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Re: Oracle training

From: stephen booth <stephenbooth.uk_at_gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 16:58:40 +0000
Message-ID: <687bf9c40412150858486959ab@mail.gmail.com>


On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 13:53:59 +0000, ryan_gaffuri_at_comcast.net <ryan_gaffuri_at_comcast.net> wrote:
> training classes like that are usually very expensive and pretty weak. just take the 1 required class for the certification and read the books. you don't need training to pass a certification test.
>

I find the training courses useful to make sure that you're covering all the bases, also I don't learn well from books. It's the certification that I doubt the usefulness of. I've met too many people who've been on a few courses, read some books, passed the exams (usually on a cram, take, forget basis) and got their certification (not just OCP, it appears to be endemic in the certification industry), but know nothing about the software.

On Connor McDonald's site (http://www.oracledba.co.uk/) he has a page where he discusses certification and expresses a similar concern about OCP to the main one I have. OCP doesn't mean you know Oracle.

My feelings from doing the 8i OCP and looking at some practice exams for 9i is that the questions are there because they're things that are easy to ask questions about, not because the knowledge they test is important.

A disturbing amount of time in my recent career has been taken up fixing problems that contractors with OCP status have caused through not understanding the basics of what they are doing. Also on the courses I have been on the tutor on three out of the four has started out by asking if we want them to teach us what we need to pass the exams or what we need to be able to manage Oracle! Not exactly a confidence builder about the certification.

In all honesty if I was recruiting someone to replace me and they said on their application that they had OCP but didn't back it up by referencing plenty of experience then they wouldn't even get an interview. Experience plus OCP is good, OCP without plenty of experience is bad.

Stephen

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Received on Wed Dec 15 2004 - 11:05:31 CST

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