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<DIV><SPAN class=607170617-25022003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Steve,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=607170617-25022003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=607170617-25022003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Whine
away, I feel the same way. No, actually knowing how to DO something is not
enough!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=607170617-25022003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=607170617-25022003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>What a
crock.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<P><FONT size=2>John W. Colby<BR>Colby
Consulting<BR>www.ColbyConsulting.com</FONT> </P>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
dba-sqlserver-admin@databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-sqlserver-admin@databaseadvisors.com]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Steven W.
Erbach<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 25, 2003 11:56 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
dba-sqlserver@databaseadvisors.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re:
[dba-SQLServer]MCDBA<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Allan,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I can appreciate the structured learning bit. I
was wondering because I had a conversation with a good friend who, in the
past, always kept up the certifications that he had. He seems to be despairing
of the cost and bother. Unless one is focused very clearly on one skill these
days, certification can become very expensive very quickly. Some--Cisco, for
example--require re-certification every two years. I just wonder what that
buys you once you get it. Continued advancement? Better-paying
jobs?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I looked up MCDBA certification classes in my
area and found some being offered by another old friend of mine in the Chicago
area. The certification tests apparently cannot be taken unless one also takes
the courses. I found that a bit of a put-off.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I was also curious that, on the Microsoft site,
the MCDBA is geared for those with big company experience and big servers and
big databases. Somehow I doubt that these required courses offer anything in
the way of simulation of huge databases or multiple platform connections...or
do they?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've worked with PCs since 1982 and on mainframes
for a bit before that, back to 1975. It seems demeaning somehow that I cannot
take a certification test without going through an approved set of courses for
which I pay a large sum of money. I'm perfectly capable of learning SQL
Server--or anything else, for that matter--just fine on my own or in
connection with my client experiences. I guess I'm whining about having to
take those courses. If I do and if I get an MCDBA, what does it
mean?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Steve Erbach<BR>Scientific Marketing<BR>Neenah,
WI</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's
habits." - Mark Twain<BR></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>
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