1 certification secrets ! howard fosdick (630)-279-4286 [email protected] (c) 2004 fci v.u.1
TRANSCRIPT
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Who Am I ?
Independent Contractor:
* Hands-on DBA / SA * Oracle, DB2 UDB, SQL Server * Articles, books, presentations * Founder & past president - IDUG & MWDUG
Certifications:
* Oracle DBA* IBM DB2 DBA
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Why this Talk?
* In 1997 I took my 1st cert exam
* I barely passed
* On my next exam I missed just 1 question
* This talk tells you the “certification secrets” I discovered
“Thanks, I needed that!”
Please share yours too !
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Why this Talk?
* Most certification articles are biased
“Don’t mislead me!”
We need OBJECTIVE information !
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Outline
1. How did Certification start ?
2. Why the “Sales Job” ?
3. How to make it work for you
4. Secrets to Saving Money
5. Secrets to Passing the Tests !
6. Certs * SA * DBA
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The Dawn of Certification …
Late 90s
Early 80s
Early 90s
Novell Microsoftjoins in
EveryVendor Joins in !!
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Today: Hundreds of Certs
Vendor-neutralOrganizations
Software & Hardware Vendors
Vendors: Sun, IBM, NP, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, CA, Red Hat, Novell, BMC, CompTIA, LPI, Cisco, others...
Areas: SA, SE, DBA, Programmer, Developer, others...
95% 5%
They’re Selling it to You !
TradePress
HardwareVendors
Colleges andJunior Colleges
Conferences User Groups
TrainingFirms
Software Vendors
Publishers
ContractFirms
Mutual sales interest
Because Self-Interests Converge!
Vendors
Employers want a quick way to “qualify” applicantsSome use certification
Employers
Employees
The Vendors’ Real Game
* Few certify with more than 1 product
* IT pros promote what they know
* Converts an “SA” to a “Product SA”
* Creates a “hidden,” unpaid sales force !
* Product control & manipulation
Marketing Control Manipulation
“Buffy tells me you’re ours now...”
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II. How to Make Certification Work for You !
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Can You Benefit ?
1. College grad “breaking in”2. Mom returning to workforce3. Programmer trying to become DBA4. Unemployed IT manager going back to technical5. Prove skills are current6. SA expanding skills to another platform7. Contractor “trump card”8. Junior person
Those with marginal credentials benefit most !
Intangible Benefits: Fun, Challenge, Satisfaction
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Who Loses ?
You may be forced to certify if it becomes a job credential in your area !
* Costs you Time and Money* Esp. if courses are required* Forces you to specialize* Forces career dependency on (1) Product
(2) Vendor
Those who already have the credentials
“But I do know Oracle!”
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• Not marketable
• Require courses (vendor revenue-generator)
• Too many tests “ “ “
• Too-frequent upgrade tests (vendor control freak)
• Rules change too frequently “ “ “
• Vendor de-certifies “ “ “
• Non-transparent scoring (like SAT) “ “ “
“Cert Traps”
Why ?
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How Valuable are Certs ?
Cisco CCIE 96.9 MS MCDBA 65.9CompTIA A+ 47.8 MS MCSE 64.0CompTIA Linux+ 52.4 Novell CAN 63.5CompTIA Server+ 53.1 Novell CNE 71.5HP SA 73.5 Oracle DBA 72.5HP SE 69.2 Red Hat RHCT 60.6HP Master SE 78.7 Red Hat RHCE 71.6 IBM DB2 DBA 77.4 Sun Java Dev. 75.0 IBM SA n/a Sun SA 70.7 LPI 68.1 UNIX 72.8
• Certification Magazine 2003 Survey• See www.certmag.com• 19,000 IT pros worldwide• How objectively are results interpreted ?• 3.2 certs / person avg survey respondent• 15% avg salary increase due to cert• $2,715 avg cost to individual for each cert
Key 96.6 = $96,600
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How Do You Figure Out WhichCerts Matter Career-wise ?
• View job ads
• Web• In print (Sunday Tribune)
• “Community” indicators
• Restricted access to web sites, other resources
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Which Certs Are Key Career-wise?
System Administrators
Database Administrators
Oracle DB2 SQLServer
MySQL
Windows MCSE
Solaris AIX HP/UX OtherUnix
Linux
Exceptions– Depending on where you work
Others
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Certification Costs
Oracle 8i DBA example . . .
1. 5 required tests 125 = 6252. 4 books w/ CDs 75 = 300 3. 5 sample test CDs 100 = 5004. 2 training classes 1,600 = 3,200 -------- $4,625
* Biggest single item is Classes
* Time is key (study 3 to 5 weeks per test)
Computerworld article pegged costs at $4k - $10k on 03/01
“Here, I don’t need it. Am I smart enough to certify ?”
