Linux certification options

[Dave Yearke]

Hi,

I just wanted to jump in with my (possibly not worth even) $0.02 worth
on the topic of certifications. If one is going to take a certification
course, one should do it for the right reason, which is gaining
knowledge.

I've had the privilege of being part of a few search committees (what we
call job interviews), and I try to ignore certifications, as I'm not
much impressed with them as credentials. As a potential co-worker, I'm
more interested in someone that can learn and adapt, has an attitude
that enables them to work for and with others, and has years of "real"
experience, than in someone who has multiple sets of four-letter codes
on their resume that they paid for at one-week OS love-fests. I've
encountered too many "certified" people who can't think "outside the
box" (a term an old friend and collegue on this list likes to use), and
if they encounter a problem that isn't in a book they brought back from
a training course, they get like a deer in headlights and have no idea
how to proceed. To be fair, not everyone I know is like this, but I've
seen my share of people who think ..CE courses give them all the
knowledge they'll ever need.

Short version: Personality and experience go a lot further than one-week
excursions to pay for a piece of paper and a set of initials. Again, my
opinion, based on my world view.

Oh, and for those interested in learning Unix-like operating systems,
you'll do yourself a favor by also working with the more successful
commercial versions, like Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX (in fact, Solaris is
free (as in beer) for the downloading). Your mileage may vary. :-)

Final thought: There are some employers who might perceive a lot of
training as a liability, because there might be an implied expectation
that they'll have to pick up the cost of re-certification and continuing
courses, instead of the individual. Food for thought ...

-- 
                      Dave Yearke, yearke at eng.buffalo.edu
                    "Things should be a simple as possible,
                      but no simpler." -- Albert Einstein