I’m looking to take a career step forward, I do first and second line IT support on an SQL-based platform, I’ve got no qualifications but got sent a link to an MCSE SQL 2012 Data Platform for two hundred quid. I’ve had a bit of a light dabble with SQL which seems a moderately engaging way to spend time, so I wondered if doing the MCSE would have any practical value in looking for DBA roles? Is it a certification that employers look for?

Ive asked my bro – he’s a SQL god. And I know he has an armful of MCPs and an MCSE but not sure when/what order he did them all in or whether he thinks them worth it.

Have you searched for dba jobs on job serve or the like? Look at the specs of several.

Whether or not employers look for it, it is probably worth doing if you’ve just dabbled in SQL.

It will increase your knowledge of the basics and a lot of the less common stuff. It will give you a focus rather than dabbling and it’s knowledge that will be very useful for a long time.

I’d be looking to get work to pay for, or go halves on the cost. They benefit and should support you in training.

As DaveRambo said the MCP route will improve your knowledge all around the subject area and cover off some of the basics. Even the pre-requisites for installing and configuring SQL which you may never have done from scratch in first/second line.

Would be worth doing to back up the experience you have.

7 years in consultancy with a product suite that depends on SQL, I’d have to say: do it! There are some woefully bad SQL ‘DBAs’ out there. We constantly have to educate customers & their db teams in how to do the most basic tasks in SSMS, with most big DB servers in many organisations running as default installations. It’s got so bad that the training material we produce is starting to look more like a basic SQL admin course rather than product implementation courseware.

If you can go to a prospective employer and demonstrate that you know best practice and can implement it properly then this might make the difference in selecting you over some other oik.

Would be worth doing to back up the experience you have.

This.

Worthless(ish) on its own, just means you can read and retain information, but something to show that you do actually know what you claim on your CV, definitely worth something. Also if you are applying within the same company it will show willingness and dedication to the job that you are intending on applying for. Not that you are just dipping your toe in to see.

fresh from the SQL wranglers mouth….

Bro says that “MCSE data platform is the current pinnacle of certification in SQL server. It is NOT easy”.

It’s made up of 5x exams. Each exam is an MCP. Each exam costs £99 in fees from the examiner. Sometimes Microsoft do a deal on the first 3x exams for £250 (i.e. £50 off). Completion of the first three exams achieves an MCSA, apparently this is where a lot of people stop. The last 2x exams are harder.

Training costs are on top of the exam costs and depend on how much you can self-teach from experience and online materials.

It’s v v unlikely that you’ve been offered training and examination for £200, since the unavoidable exam costs are at least £450 but more likely £500.

It’s more likely that you’ve been offered either 1x MCP of training and examination for £200, or training materials for £200 on top of which exam fees need to be paid. Maybe double check the link you’ve been sent. My Bro may be wrong, but given the way MS operate, I doubt it.

Ultimately he highly recommends it though. But it’s not easy, it’s well respected, it’s not cheap. It’s well respected because it’s not easy and it’s not cheap because it’s well respected.

Stoner said pretty much exactly what I was about to. So, that.

@pondo based on your post and @Stoner’s I’d say the course sounds worthwhile (even just the first part). It did sound very cheap to me at £200 for qualification so I wasn’t surprised to see @Stoner’s comment. My only query would be if this is the right place to start (ie do you need some more skills first) but on reflection I’d say sign up and do the first part, that will tell you where you are level wise and how much effort is going to be required to get further. Keep dabbling and see if your employer can offer training and progression.

As a final note don’t let “no qualifications” hold you back, you can get qualifications and you can gain experience and skills which makes qualifications irrelevant. Good luck.

