Should I get certified?

There are four primary schools of thought on whether or not software developers should be certified. The first school says that certification is basically worthless since it doesn't prove anything (other than your ability to take and pass the test :-). The second school of thought says that certification does show that you really do know something about Java so it's worthwhile to get certified so that you have that badge of expertise. The third school of thought is more practically focused and says that certification is a way to help get you through more levels of hiring filters than you might otherwise get through. The fourth school says that going through all of the studying and testing to become certified is a helpful learning experience so do it to fulfill your own desire for learning.