SQL Certificates Atlanta, GA

Structured Query Language, or SQL, is a widely used programming language to communicate with databases. SQL is popular among businesses and functions as a method to retrieve data from a database. Developed in the 1970s by IBM researchers Raymond Boyce and Donald D. Chamberlin, this program is widely used in various industries. It is most commonly used by web developers and data scientists. SQL uses a set of commands to manipulate data within databases. Once that information is retrieved, companies can use the information to analyze specific metrics and determine the next steps for their company's success. Many consider it a user-friendly and accessible program.

Why Become Certified in SQL?

SQL certification is essential when looking for a career in the data-related industry. Certification programs and certificate courses are easily accessible at various skill levels, depending on how far you want to take your skills. If you're going to become an expert in SQL, consider a management role in the information technology field or working as a developer, but being an expert is not necessary for most career options.

The great thing about having SQL courses easily accessible is that you can choose which one aligns best with your career goals. If you have little to no experience with SQL but would like to switch careers in either web development, coding, or something related to data sciences, entry-level courses or certificates will be sufficient. When considering becoming certified, this is a significant step that depends on long-term goals and how you plan to apply the knowledge you gain from your courses.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming SQL Certified

Becoming certified in SQL is accessible because there are a lot of programs that offer training. You can choose from beginner to advanced-level courses that will teach anything from the basics to more in-depth and detailed skills needed at more senior levels of programming. Though you can take various levels of training, most courses will teach some similar concepts that are necessary to be successful in SQL at any level.

Database Management

SQL is one of the most widely used relational database management systems. Database management is essential when it comes to managing your data. This means completing backups for your data to ensure information is not lost or destroyed.

Indexing

Indexes are some of the building blocks of SQL. Because they play such a valuable role in the program, it is vital to understand the basics of indexing. Understanding indexing makes working with the data in your database more accessible.

Related SQL System Skills

Various systems use SQL to help store data. Even though they are not SQL themselves, they are directly related and a valuable part of providing storage. It is essential to be familiar with related SQL systems to ensure you are selecting the right program and using it properly. These connected systems can be the pieces that make or break a project.

Basic SQL Syntax

Being proficient in the syntax of SQL is essential. This means learning to create a query to retrieve the information you seek in the database. A query could look like using SELECT and FROM commands that ensure you are capturing the information correctly when using your SQL skills.

Collaboration

Though it is not a technical skill or one specific to SQL, learning how to collaborate with others is a crucial part of working with SQL. Employees who use SQL typically work on a team with others, all working with a common goal. To make deadlines, achieve goals, and see success, being able to work closely with others helps to ensure your team is successful.

SQL Industries in Atlanta

SQL is a popular tool that is used in numerous industries. If you want to become certified in SQL, your efforts will be well-spent. It is used in marketing, finance, education, and even healthcare. Many commonly see SQL used in the data science industry. In data science, SQL is widely used to retrieve and clean data, providing businesses with better insight into their effort to improve decision-making. In marketing, SQL is used to look more at customer activity, sales, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. The information obtained can help companies determine if their marketing efforts are practical and gain better insight into their client's interests and needs. Using SQL in the Finance industry can look like generating financial reports, analyzing risks of investments, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

SQL in the financial world is a great way to ensure businesses are making significant financial decisions and maintaining compliance, which is valuable. It might seem surprising, but SQL plays a prominent role in the healthcare industry. SQL can be used to manage electronic health records, helping providers retrieve and update patient information and assist in determining patient care based on reports. SQL is also used in research to help retrieve data for clinical trials. Researchers can use the program to analyze data to identify trends. It can also be used to analyze and inform health trends. Using SQL to review data, medical experts can gain better insight into viruses or diseases circulating in particular areas using electronic health records. As things shift in the industry, we see SQL used in social media, too. Social media managers can use it to track profile engagements and monitor social media profiles.

When considering industries that use SQL and Atlanta, it's essential to consider what Atlanta has to offer. Georgia is known for its hand in the finance industry. It is quickly becoming a leader—70% of all global financial transactions pass through companies that have headquarters in the Atlanta area. In the marketing industry, Atlanta is home to many large companies, all of which need marketing and the analysis that goes along with it. Similar to healthcare, Georgia is home to some of the top healthcare companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, CVS Health, and DaVita. They are also home to renowned healthcare institutions such as Emory University. There is no shortage of industries that use SQL in Atlanta, making finding careers that put your skills to good use highly likely.

