September 18, 2001 at 8:22 am
Regarding certification...
1) How much time (hours per week X weeks) does it generally take to study and pass the tests?
2) How much does it cost in total for the tests?
3) What % increase in salary can one expect after being certified?
4) Do employers really care about certification?
I work in Switzerland as a DBA (not certified) and I have the impression that companies are not so concerned with it. Perhaps this is more true of Europe than the States? I am wondering if I should bother with it.
Regards
Jay
September 18, 2001 at 10:02 am
For the SQL exams I wouldnt expect a working DBA to spend more than 30-40 hours per test preparing - no matter what your skill level, you have to prepare for what they will test.
For the other exams, I found 70-210 and 70-215 fairly straight forward, probably the same or more prep time depending on your background. Im working on 70-216 and finding it tough going - DNS, WIN, plus IPSEC, certificates, etc.
Some employers like it, some don't care. My opinion is that its better to have it than not - always want to try to stand out from the crowd in any way you can.
Andy
September 18, 2001 at 7:17 pm
I thought 70-229 was straightforward and fair.
I agree with Andy about employers. Most don't care, but you can call attention to yourself with the certs.
Steve Jones
September 19, 2001 at 1:13 am
Thanks, guys. I'm thinking that in the current business climate a few brownie points might not be a bad idea. But if no one here (Europe) really looks at certification, then my time is better spent snowboarding 🙂
Also, I currently work in a NT4/SQL2k shop, which makes it difficult to get the 2k experience. Is there any value in getting cert'd in NT4/SQL7? Or any risk that the cert's are quickly obsolete?
Thanks,
Jay
September 19, 2001 at 4:22 am
I'd suggest pursueing the 2k track, especially since you haven't started yet. I'd also suggest that you start with the SQL exams, something you're comfortable with. Use the eval if you don't have a licensed copy!
Andy
September 19, 2001 at 4:26 am
Forgot this about the costs: exams are $100, you'll need two books probably $70, I usually get one big book (Sybex, New Riders, whatever) and the Exam Cram. Transcender is the best I think for practice exams, around $150 a pop, I use http://www.rapidassess.com, $59 per exam.
Andy
September 19, 2001 at 4:29 am
Andy, you're either an early bird or a nite owl! Thanks for the advice.
Jay
September 20, 2001 at 9:35 am
We also have a special now on the test preps for both 2K and 7. I think either cert is beneficial. There are lots of v7 sites out there, that version was heavily adopted.
The Measure UPs we have a special on are good for studying, not so good at mimicking the exams. Transcender are definitely better for the exams.
Steve Jones
September 25, 2001 at 6:10 pm
According to me.. certification adds a star on your CV. Your skills are certified, you don't have to pass thru long questionairres at interviews.... YOU ARE CERTIFIED and YOU HAVE THE CAPABILITIES WHICH ARE INDEPENDENTLY TESTED.
Here in India... certifications are widely taken but least companies rely on them. Don't know why... but its the case here... any idea whats the case in US and other European countries.
Paras Shah
Evision Technologies
Mumbai, India
Paras Shah
Evision Technologies
Mumbai, India
September 26, 2001 at 1:48 pm
Here in the US, though, certification isn't a guarantee of skill. We saw a trend where the bootcamps were getting very successful at training people to pass the exams, even if they didn't have a single day of experience. As a result, for quite a few of the employers I dealt with, the certs add to your overall selection value, provided you can demonstrate your experience first.
My first job out of the Air Force in 1997 I was hired over a guy with a cert because I had NT sysadmin experience and could demonstrate it. He couldn't, but he was carrying a nice shiny cert. I completed my MCSE during my tenure with that employer (specified term contract) before moving on, but that particular employer was already wary or I would never have had a chance in the first place.
K. Brian Kelley
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/bkelley/
K. Brian Kelley
@kbriankelley
September 27, 2001 at 12:39 am
That's the impression that I have over here. I think all employers have been burned by this at one time or another. I have known MSCEs that seem to know less than me (and that IS scary!). With the plethora of cert testing software and the like, I can see people getting really good at test questions but with a practical problem they are clueless.
As I am new to the DBA field, I am going for it anyways, as well with some Oracle certification. I just need a kick in the @ss to get started...
Jay
September 28, 2001 at 12:06 pm
I have worked for some employers who care about the exams, some who don't.
And yes, after a while you get very good at answering odd questions.
As for the salary increase, that depends on if the boss is committed to your training. If not, then your salary increase will be small if any.
Patrick
quote:
That's the impression that I have over here. I think all employers have been burned by this at one time or another. I have known MSCEs that seem to know less than me (and that IS scary!). With the plethora of cert testing software and the like, I can see people getting really good at test questions but with a practical problem they are clueless.As I am new to the DBA field, I am going for it anyways, as well with some Oracle certification. I just need a kick in the @ss to get started...
Jay
Patrick Birch
Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue
October 28, 2001 at 1:24 am
hi there, does anyone have any idea about the situation in Australia in regard to certificates?
i'm going on a working holiday there and wondered if it would stand me in good stead.
thanks , have a nice weekend to all
dood
October 30, 2001 at 6:18 pm
There was a time when I almost considered certification a guarantee that the candidate didn't have experience. A lot of application programmers seemed to be taking the exams and pretending that they had been working as dba's for years. Fortunately that doesn't seem to be the case now (but the interviews were fun) but it's still pretty meaningless in real terms - especially as there are sites that allow you to cheat.
>> What % increase in salary can one expect after being certified?
I wouldn't expect any - it may mean the difference between being considered for a job or not but highly paid jobs would depend on experience.
>> Do employers really care about certification?
Some appear too but I never have.
As/if we drop further into depression anything that widens your job prospects may be useful.
Cursors never.
DTS - only when needed and never to control.
October 31, 2001 at 6:36 am
You are probably right in some cases. I have had bosses who wanted us to pursue certifications so that we could work on projects and then get the experience. I have kept in touch with some of the guys, and one says that right after he got his certification he put his resume out on Monster.com and did not recieve a hit.
I think he's updated it, but he is still not working in the language he was certified in.
quote:
There was a time when I almost considered certification a guarantee that the candidate didn't have experience. A lot of application programmers seemed to be taking the exams and pretending that they had been working as dba's for years. Fortunately that doesn't seem to be the case now (but the interviews were fun) but it's still pretty meaningless in real terms - especially as there are sites that allow you to cheat.>> What % increase in salary can one expect after being certified?
I wouldn't expect any - it may mean the difference between being considered for a job or not but highly paid jobs would depend on experience.
>> Do employers really care about certification?
Some appear too but I never have.
As/if we drop further into depression anything that widens your job prospects may be useful.
Patrick Birch
Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue
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