First, are you looking to learn SQL from scratch with a strong likelihood of using the MySQL implementation (and version matters from a feature POV), or do you already have some SQL familiarity and need to know all the MySQL warts?
Your learning style really matters.
I do not get much out of lectures. It's good to have someone to ask questions of, but only as I am getting desperate, since figuring it out is good practice and lately there is also Google. The only thing I have ever found classrooms to be good for is that they are usually associated with certificate-granting authorities. If you need a certificate granted by examination, you may be able to skip that step.
I suggest you buy the most recent edition of one of the MySQL reference books, find a system on which you can play (installing MySQL at home should be a cinch), and have a friend who uses MySQL set you some plausible exercises to implement. By the time you are done, you'll have all the necessary skills.
If you are learning SQL from scratch, I bet you can find a tutorial book for a lot less than taking a class would cost. SQL as a language is over 25 years old; there is a lot to choose from.
I have several MySQL books, which I've had since 2000. So they are a bit dated, but I could loan them, and newer editions may exist. Names on request; they are not handy. However, one is a Nutshell/O'Reilly book, and that one has likely been updated.
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Date: 2005-11-07 09:11 pm (UTC)Your learning style really matters.
I do not get much out of lectures. It's good to have someone to ask questions of, but only as I am getting desperate, since figuring it out is good practice and lately there is also Google. The only thing I have ever found classrooms to be good for is that they are usually associated with certificate-granting authorities. If you need a certificate granted by examination, you may be able to skip that step.
I suggest you buy the most recent edition of one of the MySQL reference books, find a system on which you can play (installing MySQL at home should be a cinch), and have a friend who uses MySQL set you some plausible exercises to implement. By the time you are done, you'll have all the necessary skills.
If you are learning SQL from scratch, I bet you can find a tutorial book for a lot less than taking a class would cost. SQL as a language is over 25 years old; there is a lot to choose from.
I have several MySQL books, which I've had since 2000. So they are a bit dated, but I could loan them, and newer editions may exist. Names on request; they are not handy. However, one is a Nutshell/O'Reilly book, and that one has likely been updated.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-07 11:09 pm (UTC)However, it sounds in this case like he's supposed to go spend money on Professional Training.