This is a series that will cover the implementation and my understanding of methods, concepts, coding challenges and projects in Java.
Backstory / Why Java?
My journey to learn Java came when I saw a tweet on Twitter about an open role at Netflix.
The tweet that started it all
Netflix has always been a very interesting company to me. I was in college when I first heard of Netflix, working as a manager at the defunct home video competitor.
I was a 19 year old college student, who was very interested in technology, media and studying computer science. So, seeing things go digital felt like the way of the future.
However, when I listened on conference calls about the choices the Blockbuster CEO was making about the decisions with Netflix, the future of movies and how customers want movies delivered, I was disappointed to say the least.
At times, I was utterly jaw dropped, because I was a young consumer who was also working in the industry and I could see first hand how things were changing.
For the first time, I witnessed and understood there was a major disconnect between corporate leadership and what the customers in the real world wanted -- it was sad and shocking all at the same time.
One thing remained -- my intrigue with Netflix.
With the intrigue also came my decision to be a customer throughout the years. Naturally, when I saw the tweet I was also very interested in the job.
One problem, I didn't have any experience with JVM. However, I wasn't going to let that stop me, I was going to state my interest and ask if that would be an issue.
Taking my shot
My Great Idea
I immediately had a new plan. I would learn Java and whether or not I ever get hired as a software engineer at Netflix, at the very least, I would have a new language under my belt.
Throughout college and my professional career in tech, I've had to learn several programming languages, but Java was not one of them.
3 days after the initial tweet, I started learning Java. Between my full-time job and two software engineering / networking / interviewing bootcamps, I received my Java certificate.
Java Practice Topics and Projects
This is a growing list topics and projects that I'll be covering:
- How to convert a string to a character array
- How to convert a string to an array list
- How to reverse a string
Next Steps
If you're interested in Java and getting more practice with the language, refer back to this page often for updates.