The Benefits of Oracle Certification
Certifications are especially important to those seeking employment in a field that often has many candidates competing for a single position. An Oracle certification shows the potential employer that the candidate has made the commitment to "learn their trade" and has the background and education to quickly become a productive member of their staff. The demand for Oracle professionals is growing at an incredible pace. But individuals, experienced or new to the profession, need to know what skills make them attractive to employers. Employers look for ways to distinguish employees and prospective employees who have the solid foundation of skills needed for effective performance.

The Oracle Certification Programs help the IT industry make these distinctions by establishing a standard of competence in key entry level and professional job roles. Being an Oracle Certified Professional raises their visibility in the organization, which is a requirement for career advancement in most organizations.

“Oracle certifications have evolved from a hiring tool to a screening tool: If you don’t have them, you aren’t viewed as a serious candidate.”

Benefits to the Technical Professional
An Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) credential demonstrates that you have a solid understanding of the foundation skills of a given job role that can be applied at an apprentice or entry level. By earning your OCA designation you improve your chances of getting entry-level job opportunities. The OCA acts as a stepping stone to starting a successful career as an Oracle Professional. After OCA, by becoming an Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) you demonstrate your understanding of the full range of skills required by Oracle professionals in your chosen job role. The OCP is in high demand in today's marketplace, and the demand for new OCP’s grows with each new release of an Oracle product. An Oracle certification helps raise your visibility and increases your access to the industry's most challenging and rewarding opportunities.

“Oracle’s certification strength in a declining economy is due in part to the fact that more complex, high-level certifications appear to be less vulnerable”

The Oracle Certified Master (OCM) is the highest credential an Oracle professional can earn in the Oracle Certification Program. An Oracle DBA Certified Master is a top-level Oracle expert who has in-depth knowledge of the Oracle database technology and industry experience managing mission-critical Oracle database systems and applications. An OCM is considered an expert within an organization, among peers, and across the industry.

The true value of earning an Oracle certification credential is increased opportunity. With more opportunities come career growth, greater stability, and higher remuneration.

“Given the key importance of data as an organizational asset, it should come as no surprise that DBA’s remaining in high demand and that related training certification programs are popular even in this time of economic trouble. By the numbers, Oracle leads the DBMS/DBA certification area.”

Benefits to the Employer
The Oracle Certification Programs are also valuable to hiring managers who want to hire right candidates for critical IT positions. For companies that send employees through annual IT training, certification helps ensure a return on the training investment by validating the knowledge and understanding gained in training sessions. Companies can also combine certification with an employee development program to enhance employee loyalty and performance on the job. Hiring certified professionals can have a direct impact on a company's success.

Oracle Certified employees are technically more competent on the Oracle Application and Database technology, when compared to uncertified staff. Companies which use Oracle software, find it easy to sell services when their customers know that they are being serviced by Oracle certified experts as they are better equipped to complete complex tasks.