Career Re-tooling to Oracle - questions/suggestions?

I've been in IT for over ten years full time and as an independent consultant and am looking to upgrade my IT skills. I am seriously considering Oracle's developer track because of my prior background in systems development. My only database experience up to this point has been on the AS/400, MS FoxPro and VB/Access.

The company offering the developer course is offering me a chance to work on an actual four-month project for a small firm on an apprenticeship basis (after course completion). I will be working with more experienced Oracle developers. I figure this real world experience will be valuable even though it is a relatively minor project.

I am still in the information gathering stage and would appreciate any answers/suggestions to the following:

1. Career prospects for Oracle developers. Web sites show lots of openings for Oracle developers but what is the actual trend? Is there an upward/downward/sideways demand for Oracle developers?
2. Are there specific Oracle-associated products/technologies I should be focusing on (Financials, web-based applications, etc.)
3. Assuming I complete this apprenticeship project, I would have four months experience. Most of the Oracle developer positions I see on the internet require 3+ years experience. How difficult is it to get a entry-level position(specially for someone in their late 30s)? What do companies who hire entry-level Oracle positions look for in terms of background?
4. With the eventual goal of being a senior Oracle consultant in mind, am I taking the right approach to starting off? Any suggestions or comments to contrary would be appreciated.
5. What is Oracle Dev syntax like? Is it similar to VB, C, etc.?

Another option for me is to stay in the MS stable and learn MS SQL Server but I like the fact that Oracle runs on more platforms and therefore assures more exposure to other non-MS technologies.

Thanks,
Jim

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