February 10, 2019 at 6:31 am
Hi all,
I'm based in the UK and have been put on notice of redundancy (along with 58 colleagues) as the company wish to make savings by closing down the branch office I work in.
So, with only 3 years and 9 months to go to retirement I need to find another job.
My job title for the last 7 years has been Senior Systems Administrator but my actual job has been using SSMS, SSIS, SSRS and SSAS to look after all the company's reporting and data requirements on the SQL Server 2005 platform up to 2012 platform. The environment is an online - call centre personal lines Insurance Broker.
Prior to that I did a 6 moth contract to write the SQL code for a data transfer where a broker using one back-office platform was bought out by a broker using a different back-office platform. I had knowledge (as a user) of both systems and T-SQL.
Prior to that I was 10 years as IT manager in another Insurance Call Centre (400 seats) where I started to teach myself about SQL Server and implemented the deployment on a 2005 platform.
So, any SQL knowledge I've gained has been self taught and some I've picked up here on SQL Server Central.
To get to the point, I am looking at making my CV look more attractive by gaining certification in the stuff I've already been using (if a little dated).
The Microsoft Exams I was looking at are 70-767 and 70-768 and was wondering whether anyone would be able to confirm these were the best choice (given my experience) and whether anyone could recommend good online, self-paced courses that are worth the money?
Many thanks!
February 11, 2019 at 7:58 am
I don't know how they do things in the UK, but to me it looks like you have a lot of practical experience that can impress would-be employers. If your objective is just to have something to tide you over for about four years, you should bank on your experience and work more on talking up your accomplishments over your career.
Getting certifications would only be helpful if you are looking to do some advanced SSIS or SSAS work.
February 11, 2019 at 8:30 am
Hi Jonathon,
Thanks for that. Gives me a little more confidence.
You are probably right. I guess I'll go for contracts rather than seeking a permanent position as it would give me more flexibility... might even be able to retire a little earlier if it works out.
I decided to purchase the course anyway as it's on special offer at a good discount and some letters after my name certainly won't be a negative thing.
Also, although I am self taught, there will be stuff in the course I haven't covered which could be of use going forward.
Big leap of faith ahead but I guess I should get enough work at a decent rate to see me through.
Cheers!
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