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Solaris 7
1 Upgrade Test per Release
Solaris 8
Solaris 9
“Hidden” Cost = Upgrade Tests
Upgrade tests costsTime and Money
Joe SA
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Secrets to Reducing Your Costs -- Don’t take Classes
YES
Saveyour money
vendor required?
NO
NO
Consider them
You’re stuck
YES product experience?
• Get employer to pay• Find cheaper Cert.
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Secrets to Reducing Your Costs
1. Employers pay for “Employee Development” they can quantify.
Download vendor’s website sales pitches to sell them!
2. Get them to: (1) Pay for Classes or Exam fees (2) Time at work
(3) Product access/practice
3. Get free product access (download or via employer) 4. Vendors offer free online Practice Tests5. Take “Beta Tests” 6. Free testing at conferences, user groups, etc.7. Lots of free cert info online www.cramsession.com, www.certmag.com, www.certcities.com, the vendors…
“The world is ours!”
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How To Take the Tests
• See vendor website
• Prometric at www.prometric.com• Vue at www.vue.com
• Pay by credit card• Go to a Testing Center on test day/time• You show 2 forms of picture ID• They give you a PC• PC program gives you the test• Most are multiple-choice (some adaptive)• You end the test or screen freezes if time runs out• You get immediate PASS/FAIL plus printout
• Some tests tell you how well you did with topic analysis• Others are like the SAT and give you no info!
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What Percent Pass Each Test ?
PassRate
(est.)
LPI Red Hat Microsoft Oracle IBM
60% -65%
70%
75%
Sources: DB2 Magazine,Cert. Magazine,LPI, IDUG, Red Hat, etc.
55%
Pass Rate relates inversely to Trivia Ratio
60%
24Skip a step and your chances
of a pass plummet !
1. Check vendor website
* Rules * Freebies, study materials, etc.
2. Study a Cert Book (Written on the test you’ll take)
3. Hands-on Experience
4. Practice Tests (Do not rely on vendor’s practice tests)
Steps to Certification:
Secrets to Passing the TestsWisdom !
boom !
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Secrets to Passing the Tests
* Vendor owns their tests (quality control, difficulty) Understand their policies and the lay of the land before proceeding!
* Flunk rates are 1 in 2 to 1 in 4 …therefore…
* You must study specifically for the test you want to pass
* It does not matter what you know or can do… You must memorize the trivia !
* Memorizing product-specific technical trivial is key !
Little correspondence between passingtests and your effectiveness on the job
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Secrets to Passing the Tests
* Many vended “Practice Tests” give you a huge edge
Example:
50 questions, Practice Test gives you 5 key answers to the hardest questions – this almost guarantees passing
* MCSE – buy Transcender Oracle – buy SelfTest
* Plug into the online community for the test you’ll take => Spend 2 hours surfing to get info before you spend 3 to 5 weeks preparing per test
Psyche out the test before you take it !
Example:
50 questions, Practice Test gives you 5 answers to the hardest questions – this almost guarantees a pass !
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III. SA Certifications
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Market Share Trends
The “Big 3” Unixes
* Sun Solaris* IBM AIX* HP HP/UX
The “Big 3” Server OSs
* Unix* Linux* Windows
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Number of Tests Required --- Standard SA Certs.
Number ofTests
Solaris AIX HP/UX CompTIA LPI 9 5L Linux+ Level 1
1
2
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Sun Solaris Certification
Certification: Cost: Questions Pass: Time:(minutes)
Solaris Certified Admin I- $150II- $150
57 58
64% 65%
105 105
Solaris Security $150 60 60% 90
Solaris Network $150 64 70% 105
Solaris Certified Administrator
Solaris Security
Solaris Network2 tests @$150 each
--- or ---
optionally
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Sun Solaris Certification
• Sun also offers Java Developer, other certs
• Web-based practice exams for all tests
• Solaris 9 Upgrade test:
$100, 41 questions, 68% to pass, 60 minutes
• Website: http://training.sun.com/US/certification
• Secrets to passing –
• Buy ExamCram2 study book w/ questions• and/or the QUE Training Guide
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AIX Certification
Typical System Administrator path…
1 test $120? 3 tests
Advanced Technical ExpertAIX System Administrator
--- or ---
--- or ---
--- or ---
pSeries Systems Support
AIX System Administrator
P690 Technical Support
HACMP Certified
Advanced Technical Expert
Fuller Explanation…
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AIX Certification
Certification: Tests to Pass:
Prereqs: Tests You Take:
Number of Questions:
AIX SystemAdministrator
1 none 191 62
PSeries Systems Support
1 none 199 72
HACMP Certified
1 191 or 199 187 50
P690 Technical Support
1 191 or 199 195 68
Advanced Technical Expert
3 191 or 199 Your choice-233/4/5/6, 187 or 195
Varies
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IBM AIX Certification
• IBM offers many related certs
• Web-based practice exams for all tests
• Website: http://www-1.ibm.com/certify
• Details on each test at: http://www-1.ibm.com/certify/tests/info.shtml
• Secrets to saving money –
• IBM offers many free downloads for studying (Redbooks, manuals, articles, etc)
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HP/UX Certification
Typical System Administrator path…
1 test $100(2 hours, 80 Qs)
2 day course with on-site exam $1,300plus travel
HP/UX Certified System Administrator (CSA)
HP/UX Certified System Engineer (CSE)
• HP offers many related certs for SA’s
• Tru64, OpenVMS, etc.
