BSD Certification Group Releases Roadmap

Jeremy C. Reed writes "The BSD Certification Group announced on Thursday the release of their certification program roadmap. This publication introduces the Group's planned BSD system administrator certifications and the construction of the certification program. The press release is available, as well as the certification roadmap."

Comments

my thoughts on certification

[frovingslosh]

I just want to say that as someone who has hired my share of programmers, I'm not impressed with people who have certifications. I find that many times they really have less understanding in the area that they are certified in than I'm looking for, and they have tended to make passing a test rather than working with and understanding the subject their priority. On top of that, they seem to expect better pay than the good programmers because they have a certification.

I understand that this is not the universal trend in the industry, but I want people who can write good code, have the ability to understand things on a system level, and can adapt to new situations rather than certified people who slowly produce poorer quality work and give me blank stares. Give me someone who can write code to make different systems on a network interact, and who will get out network tools and track down complex network problems over someone with multiple network certifications any day of the week. I don't work in a BSD shop and I don't see that happening any time soon, so this doesn't directly concern me, but if I did I would not take this certification as a good thing.

Re:my thoughts on certification

[$RANDOMLUSER]

This is a certification for a sysadmin, which is a different kettle of fish. Many employers are reluctant to allow sysadmins to learn as they go, they're expected to know what to do when The Bad Thing (TM) happens - fast.

Re:my thoughts on certification

[n54]

I just want to say that as someone who has had my share of bosses, I'm not impressed with people who mix up OS certifications with programming certifications. I find that many times they really have less understanding in the area that they are managing in than I'm comfortable with, and they have tended to make passing out directives rather than working with and understanding their employees their priority. On top of that, they seem to expect better pay than the good employees because they are bosses.

I understand that this is the universal trend in the industry.

;)

Seriously though, you are completely correct that certifications on their own isn't much good and that some of the people taking them somehow delude themselves as to how smart and experienced they are. However if you were to hire an unknown sysadmin/netadmin with knowledge of a particular OS or network equipment you wouldn't mind seeing that they've actually at least taken some relevant certifications because unlike in programming it isn't that easy for them to really show you their knowledge in a reasonable amount of time. The certifications are simply a way to have a third party back up any applicants claims to a certain level.

Re:my thoughts on certification

[gregmark]

I took several of the basic SUN SysAdmin and NetAdmin exams a couple of years ago. They may have helped my foot find a door or three, but they definately helped me focus my learning and become a better sysadmin.

At the time, I was self-unemployed (a victim of my own hubris during the bubble when you could get hired for knowing how to spell UNIX) and needed a way to maintain my skills while broadening my base of OS know-how. I used the exams as a way to gauge my weak spots and fill them in with both book knowledge and test environment experience (ie, goofing around on my Ultra 5). When I finally got back on the horse 2 years ago, my learning substrate, if not my OTJ experience, had been greatly expanded. Over the course of the next year, I learned more about good sysadmin practice than I had during the all the bubble years.

Recently, I took the free Solaris 10 exams and passed them. Again, it focused my efforts to learn about many of the new features like zones and SMF.

The value of a certification is determined more by what the certifiee intends to accomplish by earning it than what an employer thinks it reveals about the certifiee.

Re:Who cares?

[asciiRider]

You said you don't care about or understand the certification.

Makes sense.

You don't care about it because you run 3 different distro's on desktop class hardware in a non mission critical enterprise shop.

You don't understand what is being offered because the problems (and solutions) you face in your 3-PC world are different than the person who does understand (and care about) this certificaiton.

The Chicken and the Certification Egg

[Anonymous Coward]

Background: 38yo geek who got his first programming job 22 years ago and has been full time IT for over 15 years. Self-employeed rent-a-geek... er I mean "IT Consultant" (who does quite well thank you)

So what do I do? I've got more experience and talents than 95% of the punk kids eager to take my customers.. So I go into see Joe business owner and I tell them "Yeah, forget paying MS or other companies for software, I can get you all the software you want free. BTW, You've never heard of me, you don't know penguin from a daemon and I don't have a piece of paper to my name that says I know anything. ... But give me some money and all your IT problems will be solved."

(Like it or not) The vast majority of the people hiring IT consultants have never heard of a BSD. They've only heard of Linux because of the dotcom era. I have for many years mocked people who got MCSE's etc. But a business reality is that some people want that piece of paper...

But if I get any BSD certifications -and I probably will- it will be a dual edged sword. The goobers out there want a piece of paper so they sleep well at night knowing they hired an "expert." BUT I won't mention it to people who know what they are talking about because frankly, I mostly agree with you that if I see someone with too many certifications I run like hell figuring they're an idiot.

However there is one thing that definitely makes me fall to one side of the fence...

[Not baiting people but] (Even the most diehard fans of other platforms can probably bring themselves to admit that) the BSD's are the best pure server platform going. But how do I explain that to a lawyer or a CPA or an investment banker?

Like it or not, things like this boost the whole platform. It gives it an air of legitimacy to the unknowing.

So- I'll hold my nose and sign on the dotted line.

Re:Neutral Certification

[Itchy Rich]

I have my LPI-2 certification, and I believe the neutral-vendor type certifications are really the best.

Agreed. When the certification authority is also the vendor of the system or environment you're being certified for, you have to wonder how much of their syllabus, weighting, etc. is focused on proving you have the skills for real world situations and how much is based on promoting their products.

For example, accusations have been made against some Microsoft certifications (I haven't done any myself) that the "correct" solutions to the situations posed in exam questions inevitably involve buying more software from Microsoft.