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CertAdvisorsm
(February 26,
2001)
Question
of the week
Follow
up to last week's CertAdvisor
Select
questions & answers
Share your cert-experience
How CertAdvisor
answers questions
Question
of the week
Q1)
I passed the required core exams of MCSD
recently and have begun
preparing for my elective. I am in a dilemma on whether to go on to
complete MCSD now or wait for Visual Basic.Net and then complete my
certification training? If I complete MCSD now will Microsoft ask me
to
upgrade when VB.Net is released? (From Theta Davis)
ANS) Yes, you can expect Microsoft to ask you to upgrade after
VB.Net is
released.
Many developers working with the first beta of VB.Net have reported
that
it is a radical departure from Visual Basic. VB.Net, unlike other
versions
of VB, does not even use the syntax and behavior of MS Basic,
according to
them.
The departure seems to be logical as Microsoft is making a tough move
from
PC-centric computing model to Web-centric.Net model.
Given the potential differences between VB and VB.Net it makes sense
for
Microsoft to upgrade the MCSD program. Programmers who want to
continue
with VB will have to upgrade to VB.Net to stay current.
As you are so close to finishing your MCSD I would suggest you to
finish
your program and then upgrade to VB.Net, when it is released. This
would
be a tough but rewarding move to make.
Given the reportedly huge differences between VB and VB.Net porting
existing software will be challenging and in the short run there would
be
a good market for professionals qualified to work with both VB and
VB.Net.
Follow up to last week’s Cert Advisor
Q2)
I heard from a friend that salaries for Oracle DBAs have fallen in the
recent months. If this is true, should I still go ahead with my
certification plan? (From Bob Gray)
ANS) A Sm@rt Partner salary survey in the middle of last year
found that
at the height of the dotcom boom seasoned Oracle professionals earned
on
an average $115,000. Even Oracle DBA newbies, with little experience,
reportedly made about $50,000. The explosion of databases as back ends
for
Web sites had made the market hot for Oracle professionals.
But the dotcom meltdown, slowing of economy and general dip in
salaries of
IT professionals seems to have affected Oracle professionals as well.
An Oracle Professional Online survey, conducted from November 2000
through
January 2001, found that the average salary of the 477 participants
was
$60,976.56.
Seasoned Oracle professionals such as directors, consultants, and
managers
earned an average of $80,000 or more annually. Oracle professionals
with
less experience such as application developers, programmers, systems
analysts, and support staff earned less than $50,000 per year.
11.5% of respondents earned less than $30,000 and 6.9% made $100,000
or
more. 43.6% of respondents said they were not satisfied with their
salaries.
These reports suggest that there is a decline, though not drastic, in
the
salary levels of Oracle professionals. But I don't think career
decisions
should be made on current salary levels. As long as you have chosen a
good
line of technology, have the right aptitude and work hard you will
earn
well. Salary levels may fluctuate, but rarely will they severely
affect
competent professionals.
Select
questions & answers
Q3)
I am an MCSE. Is it possible for me to get a Master CIW certification
by passing just one exam? What are the details of this exam? (From
Nasir)
ANS) You need to pass two (not one) CIW exams to get Master CIW
certification.
Prosoft, the promoter of CIW certificates, launched the i-Accelerate
program sometime ago to enable Microsoft and Novell professionals
obtain
Master CIW Administrator status in less time than the standard program
length.
The i-Accelerate program recognizes that Microsoft and Novell
professionals have already acquired relevant IT expertise and allows
them
to earn the Master CIW Administrator certification by passing only two
of
the regular four required exams. The two exams are:
CIW Foundations
Master CIW Administrator for Microsoft and Novell Professionals
The Master CIW Administrator for Microsoft and Novell Professionals
(1D0-475) examination is divided into three modules -- Server
Administration, Internetworking and Security. To achieve a passing
score
on the exam, a candidate must:
Answer all 60 questions on the exam
Answer at least 45 questions correctly on the entire exam to achieve a
total score of at least 75%
Answer at least 70% of the questions correctly on each individual
module
Each question has 4 choices. Exam candidates must select the best
choice
for each question. For more details about this exam please visit:
http://www.ciwcertified.com/candidates/i_accelerate_exam.asp
Q4) I have passed Network+ and two MCSD exams. I plan to
complete my MCSD
and then appear for MCSE. I also like working with databases and have
taken a few Oracle-related courses as well. What kind of opportunities
will I have if I manage to pass all these certifications and acquire
multiple skills? I do not have any work experience. (From Julia
Hausfeld)
ANS) While multiple skills are a good ideal, you need to
specialize in one
and become good in that before taking on another. If you like coding
you
should go for MCSD or if you like managing networks or databases you
should go for a networking or database-related certification program.
Having so many certifications may actually wear you out, as you
would be
spending a lot of your time just to periodically upgrade to stay
current.
Share
your experience
This week our
member Carmen Montanez comments on Cisco Academy.
"Cisco Academy offers a Cisco prepared and administered
curriculum that
includes hands on labs for helping students to pass their CCNA.
The curriculum is covered in four sessions: Session 1 is Networking
Essentials and PC troubleshooting, Session 2 is Basic Router
Configuration
and sessions 3 and 4 are more advanced router configuration sessions.
Students must do all their labs, take all their tests and pass a final
exam, which includes a practical test. (For example, in session 1
candidates build, test and troubleshoot UTP cables using industry
standards.)
All tests are online and presence of a certified Cisco Instructor is
necessary for taking the tests and doing the labs.
Configuring a real router manually was the part I found most useful.
Router emulation software might be a good idea for practice but
nothing
compares to actually having to configure a real router.
After completing your four sessions of Cisco Academy, you are eligible
for
a discount for taking the CCNA exam. You also receive a
certificate from
Cisco for completing the four sessions successfully.
You can go to www.cisco.com to look
for a Cisco academy near you."
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