Before diving into our daily sessions, my AI mentor and I reviewed and discussed this comprehensive 6-month curriculum together. This serves as our roadmap and will be referenced throughout our journey.

Java Mastery: 6-Month Learning Path

Overview

This curriculum is designed for an experienced developer aiming to master Java and its ecosystem. The program assumes 6-8 hours of daily dedication (~1,200 hours in total over 180 days) and includes both theoretical learning and practical project work.

Learning Objectives

  • Master core Java and its ecosystem
  • Develop enterprise-grade applications
  • Understand and implement software engineering best practices
  • Learn modern development workflows and tools
  • Prepare for professional Java certifications
  • Complete a substantial project demonstrating learned skills

Core References

Books

  • Java: The Complete Reference by Herbert Schildt
  • Effective Java by Joshua Bloch
  • High-Performance Java Persistence by Vlad Mihalcea
  • Clean Code by Robert C. Martin

Official Documentation

  • Oracle Java Documentation and Tutorials
  • Spring Framework Documentation
  • Selenium WebDriver Documentation
  • JUnit 5 User Guide
  • Maven/Gradle Documentation

Project Work

Starting from Month 4, a significant project will begin and continue until the end of the program. This project will run parallel to the studies and should incorporate concepts as they are learned.

Curriculum Structure

Month 1: Core Java Fundamentals

Week 1: Java Platform and Environment

  • JDK, JRE, JVM architecture and relationships
  • Setting up modern Java development environment (IntelliJ IDEA)
  • Git workflows and best practices
  • Basic syntax, data types, operators, control flow
  • Object-oriented fundamentals in Java context

Week 2: Data Structures Foundations

  • Arrays and dynamic arrays implementation
  • Linked lists and their variations
  • Stacks and queues
  • Basic tree structures
  • Implementation of fundamental data structures in Java

Week 3: Modern Java Language Features

  • Collections framework deep dive
  • Generics and type system mastery
  • Functional interfaces and lambda expressions
  • Stream API and functional programming
  • Optional class and null handling strategies

Week 4: Algorithms Fundamentals & I/O

  • Basic sorting algorithms
  • Searching algorithms
  • Big O notation and complexity analysis
  • File I/O and NIO.2 capabilities
  • Resource management and best practices

Month 2: Professional Java Development

Week 1: Advanced Data Structures & Build Tools

  • Hash tables and collision handling
  • Trees (Binary, AVL, Red-Black)
  • Maven/Gradle deep dive
  • Dependency management strategies
  • Testing fundamentals (JUnit, TestNG)

Week 2: Database Integration & Persistence

  • Database design patterns for Java applications
  • JDBC fundamentals and best practices
  • JPA and Hibernate core concepts
  • Connection pooling with HikariCP
  • Implementing efficient data access patterns
  • Transaction management fundamentals

Week 3: Spring Framework Foundations

  • Spring Core and Dependency Injection
  • Spring Boot essentials
  • Configuration management
  • AOP programming
  • Spring testing strategies

Week 4: Modern API Development

  • REST API design principles
  • API-first development with OpenAPI/Swagger
  • GraphQL basics with Spring
  • Spring MVC and WebFlux architecture
  • Error handling and validation

Month 3: Advanced Concepts

Week 1: Clean Code & Design Patterns

  • SOLID principles in practice
  • Clean code naming conventions and function design
  • Comments, formatting, and error handling best practices
  • GoF patterns implementation
  • Code smells and refactoring techniques

Week 2: Testing Foundations

  • TDD/BDD fundamentals and workflow
  • Integration testing strategies
  • Test containers for integration testing
  • Performance testing with JMH
  • Code quality tools (SonarQube, SpotBugs)
  • Testing pyramids and strategies

Week 3: Advanced Testing & UI Automation

  • Selenium WebDriver fundamentals and architecture
  • Page Object Model pattern and UI testing best practices
  • Consumer-Driven Contract testing
  • Load testing and performance metrics
  • Continuous Integration practices
  • Test automation pipelines

