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As I read these message boards about people going out and getting complete certification for OCP DBA in less than two months I wonder if I am going about getting my certification the wrong way.
It seems as though I'm spending at least a month per test, reading, setting up databases, learning theory, asking questions on IRC and forums, and talking to other DBA's.
So far I've taken the PL/SQL exam. I almost feel comfortable enough to take the Networking and DB admin exam because I've been working on those topics together.. using many books to cross reference and truly learn the information.
I guess I just feel like I'm doing something wrong when I see everyone blowing through the whole certification process in the time that I've studied for one exam.
Maybe I need to pick up the pace... =) Suggestions!?
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I took about 6 months to go through all the exams because I felt I needed to understand the concepts for each exam and Oracle itself. I didn't want to have to repeat an exam. There are people at various levels in these forums. Some are new to IT and some are experienced DBA's. Some have taken Oracle classes which prepared them specifically for the tests while others like me have read on their own. Don't take an exam unless you feel you are prepared. All the extra time you spend will help you be a better DBA. Some exams are more difficult - PL/SQL and Performance Tuning - for example. Newcomers to IT who are completing these exams in 2 months may have a great deal of difficulty in the real world of DBA's. Experienced professionals may not need much time because they have worked with these concepts for years. You have to determine your own level. I've read that Oracle assumes an average of one year to complete the tests.
Good luck on the exams.
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I completely agree with RAD2000.
Take your time and study until you feel good about it. If you blow through them and just study to the exam without indepth knowledge or practice, that becomes every apparent in interviews or within a few days on the job. The more you study, the more you will benefit from it.
Good luck and take your time.
maachan
BTW I took about 1 exam per month too (except tuning, I changed jobs and needed some extra time)
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I also took about 1 month to prepare for each exam. If you are getting certified for certification sake, yes you can probably get enough to scrape by each test if you study for a week. If you want to learn and UNDERSTAND the material, it takes time.
I believe that being certified will soon hold no weight with potential employers. Employers know that there are dozens of certification mills out there just churning out OCP's, MCSE's, CCIE's, CCNA's, etc. As a matter of fact, I heard on the radio this morning that you can "... become an MCSE in 10 weeks even if you have never worked in IT." Remember the Netware CNE/CNA craze in the early 90's? Those certifications are worthless today.
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SAP certificate are pretty hard to get isnt it? I heard that if you wanna obtain SAP certificate you need at least have been working with SAP for a period of time.
[Edited by pando on 01-03-2001 at 05:03 PM]
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From my information, there are 3 main ways to get SAP certification:
1. Attend one of their training courses (or one offered by one of their partner academy for non-partner employees). These usually include the exam fee. (for ABAP Workbench, I think the fee is around $700)
2. Already work for one of SAP's partner-clients & get the training/cert through them.
3. OR, you may qualify to write the exam without either of the first two if you have TWO years SAP experience.
Kind of a catch-22 isn't it?!
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Hi,
I recently interviewed a person for an Oracle8 DBA role. His CV stated he was Oracle 7 and 8 certified (hence the interveiw) however he admitted during the interview that he had never used Oracle 8 - He'd done the Oracle courses and sat the exams.
He was a competent Oracle7 DBA but when questioned about Oracle 8 features he couldn't answer 1 question.
My advice would be to take your time and only sit an exam when you feel you understand the subject. That way when you pass you won't find yourself in the embarrassing situation like this poor chap (BTY he didn't get the job!!)
Moff.
