I will try to give you my sense of these answers.
There are no exact answers because programming  and
computing in genereal is an unregulated area of employment,
as opposed to a licensed engineer or architect, for
example.1. The training is determined by the employer. Some
are willing to take minimal training if they know the
individual. Others require 2year and 4year degrees. Others
only need formal training at a technical institute.
Many accept on-the job training. Expect to receive
more money for more training.2. Some employers
only consider degreed applicants. Others don't care
about degrees. You can get into the field  without
college level  courses. Some jobs require a certification
for the specific area. Many employers would like to
see a Java certificate and some insist on it. A
programming certificate is relatively easy to obtain (it is a
hard test but you only have to study at your own pace,
if you choose). Some employers will accept that as
an indicator of your ability. Experience adds to
that, as well.2. You must be able to take a
description of a problem and translate that into Java source
code in a manner that is legible and obeys the general
rules for Object-Oriented design. You should understnd
these rules and apply them on the job. You must be able
to operate in the environment where you are
programming, test and document your programs. Communication of
your status is generally expected.4. The
positive aspect is that you generally are free to problem
solve and to use your logic skills. You will be paid
nominally or above, when compared to the general work
force. You get to work  with computers and tell them what
to do, instead of the reverse situation.5.
This is not a rosy occupation. You deal with a lot of
sharp individuals who have strong egoes and elevated
views of their own importance. You are required  to sit
for endless hours before potentially hazardous
radiation sources and spew out countless lines of dull,
boring code, maniputlating dull, boring data. You
genererally work in a cubicle or other space devoid of
privacy and are open to constant interruption.6.
Salary ranges are dependent upon education, training and
experience, generally. They are dependent upon geography, as
well, as this affects the cost of living. In US$ you
can expect to earn anywhere from 10,000$/year up
through 200,000/year. The averages are probably in the
$40-90k/year range for a Java programmer. These are all
guesses, by the way!This is a very competitive
field because it does pay well and it is easy to enter.
Expect to be beat up continuously while getting into it.
But if you have the aptitude to stick with the
hardships, the monetary rewards are possible.

Thank you so much for your responses to my
request.I forgot to ask how does a person with just
training break into this field.What would be a good
segue?Also what would make up 8 hours of a Java programmer's
life at work.How would you start your day if you
worked for a government agency as opposed to a private
industry firm.The answers to these questions  should be
the end of the decision-making process.

Breaking into the field  is sometimes difficult.
Most of the ads request  2 to 5 years of
experience.Sometimes the best way to break into the field is to do
some networking. Find others who are in the field in
your local area; and talk to them. Your local Java
Users Group can help.I started as a State
Employee five years ago (after retiring from the USAF as a
Major) earning $1400.00/month. But, it got me some
experience in the field, created some references and helped
me understand what the field required. Except for
last year, I've doubled my income almost every year.
For what I do now, I think I've reached the max. But
do the math...Epenak had some good
responses. There are some other positives and negatives. On
the postive side, I'm never bored with a technology.
As a consultant, I have to constantly learn  new
stuff. Depending upon your outlook this can be a
positive or a negative. It means that after a 10 to 11
hour day (not an 8 hour day), I have to go home and
study in the evenings or weekends JUST TO KEEP UP with
the changes. I enjoy this, but others don't... And I
do have a life - except when I'm on the road. (check
out my and other people's profile who answer  posts on
this board).If you are looking for an 8 hour
day, work  for state government or a "body shop" in
industry. Although, those are beginning to require you to
put more time  in than 8 hours a day.I prefer
being a consutant to working  for a large corporation.
Many times in a large corporation, you are hemmed in
by the "technology inertia". They don't like to
develop new stuff in house(that's what they hire
consultants for). Epenak also makes a good point
about the fact that just learning Java is not enough.
I've seen lots of bad code written by people who just
learn Java (I've written some of it). To really program
well in Java, you have to get the feel of Object
Oriented Programming. That means learning UML (Universal
Modeling Language), Object Oriented Analysis and Design...
Design Patterns and HOW to use them...As to what
makes up a programmers day... Solving problems, solving
problems, solving problems... Depending on your work
environment, this can mean solving them alone or solving them
as a group. I enjoy the "group process" but usually
wind up doing it alone. If you move up into a
Programmer/Analysit, you wind up talking a lot the the Client getting
requirements and then translating those requirements into a
design and developing and testing the code. Then,
deploying it. Then, doing it all over again.I'm not
discouraging you on getting into this field. It's rewarding, I
think it's fun. But it's not quick easy money. That
went out of the way with the fall of the Dot Coms...
and companies are more warry of those that say they
can "do Java".