Big Nerd Ranch's Android Bootcamp - worth it?

Question

At work, I've been told that I must, before the end of the year, get a certification. The shop is Microsoft heavy, and I'm not. That's why I was excited when I suggested something in support of Android development, and they agreed.

Before I go any further, I should say that I don't know what I think about the whole certification question. Frankly, though, I need to do this, regardless of whether I think certification in general is particularly appealing to clients. I realize that the technology is fairly accessible without all this expensive process- but I'd rather focus on Android than, say, getting some MC* scrap of paper.

I don't know of any actual Android certification. Instead, I was thinking that the best regarded Android training in the industry should suffice. I've looked into Big Nerd Ranch's Android Bootcamp, and it looks promising. I live in Atlanta, which is a boon.

Given that my Java skills are good, does this seem like a decent course? Or is there a better known training program that I should look into?

Answer 1

If that's what you want to do, career-wise, then do it. The difference between common programmers and subject/matter experts is that they sign up for boot camps, seminars, workshops and certifications. Short of working the actual coding gods who make this kind of things, this is usually the only way to get started on solid ground (instead of just hacking your way in while doing a poor job.)

I'd add to this that I don't know what the problem is with MS certifications. This is a Java/Unix guy speaking. Lots of MS stuff get a bad rep because of crappy developers, but for that matter, on Java and mobile stuff, there are tons of crappy code monkeys as well.

The MS stack when used properly is a good thing to know. I prefer to work on Java/Unix than with MS stuff, but it would be ridiculous to underestimate it. In technology, objectivity is king.