Why Get an Oracle Certification?
In today’s competitive world of technology, Oracle certification can be the key to opening several doors of career opportunities. Oracle is one of the market leaders offering a host of technology solutions, including hardware and software products and services and the latest cloud applications.
Oracle also provides training and certification to industry professionals to equip them with the latest knowledge on its products and services. In this article, we will explore some of the top Oracle certifications and how to prepare for them.
Top Certification Programs Offered by Oracle
All Oracle certifications offer validation and industry-wide recognition for your skills. There are dozens of Oracle certifications on offer in the areas of cloud, software, and hardware.
You should choose and prepare for an Oracle certification based on your current skills and the future direction of your career. So whether your goal is improving your knowledge or gaining better career prospects, there’s an Oracle certification to suit your needs.
Let’s look at some of the top certifications based on recent trends.
1. Oracle Cloud Certification
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations Certified Associate
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Certified Architect Associate.
- Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud Certified Specialist
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Certified Architect Professional
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Certified Architect Professional
2. Oracle SQL Certification
- Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate.
- Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate (JP).
- MySQL Database Developer Oracle Certified Professional
3. Oracle Java Certification
Oracle Certified Foundations Associate, Java
Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE Programmer
Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE Developer
Levels of Oracle Certification and Continuous Learning
You may have heard of different certification levels such as Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) and Oracle Certified Professional (OCP). You can obtain certification as an associate, professional, master, expert, or specialist as per your eligibility of the certification requirements.
Once you earn an Oracle certification, you will receive a badge that links to your social media profiles. You can move from the lowest to higher levels by fulfilling specific requirements and obtaining credits listed on the Oracle certification website.
How to Prepare for Oracle Certification?
The OCA certification or the Oracle Certified Associate credential is the first step you need to become an Oracle Certified Professional.
- Shortlist the right certification: With such a wide array of Oracle certifications, the first step to preparing is shortlisting the right certification.
Look for the course that aligns with your work experience, areas of interest, and career prospects. Your choice will be different based on the stage of your career and whether you want to learn a new skill altogether or get certified in what you already know. - Prepare a schedule: It is a cliched reference that you plan to fail if you fail to plan. A schedule that justifies your time investment is of utmost importance. You can make your schedule less monotonous and a bit more fun. Introduce regular short breaks and mix up study with practice tests and online prep modules.
- Online training courses: Oracle University has some recommended online courses aligned with various certification paths. Note that some of these courses are required to be taken for specific certifications. Ensure that you fulfill the eligibility requirements for the certification of your choice.
- Practice makes perfect: There are a plethora of online resources on Oracle training for certifications, many of which are free of cost. Oracle’s certification training website has guided training modules. In addition, get into a habit of appearing for online practice tests.
This will help alleviate anxiety on the day of your online exam and improve your response time. There are self-paced online seminars available to help prepare. - Self-assess and self-evaluate: Before your exam day, you need to ascertain that you have bridged known knowledge gaps and gained confidence. Track your performance in practice tests and assess for yourself how much you have improved. Note down the areas of improvement during self-paced online prep sessions.
Revisit the training for modules that need more attention. Then retake the tests and evaluate the improvement in your practice test scores. - Seek help from the community: There are several online communities seeking Oracle certifications. These community-led forums can help direct you to the right resources, answer doubts, and generally provide high-level support.
- Take free exams: One of the easiest ways to get a sense of the Oracle training and certification is to take a free course and certification available on their website.
An Oracle certification may provide a much-needed boost to your knowledge and career. Like any other exam, preparation is the key to success. With the learning resources from Oracle and other sources, you can get the most up-to-date information on the certification you choose to accomplish. By following the guidance provided in this article and through community-led groups online, you can thoroughly prepare before taking the certification exam.
