Certain Measures for Uncertain Times
The unsettling news of the global economy is unwelcome to IT professionals looking to improve their careers. It seems that during tougher economic times 
– not only are there fewer opportunities for promotions, training or new/challenging projects, but sometimes even earning a living can become an issue.
A typical response for most of us is to scale back our spending as much as possible and only spend or invest where it’s most wise. For many Oracle IT Professionals, a smart and inexpensive way to invest in your career and touch up your resume during a rough economy is to get or add an Oracle certification. By going through the process to earn an Oracle certification process, you improve your skills and knowledge, gain confidence, and add to your professional credibility. Oracle certification may help provide that differentiation and credibility that you need to get a new job or keep the one you have.
Several situations might make you consider getting certified now:
- You are an experienced Oracle IT professional but have never considered certification.
- You are already certified, but on an old version.
- You are already certified and there is an add-on Expert (OCE) track available in your technology domain.
Not Certified: If you have taken Oracle training, have the skills, knowledge and experience, but have never gotten certified – you might strongly consider certification. There are lots of options, and in most instances you can get started without a mandatory training requirement. This by the way, is a perfect time for OCAs who have never completed OCP to consider finishing their certification.
Certified on an old version: Version upgrades typically (1) don’t have a mandatory training requirement (although training is recommended if your knowledge is not strong), and (2) usually only require that you pass a single exam. In cases where you are behind multiple versions, Oracle often offers bridge exams that enable you to skip a version when you upgrade.
Expert Track: Oracle has a growing number of add-ons to our database tracks. Consider highlighting advanced skills by specializing in RAC or Performance Tuning. Additionally there are many standalone Expert Tracks that might fit your domain and provide you with additional credibility (such as SQL Expert or 11i Workflow Expert).
Please note that I am not advocating that the credential alone will get you a new job; however as I’ve mentioned before, the process that you go through to become certified – along with the recognition that the credential brings – improves the chances that you will do better in a tough economy, especially if you are already an experienced Oracle IT Professional. It’s a relatively inexpensive investment that can only help you move your career forward – even in tough economic times.
Paul Sorensen,
Director, Oracle Certification
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