I am currently attending classes at Global Information Technology in the Enhanced Oracle Certified Professional DBA program funded by the State of Michigan “No Worker Left Behind” grant. I have attended the 10G Oracle Certified Professional (OCP DBA) classes in the October 2009- March 2010 period. This coursework is compatible with my data engineering background and future courses in Oracle RAC and complementary skills in Linux and Java will help round out my technical background for future opportunities.

The instructor was very knowledgeable in the DBA material being a practicing DBA at a local company during the day and teaching in the evenings/weekends. He had married the theory and Oracle-approved training material with occasional workplace stories to help drive home the important points. I also enjoyed interacting with the other students. Their backgrounds, strengths and areas needing improvement kept me grounded on why we were there and why we needed to help each other to succeed.

In February 2010, I joined the new GE Technology Center in Michigan working as a Data Architect working in business intelligence analysis and reporting. Without a doubt, attending certification training helped me land the position. Most companies these days are very conservative in their hiring practices and being Oracle certified gives myself an edge versus others. I am thankful to both the State of Michigan for the grant and Global Information Technology for the chance to be productive in a profession that I love.