Is it worth to pursue a C# cert for a SQL Dev focused career path?

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Is it worth to pursue a C# cert for a SQL Dev focused career path?

dominic cloud

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April 27, 2015 at 11:31 am

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I have the option to pursue a C# certification through my employer. My intended career path is to primarily focus on being a SQL Developer. The concerns I have about pursuing this cert, is that it may eliminate me from future potential SQL Developer positions in the future.
Any advice? Is my concerns misplaced?

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Sigerson Hall of Fame Points: 3697 More actions · Answer 1

I always say yes when the boss is handing out free training. It may not be immediately applicable but learning new things is always a good thing. Keeps the learning mechanism tuned up. Always a good thing in our line of work. And who knows? You may like it a lot. At worst you'll be ready to raise your hand when they need someone with C# experience for 'a short job.' More education = more value to your employer.

Sigerson

"No pressure, no diamonds." - Thomas Carlyle

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003865 More actions · Answer 2

dominic cloud (4/27/2015)
I have the option to pursue a C# certification through my employer. My intended career path is to primarily focus on being a SQL Developer. The concerns I have about pursuing this cert, is that it may eliminate me from future potential SQL Developer positions in the future.
Any advice? Is my concerns misplaced?

It won't eliminate you from future SQL Developer positions. In fact, it should help your career in that chosen field quite a bit because you'll understand what C# Developers go through when the write something that hits a database and be able to mentor them as to what to avoid and why. They won't be able to say "Well, you don't know anything about C# so go away".

Knowledge is power and people hiring SQL Developers want powerful ones.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Bill Talada SSChampion Points: 11954 More actions · Answer 3

I have a C# cert and haven't touched the language in seven years. CLR functions for sql server are few and far between with no demand.

My recommendation would be to go for XML classes or Windows Shell Programming or Business Intelligence classes.

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 4

dominic cloud (4/27/2015)
The concerns I have about pursuing this cert, is that it may eliminate me from future potential SQL Developer positions in the future.

Why would it do that?

I have a Visual Basic cert, two Sharepoint certs and a Windows admin cert. Haven't done any of those as a job in years, if ever.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Alan Burstein SSC Guru Points: 61136 More actions · Answer 5

Getting a cert should not hurt you in any way. That said, I learned C# about 12/13 years ago because, at the time I wanted to be a .NET web developer. I changed my mind and have been a DBA/SQL Developer/BI developer since and C# has done very little for me. I had to use it once in SSIS in the past say 5 years and have had to debug some C# here and there.

I do, however, have to write PowerShell a lot (I'm actually taking a break from it right now) and my .NET training has helped me get up to speed with that.

A good tip for understanding what skills are required for a SQL Developer job is: go to indeed.com or dice.com and do a search for "SQL Developer" jobs. The hot skill for SQL Developer jobs right now seems to be SSIS and SSRS. It may be a better use of your time to focus your energy on those. PowerShell seems to be growing in popularity too.

Lastly, to state the obvious, if you really want to be a SQL Developer learn T-SQL. Study it, master it - there is a real shortage of T-SQL talent out there. I have been doing/learning T-SQL for 15+ years and feel like I have so much to learn still. It's easy to learn but takes a lot of time and effort to learn how to do very well.

"I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."

-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003865 More actions · Answer 6

Actually, the latest "fad" is extreme PowerShell knowledge. Throw in some AD and WMI knowledge on top of that an you'll be unstoppable.

BI is in demand, as well, but I hate it... mostly because it's an oxymoron for a lot of managers I've met. The BI accurately tells them the sky really is falling but they have to jiggle the numbers to look good. As Granny used to say, "Figures can lie and liars figure".

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)