Ooo, fantastico – thank you folks! DT78, only had a quick look but whilst loads mention SQL server 2012, not many seem to specifically mention MCSEs or MCPs. Stoner, thanks to you and your bro – does rather look as thought he two hundred quid is for training only, with exam fees on top. And thanks to everyone else too – good, positive, useful stuff, much appreciated. 🙂

Rather ironically, the reason I asked whether it had any value was because I thought, at two hundred quid, it must be a fairly basic beginner’s course – but that’s clearly not the case, now I’m wondering whether I have the knowledge to even start it! More research required, but sounds like it’s definitely something to aim for… 🙂

If you have the money and the interest go for it. Id treat it like an investment, if its not on many jobds yet is there a different course or qualification that is more appropriate for you to achieve your goal of getting a dba job? Before you commit to your own cash you should think what you are trying to achieve

You really need to look into the structure of MS’s certification if you’re going to go down this road, and work out what you want to do before you start. You’re using terms like MCP and MCSE interchangeably and they’re very different things.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/mcse-sql-data-platform.aspx

There is no way you’re going to get all that for £200. The books, maybe. The exams will be £100 a pop and there’s five of them.

And then the next version of SQL Server comes out and your certs are worthless…

What are after learning about – becoming an expert at SQL, or to use SQL in an MS environment?

No, I know – like I say, I thought that MCSE was the starting point, but it’s clearly not! The offer does say that exams are not included unless otherwise stated (and it’s not otherwise stated that I can see), but I think MCSE assumes a level of knowledge I don’t have. So just having a look at MCSA stuff, as a bridge – but that course is more expensive than the special offer MCSE (not including the exam fees). It’s all food for thought…

Edit – Turner, yeah, I know but at the minute career-wise I’ve got nowt but experience, I think it would be useful to have something to say I’m certified to this level on this product, even if it has a shelf life. Not really sure where I’m going with it, to be honest – I really do only dabble with it, we’ve got an old 2000 internal SQL training manual so I’ll work through that as a starting point, see where we end up.

I’m doing it at the moment. My job role has evolved to include some DBA work, none really requiring MCSE cert (which I hold in other disciplines) but the company are always willing to pay and I find it cements the knowledge gained in study and practice (taking the exams that is).
Doing some Oracle too, but I can’t even figure out appropriate courses yet 🙂

MCSA is the lower level cert and can be extended to MCSE by additional exams. Should be your first target.

Individual exams award MCTS (I think) on that specific are, and are also worth having.

If you can get someone else to pay, do it. I’m amazed how few people in IT hold them (even some very very clever people I’ve worked with) and it’s far easier to scoff about their value when you hold them 🙂
If nothing else they get you past the CV harpies in HR in any large company.

And then the next version of SQL Server comes out and your certs are worthless…

Not true. Very little difference in syllabus between 2012 and 2008.

Plus its amazing how many businesses are still using 2005 let alone (horror) 2000.

Im an MCSE:BI

the exams arnt hard if you have experience and do a bit of revision. However if you don’t have hands on experience are just adding it as a qualification you would struggle.

Its nice to have but personally I wouldn’t pay for them myself

Not true. Very little difference in syllabus between 2012 and 2008.

true, your cv will say 2012 when all the pointy haired managers and agents will want 2014, or whatever.

It is buzzword city in recruitment at the moment, which is funny as if you drill down most people have very supericial knowledge.

I always look at MS technology with skepticism, some of their stuff may be good but you have to beware blindly following their advice as to what the next great thing is, as they will change their mind and go in a different direction at the drop of a hat.

Having a plethora of MS certificates marks you out as a bit of an MS toady in some peoples book, and you should keep a more rounded view of the world imho. There are many places where the best solution is not MS related.

MCSA SQL Server 2012 wont do you any harm:
70-461 Querying SQL Server 2012 (will teach you a little bit more than the basics about data querying)

70-462 Administering SQL Server 2012 (installation, management, clustering, failover, etc, good to know if you manage the servers as well)

70-463 Implementing a datawarehouse using SQL Server 2012 (building ETL packages with SSIS, data quality management, hmm,, doubt you will ever use this as support.)

As others have said, you will get a piece of paper saying you know learned this stuff, and it could get you’re foot in the door as a junior SQL developer or DBA, but only doing the job will teach you how to do the job.

Drop me a mail if you decide to do it, I have some learning material I can share.