Oracle Certification. Was it good for you?

Question

A bit about me: I entered the workforce in 2006. I have a Bachelor degree in computer science from a reputable university in Canada. I am currently working as Java and PHP developer. I have worked with MSSQL, MySQL, DB2 and Oracle dbms on a development level. Haven't done too much database administration work.

Reading Oracle website there are three levels of certifications: Associates (OCA), Professional (OCP) and Master (OCM).

The Associates certification seems easy enough. Take two exams that cost about $100 each. The Professional and Master seems have the ridiculous requirement of taking courses that costs $1500 to $5000 each. The price creates higher barrier of entry.

I want to become an Oracle dba. Just want to ask others who have taken the Oracle Certifications, did getting certified help you get your Oracle job?

Answer 1

It really depends on the employer.
Becoming an OCM is quite an achievement and I think it will be quite well received regardless of the employer, as long as they know what it means.

Anything less, say OCP, it's relatively easy to pass but still costs quite a bit. If your employer pays for any of the certifications, by all means, go for them, they help. If it's you money you have to pay with, I'd think twice before getting a certification that might or might not help much.
There are many employers out there who know that an OCP certification doesn't mean actually all that much, so they will not put that much value on it.

It's a good idea to search various job portals for various certifications just to get an idea how many ask for such certifications.

And not the least important, it depends on what you want to do: being OCP/OCM certified while applying for a development position doesn't necessarily help, but that's not what you want.

Short story: getting an OCP certification won't get you a full time admin job. Getting an OCM probably will.

Edit: As noted by Kico Lobo, getting an OCA doesn't help at all if your plans are getting an Oracle Admin position.

Answer 2

Master is worth the money and effort if you have the time to invest in it or if your employer supports it. Associate is also worth it, but just because it's cheap.

Professional, I'm not so sure (unless you are planning to become a consultant). While the OCP program was being created, there were no requirements for paid training courses. Oracle added the requirement later to make more money out of the program and also to artificially reduce the number of certified professionals because they were becoming quite easy to find. Instead of making the tests more difficult (hence more valuable) they created a monetary barrier to entry. Bad call in my opinion.

The result is that you have a whole lot of excellent Oracle DBAs that are not certified or that let their certification expire because they didn't want to invest their own money in obtaining or refreshing their certification. Many of the best Oracle DBAs I know are not certified or have an expired certification (including me). The trick is to always study and try to improve your skills and deliver good service to your employer. In the long run, your reputation will be more important than having a piece of paper showing you answered a few questions right at some point in the past.

Answer 3

I don´t know if Associate is a big deal at all. When you pass this exam, because it only assert that you are able to work with Oracle pros. And just it (it's inclusive on the description of the exam).

So, you'll get a certification to be seen as a "trainee". Not a big business at all.

Answer 4

Having an OCP has been both a help and, to a much less a degree, a hindrance when I have been looking to change jobs.

During interviews I have had experiences ranging from "As you have an OCP you don't need to take the entrance exam..." to "As you have an OCP I'm going to ask you a question on some obscure technology that isn't used here just so I can make you jump through hoops..."

With regards to the high entry cost, whilst exclusion from the OCP program on the grounds of whether you can afford the exams is not something I agree with, I believe Oracle needed to do "something" to stop the dilution of the OCP program. It is possible (as with most certifications) to have gained an OCP just by downloading a "dump" file, memorising it and then turn up and pass the exam.

Answer 5

It sucked for me, but Larry Ellison rolled over and smoked a cigarette afterwords.