Get acquainted with Oracle’s Certified Professional Program
The computer industry has always been plagued by a lack of standard milestones by which to measure competence. Unlike the Bar exam for prospective lawyers or the accounting exam for CPAs, computer professionals until recently had no way to certify their mastery of the technology that is indispensable to performing their work.
The Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) Program is the most recent of a string of data processing certifications that dates back to the 1970s. The first computer certification for database professionals was the Certificate in Data Processing (CDP), offered by the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP). This was a rigorous exam covering all areas of data processing. For programmers, the ICCP offered a Certified Computer Programmer (CCP) certification and an easier Certified Systems Professional (CSP) program for those who were less technically inclined.
The whole area of computer certifications languished in the backwaters until the CNE and Microsoft MCSE certifications began making the industry a whole lot of cash. Another impetus for the growing appeal of certifications was the rapid increase in the demand for computing professionals. Once upon a time, computer science was the bastion of those who possessed a natural talent for computing, and college programs were able to maintain rigorous standards to discourage those who were not well suited to the profession. This began to change in the 1970s when the demand for qualified (and naturally talented) professionals far outstripped the supply.
The Oracle certification exams are the natural result of a bombardment of unqualified and untalented Oracle professionals. Sadly, a majority of those entering Oracle DBA (database administration) jobs are doing it solely for the salary (Senior Oracle DBAs average over $100,000/year) without any regard for their qualifications or analytical abilities. This plague of under-qualified Oracle professionals has strongly influenced the certification program as a method for screening Oracle ability.
The Oracle certification exam evolved from the original Oracle7 Certified DBA exam that was introduced by Oracle in 1997. The OCP Program has created separate certification tracks covering the specific responsibilities of a range of Oracle jobs. For the DBA, the track is composed of a series of five tests developed from the content covered by courses of the same name included in the Oracle Education curriculum for DBAs.
The Oracle certification process
In keeping with its desire to maximize profits while providing standards for Oracle technical competency, Oracle has given the exams associated with the Oracle Certified Professional Program a huge amount of internal Oracle support. Oracle provides in-depth technical specifications and sample exams to assist candidates in preparing for certification. And it provides extensive information about the program here.
The OCP DBA exam
The most highly coveted of the OCP exams is the DBA exam. Those who successfully complete the certification have been known to obtain entry-level DBA jobs at salaries that often exceed $60,000 per year.
Oracle offers DBA certification programs designed for each release of Oracle. The original Oracle DBA certification was called “Certified Oracle7 DBA.” Oracle now offers tests for Oracle8 and Oracle8i. By offering new certifications for each release, Oracle can ensure a constant stream of revenue from the test-taking public.
