Just like Kimberly Daich, I also appreciate this post. I've discovered Eloqua's world just a few weeks ago and I'm already overwhelmed with all the things I need and want to know. Since the day I got involved in an Eloqua project, I've been totally immersed in Topliners and Marketing Automation blogs to read as much as I can. I'm in a very early stage of the project and I will start my training/learning course in Oracle soon and, as much as I value it, I can't wait to get my hands on Eloqua and play around with all its functionalities. As you all said, not only the certificates are important, but it's also about learning by doing.
I think that one of the most difficult parts for a complete newbie, at least in my own case, is to know where to start and not loose track among all the massive information about Eloqua and marketing automation. To avoid this, Topliners' community has been of great help.