10g OCA or 10g OCP while u are working!!

[josephkarthic]

Hi Tim,

I work for a s/w company in java,c++ skillsets but i wanna switch over to oracle dba track.so i thought of doing 10g cert but my question is whether to do only 10g OCA or shd i do 10g OCP, coz to get some oracle based projects in the company is it necessary to do upto OCP or jus OCA.Jus advise me as of in the working environment.Is it worth doing? pls reply.many thanks.

[Tim...]

Hi.

It is unlikely that just having OCA or OCP will allow you to get into a job these days. Most employers look for this along with experience.

I suggest you start your Oracle studies, and also look for a job that will allow you to use your current skills, whilst also getting some Oracle experience. This type of gradual transition is much more reliable than just trying to certify and start again.

Cheers

Tim...

[josephkarthic]

So are you saying tht i've to leave the certification plan and start gaining oracle experience in the company??

And im not actually without a job and im not gonna try for other new company too, I jus wanna knw whether is it possible to jus have OCA or OCP to move in to oracle projects in the same company coz i knw this company has a lot of oracle based proj and it has lot of dba requirements.I jus need to knw whether OCA or OCP is enough to jump over when i get into MATC(Man Allocation Team) here.thanks for replying very fast.

[Tim...]

No. I'm not saying stop your OCA/OCP studies. I'm saying that relying just on that to get Oracle work is not a good idea.

As with all certifications, it is possible to cram for the exams, pass them and actually know nothing about using the products two weeks later. This is why certifications have such a bad reputation these days.

Using the certification to learn about the product is fine, but it won't guarantee you work. Each company has a different opinion on the value of certification. The company you are talking about may like them and want you to be involved in Oracle projects. Then again, they may think it is worthless and prefer on-the-job experience.

Cheers

Tim...

[josephkarthic]

Ok i got wht u said..But im really in a need to switch my skillset to oracle dba since i heard tht its an easy work compared to all the developer jobs(is it true?)..and since im not anymore into those logical thinking stuff i jus take heed to do this dba cert..Is this track ok for a longterm goal?? coz when thinking of my career plan i nomore wanted to be a logical thinking developer and i jus wanted to move as a dba whr work goes without much pressure(im not sure though)...Ok finally if u have any idea of wht wud be the best job track for my ability (no logical thinking,programming) pls advise me.it may include dba track too...waiting for your reply.many thanks.[/quote]

[Tim...]

Wow! Do you really think DBA work is the easy option? I've been doing this stuff for 12 years and there is still so much to learn!

The term DBA means something different in every company. In some places, all the DBA does is create tables and indexes and process change requests. If that's the type of DBA you mean, then yes, it's really simple.

In other companies, the term DBA is used to describe someone who is an Oracle expert, with great DBA, design and development skills. This is what you should be aiming for.

If you do want to become a DBA, the OCP stuff will help, but as I said before, passing the OCP will not make you a good DBA. It's just the start of a lot of hard work.

Logical thinking... DBA work requires just as much logical thinking as development. I've done and still do both. Problem solving is just as big a thing in DBA work as it is in development work. Also, good DBAs invariably do some programming.

Pressure. Do you honestly believe that DBA work is low pressure? When you are trying to recover your production system from a backup and failure will result in millions of pounds of loss to the company, that's pressure.

If your goal is to have a job with no logical thinking, I think you need to move out of IT completely. I can't think of a single IT job that doesn't require logical thought and problem solving.

Cheers

Tim...

[josephkarthic]

I agree all tht u said..But u are talking from your experienced perspective..but as of me im jus a starter to dba so maybe i knw nothing of it and i jus blabbered and got enough from u..

All i said abt dba is jus im comparing it to the languages like c++,java .....I agree tht all things need logic but maybe less compared to the above..

Ok pressure means dba i got that..infact its the most pressurized one than the others, but i think when u get hands on exp u can atleast survive right?..And I think the company level u stated first suits for my company as a starter and it may go on to next level when im experienced like u..Anyhow im now totally confused whether to go for dba or not..all i want is jus escape frm this current role to anything which has some less pressure and thts y i was given an idea of choosing dba but finally its:roll:

[Tim...]

Hi.

I don't think you can compare programming in C++/Java and DBA work. Neither is easier or harder than the other. They are just different. You may find being a good DBA is much harder work than being a good Java developer. Then again, you may find it easier.

All I'm saying is, what you think a DBA should do, and what companies think a DBA should do might be different. In my current role I do grunt DBA work, along with OS installation, design, SQL tuning, PL/SQL development, some networking, diagnosing application issues and just about anything else thrown at me. It's not a straight forward job.

Most of the Java developers at my company get a single screen to code at a time. They never have to multi-skill or multi-task. I know which I think is easier.

Cheers

Tim...

[josephkarthic]

Ok so wht do u think abt doing a cert on oracle9i pl/sql developer..is it harder than the 10g dba track..i mean i wanted to jus compare the work of dba and sql developer coz if it makes me a way i can jus get in to..

[Tim...]

Hi.

Personally, I would say the developer track is harder than the DBA track. That's not to say the job is any harder. I'm just talking about the certification track. All the same things apply for this track also. You won't definitely get a job just because you have this certification.

Cheers

Tim...