RE: OCM clarifications

From: Kamran Agayev (ICT/SNO) <"Kamran>
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 05:54:14 +0000
Message-ID: <557040DAAF56EB46B534A8C9C179F3CF9C2FA647_at_EXMAIN01.azercell.com>



Hi Kumar

I've passed OCM exam last month and I'll try to answer your questions:

  • OCM exam is about the speed, the time frame how you quickly solve the problem and make right decisions. But first of all, it's about the skills you have, the experience you had so far and the problems you've faced in the real environment.
  • IMHO, it shouldn't be disheartening if you fail the exam. It happens. You can be experienced DBA, but in some situations you can become stressed and make wrong decisions. It can even happen when you're working with a production environment. However, in production environment you have metalink support, google, test environments, friends to call or colleagues to help, but in real exam you don't have anything except documentation (with disabled search functionality).
"Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times" ~ Napoleon Hill
"If you try and fail, make another effort, and still another, until you succeed" - Napoleon Hill"
"Sometimes all you need is a second chance, because time wasn't ready for the first one." - Unknown 
"If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it - then I can achieve it." - Muhammad Ali

  • OCM resume should be one level upper than the rest resumes, because the person who has already passed the exam, has already passed one of the hardest practical 2 day interview prepared by Oracle itself :)
  • For me, I did it for my own satisfaction. It is very challenging that you set a goal in your life, you prepare for it and you get it. "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure." - Colin L. Powell"

P.S. Now I'm working on a blog post on how I prepared for OCM exam and will post it soon after providing it to Oracle Certification Team so they check it and confirm that it's not invalidating the NDA agreement that I've signed before the exam

Sincerely,

Kamran Aghayev A.
http://www.kamranagayev.com
OCM, ACE Director

-----Original Message-----
From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org [mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Kumar Madduri Sent: Sunday, July 21, 2013 8:17 PM
To: oracle Freelists
Subject: OCM clarifications

Hi
I was considering to take the OCM exam and had a few thoughts/questions which I hope the list can help
- When I read the blogs of those who passed OCM and general material, I understood that it is about speed. If you have worked as a DBA for few years and have worked in most of the 'skill sets' you can probably pass the exam with distinction if given (let us say 3 hrs per skill set. I am just throwing up some number).
So if it is only speed that is going to matter, then is it worth. I mean, how many times would we be given a task in which I have to create a database in 10 minutes.

  • It would be disheartening to know if I did not pass the exam and it is not an inexpensive exam. I may feel "oh wow, I cannot pass the exam after working on all these areas for x number of years ".
  • If you have an OCM on your resume, is it not a double edged sword ? The DBAs in an organization that is hiring would be apprehensive if they want to hire an OCM (if they are not already OCM) (could be various reasons - expensive, attitude , do we really need an OCM level for this job or any other combination).
  • One thing I could think of is, it is not for anything but for our own satisfaction that I could take this exam. It is the personal gratification and satisfaction that I am an OCM and to blog and crow about it :)

Thank you
Kumar

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Received on Mon Jul 22 2013 - 07:54:14 CEST

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