> let's put it this way...there are ways of correlating medical > laboratory tests that I worked out on my own. Indeed, when I was > about 16, I came up with a hypothesis independently (but triggered by > an aside in a paper on something else) that; > (1) it would be clinically useful to be able to give penicillin along > with something that protected it from penicillinase, a bacterial > enzyme that destroys it and is one mechanism of resistance. > (2) there existed at least one compound, which really hadn't been > investigated, that could inhibit penicillinase. > > When I entered college, I did get permission to do this as > independent research, but it didn't go very far for many reasons. The > big one is that I wasn't economically or emotionally ready for > college. Second, I had no real budget for the project, and my > "basement biological warfare lab" (well, it was for a fungus, not a > bacterium, but in principle could have grown anthrax) was just too > improvised -- I lost about 2 out of three batches due to > contamination in the air supply. Third, while I actually understood > the theory of some of the measurements I wanted to take, I didn't > have the hands-on skill to use some of the instruments. (Again a > ...well... I'm now ok with using a dual beam UV spectrophotometer, > but I still can't do RJ45 crimps worth anything0. > > But in the current case of monitoring potential infection, I learned > that from a particular physician -- I've never seen it in a textbook. > What I'd say is that a bright med student will work out some > techniques, but there are a very wide range of unwritten methods that > are best learned by mentoring. Learning to take blood from a vein is > a reasonable example -- oh, it's written up well, but there's no way > I know to learn the feeling of the "two pops" -- once when you get > through the outermost skin, and once when you enter the vein. It > takes constant practice to remain competent at this -- I could still > probably draw blood from you, but it wouldn't have been fun for > either of us.
I knew it! You are the Doogie of Networking, save for his social skills (or so you say!)! :) I suppose if the networking realm was a bit smaller, what would be great is a mentor system. Kind of like back in the older medeival days. "I see, tis you, Squire Carroll Kong of the Knight Howard C. Berkowitz. Truly your skills have grown under this apprenticeship! We have great need of squires of the Knight Berkowitz! How is the Dame Priscilla Oppenheimer?" - says the now more qualified Human Resources of . So at least one can have a far superior vouching system. Nowadays, if I let potential clients know "Yes, I have read many of Knight.. er.. Howard C. Berkowitz's books. Designing Routing and Switching Architectures was my favorite book". Yeah, I "might" get a "wow I read that book too and get hired", but I think more likely I would get the "umm.. yeah. So, can you cook up a site to site VPN for me with Cisco routers and Netscreen firewalls or what?" After the vouchign system, add in some "mandatory" time in the Arena.. er.. Cisco Labs. Then make them take the Trial Of Fire...(True Conflagration) er.. CCIE Lab, and voila! Of course they can always pick the Trial Of Little Flame or... Trial of Smaller Conflagration..., but it's not mandatory. > Hahh...Doogie had MUCH better social skills. Haha, or so you say! If you can communicate and write well... surely your social skills cannot be lacking! I suppose we are talking further back... I will admit, my social skills weren't that good then. > >Most of the "busy body" corporations tend to care more about the > >"now" and the "instant command" gratification. "ooh ooh he can make > >it better". There is a very nasty stigma that "design is easy, but > >who cares, can he make it work?" > > > >Personally I am a bigger fan of a solid design, and so are quite a > >few of the more exceptional companies, and obviously the research > >field. Unfortunately, I think the market plays down the very area we > >care for, and because of that it is not marketable for Cisco to push > >that angle. Furthermore, one could easily argue that the design > >aspect, unless carefully monitored, would be even easier to "copy" > >than the labs now. > > > >"Oh I just happened to like that design layout... " > >"Really? The last 50 individuals all did it the same way too > >hmmmmmm... and it's wrong." :) >ways> > > It's pretty trivial to be able to auto-generate small but important > changes in design scenarios. I even have a test engine that for > adaptive administration of lab secenarios. Given that Cisco tries that it would not be as hard to generate "different" tests since they can always generate the slight changes. Furthermore they can restrict feedback on the exam (they somewhat do that currently). However, I wonder if even then it would be a small enough domain to be vulnerable to the "oh so wonderful" braindumps and bootcamps. What if Cisco demanded written rationales for every maneuver done on the exam. I just wonder if you might get so much noise (but arguable that if you are not clear and concise in writing, perhaps you should not be qualifying! I suppose that would alienate people who had a different native language who were not nearby a native language test center). That would still make it harder to grade, and we have yet to discover if Cisco wanted to "increase the difficulty" or merely try to increase the flow of cash. -Carroll Kong Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=71680&t=71143 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
