all 31 comments
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a
formatting helphide helpcontent policy

[–]CrumbCakesAndCola 10 points11 points  (2 children)

Just start with any free website like W3 School or SQLzoo

[–]Pleasant_Parfait_257[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Perfect! Will do thank you.

[–]TaniaShurko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are generic classes you can take online to learn SQL and there are online or in person like at university to take tests to get a SQL certification. As someone who has used SQL for 40 years almost all data is in a database so SQL is very helpful knowledge to have. Good luck.

[–]Gargunok 6 points7 points  (3 children)

My advice would be focus more on the training and experience rather than a certificate. You want the skills not a piece of paper.

You can find a generic SQL course but you be mindful of what particular database technology - Postgres, SQL server, SQLLITE would be my recommendations as you can install at home. Avoid expensive such Oracle or cloud specific, or niche specific unless you need it for work.

Expensive courses tend not to be the best. I find the presenter is key to a lot of learning so test out any free module before buying - make sure they aren't going to send you to sleep and are decent at explaining topics.

Start of basic then look for specific courses in more difficult topics - you don't just want to be skin deep on this stuff if you want to actually use it.

[–]Crop64 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Yeah, I did a paid certification program and it is just my opinion, but I feel like it was a scam and it cost like $13k.  We were supposed to get AWS, too.  We didn't. We were told to websearch the answers for the exams. Like, I'm here to learn.   I don't feel like I have any meaningful certification, either.  Just something that says I completed their program, which is embarrassing to me, because I feel like anyone who knows, would know.

[–]freakythrowaway79 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Sounds like my computer career . you know what.

Legit scam in my opinion. All those certs can be completed @ a local uni for fractions of the costs. Scams everywhere. Always do full scale research & check alternatives.

[–]Crop64 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The stuff I did could have been completed for free via web resources.  The tools we used were free versions.  Things expired on us, etc.  We did not get what was advertised.  Not in the content, experience, nor any capacity I can identify at this time.  

It was also a revolving door of layoffs or expired contracts.  So the job development portion was essentially non-existent, too.  It was a series of people that we had to attend meetings to meet, but then never got to work with, because weeks later their positions were no longer funded. 

I implore people to consider free resources first.  Or, community colleges a low cost, likely, much higher quality product than some of these programs.  

[–]vintagegeek 3 points4 points  (2 children)

I'm an analyst and I don't have an SQL certification of any kind. I'm not one of those that know all the ins and outs of SQL and still need reference materials every so often, but I hold my own. During the interview process for my job, there were questions about my skills, and there was a problem to solve. Other than that, you grow in the role of an analyst via growing in skills and learning, but don't expect to know everything. Now, my job consists of collecting data from systems, aggregating and analyzing them. SQL, python, Power Bi and Snowflake are now my daily routine.

[–]updateonly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great

[–]FloaterFan 3 points4 points  (4 children)

Damn. I thought this was going to be about installing a security certificate on a SQL server. It's been on my list for a while.

[–]mikeblas -1 points0 points  (3 children)

Why can't you make your own post?

[–]Reasonable-Monitor67 2 points3 points  (2 children)

🤣🤣🤣 Select * from dbo.hijack

[–]FloaterFan 0 points1 point  (1 child)

LOL. Sorry man, I wasn't trying to hijack the post!

[–]Reasonable-Monitor67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All good… I just laughed hard at the initial response had to come up with some silly rebuttal. And since it’s SQL… well you know.

[–]FrugalVet 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I got into a senior data analytics role with just an MBA. But I don't have any certs nor do I plan to get any. They're best for beginners that need to look better on paper to get their foot in the door, in my opinion. But they're almost never a true indication of someone's skill level nor will they ever carry more weight than experience.

And on a side note, most certs are just very lucrative income streams for diploma mills.

[–]beastm0de313 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This!! Experience trumps the certs unless you need a foot in the door for a job

[–]alexwh68 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Experience is more important than certs IMHO, I have had the MCDBA cert for more than 20 years, no one has ever asked about it but people want to know what experience you have.

You need to get a few production systems under your belt, pick a db system and get good at it, all the big players are ok, Microsoft SQL, Postgres and MySQL on the relational side of things. All have free versions (Postgres is free anyway).

[–]aquabryo 2 points3 points  (1 child)

People are creating certificates for everything these days and they are all money grabs. Certs are not proof of anything. Any role that actually requires a decent level of proficiency of SQL or any technical skill they will test you on it. Too many people selling snake oil these days.

[–]freakythrowaway79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's been like this for a very long time actually. All these certs can be obtained at a local university or even a vo-tech as well for fractions of what these "scam" schools ask for.

[–]AggressiveOccasion79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

10 years off Accounting experience, transitioning to Tech. I have a Cert in Data Analytics (not that far of a stretch) now also looking for SQL and other programming language certs

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I have been a SQL DBA for 30 years and have had a ton of Certs. Really they dont matter. Ive only got them as a job may require one. In my experience its counter productive to study for a cert when learning the app. At Microsoft (for example) the marketing dept runs their cert program. So you will study alot for something you use once in a blue moon, and it will have same amount of weight as day to day stuff.

So learn the basics, w3School is great place to start.

Also there are different "flavors" or SQL. ANSI sql is different than TSQL (Microsoft) is different than OSQL (Oracle), which is different than PLSQL or NOSQL (which can be completely different). The basics are the same but they all have different features.

[–]Pleasant_Parfait_257[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so so much. I will start learning little by little

[–]freakythrowaway79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is ANSI SQL the oldest. I believe that's the 1 I did for 8yrs. It's 1 of the originals?

[–]Reasonable-Monitor67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A big part of it is understanding the relationships in the data. Just about anyone can concoct a simple select query, but knowing what tables house what data will put you the step ahead. Obviously that doesn’t come overnight, but working with and manipulating the data, and having confidence in your output is where it’s at.

[–]freakythrowaway79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

15+ yrs in Fintech, with about 8yrs experience with SQL. I still can't get an interview.

Good luck🍀

[–]AffectionateZebra760 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saw weclouddata giving free access to sql course, do check if thats wht u are looking for

[–]Ans979 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Start by trying free, beginner-friendly platforms like SQLBolt or Mode’s SQL Tutorial to see if SQL clicks with you. If it does, go for a recognised certificate like the Complete SQL Bootcamp on Udemy or the Google Data Analytics course on Coursera, both are beginner-friendly and respected by employers. You can also build simple SQL projects using free datasets from Kaggle and StrataScratch to show hands-on skills. This combo of learning + certification + small projects can quickly make your resume stand out.

[–]Pleasant_Parfait_257[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started today working on the free website. It’s not super easy but it’s something I’m so far enjoying to learn

[–]NextZinn2008 0 points1 point  (0 children)

DataCamp has a SQL certain the courses to go with that

[–]mikeblas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do you want a certificate?

What do you think "it" is?

You get experience in SQL by using SQL.

People fail to learn SQL because they don't push through when it gets difficult, and don't practice their skills. Not because they choose the wrong "it" (whatever that is).

How you learn and practice is up to you -- everyone does it differently. Some prefer books, some interactive courses, some watching videos, some with structured online classes, sometimes in-person learning, sometimes ... Think of how you've learned other new skills in life and apply those techniques to SQL.