30-Day Java 17 Crash Course

This plan is designed to give you a solid understanding of Java 17 basics and key
features over 30 days. It combines video resources (YouTube, Udemy) with reading
materials (blogs) for a comprehensive learning experience.

Week 1: Java Fundamentals & Setup

●​ Day 1: Introduction to Java & Environment Setup
○​ Understand Java's history, features, and the JVM.
○​ Install Java Development Kit (JDK) 17.
○​ Set up an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) like IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse,
or VS Code.
○​ Write and run your first Java program ("Hello, World!").
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java 17 Installation" or "Setting up IntelliJ/Eclipse for Java"
tutorials. Look for recent ones (2023-2025).
■​ Udemy: Check introductory Java courses, often the first few sections
cover setup. (e.g., "Complete Java Masterclass" - check free previews).
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java documentation (Getting Started), Baeldung (Java
basics), GeeksforGeeks (Java environment setup).
●​ Day 2: Basic Syntax, Data Types, and Variables
○​ Learn about Java's basic syntax, comments, and keywords.
○​ Understand primitive data types (int, boolean, char, double, etc.) and
non-primitive types (String, Arrays).
○​ Declare and use variables.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Data Types and Variables" tutorials.
■​ Udemy: Sections on variables and data types in beginner Java courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Language Basics), Programiz (Java Data
Types), JavaTpoint (Variables).
●​ Day 3: Operators and Expressions
○​ Learn about arithmetic, relational, logical, assignment, and other operators.
○​ Understand operator precedence.
○​ Write basic expressions.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Operators Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on operators in beginner Java courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Operators), GeeksforGeeks (Java Operators).
●​ Day 4: Control Flow: if, else, else if, switch
 ○​ Learn how to make decisions in your code using conditional statements.
○​ Understand the if, else, and else if structure.
○​ Learn about the switch statement (including enhancements in newer Java
versions like switch expressions - cover basics first).
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java If Else" and "Java Switch Statement" tutorials.
■​ Udemy: Sections on control flow in beginner Java courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Control Flow Statements), Baeldung (Java
If/Else, Switch).
●​ Day 5: Control Flow: loops (for, while, do-while)
○​ Learn how to repeat code blocks using loops.
○​ Understand for, while, and do-while loops.
○​ Learn about the enhanced for loop (for-each).
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Loops Tutorial" (cover all types).
■​ Udemy: Sections on loops in beginner Java courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Control Flow Statements), Programiz (Java
Loops).
●​ Day 6: Arrays
○​ Understand what arrays are and how to declare and initialize them.
○​ Learn how to access and manipulate array elements.
○​ Explore multi-dimensional arrays.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Arrays Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on arrays in beginner Java courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Arrays), JavaTpoint (Arrays).
●​ Day 7: Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
○​ Understand the core concepts of OOP: Objects, Classes, Abstraction,
Encapsulation, Inheritance, Polymorphism.
○​ Learn how to define a class and create objects.
○​ Understand constructors.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Introduction to OOP in Java" tutorials.
■​ Udemy: Sections on OOP basics in beginner Java courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Classes and Objects), GeeksforGeeks (OOP
Concepts).
Week 2: Core OOP & Basic APIs
●​ Day 8: Encapsulation (Getters and Setters)
 ○​ Deepen your understanding of encapsulation.
○​ Learn how to use access modifiers (public, private, protected, default).
○​ Implement getters and setters to control access to class members.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Encapsulation Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on encapsulation in OOP courses.
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Encapsulation), Programiz (Java Encapsulation).
●​ Day 9: Inheritance
○​ Understand the concept of inheritance and its benefits.
○​ Learn how to create subclasses and use the extends keyword.
○​ Explore method overriding and the super keyword.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Inheritance Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on inheritance in OOP courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Inheritance), JavaTpoint (Inheritance).
●​ Day 10: Polymorphism
○​ Understand compile-time (method overloading) and runtime (method
overriding) polymorphism.
○​ Learn how to use polymorphism in practice.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Polymorphism Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on polymorphism in OOP courses.
■​ Blogs: GeeksforGeeks (Polymorphism), Programiz (Java Polymorphism).
●​ Day 11: Abstraction (Abstract Classes and Interfaces)
○​ Understand the concept of abstraction.
○​ Learn about abstract classes and abstract methods.
○​ Learn about interfaces (including default and static methods in interfaces -
Java 8+ features).
○​ Understand the difference between abstract classes and interfaces.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Abstract Class and Interface Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on abstraction in OOP courses.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Interfaces, Abstract Classes), Baeldung
(Abstract Class vs Interface).
●​ Day 12: Packages and Access Modifiers
○​ Learn how to organize your classes using packages.
○​ Understand the different access modifiers (public, private, protected, default)
and their scope.
○​ Resources:
 ■​ YouTube: "Java Packages Tutorial", "Java Access Modifiers".
■​ Udemy: Sections on packages and access modifiers.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Packages), JavaTpoint (Access Modifiers).
●​ Day 13: String Handling
○​ Learn about the String class and its immutability.
○​ Explore common String methods.
○​ Understand StringBuffer and StringBuilder.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java String Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on String handling.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Strings), Programiz (Java Strings).
●​ Day 14: Exception Handling
○​ Understand what exceptions are and why handle them.
○​ Learn about try, catch, finally, throw, and throws.
○​ Explore checked and unchecked exceptions.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Exception Handling Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on exception handling.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Exceptions), Baeldung (Exception Handling).

Week 3: Collections & Introduction to Modern Java

●​ Day 15: Collections Framework - Overview and List
○​ Understand the Collections Framework hierarchy.
○​ Learn about the List interface and its common implementations (ArrayList,
LinkedList).
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Collections Tutorial" (start with List).
■​ Udemy: Sections on Collections Framework (List).
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Collections), GeeksforGeeks (Java
Collections List).
●​ Day 16: Collections Framework - Set and Map
○​ Learn about the Set interface (HashSet, LinkedHashSet, TreeSet).
○​ Learn about the Map interface (HashMap, LinkedHashMap, TreeMap).
○​ Understand the differences and use cases for List, Set, and Map.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Set Tutorial", "Java Map Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on Collections Framework (Set, Map).
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Java Set), JavaTpoint (Java Map).
●​ Day 17: Generics
 ○​ Understand the need for generics.
○​ Learn how to use generic classes, interfaces, and methods.
○​ Explore wildcard types.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Generics Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on generics.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Generics), Programiz (Java Generics).
●​ Day 18: Introduction to Lambda Expressions (Java 8)
○​ Understand functional interfaces.
○​ Learn the syntax and usage of lambda expressions.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Lambda Expressions Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on Java 8 features.
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Lambda Expressions), Oracle Java Tutorials (Lambda
Expressions).
●​ Day 19: Stream API (Java 8)
○​ Understand the concept of streams.
○​ Learn about intermediate and terminal operations (filter, map, reduce, collect,
etc.).
○​ Use Stream API with collections.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Stream API Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on Java 8 features (Stream API).
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Streams), GeeksforGeeks (Java 8 Stream
API).
●​ Day 20: New Date and Time API (Java 8)
○​ Understand the limitations of the old Date and Calendar APIs.
○​ Explore the java.time package (LocalDate, LocalTime, LocalDateTime,
ZonedDateTime).
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java 8 Date and Time API Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Sections on Java 8 features (Date and Time).
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Java 8 Date and Time), Oracle Java Tutorials (Date and
Time).
●​ Day 21: Optional Class (Java 8)
○​ Understand the purpose of the Optional class.
○​ Learn how to use Optional to handle potential null values gracefully.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Optional Tutorial".
 ■​ Udemy: Sections on Java 8 features (Optional).
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java Tutorials (Optional), Programiz (Java Optional).

