime exceptions for application development.
Describe version control and its place in social and collaborative coding and in DevOps.
Explain basic Git concepts such as repositories and branches used for distributed version control and social coding.
Create GitHub repositories and branches, and perform pull requests (PRs) and merge operations, to collaborate on a team project.
Build your portfolio by creating and sharing an open-source project on GitHub.
Apply object-oriented programming (OOP) techniques to define and implement classes and objects, demonstrating encapsulation and abstraction.
Use advanced OOP concepts such as inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, and method overloading.
Employ the Java collections framework to manage data using lists, sets, queues, and maps.
Describe the basics of directory and file handling in Java and practical uses of date and time in application development.
Describe the Web Application Development Ecosystem and terminology like front-end developer, back-end, server-side, and full stack.
Identify the developer tools and integrated development environments (IDEs) used by web developers.
Create and structure basic web pages using HTML and style them with CSS.
Develop dynamic web pages with interactive features using JavaScript.
“By the end of this course, a learner will be able to:
Describe the use of Cloud Native with Java Discuss the use of microservices with Java Explain how to implement containers Clarify the role and benefits of Agile development with Cloud, microservices, and containers
Build job-ready skills in the Spring Framework and master the Spring ecosystem and its advanced architectural components in just 4 weeks.
Build RESTful APIs using Spring Boot for scalable applications
Develop web applications with robust security measures using Spring Security
Leverage powerful development tools for seamless integration and testing
Databases are the backbone of modern applications, powering everything from large scale enterprise systems to web applications.
This course offers a comprehensive kick-off to working with databases using Java programming. If you have little or no knowledge of databases and want to understand the different types of databases and work with these databases using Java, this course is for you. The course is structured into three modules. The first module will cover the fundamentals of databases and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC). In the second module, you will develop database applications using Spring Boot. In the third module, you will work with Hibernate and also explore other databases such as NoSQL, SQL Graph and time series databases. In all the modules, you will perform hands-on lab exercise. The course culminates in a final project where you apply your knowledge to a real-world scenario, thus reinforcing your learning. By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the skills necessary to develop Java applications with databases.
Demonstrate your mastery of Java development by completing this capstone project! In this course, you will apply your knowledge and skills to a real-life inspired challenge and use your expertise to develop a successful solution.
Describe the role of a software engineer and some career path options as well as the prospective opportunities in the field.
Explain how to build a foundation for a job search, including researching job listings, writing a resume, and making a portfolio of work.
Summarize what a candidate can expect during a typical job interview cycle, different types of interviews, and how to prepare for interviews.
Explain how to give an effective interview, including techniques for answering questions and how to make a professional personal presentation.
Discuss how to generate code snippets, scripts, and programs using generative AI models
Apply techniques for application design and architecture, bug detection, code refactoring, and program optimization using generative AI
Develop innovative solutions using Gen AI-powered tools and models such as ChatGPT, GitHub CoPilot, Google Gemini, and IBM watsonx Code Assistant
Explain challenges and ethical considerations associated with using Generative AI for programming and options for mitigating them
At IBM, we know how rapidly tech evolves and recognize the crucial need for businesses and professionals to build job-ready, hands-on skills quickly. As a market-leading tech innovator, we’re committed to helping you thrive in this dynamic landscape. Through IBM Skills Network, our expertly designed training programs in AI, software development, cybersecurity, data science, business management, and more, provide the essential skills you need to secure your first job, advance your career, or drive business success. Whether you’re upskilling yourself or your team, our courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates build the technical expertise that ensures you, and your organization, excel in a competitive world.
In a world marked by relentless evolution, versatility, adaptability, and interdisciplinary skills are key to thriving professionally. At SkillUp, we focus on designing outcome-driven skill-development programs that transform lives and careers worldwide. Whether it’s landing your first job, advancing in your career, mastering efficiency in your role, or making breakthroughs in diverse careers, our courses equip you with the skills and confidence to set you up to hit the ground running. Combining sound instructional design, engaging multimedia, and real-world problem-solving, we create learning journeys that build knowledge step by step. We present learners with open-ended, real-world problems that help them apply acquired knowledge as they progress through their learning journey. This also allows learners to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills. Our courses, specializations, professional certificates, and virtual and blended learning programs help learners and organizations upskill on the world’s latest technologies, functional domains, and human skills.
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
This program is ideal for anyone looking to get started as a software developer or Java developer. Whether you’re just starting your career, looking to reskill and switch, or add new skills to your resume, this program will help you get your first job as a Java developer.
You do not need to have any prior programming or software development experience to take this program. Additionally, you do not need to have a degree. However, if you’re already a developer, this program is ideal if you want to add Java to your skill set.
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Certificate, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Certificate. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
This course is completely online, so attending a classroom in person is unnecessary. You can access your lectures, readings, and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or mobile.
We highly recommend taking the courses in the order listed, as they progressively build on concepts from one course to the next, though the courses can stand alone.
At this time, college credit is not available for taking this program.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Certificate, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Certificate. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
¹Based on Coursera learner outcome survey responses, United States, 2021.