So I'm getting serious about wanting some decent accreditation in databases but after scouring the net I'm coming up blank. I've visited the comptia website and checked the roadmap for db admin which suggest MTA DB Admin. However researching this showed it is for academic study only with no apparent entry route for someone not enrolled at an academic institution. Unfortunately I have to work for a living so going back to uni isn't going to happen. Bur I'm doing alot of db related work at work (mainly writing queries using access as the interface but I have been given a thorough grounding in the basics of oracle 9.2 and sql from a French trainer). I've also advanced myself with excel using it to create solutions for some work problems, again mainly manipulating data for analysis. I'm now stuck on where to go and what to do and who with. I need either distance learning or online based training leading to a certification ideally MOS Excel 2010 Expert and then perhaps OCA (Though this seems a big step which comptia describes as intermediate). Does anyone have any good advice for what to do? Or any training institutions that might fit my needs? I did look at reed online but it doesn't seem to offer quite what I'm after.
If you're in the UK, take a look at learndirect - they do some of the CompTIA and CCNA courses which might serve as a starter.
If I'm perfectly honest I'm alot more comfortable with Microsoft based systems than I am with Oracle. My interest in them stems from it being an industry standard and also following the comptia roadmap for a db admin. I've got books on T-SQL and Webmatrix I have been reading for separate reasons and as such I've been using VS2010 and Server 2008 R2. I have to do quite a bit of work in VBA and took a C&G VB Programming many years ago so as you can see I'm pretty slanted towards MS tech. I also find their software much more accessible especially for a learner. In a way that is what frustrates me about the MTA, it is clearly the exact cert I am looking for and what I need but can't be obtained outside of academic institutions seeking me to have to work out a substitute. My company uses Oracle but tbh I'm skeptical most of my department will survive the next round of redundancies in sept so I'm not prepared to go out of my way to learn their platform which they are considering changing.
The exams will depend on which version of SQL you want to be certified in. Here's a good start to find out: http://learning.microsoft.com/Manager/BrowseCatalog.aspx?browse=pt&pid=199%23219&cid=219
