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Are Certifications Worth the Time and Money?
Nerval's Lobster writes: Having one or more certifications sounds pretty sensible in today's world, doesn't it? Many jobs demand proof that you've mastered a particular technology. But is the argument for spending lots of time and money to earn a certification as ironclad as it seems? In a new column, developer David Bolton argues 'no.' Most certifications just prove you can pass tests, he argues, not mastery of a particular language or platform; and given the speed at which technology evolves, most are at risk of becoming quickly outdated. Plus they aren't the sole determiner of whether you can actually land a job: 'Recruiters sometimes have trouble determining a developer's degree of technical experience, and so insist upon certificates or tests to judge abilities. If you manage to get past them to the job interview, the interviewer (provided they're also a developer) can usually get a good feel for your actual programming ability and whether you'll fit well with the group.' Are certifications mostly a rip-off, or are some (especially the advanced ones) actually useful, as many people insist?
I'd only trust a certified certifications expert to answer that question.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Certificates are _great_ for filtering. I've interviewed hundreds of people. The ones with certificates on their resume's never got past the first few minutes of a phone screen. Now it's even easier, they never get a call. I encourage everyone who isn't sure their skills are strong enough to get certifications and put them on their resume.
Getting a college degree, you actually learn something.
I've run into more than a few people who have made it through college quite uncontaminated by knowledge.
Cisco Certified Network Administrator
You mean Cisco Certified Network Associate.
Certificates are _great_ for filtering. I've interviewed hundreds of people. The ones with certificates on their resume's never got past the first few minutes of a phone screen. Now it's even easier, they never get a call. I encourage everyone who isn't sure their skills are strong enough to get certifications and put them on their resume.
you might be violating my patent on how to select qualified candidates. oh wait ... i didn't file it.
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars