Programming with Java from Coursera

This is the second course in the Amazon Junior Software Developer Professional Certificate. In this course, you will explore advanced Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts in Java, starting with an introduction to Interfaces and Abstract Classes. You'll learn how to effectively utilize interfaces for achieving multiple inheritance and how abstract classes play a crucial role in designing class hierarchies. Moving forward, you'll dive into Exception Handling, covering various types of exceptions in Java, along with best practices for handling them using try-catch-finally blocks. You'll also gain knowledge of File I/O operations, acquire skills in reading from and writing to files, understand different types of streams, and perform file operations efficiently. Finally, you'll explore Serialization and Deserialization techniques, enabling you to save and reconstruct object states, as well as use last run files for configuring current run states effectively. Overall, this course equips you with advanced Java programming skills essential for developing robust, efficient, and scalable applications.

After completing this course, you’ll be able to:

• Develop methods to organize and reuse code effectively.

• Apply object-oriented programming concepts within the Java language to design modular and scalable code.

• Handle errors and exceptions in Java to create robust applications.

What's inside

Syllabus

Advanced OOP concepts

In this module, you'll explore advanced object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts, specifically interfaces and abstract classes in Java. You'll learn the importance of interfaces for code flexibility and how to implement them effectively, particularly in managing the challenges of multiple inheritance. Additionally, you'll understand the role of abstract classes in designing well-organized and extensible class hierarchies.

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Builds upon prior knowledge of Java programming, allowing learners to develop more robust and efficient applications, which is essential for career advancement

Covers exception handling, which is a critical skill for writing reliable and maintainable code, and is highly valued in the software development industry

Explores file I/O operations, which are fundamental for data persistence and application configuration, and are commonly used in software development

Teaches serialization and deserialization techniques, enabling developers to save and restore object states, which is useful for caching and data transfer

Requires learners to have completed the previous course in the Amazon Junior Software Developer Professional Certificate, which may be a barrier for some learners

Presented by Amazon, a company known for its large-scale software systems and its contributions to Java technologies, which may add credibility to the course

Reviews summary

Advanced java concepts and practice

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in advanced Java concepts like Interfaces, Abstract Classes, Exception Handling, and File I/O. Many students appreciated the practical application through the final project, which allows them to enhance a previous project. While the course is generally well-structured and builds effectively on prior knowledge (especially from the previous course in the certificate), some reviewers noted that certain topics could benefit from more in-depth explanation or additional practice problems to fully grasp complex ideas.

Connects well with prior learning.

"As the second course, it flows well from the first and expands on the zoo project effectively."

"Good continuation of the certificate path. Builds nicely on the basics from the first course."

"Appreciated how it tied back to the previous material, making it feel integrated."

Covers core advanced Java principles.

"This course gave me a good understanding of exception handling and file operations in Java."

"The sections on Interfaces and Abstract Classes were explained clearly."

"Learned important advanced OOP topics like serialization and deserialization."

"Provides a solid foundation for working with files and handling errors effectively."

Offers hands-on application of concepts.

"The final project was great; it allowed me to actually use the File I/O and serialization concepts."

"I really liked how the final project built upon the previous course's work. It made the learning feel continuous."

"Applying the concepts learned in the project was the most helpful part for me."

"The hands-on coding and projects are the strongest part of the course for me."

Could benefit from more exercises.

"More practice problems outside of the main project would have been helpful to solidify understanding."

"The assignments were okay, but I felt I needed external resources for more practice."

"Additional coding exercises for each module would improve retention."

Some topics need more detailed explanation.

"Could use more in-depth coverage on complex topics or optimization techniques."

"Some areas felt a bit rushed, especially the nuances of different stream types."

"I wish there were more examples or deeper dives into specific exception handling scenarios."

"While it covers the topics, it sometimes felt like it only scratched the surface."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Programming with Java with these activities:

Review Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) Principles

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Reinforce your understanding of core OOP concepts like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism to prepare for the advanced OOP topics covered in the course.

Browse courses on Object-Oriented Programming

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Read introductory materials on OOP concepts.
Complete practice exercises on creating classes and objects.
Review examples of inheritance and polymorphism.

Review 'Head First Java' by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates

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Reinforce your understanding of Java fundamentals with a visually engaging and accessible guide.

View Head First Java: A Brain-Friendly Guide on Amazon

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Review chapters on OOP, exception handling, and file I/O.
Work through the exercises and quizzes in the book.
Compare the book's explanations with the course material.

Review 'Effective Java' by Joshua Bloch

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Study effective Java programming techniques to improve your coding style and understanding of the Java language.

View Effective Java (3rd Edition) on Amazon

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Read selected chapters focusing on interfaces, exceptions, and serialization.
Implement examples from the book to solidify understanding.
Reflect on how the book's advice applies to your own Java projects.

Four other activities

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Practice Exception Handling Scenarios

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Sharpen your skills in handling exceptions by working through various coding scenarios that require try-catch-finally blocks.

Browse courses on Exception Handling

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Write code that intentionally throws different types of exceptions.
Implement try-catch blocks to handle these exceptions gracefully.
Test your code with different inputs to ensure proper exception handling.

Create a Cheat Sheet for File I/O Operations

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Consolidate your knowledge of file I/O by creating a concise cheat sheet that summarizes key concepts and code snippets.

Browse courses on File I/O

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Review the different types of streams in Java.
Summarize the key methods for reading and writing files.
Include examples of serialization and deserialization.

Extend the Zoo Project with Serialization

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Apply your knowledge of serialization by implementing it in the Zoo project from the previous course, allowing you to save and load the state of your zoo.

Browse courses on Serialization

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Identify the classes in the Zoo project that need to be serialized.
Implement the Serializable interface in those classes.
Write code to save and load the zoo's state to a file.
Test the serialization and deserialization process thoroughly.

Answer Questions on Java Forums

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Solidify your understanding by helping others learn Java, reinforcing your own knowledge in the process.

Browse courses on Java

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Find online Java forums or communities.
Browse the forums for questions related to the course topics.
Provide clear and helpful answers to the questions.

Career center

Learners who complete Programming with Java will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Java Developer

A Java developer specializes in building applications using the Java programming language. This course directly develops skills that a Java developer will use. The course focuses on advanced object-oriented programming concepts in Java, exception handling, and file input/output operations. This course's coverage of interfaces, abstract classes, and file streams is of particular importance, as these topics are needed to develop modular and scalable Java applications. The course also explores how to enhance applications, which is a core skill for a Java developer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Java Developer

Software Engineer

A software engineer applies engineering principles to develop and maintain software systems. This course focuses on the Java programming language and the work of a software engineer often involves working with different programming languages. But, it also provides a strong foundation in advanced object-oriented programming concepts, which all software engineers make use of. This course teaches about interfaces, abstract classes, and handling errors in Java. A software engineer can use these skills to develop modular and scalable software. Additionally, the course explores file i/o and serialization which a software engineer will need to know in order to handle data.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Software Developer

A software developer designs, develops, and tests software applications. This course is particularly useful for aspiring software developers because it teaches object oriented programming including working with interfaces and abstract classes to achieve code flexibility, as well as exception handling and file input/output using streams. These skills are fundamental to building robust and scalable software applications. Furthermore, the course covers serialization and deserialization, which are needed for creating more advanced applications. The final project of this course, in particular, can help build a foundation to tackle development challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Application Developer

An application developer builds and maintains software applications for various platforms. This course explores a number of topics that are highly relevant to the work of an application developer. It teaches how to effectively use interfaces and abstract classes to work with code and create extensible class hierarchies. It also goes into defensive programming to manage errors and exceptions, which is essential for any applications. Additionally, the course explores how to work with files using streams and how to save and reconstruct object states with serialization and deserialization. All of these skills are useful for building and maintaining applications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Application Developer

Backend Developer

A backend developer focuses on the server-side logic and database interactions of applications. This role requires a deep understanding of object-oriented programming and handling of errors, skills precisely taught in this course. A backend developer can leverage the instruction in file i/o using streams to manage files in the back end, and they can also use serialization and deserialization to manage object state. This course provides important skills for backend developers to build reliable and scalable backend systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Backend Developer

Mobile Application Developer

A mobile application developer creates applications for mobile devices. While this course uses Java, which is often used for Android development, the skills learned are applicable to a variety of mobile platforms. For example, using object oriented programming principles and defensive programming for handling errors are critical for mobile app stability. A mobile application developer would benefit from this course's instruction in the use of interfaces and abstract classes to reuse code and work with files to read and write data. Additionally, the course's work with serialization and deserialization would assist a mobile application developer in handling persistent data.

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Data Engineer

A data engineer builds and maintains data pipelines and infrastructure. This course provides important tools for a data engineer in the form of object oriented programming, file handling, and serialization and deserialization techniques. A data engineer can leverage the course's teachings to develop robust and scalable data pipelines. This course is particularly relevant due to its focus on file handling using streams, which is a core component of data pipeline work.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer

Embedded Systems Engineer

An embedded systems engineer develops software for embedded systems, such as those found in cars or industrial equipment. The advanced object-oriented programming concepts and techniques, such as interfaces and abstract class taught in this course, apply to developing software for embedded systems. Likewise, the use of file I/O operations using streams and serialization and deserialization are useful for that work to manage data. This course can be useful to an embedded systems engineer as it teaches fundamental programming concepts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Embedded Systems Engineer

Systems Engineer

A systems engineer is involved in the design, implementation, and management of complex systems. The concepts of object oriented programming and error handling taught in this course are an important part of their work to design systems. By teaching about file I/O and serialization, the course exposes systems engineers to how files and objects are handled. This course may be helpful to a systems engineer to learn concepts required for their work to design robust systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Engineer

Web Developer

A web developer creates and maintains websites. While this course focuses on the Java programming language, which is not typically used for front-end development, the core concepts of the course apply to both. For example, this course will teach a web developer to make robust code with object oriented programming and exception handling. A web developer will also find the work with files and streams helpful. This course may be useful to a web developer, particularly one who works on the server side.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer

Quality Assurance Engineer

A quality assurance engineer tests software to ensure that it meets quality standards. This course teaches defensive programming and error handling that is extremely relevant for that work. Specifically, this course teaches a quality assurance engineer to evaluate how software is handling errors, which is essential in that role. This course may be beneficial to a quality assurance engineer as it teaches critical skills needed to test software.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Engineer

Database Administrator

A database administrator manages and maintains databases. This course covers file input output and serialization techniques that are very relevant to the work of a database administrator. Additionally, understanding how to write robust code using object oriented programming and defensive programming is helpful in this role. This course may be helpful to a database administrator to learn the skills needed to manage and maintain databases.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator

Data Scientist

A data scientist analyzes data to gain insights and support decision-making. While this course does not directly focus on data analysis, a data scientist needs an understanding of software development and programming. This course teaches object oriented programming and how to read and write data to files, which helps a data scientist work with data. This course may assist a data scientist in understanding how to use data with software.

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IT Analyst

An information technology analyst analyzes and troubleshoots technology issues within an organization. This course's focus on object oriented programming and defensive programming to handle errors can help an IT analyst understand how software functions. The course's focus on file i/o and serialization can help an analyst understand how data is managed by a system. This course may be useful to an IT analyst to learn about these topics.

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Technical Support Engineer

A technical support engineer provides technical assistance to customers. This role requires some familiarity with programming and how software functions. This course may be helpful to a technical support engineer as it teaches the fundamentals of object oriented programming and file i/o. This course could familiarize a technical support engineer with certain kinds of programming in order to assist customers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Support Engineer

Programming with Java

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Advanced java concepts and practice

Activities

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