From: "Stuart Powell" <stuart@yorkshirepudding.com> Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 11:55:14 -0600 Message-ID: <HAEAICFGOEPNHBCFMHKPAEILCKAA.stuart@yorkshirepudding.com> Subject: RE: [SLE] Linux Certifications Well, Bernd, could you have possibly been any more rude ? I believe Russell was looking for something a little more constructive than "certifications are for the weak". In today's hot job market (at least it is here in the US), having those certifications marks you out from the crowd. Being able to use the logos on your CV (resume) is an instant eye-catcher. With so many CVs coursing through the hands of the HR people, this is the kind of thing they look for before delving into any relevant experience you might have. In the spring of '96, after going on a string of interviews and being told "If only you knew Novell", I decided to take the plunge. I asked the bank manager very nicely to lend me the GBP7000 to do a CNE Fast Track course. This he did. I took that class as an investment in myself. It subsequently lead to a great job at a huge national company, and is directly responsible for my being here in the US now, through a contact I made whilst in the CNE classes. In the spring of '99, myself, my fiancee, and three friends decided it was time to get the MCSE. We studied once a week for almost 18 months, in our own time, and everyone passed the exams first time. But, we studied hard, and there were a couple of times that people passed by only the narrowest of margins. But they still passed. Since we were all supporting Win9x/NT at the time, the knowledge gained from doing these studies was invaluable. It gave us a structured method to learn how Microsoft thinks its products function. We all approached this undertaking with a view to learning, not just passing the tests and being paid more. Another friend taking his MCSE would only study from the smallest book he could find sufficient to pass the test. He still calls from time to time with idiot questions. One of our group of five had zero computer experience other than playing games on his PC. He is now a very worthwhile member of the IT support community. I am now embarking on the SAIR Linux certification. I didn't want to do RedHat since I favour SuSE. I didn't want to do LPI since it also has some very distro specific modules. I chose SAIR because it deals with Linux on a broad basis. And here's the kicker; I first started with Linux in 1993 with an Yggdrassil distro. I know a lot of the complexities of the system. However, with no formal training, I have missed out on a lot of the basics. I am now getting that knowledge. My pursuit of these certifications is to gain knowledge. I believe that Russell is trying to do the same thing. His intention is to teach a class of people to use and care for a computing platform that the majority of people on this list love. We should be encouraging him to do this, not giving him a hard time. If there are predetermined courses out there, with an exam at the end of them, why shouldn't he use them ? Why should he have to write his own course, which would not be appreciated or recognised by the IT industry once his students have completed it ? If you, Bernd, do not have the patience, will power or dedication to do what it takes to earn these certifications, do not denegrate those of us who have sweated many long hours in their pursuit, and those of us who continue this quest for knowledge. Russell, I wish you luck with your class. Bye for now, Stuart. <p>-----Original Message----- From: suse-linux-e-return-41286-stuart=yorkshirepudding.com@lists.suse.com [mailto:suse-linux-e-return-41286-stuart=yorkshirepudding.com@lists.suse .com]On Behalf Of Bernd Felsche Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2000 3:28 AM To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] Linux Certifications <p>dukeofchurchill tapped away at the keyboard with:
Has anyone looked into or been certified with any of the available Linux Certifications ( SAIR, Redhat, other)? If so how through were they? How useful were they when applying for a UNIX Sys Admin position? Would you do it again?
Such certificates are only worthwhile if you're trying to penetrate a wall of human-resource people. If I were to employ somebody, I'd be disinclined to hire anybody with such a certificate and little else to show. Perhaps I'm just cynical about the process of certification where the applicant has to know how to pass the certification process.
I am thinking of using a program such as Sair to instruct Home School High School students on Unix System Administration.
Russell Boyd
I have no idea what's in that programme. If it doesn't involve a groups of six or so students where one is assigned the task of administrator (on a rotating basis) and the others act as clueless jerks (one of the "jerks" being the team manager) asking for the impossible whilst doing their best to screw up their small network of random "workstations" and peripherals; then the programme falls short of any practical application. Those aware of the painful reality of the suggested environment have my sympathy. If you can't write your own 5 chapters (at least) of BOFH, then you're too "green". :-) -- /"\ Bernd Felsche - Innovative Reckoning, Perth, Western Australia \ / ASCII ribbon campaign | I'm a .signature virus! | X against HTML mail | Copy me into your ~/.signature| / \ and postings | to help me spread! | -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/support/faq