I think there are basically two questions here:
1. Does being certified mean you are good? Obviously not.
2. Does being certified mean you have a better chance of getting hired?
Possibly, and it certainly never hurts. Being certified might be the
one
line on your resume that peaks enough interest to call you in for an
interview. Many HR teams know nothing about IT specifics, but if they see
that you are certified in the languages they are interested in, they could
be more likely to forward your resume to the hiring manager.
In a nutshell, I don't see where it is ever a BAD thing (unless it is used
to shield lack of actual experience), and it COULD be a GOOD thing.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 9:32 AM
To: CF-Talk
Subject: RE: ColdFusion Exam
Just for clarification, I didn't' say that the certification will show that
the coder is a good one...I just simply said if I was looking at two coders
with the same level of experience, and the same 'apparent' ability, that I
would choose the one with the certification over the one without. In other
words, it's a tie-breaker in my mind. That's about it. I have 7 1/2 years
of experience in CF and have never been certified in it, and still am not.
It only took me 10 days to get my most recent contract at a pretty high
rate, so I agree with Ken in the matter that my body of work pretty much
gets me the job, not a certification (which I don't have anyway). However,
most CF programmers nowadays do not have 7+ years of experience to show
(most seem to be 2-3 year experienced coders) so in that case, when there is
a large number of coders out there with about the same experience, having
the certification will certainly not HURT someone, and in fact, helps to set
them apart...
Having said all that, all you coders out there with less than a year or two
of experience in CF, don't assume that getting the certification will get
you the job...it won't...remember, it's just a piece of paper. :)
In fact, the only way to know whether you have found a 'good' coder
(whatever that is) is to hire them and see how they produce over at least a
couple of weeks, if not a month or more. You can make some pretty good
assumptions from reviewing code, interviewing, testing, checking references,
etc., but you will just never know. The first coder I ever hired looked
great but after 90 days, I had to let him go. He took 6 weeks to do
something I could have done in a few days.
Oh, one more comment...tests oftentimes test memory skills, but I have found
in all my coding projects knowing where to find the information you need
(i.e. references, how to search for problems/solutions on the net, etc.) is
the most valuable skill that someone can have. Typing speed doesn't hurt
either. ;-)
Whew....I'm done now.
Dave
Robertson-Ravo, Neil (RX) wrote:
>That isn't really a good MO though - there is no guarantee that the person
>with the qualification is a better coder - in fact I remember when we
hired
>some developers for a project we found that the exam guys were all straight
>out of the book kinda guys and new little or nothing about the "real
world".
>
>Not to say anyone with one is bad - that is never the case but adding
>Certified Advanced ColdFusion Programmer after your name doesn't swing any
>kudos.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Sent: 22 July 2005 14:56
>To: CF-Talk
>Subject: RE: ColdFusion Exam
>
>
>
>>From: Robertson-Ravo, Neil (RX)
>>I personally don't like or rate these exams - they mean
>>nothing in the shadow of say a good MS qualification. By all
>>means go for it if you want to but it doesn't make you any
>>better than a geezer off the street without one.
>>
>>
>
>I can guarantee you this...if I'm hiring for a CF developer, and I have two
>developers who are about the same in experience, and whom both have good
>personalities from the interview, ever single time I'd hire the one with
the
>certification over the one without. It proves that they care about their
>credentials, and that they took the time, and invested the money, to
'prove'
>that they could at least pass the exam. No, it doesn't prove how good of a
>programmer they will be, but it does set someone apart, and even in some
>cases, allows someone to command a bit higher rate than normal.
>
>Dave
>
>
>
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