Re: Metro East: Certification SIG meetings

[Tighe <emry@accessus.net>]

>What is the purpose of certification these days???

Depends on the cert.  Some of them only prove that you can keep your eyes
open for the length of the class.  Others such as Oracle, Cisco,
Checkpoint, etc are really looked after in the job market today.  Most
people who have certs though, will be able to land a better looking job
with a better looking check.

>Does it really help get you a job???  or a raise??? or more clients???

I have gotten job offers because of my little list of certs, and a raise
most definetly.  If you can prove that you are improving the quality of
your company by reducing the amount of work that they are going to be
outsourcing, you will save them some money.  

>Mike808 is an able programmer/sysadmin... does he need a 'cert' paper to
>prove it??

Feh, I ran into this problem.  I am a 24 year old admin (8 years full time
admining) who STILL gets crap from people about age and lack of
certs.  Some employers are so locked on certs that they can't see beyond
them.  I know quite a few admins who flat out refuse to get their certs
just because, they feel that they don't need them.  If I know the material
why should I pay thousands of dollars to have someone tell me that I know
it.

>What about the person who went through a class for 2-4 weeks and then
>passes the cert tests...  does that minimize Mike808's cert??

Not really, the cert factories (read MCSE) pump out those people who can
quote the book and are good at memorizing it.  Several good questions will
allow you to get the wheat from the chaff.  A point on poking fun at teh
MCSE, I have heard that the win2k exams actually require a thinking
ability above that of an ameoba to pass.

The thing with cerst is that they depend on their reputation, such as teh
CCIE.  I hold most CCIE's in awe still, here is someone who knows Cisco
and Networking inside and out.  Then I look at the MCSE or the A+ mills
and it makes me wonder if they really think that that is going to help
them.  Lately, on the radio I have been hearing the CCNA get hyped to the
exteremes that the MCSE was hyped.  Bleh, that makes me sick looks like I
am going to need to take another step up the Cisco ladder.

TIghe


-- 
Tighe Schlottog		Sys Admin at large	  /emry\"@"/accessus.net\
                             ook ook

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