We here at db-Training appreciate your interest and if I might take a few minutes of your time, I'd like to talk to you about the Oracle business and the questions that we believe should be asked by anyone looking into entering it.

A lot of places teach Oracle today. Everyone from Colleges and Universities to the mom and pop consulting firms that seem to be appearing everywhere lately. What separates them? What makes one a wise investment of time and hard earned money, and another simply a waste of both?

The question isn't a simple one, but is fundamental in making the right choice for your future.

I believe there are some basic questions that can be asked of any educational institution that go a long way in determining whether or not your training needs can be met.

The most important question is: who's teaching?

Does the instructor have relevant, real world experience? Current experience? What about teaching ability. Let's face it, we are talking about a highly technical subject, one that demands the instructor be able to break the material down and convey it in a language the student can understand.

Not every programmer can teach, it's important that yours can.

The next big question is: who writes and maintains the curriculum?

Was it written by practicing consultants, or course developers in a company or university who haven't been on the job in years?

Is it the type of course where the instructor stands in front of you lecturing for hours while you frantically take notes, hoping you're not missing some important topic, or one where the instructor teaches you the fundamentals and then immediately gets you on a computer practicing and reinforcing what was just taught?

Speaking of computers, what is the student to computer ratio? If the training requires you to share a computer, the question that should be asked is: how can you be expected to learn how to program when someone else is typing half the time?

And lastly, when is the training being conducted and how long does it take?

Ask yourself this: is it reasonable to assume that someone with a week or two of training could expect to not only get a programming job, but to be successful in that job. And if that training were conducted in 10 days, 8 hours a day, just how much would you, could you, remember.

We believe an evening program, lasting 4 months, and taught only twice per week, with plenty of opportunity to practice what you'd learned, is more likely to give you the skills and confidence needed to be successful. We also strongly believe in homework and testing.

Homework allows you to practice your newly acquired skills in an environment where you are comfortable and at your own pace.

Testing provides you and the instructor with invaluable feedback on your retention of the material, allowing topics to be reiterated as necessary, ensuring you have the requisite, demonstrable skills when you complete the course.

I encourage you to ask these questions of any institution you'd entrust your future with.

Whatever you choose to do, wherever you go for your education, I welcome you to the Oracle business, it is an important and honorable profession, and one that I am proud to be a part of.