RE: Need help getting started

From: Koivu, Lisa <lisa.koivu_at_efairfield.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 07:04:41 -0700
Message-ID: <F001.0033002D.20010620060559@fatcity.com>

Karen, for what it's worth:

What did you study in college?  Studying CSCI in college is absolutely not a prereq for getting into technology but it at least demonstrates that you can think that way.  I did study CSCI and I think half of it was a waste of time, stress and grey hair.  I don't need to do any 5th qtr calculus or physics problems in my current job.  However, a night class in C at a community college shows initiative.

If you can get hired into a company that truly promotes from within, that's your best bet.  I started as the secretary that answered all Excel, Word and Access questions and helped the 'analysts' figure out their forecast models because they didn't remember how to do a simple logarithm.  (Remember, guys, you got your job because you are good with numbers!)  Make your goals clear to your supervisor.  Once I finally jumped the secretary hurdle, promotions and new jobs were fast and furious (all within 1 year). Of course this was all ~3-4 years ago when the job market was hot.  It's different now. 

More recently one of my friends made the jump from help desk analyst to network engineer in training.  Help desk is a pretty disgusting job, but she was exposed to technology of all kinds on a daily basis.  She's doing very well now. 

Be sure that whoever you work for knows what your goals are.  If you are lucky enough to have a good supervisor, they will help you get there.  It's called developing your employees, even if it is grooming them for another job.  Usually bigger companies practice this.  My previous employer (50 people max) sent very few people to any kind of training because of cost.

On another note - don't oversell yourself as certified.  Certification is the last line on my resume.  I have it only because one of my supervisors (the one who sent me to training) challenged me to do it, so I did.  I work with a 'dba' that is certified, no experience.  Sometimes when she talks she doesn't even make sense.  The bottom line is that experience speaks more to a person's skills than certification. 

Hope this helps you.  Hope all's well up in God's Country (I'm from Minneapolis and miss it terribly, jeez, it's golf season!)  But I hear the job market is awful up there right now.

Lisa Koivu
Oracle Database Administrator 
954-935-4117

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-----Original Message-----

From:   Sinardy Xing [SMTP:sinardyxing_at_bcsis.com]
Sent:   Wednesday, June 20, 2001 5:46 AM
To:     Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Subject:        RE: Need help getting started

Hi Keren,
 

I was same with you, I started from 0% knowledge in computing, I stated as an office boy cleaning computer showroom Eveready, and then I started leaning how to install PC 8088 (long long time ago), monochrome monitor and then PC 80286 then PC 80386 then PC 80486 then Pentium then more Pentium then a lot more of Pentium. Then Sun SPARC, from DOS to WINDOWS to UNIX, programming C, C++, Java, Cobol others, DB, ORACLE and I don't know what will happen tomorrow.

 

Learn from others is faster but it may just a temporary knowledge to you (If you can afford OCP or other courses) Learn by your self is slower but it can be a permanent knowledge to you (If you can afford books)  Share your knowledge with others so that they also willing to share it with you.
 

A STEP AT A TIME
 

If you believe you can do it then you can do it.
 

All the best and Good luck
 
 
 

Sinardy

-----Original Message-----
From: root_at_fatcity.com [mailto:root_at_fatcity.com]On Behalf Of Sllewnerak_at_aol.com Sent: Wednesday, 20 June 2001 11:15 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L Subject: Need help getting started

This is kind of a different Oracle question. Does anyone have any suggestions how a person can land an entry level job. I do not work in the Technology field but would very much like to. I have been going to school at night for about two and a half years
and have the first two OCP developers tests behind me and am working on the third now. I have a 3.9 GPA and can't even get an interview. How do you get experience if no one will hire you? I have even offered to work for free in the evenings or on my days off. I live in Minneapolis and would really appreciate any suggestions that anyone might have. Thanks, Karen Received on Wed Jun 20 2001 - 09:04:41 CDT