-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 In terms of measuring how much you actually know, there are certs that are pretty decent (Cisco, for instance, has a pretty good reputation), and there are the majority that aren't worth the paper they're printed on -- or even the bits in the PDF.
However, the real issue with certification has nothing to do with how much you know. It has to do with getting hired. So, the decision probably goes something like this: Do I want to work for a small company, or a large one? Large: My resume will be pre-screened by an HR person who doesn't know and doesn't want to know about all the "technical stuff". A cert may well be a Good Thing to help get past the screening. Small: Is the person looking at my resume a technical person, or not? Technical: The certification may or may not be harmful, depending on the person's own bias and prior experience. "Been there, done that, got the scars" is usually more helpful, though. Not: The cert may prove helpful in convincing the person that you know your stuff. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 8.0 iQA/AwUBPnZf0vEriEoHGxc9EQIahgCfXaA0E/6V6Xk2SclhQ3OXwAESNcQAoK5e J14eY/m+q1JoDai1QhsDBwsT =AlfP -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Quoth Jacob Albretsen: > Since I am not landing that big job right out of college, I was > looking at a few ways to make use of my time. Right down the road > from where I am staying is the DATC: Davis Applied Technology > Center. Their specialty is certifications. A+, MCSE, > Cisco.....they even have some sort of UNIX/Linux thing. I went and > checked it out. Basically it appears to be "work on your own" then > come ask questions and take the test and if you pass, boom, you're > certified. > > I've heard mixed opinions about "certification" and read some funny > Dilbert views of it too. I was wondering what some opinions of > the group are that have been able to actually get paid working with > computers. > > See, I have books (O'Reilly) and I read them and learn new things > about Linux, programming, etc. But I don't get "certified" Am I > going to need to be "certified" to get anywhere? ____________________ BYU Unix Users Group http://uug.byu.edu/ ___________________________________________________________________ List Info: http://phantom.byu.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uug-list
