Re: Career help - experts please advise

On Mon, 27 Jul 1998 00:10:41 GMT, cm <cbm_bkr_at_yahoo.com> wrote:
>I would like to ask a couple of question about DBA'a and Oracle

You may get more response if you pose this in comp.databases.oracle.misc.

>development. I would like to begin a new career in the database field.
>I am currently not employed in the IT field. I love computers, have
>set up many db's in my job and am currently researching avenues into

Setting up db's and being a professional database person aren't necessarily congruent (or non-congruent). However, you do need to have a demonstrable grounding in relational theory so you don't put off people with bad habits or silly comments like "but I could do it this way in DBase." Of course, once you've installed an Oracle database while being paid, then you are experienced. :)

>doing this fulltime. My question to you is were would one go to get
>training in Oracle that would be viewed as meaningful to employers?

They only consider it meaningful if they send their own people to it. Some companies are smart enough to do this over the long run, but most aren't these days, being focused on short-term returns. A combination of downloading personal oracle and taking local college classes may be more cost-effective for you than spending thousands on courses basically designed to separate corporations from their training dollars. But if you can get someone else to pay for the Oracle Masters (training through oracle corp), go for it. I think the CD based classes are pretty good, although again, priced for corporations.

>Would this type of training be enough to get one's foot in the door?

Generally, no. A year or two experience is pretty much necessary. However, once you have the opportunity to show it off, the training is invaluable. Of course, simply joining in any capacity a company that uses Oracle, gives plenty of opportunities to find out what they need. Especially if you let them know you are putting in your own time to get up to speed - eventually something opens up. Or someone leaves, and takes you with them... ;-)

>Are there truly jobs going begging in this field? Do companies

Yes.

>consider entry-level candidates with only academic experience? If not,

Yes, generally you must have some skill that they need right now, like C or a variant. Many places consider coming up from the development ranks the only way to make a DBA. YMMV. It _is_ an older-fashioned viewpoint. Older people tend to be in charge.

>how would one go about getting that experience (i.e the ol' catch 22)?

Most people seem to fall into it, with their companies telling them "You are now the Oracle DBA." Often, at least in smaller shops, this will be one of many hats. Many companies have no idea they need such a person.

>Would Unix training also be important to have coupled with Oracle?

As a unix bigot, I think it is important, but that is just my own bigotry (and the observation we are having trouble finding perl warriors). So many places are going NT now, that that can be just as good from an employability standpoint. The recent news that Oracle/Linux will be supported suggests the tactic of getting linux on your own pc, along with a unix book.

The combination of computer education with some kind of business experience is still better than just computer education.

>
>Thanks in advance,
>chris

jg

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