CompTIA Adds Linux+ Certification

11 platter hard driv writes: "CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association), the people who made the A+ and I-NET+ certifications, have made a Linux certification. I just received an e-mail a day or two ago that the test is out of beta. This seems pretty important seeing how CompTIA is non-vendor specific." Legions of PHBs and Kinko's nationwide look forward to the resulting resume changes.

Comments

Is it just me...

[Corrado]

...or are these kinds of tests not worth the paper their written on? I really think it's funny when someone says to me "Yea, I just got my MCSE" and they think I'll be impressed. Usually, I just laugh and say something about knowing how to study to a test. In fact, when looking for a job I usually avoid the ones advertising for someone with one of these "degrees". I think real world experience is the only way to be good at this stuff. Sure, learning is never bad but I think these programs just put more unquallified people on the streets. This dillutes my marketability. I don't like that.

Now that I've said all that, I think there are/were some really good tests on the market. Cisco engineer and Netware engineer are/were some of the certs that I really respected. But, you don't see those much anymore. I guess it's because they are too hard to get. :)

Re:Is it just me...

[AsylumWraith]

Watch it, I've met too many of you MS certified freaks that don't know what the hell you're doing to buy the "You're just too scared to take the test" bit.

Perfect example. When I got out of high school, I got a job working for the department of defense the good old fasioned way (I knew someone on the inside.) No certification, just 6 years of home experience under my belt. A month later, they hired an MCSE. Guess who ended up training who, who's beeper was going off all the time to help the other, and who screwed up less.

I'll give you a hint: It wasn't the MCSE. And this was in a strictly MS shop (we had finished migrating from Netware 3/4 shortly before this guy came on.)

Now, I don't see anything wrong with getting certified. In fact, one day when I have the motivation, time, and money, I will go out and get an MCSE, a CNE/CNA, an A+, a CCNP/CCNA, and now this Linux+ cert. But not having those pieces of paper doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing (with the exception of the CCNE/CCNA... I don't know the first thing about setting up a router. :p)

Boost for linux credibility

[heretic108]

These new certificates will help a lot to counter the stigma some people perceive regarding linux.
Maybe the IT management community (yes, those who think that 'hackers' are criminals who vandalise computers, rather than prolific and talented programmers) will start to realise that Linux isn't actually a bastion for pirates and crackers.

Good to see.
So any bets on how long it'll be before linux-certified engineers are earning higher average salaries than w--dows certified ones?

Well Yippie

[evilviper]

Looks like the hiring teams no longer need to actually find out how well you know your stuff, only if you have a piece of paper that says you do.

I'm just as happy as everyone else that Linux is getting more recognition, but I've seen too many people with A+, N+, CCNA, CNA, MCP certifications and Masters Degrees in CS, comming to me to actually learn the first thing about computers, to put any faith in any certifications, and I'm quite disturbed by the fact that many employers do.

Does anybody know of any real certifications out there that tests your skills, rather than your ability to memorize test questions?

Yet another difficulty with hiring situations . .

[mjprobst]

Even in the situations where they claim to be testing one's abilities, they're more often testing one's abilities to spit back a memorized answer from one particular system, where a 5-minute period of time with the manuals or actual system, without any destructive actions, could bring about the same result.

I have memory difficulties but have never failed to figure out a *N*X box after being placed in front of it, or in front of its 20' of manuals. Within a week of starting work in a *N*X shop I've always become a valued expert resource for the team, even on systems I'd never seen before starting the job.

But in this economy the smarts in the hiring department were shoved aside, because so much of the boom-time workforce was full of people who claimed "No problem, I can just learn that" without being able to deliver. Right now, those of us whose learning/execution style leans towards pattern recognition and understanding of the architecutre are getting the short end of the stick, because they want to ask a few poorly-worded, poorly-constructed test questions that supposedly boil down everything one would know. I've even caught some of them not knowing their _expected_ correct answer was not _really_ a correct answer!

Of course there are some environments in which this won't cut it. Hiring just _one_ person to be at the head of a support structure for a given vendor's *N*X is one example, that person should have enough background to answer from memory immediately. But even things so simple as filesystem mounting is different between vendors, and in 95% of the cases the differences between in-house policies at different companies are much more important than what particular commands/files are used on one vendor's system.

Nice to see that the problem-solving and architecture-understanding skills have been stomped out of the market, in favor people who can emulate a raw keyword search through a textfile.

Re:Yet another difficulty with hiring situations .

[Spock the Vulcan]

get more H1Bs to come into the country, take our paychecks, and mail them back to their own country, depriving our retail businesses of a lot of their revenues.

Well, surely the employer has the right to employ whoever they like? Maybe the foreign worker is not as qualified as you ( and that's in your opinion :) ), but provides the employer with a better price/performance ratio.

Apparently, globalization of economies is good only as long as it opens up foreign markets to American companies; as soon as the people from there start taking advantage of a globalized job market too, it is time for you to rant, isn't it? How about trying to learn some skills that distinguish you from the rest of the pack? But maybe whining is easier than competing.

The people who do come in are not exactly burger-flippers. For the most part, they are reasonably educated in their discipline. Sure, some of them send money back to their countries, but they also buy cars and homes and stuff from "our retail businesses". Nobody's taking "your" paycheck - they have taken a big step to leave their homes and come here to work for it. Go do something worthwhile instead of crying - you were lucky to be born in the land of opportunity, learn how to live in it.

Re:don't forget braindumps

[hendridm]

>> This is what Linux needs, a good known cert. It needs to have it's holders know enough to be dangerous.

I agree. Now clueless business owners who heard that "Linux is free" will hire Linux+ people to try it in their business. After all, he/she is certified and knows what he/she is doing, right?

The first time the shit hits the fan, the business decides Linux is too immature and difficult to maintain for his/her business. This may be true for his/her business, but you can't necessarily expect a Linux+ certified person be able to administer Linux effectively.

However, I think it is good in showing that you have an open mind and are willing to "do what it takes" to learn other technologies as needed, rather than relying on your University education that taught you VB and Windows is all you ever need...

Beta Sucked

[Anonymous Coward]

(Hey look, posting anonymously is good for something, since the following is probably not what comptia wants folks to say....)

I took the beta exam too, and found it hideously terrible. For a significant portion of the questions, several of the pick-one multiple-choice answers were actually correct -- and for another large portion, none of them were.

I'm pretty sure I passed too, but if I didn't, it reflects worse on them than it does on me. The beta exam provided the opportunity to comment on each question, which I did liberally. I sincerely hope that the final version fixes all the problems, but I'm not holding my breath.