Reddit mentions of Java All-in-One For Dummies

I took this class last term and passed with little trouble in about 4 weeks. I do have some experience coding, but mostly specific to scripting in BASH and Python.

1. I didn't use the book AT ALL.
   
   
2. I did follow the Udacity materials, but I ditched BlueJ immediately and went with IntelliJ IDEA.
   
   
3. I watched the Lynda.com videos and found them to be more inline with what the PA and OA were looking for.
   
   
4. Something I did early on, and this is very important, participate in the cohorts ( or at the very least watch/listen to the after the fact ). They will fast-track you on finishing your project. They provide examples and explanations on coding different sections of the project and can immediately address anything you are struggling with.
   
   
5. I purchased the "Java All-in-One for Dummies" (http://www.amazon.com/Java-All-One-For-Dummies/dp/1118408039) as an additional reference material and found it to be fantastic. I usually abhor the "for dummies" books, but this one ended up being great as an additional reference for OOP concepts and Java specific terminology.
   
   The Object Assessment was pretty close the Pre-Assessment from what I remember. Both seemed to focus primarily on terminology/vocabulary and OOP related concepts relevant to Java. The Project focused more on implementing OOP with Java.
   
   I think I had less of a struggle with this course because I almost immediately got irritated with Udacity and the textbook and looked for better resources. I still went through all of the Udacity videos, but I didn't really bother with BlueJ AT ALL.
   
   If I had it all to do over again I would have participated in the cohorts and finished the Project first, then tackled the OA.