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Linux Certification Roundup
jdean writes: "I thought I'd take a minute and toot my own horn and mention my
article on the O'Reilly Network which gives a roundup of the various Linux certifications currently available. It's part of my series on Linux certification."
Case in point. A few months ago, I was job hunting. A headhunter called me up about a certain position. I had all the quals. . .but their HR droid shot me down, because I wasn't an MCSE.
Oddly enough, in my new position, we work with that company. And they've borrowed me numerous times to fix what their wet-behind-the-ears, just-got-my-MCSE PFY couldn't do, or botched. Needless to say, it has been a source of many billable hours to my current employer. And all because Company "X"'s HR droid decided that a shiny, new MCSE certification trumped years of experience in the field. . . .
Everyone bitches because "certifications" mean nothing. I don't believe that's quite true; a certification means nothing if you check out the braindumps, memorize the questions and particular answers, and pass by the skin of your teeth. It can mean you DO have the basic experience necessary to perform a job if you learn your stuff and pass with real knowledge using real experience.
I have several certifications. I have them because I wasn't getting respect in my particular field while looking for a job. (Yep, partially Microsoft, but also partially Solaris.) I have yet to score below 95% on a certification test. My biggest beef with the cert tests is that they're entry to mid level; they don't cover complex things. (For some really tough questions, see brainbench at http://www.brainbench.com.)
Anyway, Linux, CompTIA, Novell, or Sun, all cert tests are limited by what they can offer for a reasonable price. Cisco is about the only test that isn't abused yet, and I've started hearing commercials for "CCNA Boot Camps" (do me a favor; don't do a boot camp and come configure my router, okay?). However, the CCIE certification, a prize still, is done in a lab environment. Of course, the CCIE lab is over $1k last time I checked. There's a big diff between $100 and $1000. Everyone else is multiple choice or fill in the blank. (Although Microsoft's emulator tests are actually getting pretty good.) Just like the SAT or ACT, you've got a 20% chance of getting most questions right just by guessing.
Oh well.. you either recognize a cert for what it is, or you don't. Most of the employers I've been interviewing with recently ARE ASKING LIVE TECH QUESTIONS, despite the certs. The cert gets you in the door, the live tech makes sure you do know your stuff.
-- Talonius
My reality check bounced.
Excerpt from Microsoft MCLE Core Requirements Training Kit: