Really hope the questions about Left Outer Joins using COALESCE and how to get mail() to work on a Windows box aren't on the cert test??
Or I'm doo doo. :) PS I'm not sure how to say "fogged a mirror" in Latin but we can look it up! > on 2008-04-23 17:25 Peter Sawczynec said the following: > > I believe the most beneficial PHP+ cert that we can strive for would be > > more on par with a Cisco cert. An acknowledged, industry heavy weight, > > Note that the lower-level Cisco certs (i.e. everything but the CCIE or > its equivalent) now have a multitude of boot-camps available for them to > push you through in a weekend, and therefore their value, both real and > perceived, is slipping. It's been a while since I've studied the finer > trivia of Cisco kit, but I'm confident I could muster a passing score > all the way up to CCNP without studying for more than a weekend--a week, > tops. Would you let me loose on your routers *only* knowing *that*? (The > fact that I deal with Cisco kit in other ways on a daily basis > notwithstanding...) > > What makes the CCIE so valuable is that it contains both a written and a > lab component, and the latter is damn *hard* -- it has a real failure > rate in the double digits -- so that it's unlikely that you'll be able > to pass it through book learning alone. That is to say: in order to pass > it, you're most likely an experienced practitioner already. > > I see a lot of talk about certifications, and I have to reiterate the > question: why bother? In other words, what are you trying to accomplish? > In order for it to really fulfill its mission, a certification basically > needs to substantiate someone's years of experience and actual ability > to perform: it's a *certification* that you can *do something* that > isn't just your word for it, and it comes from an impartial third party > (whoever they may be). > > Of course, it matters a bit who the certifying authority is (which is > why people value degrees from real colleges over mail-order degrees), > but unless there is a statutory requirement for licensure and > registration, the only value of the certification "in the marketplace" > is what the holders are actually doing: if you've got a certificate that > is, in a word, achievable in a week's intensive course, it's worthless > except to paper collectors, and the market will value the certification > accordingly. > > > difficult but well worth while cert. I believe that the cert should be > > advanced, sophisticated and relatively difficult -- the PHP+ cert should > > not be about qualifying entry-level initiates, it would be used for > > qualifying middle to expert level. > > Peter has successfully compiled the correct here. I would take it > further: the exam should be QUITE difficult, and dilettantes should NOT > be able to pass it. > > Make a certification more like the PE, where you must show verifiable > years of experience (signed off by another in the field), and have a > tough exam on top of that (and I'm not even counting the EIT), or more > like the CCIE, with a very difficult pair of exams, *written and > practical*, and then you'd have a certification that is worth bandying > about--something that conveys the elusive "I should get paid more > because I'm *demonstrably* worth it" message. > > Oh yes, it should also need to be renewed every 7 years or so, not just > to generate income for the certifying authority, but to demonstrate that > you're still at the level you claim to be. > > > There could/should be a separate entry-level cert if needed. > > Given the field of programming, I would suggest the "fog a mirror" > certification. For $29.95, I'll provide you with a certificate suitable > for framing. For $39.95, I'll even make it 3 color. (Latin available > upon request, and only to Kristina.) > > > Peter > > //jbaltz > -- > jerry b. altzman [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.jbaltz.com > thank you for contributing to the heat death of the universe. > _______________________________________________ > New York PHP Community Talk Mailing List > http://lists.nyphp.org/mailman/listinfo/talk > > NYPHPCon 2006 Presentations Online > http://www.nyphpcon.com > > Show Your Participation in New York PHP > http://www.nyphp.org/show_participation.php > _______________________________________________ New York PHP Community Talk Mailing List http://lists.nyphp.org/mailman/listinfo/talk NYPHPCon 2006 Presentations Online http://www.nyphpcon.com Show Your Participation in New York PHP http://www.nyphp.org/show_participation.php
