Oracle 8i or 9i ?

[Les Ayudo]

Hello,   I'm thinking of going to school to get Oracle certified.  There are 2 schools in my area that are offering Oracle certs but one offers Oracle 8i courses w/ an upgrade to 9i, while the other offers all 9i courses.  If i go to the schools who offers 9i courses, would I miss out on valuable 8i knowledge?  Which school should I attend?  The courses will last about 7 or 8 months.  Also, is this a good "in demand" field to get into?  What chances am I looking at to getting hired as a newbie DBA once I graduate?    I want to get into the Ecommerce side of Oracle (connecting DBs to websites/portals?).  Which certification/path should I be following?  Thanks in advance!!