Certification Spotlight: Victor Armbrust

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Victor Armbrust works as an Infrastructure Solution Architect for 2Worx Technology and has been in the IT industry since 1998.

victor-dba

Why did you first pursue a professional certification?
IT companies are always looking for specialized professionals. Getting specialized for a specific product (or products) is really important to make a difference among others. My first certification was related to Oracle Database, which I´ve worked for the last 5 or 6 yeas, so I decided to study and take my credential.

For many years, I thought getting certified was not an important thing; today I know I was wrong.

Are you considering getting any additional credentials?
Yes. Specially for Oracle Database 12c and Systems (Exadata and Exalogic). I´m also studying for Solaris 11 Certified Professional.

What advice do you have for someone pursuing an IT certification?
My main advice is: “Don´t look for excuses! Time goes by too fast. Opportunities are always available to anyone, but being prepared depends only on your wish to be a great specialist.” Most people don’t have time to study on a daily basis, so you should manage your agenda and find some time to study (depends only on yourself.)

How has being a certification holder helped you make strides in your career?
It has helped me a lot for the last few years, especially when I had a job opportunity. I have worked with IT consulting companies since 2004, so I have some experience with database consulting. Experience is (in fact) the most important thing in your career, but companies are always looking for new contracts or customers, and it is very important to have certificated professionals in their portfolio. At the same time salary negotiation can be more easily discussed.

Can you describe a valuable professional experience that may not have been possible without certification?
Basically all activities for a Database Specialist need a higher level of technical skills, including Operating Systems, Network and Storage knowledge. Certification helped me a lot during all these years as I need to study a lot of material to do a great job, especially in database migrations and backup/recover implementation.

How has the field changed over the years?
I’ve been working in the IT industry since 1998 and I can tell you it has changed a lot. As technology grows, we need to adapt ourselves to it. Back in 1998 I started my career as a Novell Network administrator, and at that time there were not too many certified professionals. In today’s time, companies are looking for a complete professional with great skills not only at the technical side but also at business and internal process side, that´s ITIL. What I’ve learned as a DBA is: To keep doing a great job, it is necessary to study a lot and maintain your technical skills and your certifications updated so you´ll be prepared for any further challenges.

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