As part of our series of interviews with Oracle employees, partners, and customers who have successfully passed the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2018 Architect Associate exam, we interviewed Robby Robertson of Accenture.

Robby has been with Accenture for over 18 years and has worked within the Oracle space during most of his time there. Robby was one of the first people to earn the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic Architect Associate certification in 2016, and he recently earned the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2018 Architect Associate certification.

Greg:  Robby, how did you prepare for the certification?

Robby: I found the white papers to be amazingly helpful. They really forced me to try and duplicate what they’ve done. I also found the eLearning series to be an extremely good overview. Even stuff for the IAM; I didn’t know much about the home region as I just never had to read up about it. The introductory video forced me to research some of the topics further, which helped me prepare.

Most beneficial was working with the hands-on labs. They were key to passing the exam. I installed the CLI on my laptop to test out the features and functions. I set up Terraform to see exactly how it works. This, along with walking through the white papers and trying to replicate the environments, was critical towards my preparation.

Greg:  How is life after getting certified?

Robby: After earning the certification, I posted the digital badge on LinkedIn. I think that’s the most that I’ve ever had a post viewed in my entire life. This was beneficial in making connections with others in the industry and building my network around Oracle Cloud. While I already had a robust network within Oracle, this helped me meet others within the Oracle Cloud team. By following these individuals on social media, I learned more about the latest OCI (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure) capabilities, features, and benefits.

For my job as a Solution Architect, the OCI certification gives me the credentials I need. I’m viewed as a subject matter expert, and earning this certification helps support my status as a SME.

Greg:  Any other advice you’d like to share?

Robby: I’m telling my colleagues who are preparing for the exam to not take it lightly. The test is meant to be challenging. Do a little research and get a trial account to help reinforce your knowledge. The practice exam is extremely useful and right on point. It helps people understand what they are missing.

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Greg Hyman
Principal Program Manager, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Certification
greg.hyman@oracle.com
Twitter: @GregoryHyman
LinkedIn: GregoryRHyman

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Other blogs in the How to Successfully Prepare for the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2018 Architect Exam series are listed under Greg’s blog page.