Week 4: Java 17 Features & Beyond

●​ Day 22: Java Modules (Java 9)
○​ Understand the concept of the Java Platform Module System (JPMS).
○​ Learn about modules, requires, and exports.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Module System Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Look for courses covering Java 9+ features.
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Java Module System), Oracle Java Tutorials (Modules).
●​ Day 23: var - Local-Variable Type Inference (Java 10)
○​ Learn how to use the var keyword for local variable type inference.
○​ Understand when and when not to use var.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java 10 var keyword tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Look for courses covering Java 10+ features.
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Java 10 var), GeeksforGeeks (Java 10 var).
●​ Day 24: Text Blocks (Java 15)
○​ Learn about Text Blocks for multi-line strings.
○​ Understand the syntax and benefits.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Text Blocks Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Look for courses covering Java 15+ features.
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Java Text Blocks), Oracle Java Tutorials (Text Blocks).
●​ Day 25: Pattern Matching for instanceof (Java 16)
○​ Learn about the enhanced instanceof operator with pattern matching.
○​ Simplify your conditional logic.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java 16 Pattern Matching instanceof".
■​ Udemy: Look for courses covering Java 16+ features.
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Pattern Matching instanceof), Oracle Java Tutorials
(Pattern Matching).
●​ Day 26: Records (Java 14 - Standard in 16)
○​ Understand the purpose and syntax of Records.
○​ Learn how Records simplify creating immutable data carriers.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Records Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Look for courses covering Java 14+ features.
 ■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Java Records), Oracle Java Tutorials (Records).
●​ Day 27: Sealed Classes (Java 15 - Standard in 17)
○​ Learn about Sealed Classes and Interfaces.
○​ Understand how they restrict which other classes or interfaces may extend or
implement them.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "Java Sealed Classes Tutorial".
■​ Udemy: Look for courses covering Java 15+ features.
■​ Blogs: Baeldung (Sealed Classes), Oracle Java Tutorials (Sealed Classes).
●​ Day 28: Other Java 17 Features & JVM Improvements
○​ Briefly explore other minor features and performance improvements in Java 17
(e.g., enhancements to the garbage collector, Foreign Function & Memory API
- Incubator).
○​ Understand why Java 17 is a Long-Term Support (LTS) release.
○​ Resources:
■​ YouTube: "What's New in Java 17" videos.
■​ Blogs: Oracle Java 17 Release Notes, Baeldung (Java 17 Features).

Week 5: Practice and Next Steps

●​ Day 29: Practice Project 1
○​ Work on a small project that incorporates concepts learned so far (e.g., a
simple command-line application using OOP, collections, and basic control
flow).
○​ Resources: Apply knowledge from previous days. Look for beginner project
ideas online.
●​ Day 30: Practice Project 2 & Next Steps
○​ Work on another small project, perhaps incorporating some of the newer Java
features (e.g., using Records or Text Blocks).
○​ Plan your next steps: explore frameworks (Spring Boot), databases, build tools
(Maven/Gradle), or specific areas of interest (web development, mobile
development, data science).
○​ Resources: Apply knowledge from previous days. Research popular Java
frameworks and tools.
General Tips for the Crash Course:
●​ Consistency is Key: Try to stick to the daily plan as much as possible.
●​ Hands-on Practice: Write and run code for every concept you learn. Modify
examples, break them, and fix them.
●​ Don't Just Watch/Read: Actively code along with tutorials and examples.
●​ Understand Why: Focus on understanding why things work the way they do, not
just how to use them.
●​ Take Breaks: Avoid burnout by taking regular breaks.
●​ Join Communities: Engage with other learners or developers online (forums,
Discord, etc.) to ask questions and share your progress.
●​ Explore Beyond Provided Resources: The resources listed are starting points.
Feel free to explore other tutorials, courses, and documentation if a particular
resource doesn't click for you.
●​ Focus on Understanding, Not Memorization: Aim to grasp the core concepts;
syntax and specific methods can be looked up later.
This 30-day plan provides a structured approach to learning Java 17. Good luck with
your crash course!