RE: 24x7 Support Strategies

[<michael.dillon () bt com>]

> I think certs provide two things. 
> One, the ability to show that you know what you are doing ( 
> agreed grey area on that one ) , but also the commitment for 
> one to better themselves..... someone I would look at in the 
> hiring process first. Any/every applicant still goes through 
> a rigorous interview process, and the uncertified sometimes 
> win out. Depends on the applicant.

Uncertified people absolutely MUST have the commitment to better
themselves since they do their learning in an environment where there
are fewer crutches like books, courses, etc. Often they are uncertified
because by the time the first courses come out, these uncertified people
already have the technical knowledge that the course tries to provide. 

On the other hand, there are people out there who are good at memorizing
information well enough to pass exams but not so good at retaining that
information and applying it in a real-world environment. These people
are more common than you might think, and that is one reason why
certification has gotten a bad name. 

When the university education system reached the form that it has today,
they tried to weed out this type of person by requiring a doctoral
candidate to pass through the gauntlet of oral exams in front of a panel
of recognized experts in the field. Certification programs don't include
that step so we must do it ourselves at job interview time.

--Michael Dillon