Certifications as a means of gaining knowlage

Sun Jun 28 16:14:58 MST 2009

Certifications can be useful for getting your foot in the door when you may
not have the experience yet. Granted, most certifications say you should
have X amount of time doing Y type of work, but I had very little experience
with the subject matter when I passed the A+ and Network+ certifications.
When I go after a certification, it's because I'm looking to get a handle on
the basics for jobs related to it, and because it's something to point to
when I talk to HR about my qualifications.
Additionally, certifications SUGGEST that you have a certain level of
knowledge about a set of topics. I can spend six months doing network
support work and never learn a thing about fiber if I'm at a small business,
but a Network+ certification SUGGESTS that I at least know the difference
between SC and MTRJ connectors, as well as single-mode and multimode fiber.

To put it in fewer words, certifications are good for covering the basics of
a subject, and might get you an interview, but it's the actual experience
that'll probably land you the job.

On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 2:17 PM, Bryan O'Neal <boneal at cornerstonehome.com>wrote:

> I too do not believe certifications are worth much. With the exception of a
> selling point to customers who don't know better or to help lower your
> insurance premiums.  That said they CAN be a good path to focus your
> learning and gain knowledge however that knowledge is not usually worth more
> then a few months of intensive on the job training.
>
> On a side note I am mojor pet peve, in that I hate companies that requier
> certain certifications for emplyment... If I were to colect ever cert I have
> seen "requierd" for job I was otherwise well qualified for I would have to
> spend about two years and about $100K to obtain them. At which point I could
> get a few years of use and then have to repeat the process ;)
>
> If you want your people to have a prticuler cert you higher the person and
> make continued employment contengent on getting the cert.
>
> On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 6:49 AM, Lisa Kachold <lisakachold at obnosis.com>wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 10:33 PM, Steve Phariss <sphariss at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Question to the group.
>>>
>>> I know that certificates in and of themselves are not a good indicator of
>>> skill.  But are they a worthwhile goal for knowlege sake?  In particular, I
>>> have been faced with a couple jobs that required Vertualization skills.  I
>>> have very little enterprise experience with vertulization so was concidering
>>> taking a bootcamp course that concludes with a vertulization cert (Certified
>>> Virtualization Expert™ -CVE™)
>>>
>>> Does anyone have any experience with the CVE or Bootcamp classes in
>>> general?
>>>
>>>
>>> Steve
>>>
>> In the old days, we had what were considered "academics".  These were the
>> people who could stand around and spout a million useless details about
>> technology, but in the actual trenches, had no if/then/therefore logical
>> skills.  They were like autistics, in that they could memorize rote, but it
>> often seemed as if the people who actually could excel at the times when
>> someone had to pull raw intelligence and creativity out of a hat, they
>> failed horribly.
>>
>> The people who actually had to work in the fields often found the
>> certifications to be far from what was required to actually master a subject
>> - epic fail for those selling technology or selling management that
>> certifications were actually a good gauge of mastery.
>>
>> So, what started to happen was people who actually were deeply immersed in
>> technology started to attend bootcamps which were given often during a
>> convention, where a full immersal of the student into the subject matter's
>> pure "academics" would occur, whereupon all the useless facts that are never
>> used when implementing and maintaining the technology get retained just long
>> enough to pass the certification.  In this way, everyone could give a Class
>> A subnet answer (even in the days when everyone only used Class C
>> subnetting) for instance for a Cisco CCNA (which I obtained in 1999).
>>
>> I certified in IBM High Speed Networking Technology in the 1980's at
>> USBank, and it was a complete exercise in rote memorization.   I certified
>> on Websphere V in 2006, and nothing had really changed; little on the test
>> actually translated to being able to manage application servers in any real
>> world shop.
>>
>> I doubt very much this has changed with regard to Virtualization quizzes -
>> except that Linux certifications are generally excellent (especially the
>> RHCE - which is a complete PRACTICAL test, no reference materials are
>> allowed, and the student must master the subject on a virtual slice or real
>> machine during the test).  A RHCE is sold to businesses as a way to get a
>> cheaper rate on their RHEL licenses.  I was hired in a contract gig to build
>> new application servers (8 Prod/Dev + 1 database all Dell 1950's 2850's) and
>> clean up Apache security and little Linux issues while they sent their
>> Microsoft staff to RHCE Fast Track school (Choicehotels.com):
>>
>>
>> http://www.supershareware.com/info/whizlabs-rhce--red-hat-linux-certification--exam-simulator.html
>>
>> http://www.scribd.com/doc/16314048/RHCE-Red-Hat-Certified-Engineer-Linux-100-Success-Secrets-on-RHCE-Linux-Test-Preparation-Study-Guides-Practice-Exams-Braindumps-Certification-Exa
>>
>> https://www.redhat.com/certification/rhce/?s_kwcid=TC|3636|rhce||S|p|3282576651<https://www.redhat.com/certification/rhce/?s_kwcid=TC%7C3636%7Crhce%7C%7CS%7Cp%7C3282576651>
>> www.linuxlearningcentre.com/content/prep*guide*.pdf
>>
>> The RHCE fast track (5 day type of bootcamp) is the best way to certify as
>> well because Linux people generally don't require a 3 month class, and
>> simply get in and do things quickly to grasp a course:
>>
>> https://www.redhat.com/courses/rh300_rhce_rapid_track_course_and_rhce_exam/
>>
>> Certifications have been critisized for being "marketing manipulation"
>> rather than actual gauges of skill.  For instance, a company will sell
>> certifications when a product is big, and require certifications for cheaper
>> rates.
>>
>> But if you don't already have a good history with certifications and your
>> goal is simply to get a grasp of the technology, a certification is suspect,
>> as a solution.
>>
>> Currently virtualization providers are fighting it out over a "new hot
>> market".  And the technology is relatively young (unless you are IBM).  So,
>> Microsoft, XEN and Vmware --- you get the idea from the "Products of the
>> Year 2008":
>>
>>
>> *GOLD AWARD:* VMware ESXi 3.5 U2<http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/productsOfTheYearWinner/0,296407,sid94_gci1345772_tax312925_ayr2008,00.html>
>> VMware's free ESXi leads the virtualization platform market by continuing
>> to offer the greatest functionality and highest value of all hypervisors
>> available on today's market.
>>  READ MORE<http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/productsOfTheYearWinner/0,296407,sid94_gci1345772_tax312925_ayr2008,00.html>
>>
>>  *SILVER AWARD:* Microsoft Hyper-V 1.0<http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/productsOfTheYearWinner/0,296407,sid94_gci1345773_tax312925_ayr2008,00.html>
>> "Microsoft's standalone Hyper-V is a great option for a free hypervisor,"
>> one judge wrote. "I give Microsoft a lot of credit for such a strong new
>> showing."
>>  READ MORE<http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/productsOfTheYearWinner/0,296407,sid94_gci1345773_tax312925_ayr2008,00.html>
>>
>>  *BRONZE AWARD:* Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2<http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/productsOfTheYearWinner/0,296407,sid94_gci1345774_tax312925_ayr2008,00.html>
>> If Linux is your bag, then the Xen-based virtualization bundled with Red
>> Hat's enterprise offering is a high-performance virtualization option and
>> excellent value, judges reported.
>>  READ MORE<http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/productsOfTheYearWinner/0,296407,sid94_gci1345774_tax312925_ayr2008,00.html>
>>
>> I would get a general linux certification before I would get a
>> virtualization certification.
>>
>> And since you are asking, I would point you to the RHCE.
>>
>> (503)754-4452 wiki.obnosis.com
>> scientology.obnosis.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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