• scotjmcdermid (12/4/2009)


    I would not recommend the Microsoft Self Study guides.

    First of all, there is a difference between learning to become a good DBA and trying to pass the certification exams. Certification will definitely look good on your resume, but the skills needed to be a DBA are not entirely the skills tested by the exams. And there are skills tested on the exam that you will probably never use in real life.

    I am not working as a DBA, but I have passed the Design and Implementation exam. For the purposes of preparing for the exams, my experience with these books is:

    (1) what the self study books try to explain they do a horrible job of explaining it, and even if you can figure out what they are talking about

    (2) the books don't go to sufficient depth so that you are prepared for the depth of questions you will get on the test.

    My impression of the Self-study series is that you are expected to have some experience to make sense of the material based on the assumption that anyone prepping for a cert is NOT a newcomer to the technology. Certs are supposed to be pursued after you have SOME experience.... BUT even a newcomer can learn something from these books, especially if you do all of the labs and test prep material in the books.

    But I agree Scot, the book cannot give you everything you need. It is just one tool to learn about the technology and prepare to be certified in it. That is why I teach Instructor Led Training, to add the missing parts in a classroom environment and that is the value of class training: having a mentor/guide to navigate the troubled waters of training and cert prep to achieve your IT career goals. That is why IT education is STILL a booming business, because it still has real value. You might consider finding a local IT training center where you live to augment your self-study.

    Let me know if I can be of any assistance in your IT career planning!

    Chin up and all that 🙂

    Peter Trast
    Microsoft Certified ...(insert many literal strings here)
    Microsoft Design Architect with Alexander Open Systems