Is the Java Compiler retarded?

Its telling me I need a return statement on the last line of my method even though that part can never be executed.. I am a novice at Java and I am teaching myself.. so is it just me that has bad coding style or is the java compiler a bit too OCD?

>>7
believe functions should only ever return at the end and not have multiple exit points.
how would you return an error condition?
a tangled web of if() else statements? great way to complicate your code