Making the transition from Progress developer to Oracle DBA

Oracle related positions do seem to be in good demand and since the product holds such a large share of the market, it's likely to continue as one of the more "healthy" fields as far as jobs go. So, I'd say you are certainly on the right track.

The OCA/OCP certification should be a help as you transition from Progress. You can certainly leverage your experience with Progress as you learn Oracle and many employers can determine your probable success based on previous similar positions held.

If you want to get certified go for it all the way (i.e. OCP). The experience of studying and testing will give you a broad foundation of knowledge. But, in the end, experience is the best teacher. Continue to practice as much as you can as you mentioned. It seems that you are willing to "start over" with Oracle in that you realize you'll probably be starting at a junior level position until you get more experience and the certification will likely give you a leg up on other people looking for similar positions that are not certified.

Both Oracle Press and Sybex have good OCP study materials. Also, SelfTestSoftware has good sample tests for you to use as practice which run around $100 or so. A little pricey but very helpful.

Read as much as you can, practice as much as you can...then you should be prepared to make the career shift that should warrant your efforts and reward you with more opportunity and better pay as your knowledge expands. Good luck!

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