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Java Guides Index

📚 Comprehensive Java guides created during bootcamp sessions. Each guide is designed to be practical, beginner-friendly, and immediately applicable to your projects.

Quick Navigation

🟢 Fundamentals

Core Java concepts every developer needs to master.

Understanding Numeric Literals

Difficulty: 🟢 Beginner Session: Session 2 Topics: int, double, type conversion, casting, common pitfalls

You'll learn:

  • Which numeric types to use (and which to skip for now)
  • How to avoid the infamous "027 = 23" octal trap
  • When to use int vs long vs double
  • Type conversion best practices

Includes:

  • ✅ Practice exercises with solutions
  • ✅ Real-world examples
  • ✅ Clear "skip for now" sections

Best for: First week of learning Java, debugging type errors

The final Keyword in Java 21

Difficulty: 🟡 Intermediate Session: Session 3 Topics: Constants, immutability, Records, Sealed Classes

You'll learn:

  • All four uses of final (variable, parameter, method, class)
  • The critical distinction between final and immutability
  • Modern Java 21 alternatives: Records and Sealed Classes
  • When final is the right tool (and when it's not)

Includes:

  • ✅ Interview preparation section
  • ✅ Real WCC platform debugging example
  • ✅ Hands-on coding exercise
  • ✅ Modern Java 21 patterns

Best for: Understanding constants, preparing for interviews, working with immutable data

📅 Coming Soon

Variables and Scope

Topics: Local vs instance vs class variables, scope rules, shadowing

Collections Framework Deep Dive

Topics: ArrayList, HashMap, HashSet, when to use which collection

Object-Oriented Programming

Topics: Class design, inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces

Streams and Lambda Expressions

Topics: Functional programming in Java, stream operations, best practices

🎯 Interview Focus Topics

Guides that are particularly valuable for technical interviews:

Guide Why It's Important Common Questions
The final Keyword Shows depth of Java knowledge "What does final mean?" "Explain immutability"
Numeric Literals Demonstrates type system understanding "Difference between int and long?"
Collections (Coming) Most used data structures "ArrayList vs LinkedList?"
OOP Principles (Coming) Foundation of Java "Explain inheritance vs composition"

📂 Guides by Project Type

Building a Basic Project (CLI app)

Essential guides:

  1. ✅ Numeric Literals - Understanding data types
  2. ✅ The final Keyword - Constants and configuration
  3. 🔜 Collections - Storing and managing data
  4. 🔜 File I/O - Reading and writing data

Your focus: Core Java, no frameworks

Building an Intermediate Project (Spring Boot)

Essential guides:

  1. ✅ All basic guides (above)
  2. 🔜 OOP Principles - Designing your domain model
  3. 🔜 Collections & Streams - Data processing
  4. 🔜 Exceptions - Error handling
  5. 🔜 Spring Boot Basics (planned)

Your focus: Core Java + Spring Boot framework

🗓️ Guides by Session

Session Date Guide Created Topics Covered
Session 1 2026-02-05 (Setup) Bootcamp kickoff, environment setup
Session 2 2026-02-12 Numeric Literals Data types, type conversion, Debug, Setup Project
Session 3 2026-02-19 The final Keyword Serializastion, Constants, immutability, Records
Session 4 2026-02-26 🔜 Coming
Session 5 2026-03-07 🔜 Coming
Session 6 2026-03-12 🔜 Coming - Hybrid
Session 7 2026-03-13 🔜 Coming - Hybrid

Missed a session? See detailed summaries in Session Notes

💡 How to Use These Guides

For Self-Study

  1. Start with the Learning Path to see the recommended order
  2. Read the guide at your own pace
  3. Complete the practice exercises
  4. Try applying concepts in your project
  5. Ask questions in #java-bootcamp

For Interview Prep

  1. Focus on Interview Focus Topics
  2. Understand not just "what" but "why"
  3. Complete the coding exercises
  4. Explain concepts out loud to yourself
  5. Read the "Best Practices" sections carefully

For Project Work

  1. Use Guides by Project Type to find relevant topics
  2. Keep guides open as reference while coding
  3. Apply patterns from the real-world examples
  4. Check FAQ when you hit issues

🤝 Contributing

Found a mistake?

  • Open an issue with the guide name and section
  • Or submit a PR with the fix
  • Small typos? Just PR directly

Want to add a guide?

See the Guide Template below

Have a suggestion?

  • Post in #java-bootcamp
  • Mention it in a session
  • Open a GitHub discussion

📋 Guide Template (For Mentors)

When creating a new guide, use this structure:

# [Topic Name]

> 📝 **Bootcamp Note:** Context about when/why this topic came up

## What is [Topic]?

Brief explanation of the concept

## Why It Matters

Real-world relevance, why we're teaching this

## The Basics

Core concepts with code examples

## Common Pitfalls

Mistakes to avoid (with ❌ and ✅ examples)

## Modern Java Approach (if applicable)

How Java 21+ makes this better/different

## Practice Exercises

Hands-on practice with solutions

## Real-World Examples

Examples from WCC platform or common projects

## Best Practices Summary

✅ Do / ❌ Don't section

## Resources

Links to official docs, related guides

---

*This guide is part of [WCC Java Bootcamp](../../README.md)*

Checklist for New Guides

  • Clear learning objectives stated upfront
  • Code examples with both ❌ wrong and ✅ correct versions
  • Practice exercises with hidden solutions
  • Connection to real-world use cases
  • Links to related guides and FAQ entries
  • Beginner-friendly language (avoid jargon or explain it)
  • Updated in Guides Index
  • Linked from Learning Path
  • Mentioned in Session Notes
  • Common questions added to FAQ

📊 Guide Stats

  • Published guides: 2
  • Guides in progress: 0
  • Planned guides: 4
  • Total FAQ entries: 14
  • Last updated: 2026-02-19

These guides are community-maintained and continuously improved based on participant feedback.

Have questions? Check the FAQ or ask in #java-bootcamp!