Week 4: Application Architecture & Performance

  • Monolith to microservices transition strategies
  • Event-driven architecture fundamentals
  • JPA/Hibernate performance optimization
  • Caching strategies and implementations
  • Memory management and JVM tuning
  • Monitoring and logging best practices

Month 4: Specialized Topics & Project Inception

Week 1: Security

  • Security best practices
  • Authentication/Authorization implementations
  • Secure coding practices
  • Common vulnerabilities and prevention
  • Cryptography basics

Week 2: Cloud and Containers

  • Docker fundamentals
  • Kubernetes basics
  • Cloud deployment patterns
  • Twelve-factor app methodology
  • Infrastructure as Code concepts

Week 3: Modern Java Features (Java 17-21)

  • Java Platform Module System (JPMS)
  • Records and sealed classes
  • Pattern matching enhancements
  • Virtual threads and structured concurrency
  • Text blocks and enhanced switch expressions
  • Other modern language features

Week 4: Advanced Algorithms

  • Dynamic programming
  • Greedy algorithms
  • Advanced tree and graph algorithms
  • Concurrent data structures
  • Performance analysis

Project Work: Begin architecture design and initial implementation

Month 5: Advanced Enterprise Development

Week 1: Spring Cloud & Service Infrastructure

  • Spring Cloud ecosystem deep dive
  • Service discovery with Eureka
  • Configuration management with Config Server
  • API gateway patterns with Spring Cloud Gateway
  • Service mesh concepts
  • Distributed logging and tracing

Week 2: Distributed Data Management

  • SAGA pattern implementation
  • Event-driven data updates
  • Handling distributed transactions
  • Testing microservices architecture
  • Contract testing strategies
  • Performance testing distributed systems

Week 3: Advanced Microservices

  • Resilience patterns (Circuit Breaker, Bulkhead)
  • Distributed tracing
  • Metrics and monitoring
  • Deployment patterns
  • Data synchronization strategies

Week 4: Advanced Database Patterns

  • Multi-tenancy implementations
  • Batch processing strategies
  • Advanced caching patterns
  • Database versioning and migration
  • Data replication strategies

Project Work: Implementation of core features and integration patterns

Month 6: Mastery & Project Completion

Week 1: Advanced Architecture Patterns

  • Domain-Driven Design deep dive
  • CQRS and Event Sourcing
  • Hexagonal Architecture
  • Clean Architecture
  • Architectural decision records

Week 2: Observability & Production Readiness

  • Modern observability practices
  • Distributed tracing with OpenTelemetry
  • Deployment strategies
  • Log aggregation and analysis
  • Monitoring and alerting best practices

Week 3: Performance & AI Integration

  • Load testing and scalability patterns
  • System-wide performance optimization
  • AI/ML basics with DJL (Deep Java Library)
  • Integration patterns with AI services
  • Production tuning strategies

Week 4: Professional Development

  • Certification preparation
  • Code review practices
  • Technical documentation
  • Team collaboration
  • Interview preparation

Project Work: Finalization, testing, and deployment

Project Guidelines

The project should be a non-trivial application that demonstrates mastery of:

  • Core Java features
  • Spring ecosystem
  • Database design and implementation
  • Security best practices
  • Modern architecture patterns
  • DevOps practices
  • Testing strategies (including UI automation)
  • Documentation

Evaluation Criteria

  • Code quality and organization
  • Implementation of design patterns
  • Test coverage and quality (unit, integration, and UI tests)
  • Documentation completeness
  • Performance optimization
  • Security implementation
  • Deployment configuration
  • Project presentation

Certification Preparation

While not the primary focus, this curriculum covers topics required for:

  • Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE 17 Developer
  • Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE 21 Developer
  • Spring Professional Certification
  • AWS Certified Java Developer