• Website: www.hp.com/go/certification
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Linux SA Certs
CompTIA Linux+
LPI
VendorNeutral
VendorSpecific
1 test-- lightweight
6 testsIn 3 levels-- 50% fail !
Red HatRHCT,RHCE Required courses
-- Expensive !-- 40% fail !
Suse IBM
-- fragmented market
-- Fragmented mess !-- No dominant cert
others. . .
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2 tests @$100 each
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Linux Professional Institute (LPI)
• Vendor neutral• 2 Tests per Level @ $100 per test• No expiration• Level 3 tests are in development• Website: www.lpi.org • Extreme trivia challenge• Complex passing algorithm• Only 50%+ pass -- by design !
2 tests @$100 each 2 tests @$100 each
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CompTIA
1 test $145(90 minutes, 94 questions, complex pass algorithm)
Linux+
• Vendor neutral
• CompTIA is known for A+ (popular for PC support technicians)
• Server+, Network+, Security+, others
• All are 1 Test each @ $145
• Linux+ covers hardware !
• Website: www.comptia.org
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Red Hat
4.5 day course includes½ day hands-on test
Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
• Expensive ! ($900 -> $3000 per course plus travel) (Average is > $2000)
• Failure rate is between 37% and 42%
• If the course is any good, you’d think you’d pass !
• Website: www.redhat.com www.redhat.com/training/certification
Required course includes test
Source:Failure Rate from Red Hat website 03/15/04
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MCSE
Microsoft MCSE
• An important cert to have if you support Windows servers • MS makes frequent program changes• MS de-certifies those who don’t upgrade on their schedule• Windows 2000 -> Windows 2003 requires two upgrade tests• Trivial pursuit style questions• Adaptive testing ???• Website: www.microsoft.com or www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/ • Secrets to passing – Buy practice tests from www.transcender.com Buy Microsoft’s MCSE Training Kits
7 tests @$125 each“I feel like a hamster on the wheel…”
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IV. DBA Certifications
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Market Share Trends
IBMMicrosoftOracleOther
IBM34%
Oracle34%
Microsoft17%
Other15%
Sources: Gartner,Dataquest, IDC, FCI
The Big “3” Databases
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Marketability by Platform
Other ORA MS
MS50%
ORACLE 40% Other
10%
WindowsServer
Other ORA
Other40%
ORACLE60%
Unixes
Other DB2
DB2> 90%
Other10%
Mainframe
Sources: Gartner,IDC, Dataquest, FCI
Other DB2
iSeries
DB2> 90%
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Number of Tests Required --- Standard DBA Certs.
Number ofTests
MS Oracle IBM
4
2
SQL Server 9i OCP V8 2000
Plus 1 requiredcourse
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1 test @$901 test @$125
OCA(Associate)
OCP(DBA)
OCM(Master)
Oracle DBA
• OCP is the most marketable DBA cert
• OCP is the “standard” DBA certification• Oracle offers many other related certs• OCP course requirement is new in 9i release 2• OCM is expensive -- few will pay this• Download Oracle trial copy free• Website: www.oracle.com or www.oracle.com/education/certification/index.html• Secrets to passing – Buy practice tests from www.selftestsoftware.com Buy Jason S. Couchman’s book with practice tests
2 tests @$125 eachPlus 1 course
2 coursesPlus 1 test
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1 test $120
DatabaseAssociate
Database Administrator
AdvancedDatabaseAdministrator
IBM DB2 DBA
• IBM offers many other DB2-related certs• Website: www.ibm.com or www-1.ibm.com/certify/certs/db_index.shtml• 75% pass rate• Secrets to saving money --
• Free downloadable GUI test prep materials from IBM !• Free testing at IDUG (www.idug.org)• Free DB2 trial copy download
• Secret to passing – use IBM’s free courseware
You choose z/OS or LUW
1 test $120 1 test $120
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MCDBA
Microsoft DBA
• Only 1 cert -- requires passing 4 tests• Can re-use Passes from other MS certs• Only 2 of the tests must be on SQL Server !• Only worth it for “Windows professionals”• Microsoft may de-certify• Download SQL Server trial copy free• Website: www.microsoft.com or www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/ • Secrets to passing – Buy practice tests from www.transcender.com Buy Microsoft’s SQL Server Training Kit
4 tests @$125 each
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www.cramsession.comwww.certmag.comwww.certcities.com
Vendor website for the product your interested inCheck users group websites
Certification Websites
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