At the risk of starting another religious war, I'm looking for advice as to which skill is and will be more marketable: J2EE Certification or .Net certification.

I'm at a point where I could pursue either but need to focus on one of them first. I have a background in Java and dearly love the language but need to acquire skills that make me more marketable. Headhunters are advising me that .Net jobs are picking up at a faster pace.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

I thought it would be more appropriate to have a discussion there.

Seeing your post in more than one place makes me think you are looking for trouble.

Check the job postings in your area to see what is more popular in the market where you live.

If you do a nation wide search on Monster.com you'll see that there are currently more J2EE opportunites available than there are .Net. This is due to the fact that J2EE is a specification that is used by many big names in the industry, where .Net is the marketing name for a Microsoft brand competetor. There are several J2EE offerings and Just one .Net offering. Therefore J2EE certification gives you more bang for your buck. Keep in mind though that many of the J2EE offerings out there BEA, IBM and Oracle have there own certification tests as well.

Yes, indeed. You are looking for trouble.

As far as certifications go, I vote for you getting your Java Certification, since you have described it as your background (ie, more skill in Java). Plus, it will be an easy win for your resume. Once .Net stabilizes some more, then pursue it.

Keep in mind your headhunters are probably not technical. What seems like a "winner" to them is very likely perception and not real data. Remember, they're out to hit their numbers, not make you a happy worker for the long-term.

A few more questions: Are you a contractor? Would you rather work a little harder for a job with a language you "dearly love"?