Oracle certifications: More than a piece of paper?

OCP Advisor  |   Sep 17 2008   12:12AM GMT

This article is based on our skewed research data that I certainly don’t agree. Historically pay increases have positive correlation with certification. This is the first time I have found a research finding proving the contrary.
Most IT certifications have been devalued over the years by the plethora of third party brain dump sites (perhaps an indicator of the high demand of such certifications) who sell actual test questions.
Oracle Certification team has tried to address this issue by introducing mandatory requirement for hands-on courses and high exam fees so that only serious (and genuine) candidates would make this investment.
The increasing popularity of the ever expanding offerings from Oracle would only make the Oracle certifications more in demand by the industry.

OCP Advisor  |   Sep 17 2008   12:17AM GMT

Correction: his article is based on your skewed research data that I certainly don’t agree. Historically pay increases have positive correlation with certification. This is the first time I have found a research finding proving the contrary.
Most IT certifications have been devalued over the years by the plethora of third party brain dump sites (perhaps an indicator of the high demand of such certifications) who sell actual test questions.
Oracle Certification team has tried to address this issue by introducing mandatory requirement for hands-on courses and high exam fees so that only serious (and genuine) candidates would make this investment.
The increasing popularity of the ever expanding offerings from Oracle would only make the Oracle certifications more in demand by the industry.

BK Ang  |   Sep 17 2008   9:24AM GMT

I totally agree with OCP Advisor. While OCP certification might not necessarily mean that a DBA knows everything there is on Oracle, it’s nevertheless a great way to start on the track to being employed as an entry level to being a DBA in the first place.

However, true experiences can only be earned provided one has been really employed in the capacity of a DBA. Otherwise, some real scenarios are simply not covered in the OCP exams.

I would safely say the mandatory OCP Hands-On Course Requirement is indeed a one-of-a-kind measure to ensure that the candidates have either invested time (if Company is sponsoring him/her) or money into the certification instead of relying on brain dumps.

I bet you don’t see such requirements in other certifications from other vendors like CISCO or Microsoft.

Andrew Kerber  |   Sep 17 2008   9:38AM GMT

One correction, only 1 course total is required for the OCA and OCP.

In my experience, any level of certification makes you more employable. However, many companies have also found that certification without experience can be dangerous. So the ideal candidate has both certification and experience.

Brian Fedorko  |   Sep 17 2008   9:56AM GMT

Certification is not a reliable litmus test of a technical skillset. It does, however assure a certain degree of familiarity with the technology’s concepts. The same can be said of collegiate degrees and training classes.

But for the competant Information Management professional, it has quite a few benefits.

For the infividual, upgrading certifications, especially the Oracle certs, are an excellent tool for expanding your knowledge on the newly implemented features of the latest release. Many of the best tools offered by Oracle are neglected simply because they haven’t been used before or the DBA may be unaware of them!
When all things are equal, the certification adds value to a candidate over competition - In a very competative field, this makes certification highly desireable.

For the employer, the credential carried by an effective asset is indicitive of an active professional who is on a committed career path, and tells of a value for continuous learning. Keep in mind, however, the time for assessing personality traits and technical skill is in the interview, not while reading the bottom of a resume.
It also adds highlevel credibility and a certain amount of prestige to the employer. OCPs or OCMs on staff are very reassuring to clients when selecting a service provider.

Rally, there are no downsides to certification outside of a bit of cost and time, but there are many possible benefits. It is up to the individual to determine if the ROI is there for their situation.

JCTeller  |   Sep 18 2008   7:51AM GMT

Certification without significant experience is pretty much useless, unfortunately. As an OCP (9i, 10g, and soon to be 11g) and an Oracle instructor, I can tell you what my clients tell me is a much larger problem: Trying to verify that the person who is being interviewed for the job is the person who is actually applying for the job. In this offshoring economy, many times a person will present himself/herself as a fully qualified OCP (complete with OCP logo pasted in at the top of the resume!) with years of deep experience at the technical interview … only to find out that this isn’t the real person applying for the job. Until we find out some way to verify that a person’s presented expertise is really what it seems to be, and until there is sufficient +punishment+ for fraudulent behavior when encountered (banishment from IT for 5 years? fines? prison?), the discussion of whether certification is valuable or not is rather moot.