Of course: a course itself or an accreditation isn't what this is about; the career you're training for is. Too many training companies place too much importance on just the training course. It's common, for example, to obtain tremendous satisfaction from a year of studying only to end up putting 20 long years into a job you hate, simply because you did it without some decent due-diligence at the beginning.

You also need to know how you feel about career development, earning potential, plus your level of ambition. It's vital to know what will be expected of you, which accreditations are needed and in what way you can develop commercial experience. It's good advice for all students to chat with a skilled advisor before they make a decision on a particular study course. This gives some measure of assurance that it contains the relevant skills for the career that is sought.

Globally, the most common database-systems are Oracle & Microsoft SQL-Server. Quite a few sizeable installations still use the more mature Oracle System, but 'SQL' Server is currently the normal system for most business environments, and as far as internet databases are concerned it rules the roost. Obviously, as 'SQL' Server is fully owned by MS, the organisation has built it in to all it's programs & platforms. For all those aiming to become commercially qualified therefore, it's the obvious path to adopt. Certifications have now been updated, and the MCDBA ('Microsoft Certified Database Administrator') has now been superceded by the 'MCITP' (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) and the 'MCTS' ('Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist'). The 'MCITP' DBA qualification comes with the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 edition, since it'sstill the most commonly used edition in industry and commerce. The more recent SQL-Server '08 continues to be in it's early days. In accordance with some of Microsoft's other certifications, a number of MCTS modules precede the full MCITP.

Charging for exam fees up-front then including an exam guarantee is a popular marketing tool with many companies. Consider the facts:

In this day and age, we have to be a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks - and usually we cotton on to the fact that it is actually an additional cost to us (it's not a freebie because they like us so much!) Should you seriously need to qualify first 'go', you must avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, prioritise it appropriately and apply yourself as required.

Don't you think it's more sensible to go for the best offer when you take the exam, not to pay any mark-up to a training college, and also to sit exams more locally - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call? What's the point in paying early for exams when you didn't need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are charging all their exam fees up-front - and then hoping that you won't take them all. It's worth noting, with the majority of Exam Guarantees - the company controls how often and when you are allowed to do a re-take. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company's say so.

With average Prometric and VUE examinations in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it's common sense to fund them one by one. It's not in the student's interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

It's a good idea if you're just getting into IT to begin your career path with training in software support. Software support will give you some entry level qualifications, that will help you get your first foot-on-the-ladder, as well as give you an understanding of a different valuable side of the industry. The MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) might be applicable in these circumstances. The complete package of 'MCDST', 'MCTS' and 'MCITP' might be planned to be accomplished in approximately five hundred hours of part-time training, hence making it reasonable for one year's part time study. Although, as always, we advocate caution prior to making any choices in isolation. Speak to a reliable expert with practical experience of the profession first, so you can make sure that your selected career will be enjoyable, & your learning-style suits the method of study. If you don't focus primarily on exactly where you would like to get to, you might find that you're miles off course & many hundreds of pounds worse-off!

If it's the Developer area of databases that is of interest to you, the MCITP DB Developer from Microsoft is for you. It will take care of more of the initial design, rationalisation and setup of Databases, although doesn't essentially extend to full Database programming. If you're considering Database programming then you should really check out the relevant programming web pages on this web site. In general, there's a very much larger concentration with students & employers alike on the administration of Databases. If you're interested in the Developer path, it would make much more sense to include that qualification as part of a Programming career track. Over the coming years, you will also find further MCTS qualification in SQL Server '08 progressively more relevant.

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