Java SE 11 or Java SE 17

Hello!

A few months ago I purchased the Oracle University subscription in order to learn the latest Java material in order to take the certification exam. At that time, I believe I only had access to the Java SE 11 material. After reviewing the information in this forum, I see that there is now Java SE 17. I have gone into my subscription and sure enough see an option now for the 34 hour+ course for Java SE 17. So far I have been working through the Java SE 11 class material to prepare for the 1Z0-819 exam. After purchasing the OCP Complete Study Guide and reading through the different exams, I am wanting to be sure I am on the right track! It appears according to the study guide that there are actually two exams I need to take in order to gain the certification. Can I please confirm which exam I should be aiming to take first? I have no previous certifications in Java, have just earned my full stack flex coding bootcamp certification and am over 80% finished with the Oracle Java SE 11 course. Thank you so much!

Welcome to the Ranch

Sorry that nobody has replied earlier.
Why are you sitting these exams? Many prospective employers will look for a qualification, whether a degree, cert. exam, or whatever, and once they have verified that, will forget all its details. If somebody has told you to sit a particular exam, however, sit that. Does it matter whether you gt the Java11 cert. or the Java17 cert? You will have to decide for yourself; we can only offer tentative suggestions.
I am not at all sure, but I think that the Java11 exam is a single‑stage programmer certification exam, and there are two Java17 exams, but one is only at Associate level, so you would probably have to sit the OCPJP exam afterwards. One link on Oracle website; you are probably already familiar with it.
I think you should look at the details of the exam, and sit whichever you think you will get the better mark in! Consider: if you sit the Java11 exam (1Z0‑819), is there any point in sitting the Java17 exam too?
If you pass the Java17 OCPJP exam (??1Z0‑829??), I am sure there is no point in sitting the associate exam, nor the Java11 exam (1Z0‑819).
Some people sit the most recent exam to encourage themselves to learn the latest Java® version. If you think that would be helpful, sit the higher‑level Java17 test only.

Hi Campbell! Thank you so much for your reply! The reason I am trying to get certified is because in the course of completing the bootcamp, I realized I loved object oriented programming. That being said, Java seemed to be my language. After speaking with a friend who is a Senior Principal Developer at Oracle, they mentioned it would help me tremendously to get certified in order to get a job as a developer. With all of the developers that have been laid off over the last couple years, it has been challenging to even get an interview since the competition has some experience. This combined with my friend's advice I am sitting for the exam in order to make myself more marketable and hopefully land a junior position as a Java Developer. Thank you for your advice, I am going to finish out the Java SE 11 course and sit for the 1Z0-819 exam. This will give me a certification and if my employer wishes for me to complete further exams, I will go ahead and pursue that at that time. Since I am just trying to learn Java and prove the skills I have developed, this seems to be the best course of action.

Angi Adema wrote:. . . Thank you so much for your reply! . . .

That's a pleasure
I wonder whether anybody else reading this thread will have a different suggestion.