From: "Stuart Powell"
Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 11:55:14 -0600
Message-ID:
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". :-)
--
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