RE: Certification

[Henri Yandell <bayard@generationjava.com>]

On 4 Nov 2002, cfowler wrote:

> No that is not what I believe we meant.  Use some of your spare time to
> learn new technologies for your own benefit.  If it helps the company
> then good if not then you have more knowledge when you need a new job

Sod the company :)

> My point is that I feel if you have the desire to learn then you have
> the deisre to solve problems.  You have a "fire" that can not be put
> out.  For me Computers is a career and a hobby that is who I look for.

For me it's a *ponder*, hobby seems the wrong word but so does career.
It's something I do, it's nice that someone actually pays me to do it, but
I'd be coding regardless.

> To me solving problems feeds me.  I solve problems with code.

Amen. Though often it's not so much solving problems as understanding
problems.

> IMHO the future of System Administration has changed from "RTFM" to
> "RTFS".  M = Manual and S = Source.  I do what most people want with
> OpenSource code.  If it does not meet my needs, I make it meet my needs.

This is a poor view in my opinion. I get a lot of RTFS crap just because I
could read it. Just because something is open source, it doesn't mean it
shouldn't have a nice manual, or docs, or articles etc. Being open source
is a different thing for me, not a way of learning something but a way of
knowing I'm not dependent on, or limited by someone else.

> I'm tracking off course here.  I don't look at spending spare time
> working on certs as a high thing to do.  If it comes down to me needing
> to do that one day then I'll certainly enjoy it.  I feel I get much more
> experience from digging with the guys in the trenches.  Certs allow you
> to read about trench digging then test your knowledge on that ability.

+1.

No cert will ever give me anything but an eye in the door. Possibly if I
went to some classes I'd build up contacts there, but that's too pricey.