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Just got done with a three day Oracle training class (9i RMAN). Oracle is not one of those companies normal people usually know about. It's familiar if you're into IT or Financial trends. After the mega Microsoft, Oracle is close behind in terms of obscenely profitable software companies. They provide the backbone tech for some very big, familiar, names.
Their training tracts are varied and not cheap. The classes run about $500 to $750 a day, higher if they're hot, lower if you buy in bulk. The software itself can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with annual licenses often being more than up front costs. Oracle's not exceptional in this, more rarified products that almost no one's ever heard of practically ask for first borns.
Training facilities for such products usually woo their clients. They want people to come back, take a few days from work, rave out the cool software, pay obscene fees, have nice bagels and good coffee. Well, at least, that's how it usually goes. The catered spread varies from basic continental breakfast to roast beef. Again, these places ain't cheap.
The Oracle training centers of old were nice. Either a free vending machine or dedicated soda frig was the norm. Coffee changed more often than a truck stop, brewed from the water cooler. Each room would have a spread of bagels and coffee cake style things of a morning, with something different showing up for the after lunch crowd. The rooms were neat and felt professionally maintained.
The Oracle training center post dot bomb is a sorry thing. It hasn't seen any new money in probably five years. It just has this kind of run down quality to it. The food went steadily down hill over the years; now it's gone. The the soda frig is gone, the coffee is burnt, the freely available Internet isn't. The water cooler has no water.
A morning spread is still expected for these type of places, so they put out a small plastic bowl with some granola bars and a jar filled with Halloween candy. At first they didn't refill the jar.
I'll admit, I was expecting at least a bagel. I can survive a day on a couple bagels if I don't feel like braving the crowds. No bagel, no cream cheese, no mountain dew, no joy. Day one, a brutally hot day, I was in trouble. A word to the wise, if you're stuck getting your nutrition from vending machine fair, always go for the nuts. They have the most protein, complex carbs and fat. You can survive on nuts. Unfortunately, such nuts are usually available as part of candy. Day one I was on the best sugar high I've had in years; the crash was brutal.
Their training tracts are varied and not cheap. The classes run about $500 to $750 a day, higher if they're hot, lower if you buy in bulk. The software itself can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with annual licenses often being more than up front costs. Oracle's not exceptional in this, more rarified products that almost no one's ever heard of practically ask for first borns.
Training facilities for such products usually woo their clients. They want people to come back, take a few days from work, rave out the cool software, pay obscene fees, have nice bagels and good coffee. Well, at least, that's how it usually goes. The catered spread varies from basic continental breakfast to roast beef. Again, these places ain't cheap.
The Oracle training centers of old were nice. Either a free vending machine or dedicated soda frig was the norm. Coffee changed more often than a truck stop, brewed from the water cooler. Each room would have a spread of bagels and coffee cake style things of a morning, with something different showing up for the after lunch crowd. The rooms were neat and felt professionally maintained.
The Oracle training center post dot bomb is a sorry thing. It hasn't seen any new money in probably five years. It just has this kind of run down quality to it. The food went steadily down hill over the years; now it's gone. The the soda frig is gone, the coffee is burnt, the freely available Internet isn't. The water cooler has no water.
A morning spread is still expected for these type of places, so they put out a small plastic bowl with some granola bars and a jar filled with Halloween candy. At first they didn't refill the jar.
I'll admit, I was expecting at least a bagel. I can survive a day on a couple bagels if I don't feel like braving the crowds. No bagel, no cream cheese, no mountain dew, no joy. Day one, a brutally hot day, I was in trouble. A word to the wise, if you're stuck getting your nutrition from vending machine fair, always go for the nuts. They have the most protein, complex carbs and fat. You can survive on nuts. Unfortunately, such nuts are usually available as part of candy. Day one I was on the best sugar high I've had in years; the crash was brutal.