SQL Careers in Atlanta

SQL use is so widespread that finding a career that uses the knowledge you will get from a course or after getting your certification is highly likely. It is essential to think about where you want to take your new or expanded skills. If you prefer to stay with SQL-specific careers, consider becoming an SQL Developer. As an SQL Developer, you will be designing and building databases, writing applications, writing and testing codes, and solving database usage issues. To qualify for this position, companies are typically looking for someone who has the skills needed to be successful in the role. These skills come from experience and coursework. Still, some companies require an associate's or bachelor's degree in either computer information systems or computer science. The average pay for an SQL Developer in the US is about $85,000, with the average salary in Atlanta being $92,000. Being an SQL Developer can lead to other careers such as a Back-end Developer, Web Developer, or even a Software Engineer.

Perhaps an SQL-centered career is different from what you are looking for right now; there are still options available. Consider a career as a Data Scientist, for example. One requirement for a Data Scientist is proficiency in SQL, amongst other requirements. A Data Scientist must also be proficient in file management, algorithms, data modeling, and tools like Tableau. Data Scientists should also be detail-oriented, problem solvers, and great on a team. Though it is not required, some Data Scientists decide to get a degree in mathematics or data science. Some employers require a four-year degree as long as a potential employee can demonstrate proficiency. There is a certification for Data Scientists available, and while it is not needed, it could improve your chances of employment. The average salary in the US for a Data Scientist is about $124,000. While in Atlanta, the average salary is $169,000 for a Data Scientist V. SQL opens you up to many career opportunities based on the fact that the training crosses into various areas and industries. Becoming certified in SQL can open the door to many career opportunities.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification

If you want to learn more about SQL, you might start seeing certificate and certification programs. Some may use these terms interchangeably, but there is a difference between them. Suppose you are looking at a certificate course. In that case, you will gain knowledge of a particular topic, and the certificate proves that you took the course. A certification course, on the other hand, provides extensive training and sometimes an exam. Upon completing a certificate program, which is longer than a certificate course, you are considered an expert in the topic.

Suppose you want to get your feet wet in SQL with some standard concepts and fundamental knowledge. In that case, you might want to consider a certificate program. Certificate programs are great for beginners or could be a great way to prepare for a certification program. On the other hand, say you are looking to expand your career and need to be knowledgeable in all things SQL, certification is the best route. Certificate courses tend to be shorter than a certification. As mentioned before, a certification program could have an exam requirement. It is worth noting that neither a certificate course nor a certification program yields a degree. Still, they could be a requirement to move to the next level in your career.

Top SQL Certificate Programs in Atlanta

There are many programs out there that provide education on SQL. From boot camps to certifications, you have unlimited options when considering your education. It is essential to consider if you prefer a virtual or in-person option. Additionally, when looking at programs, confirm if it is a certificate course or certification program and choose accordingly based on your preferences.

SQL Level 1: Introduction—Emory University

Emory University offers continuing education programs at its Atlanta location. Their programs are great for non-traditional students looking to enhance their careers. They offer an in-person SQL course introducing students to the language used in database management systems like Oracle, SQL Server, Access, DB2, and MySQL. By the end of the course, students will be able to explain database and SQL fundamentals, use the FROM clause to return table data, create multi-table queries, join datasets with subqueries, and retrieve data about datasets using the GROUP BY function, to name a few. The course has 13 contact hours with a required textbook that students can purchase online. The SQL Level 1 class costs $725. Emory offers specific discounts on tuition, but the Continuing Education courses do not qualify for Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, AmeriCorps, or HOPE Grant. Students can use major debit or credit cards or checks as a form of payment. They offer an Emory Continuing Education line of credit option for students to apply for as well. Emory’s registration process is straightforward and can be completed online, by phone, or in-person. Courses must be paid for in full at registration unless the course states otherwise. Emory even offers some continuing education courses for employers to provide to their employees.

