Oracle Certifications: Which ones do I need?
If you’re currently working with Oracle products, odds are there is an Oracle certification out there for you. Although at one time, Oracle certifications were considered for database pros only, the certification programs offered by the "world’s largest enterprise software company" are evolving to keep up with IT trends. Like Microsoft, Oracle now offers certification programs in a wide range of IT positions.
The recent Oracle merger with PeopleSoft has increased the offerings of this industry giant to include enterprise resource planning (ERC), customer relationship management (CRM), data warehouse design as well as application servers. Certification programs are available in all programs from application software to development tools and target Web administrators, software developers, analysts as well as database administrators.
The easiest way to figure out which Oracle certification to choose really depends on what technology you’re working with. These certifications are for specific products and releases. Oracle provides an excellent guide to help you get started at http://www.oracle.com/education/certification/starthere.html . Your choices include: Oracle9i Application Server, OracleForms 6i Developer, Oracle9i Database, Oracle Application Server 10g, Oracle9i Forms Developer, and Oracle 10g Database.
Primary Certifications include Oracle Certified Associate (OCA), Oracle Certified Professional (OCP), and Oracle Certified Master (OCM). A Certified Associate, is typically someone who is just beginning their work with Oracle. An Associate Certification identifies validates basic Oracle knowledge. This certification is a great starting point for anyone in the early stages of their IT career.
An Oracle Certified Professional has usually already achieved a certain degree of experience; a certified professional is ready to move on to senior IT positions. The OCM is ultimately where every professional working with Oracle should ultimately want to be. This Oracle certification is the pot at the end of the rainbow for most Oracle users
Although certification testing is not free, IT professionals should see it as an investment in their careers and it is certainly tax deductible. While credentials obviously don’t make the man, being able to list these on your resume is going to get you noticed. In many cases, your employers will pay for your testing and any classes that you may need to get certified. Oracle offers several excellent resources for any techies interested in pursuing an Oracle certification, including Oracle University at http://www.education.oracle.com. . If you’re just looking to catch up on Oracle news, take the time to visit http://www.dba-oracle.com/oracle_news/index.htm.
Regardless of your current skill level, if you are not carrying Oracle credentials and are at all involved with Oracle systems, now is the time to get certified. Not only will certification help you advance in your current position but in today’s IT world, you never know when you may be looking for a new one. The resumes that include credentials are always the ones that employers look at first.
