Java Conventions: use getters/setters WITHIN the class?

Question

My professor really emphasizes protecting against privacy leaks by always using accessors and mutators to access private instance variables; however, do I have to use the ge

Answer 1

You can use the accessors and mutators, but its a messy standard to follow.

It clutters up your code and confuses anyone trying to read it thinking it might not be a part of your class.

Basically, just access the variables directly from inside your class, and indirectly from anywhere else.