Introduction

This article is just a primer to those young IT professionals who have entered the world of Oracle Database Administration or who intend to do so and who want to know relevance of certifications.

Oracle 12c,18c,19c,20c.Wow!!! Technology changes are just happening exponentially by the year. How do i keep up?

Oracle Certifications!!! Really How???

Oracle Certifications for long have been a topic of debate.I believe those who do it speak big about it and defend it and those who dont do it simply would want you to believe its not useful.

Here's my take.

Guide

Let me begin by saying this.There is no substitute to experience in IT world.Thats real GOLD .Having said that I truly believe Certifications is the raw materials one should invest to make oneself GOLD.It should be undertaken by IT employees throughout their career.One should keep up with it at all stages in an IT career no matter which field he/she is into.There may be many advantages to an Oracle certification like  

• Attracting a recruiter for a potential job 
• Marketing one self via certificate to negotiate salaries with employers.
• Product/Service based companies flaunt a statistic of certified associates when they go to win a deal in the field.
• Discounts on Oracle merchandise and Books
•  

While I do not deny the above as primary benefits of certifications one benefit i personally found out of certifications is to allow oneself to keep up with new  learnings ..IT is a very dynamic changing environment.One must continually learn in the world of Cloud,Big Data ,Machine Learning,Devops,Blockchain,Business 4.0 etc etc and list goes on..Having said that learning has no end boundaries .You may get lost out in that space while learning in that infinity world.Certification as an end goal sets some kind of boundary that helps in accomplishing a perfect job requirements knowledge and makes you productive to your employer.I believe preparing for a certification builds a solid foundation for the requirements of a real time job.After that yes of course you build your real time experience and shine in the real world of IT and become supremely productive to your employer and customer. All in all i believe Certificate+Experience to back that certification knowledge is a potent combination for a real time job and keep yourself marketable as well as productive to a demanding job environment.

All right then,for Oracle DBA's lets begin by laying down levels of Oracle Certification in the preferred order they have to be taken.

The below is available for all versions of Oracle Database .

• Associate Level(Oracle Certified Associate)
• Professional Level(Oracle Certified Professional)
• Specialist Level(Oracle Certified Specialist)
• Expert Level(Oracle Certified Expert)
• Master Level(Oracle Certified Master)

For more specific details please refer https://education.oracle.com/certification

So in Oracle's lingo,

• The Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) credential is the first step toward achieving an Oracle Certified Professional certification. The OCA credential ensures a candidate is equipped with fundamental skills, providing a strong foundation for supporting Oracle products.

  NOTE: In today's world this is actually done in colleges only .

  Preparation time: 6 months-12 months.After all you are in college and may take more time to visualize a real world Oracle DB environment.

• The Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) credential builds upon the fundamental skills demonstrated by the OCA. The Oracle Certified Professional has a command of a specific area of Oracle technology and demonstrates a high level of knowledge and skills. IT managers often use the OCP credential to evaluate the qualifications of employees and job candidates.

  NOTE: Anyone less than 5 years of real world experience should aim for this.

  Preparation time: 3 months after 5 years of experience.

• The Oracle Certified Expert (OCE) credentials recognize competency in specific, niche oriented technologies, architectures or domains. Credentials are independent of the traditional OCA, OCP, OCM hierarchy, but often build upon skills proven as an OCA or OCP. Competencies falling under the umbrella of the Expert program range from foundational skills to mastery of advanced technologies.

NOTE:Anyone less than 10 years of real world experience should aim for this.

Preparation time: 3 months after 10 years of experience.

• The Oracle Certified Specialist (OCS) credentials are typically implementation-oriented certifications targeting employees of current Oracle partners, though the certifications are available to all candidates, partner or not. These certifications are built on very focused products or skillsets and provide a solid measure of a candidate's level of expertise in a particular area.

NOTE: Anyone less than 10 years of real world experience should aim for this.

Preparation time: 3 months after 10 years of experience.

• The Oracle Certified Master (OCM) credential recognizes the highest level of demonstrated skills, knowledge and proven abilities. OCMs are equipped to answer the most difficult questions and solve the most complex problems. The Oracle Certified Master certification validates a candidate's abilities through passing rigorous performance-based exams. The certification typically builds upon the fundamental skills of the OCA and the more advanced skills of the OCP.

NOTE: Boy ,this is the the highest level of Oracle certification.Anyone less than 10-15 years of in the real world experience should aim for this.

Preparation time :  Minimum 1 year.(Please see another detailed blog about OCM preparation)

The amount of experience in the real world and work environment can vary the time taken to undertake the above exams.The note provided is just indicative based on interviewing several professionals who have completed the entire stack of certifications.

If you are an Oracle DBA or are planning to be one one should plan their learning and go for the kill by completing all levels of the certifications mentioned above.

Important Note

Finally,

i wanted to ponder on this aspect of the famous(actually notorious) area called DUMPS???  which help  some candidates pass a certification exam by luck or chance.

Let me say this DUMPS IS CHEATING !! Even by chance if you happen to clear a level by virtue of so called DUMPS,imagine how embarassing it can become if you cannot defend that knowledge at a workplace or at an interview. There is absolutely no point of doing certifications for sake of certification and some fake shine on your CV.

My personal experience after interviewing a number of candidates and also myself going through the grind is,yes its a reality dumps do circulate in closed circles, but if you truly want to become an expert in the field READ Official ORACLE DOCUMENTATION and Practice based on those guides.Cmon it wont take you 5 years to complete 500 pages.20 pages a day /You are done in a month.Not a big deal .Right???All the successfull certified expert candidates will always tell you,there is no substitute to read Oracle offiical documentation.While expert books may additionally help you clear concepts ,while it comes to actual exams ,official documentation is a must read and practice.

Conclusion

The IT world is getting competetive day by day.In such a scenario you cannot continue status quo about your career.You need to be the differentiator to potential employers.You have to be able to earn/defend your increments year on year .Completing a stack of levels of Oracle Certifications from Associate to Master will definitely put you into an elite list of rare professionals .

Hope you guys like this article.Please provide your feedback.

Until then,

Happy Learning!!

• Manjunath Maller
  • OCP 9i,10g,11g,12c
  • OCE RAC and DG 12c.
  • (Preparing for OCM 12c)
  • OCI(Oracle Cloud Infrastructure) Certified .
  • AWS enthuiast

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