SQL Bootcamp: Learning the Language—General Assembly

General Assembly offers an in-person, one-day bootcamp to teach professionals the powerful language of SQL. This type of course is designed to give students the skills they need to become educated in a new area of study. As it is a bootcamp, students can expect to gain much information in one day. Students will learn concepts such as SQL vocabulary, the differences between different data management systems, and how to create basic SQL queries by applying Boolean logic, sorting functions, and commenting. Students will also leave with an understanding of how to use CAST to change a column’s type and JOINS to create relationships between tables to obtain data. The SQL course costs $350. Interested participants are encouraged to check with their employer to see if sponsorships are available for tuition reimbursements, and General Assembly offers payment plans as well. While there are no prerequisites for the course, students are expected to have basic computer knowledge and technical skills and be ready and curious to learn something new.

Students who participate in General Assembly Courses gain access to the benefits this pioneer company offers. Bootcamps include additional career support, access to the General Assembly global community, and tuition discounts on future courses, classes, and workshops. General Assembly has 30-plus campuses around the world, with one being in Atlanta, and also online courses. They also offer free introductory live streams and a free online learning platform called Dash to get students curious about other programs.

Intro to Advanced SQL Concepts—General Assembly

Suppose you are already using SQL and feel relatively comfortable with its concepts. In that case, you might be ready to advance your expertise. General Assembly has the course needed to take your skills to the next level. They offer an introduction to advanced SQL concepts workshop. The workshop is three hours long and gives intermediate-level SQL users what they need to master the use of SQL language for data analysis. At the end of the three-hour workshop, participants will gain a general understanding of advanced SQL concepts like Window Functions, Text Searching, Stored Procedure/Functions, and Views. Participants will also gain knowledge of advanced techniques in SQL for data analysis and resources for continued practice to master advanced SQL concepts.

As this is an advanced level course, participants must join with previous knowledge. Students should be familiar with complex JOINs with multiple tables and aliasing, aggregation and functions, NULL values, and related SQL functions. Students should have a laptop with the needed permission to download and install PostgreSQL and pgAdmin 4 and be able to complete this task. Students attending this one-day workshop can expect the exemplary education that General Assembly provides while feeling confident in their newfound skills when applying them to their current or next career.

SQL Querying Fundamentals—Part 1—New Horizons

New Horizons offers a great introductory course for novices to SQL. Their SQL Querying Fundamentals course is intended for professionals with basic computer skills and some familiarity with concepts related to database structure and terminology who are interested in using SQL to query databases. The course lasts one day at the Atlanta New Horizons location and covers a wealth of information. Participants will learn to connect the SQL Server database and execute a simple query, learn how to include a search condition in a simple query, use various functions to perform calculations on data, organize the data obtained from a query before it is displayed on-screen, and retrieve data from multiple tables. While the course is offered in-person, there are online and on-demand options for students, too. The Fundamentals course costs $545.

SQL Level 1—NYC Career Centers

NYC Career Centers offers an SQL starter course that is great for getting your foundational skills down. Level 1 is a six-hour course that covers a lot of information to help students gain a better understanding of what SQL entails. The curriculum covers writing SQL queries, filtering results using WHERE, AND/OR, IN and NOT, and combining information from multiple tables with inner JOINS. Students will also use the skills they learn during the curriculum on different projects to help improve their skills. The SQL Level I course costs $350, which includes not only the six hours of training but a free retake within one year, access to supplemental materials during and after the course, and a certificate of completion to verify your accomplishments. Classes are small to help students connect with each other and their instructors.

SQL Bootcamp—Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is known for its outstanding training for professionals and corporations. They offer training that helps everyone from novices to those advanced in their profession looking to take their skills to the next step. The SQL Bootcamp presented at Noble Desktop is no different. In this bootcamp, participants will learn how to write SQL queries to retrieve data from tables in a database, explore information stored in a database using the graphical interface of the popular database app DBeaver, and learn some advanced techniques commonly used in SQL like String Functions.

Students will also learn to combine information from multiple tables with JOIN statements and filter, group, and sort data to extract the specific information they need. The bootcamp also includes some great additional support to help students truly grasp the content. There is 1-on-1 bonus training where participants can receive an extra 18 hours of small group training, and students also receive supplemental materials to assist them during and after the course. The SQL Bootcamp costs $975.