From: Bill Kelly <billk@...>
Date: 2005-11-04T11:38:14+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby Certification

From: "Nathaniel S. H. Brown" <nshb@inimit.com>
>
> Albeit, that a certification does not benefit anyone else directly other
> than the person by which was certified

The entity awarding the certificate receives $$$ ?  I've wondered
if they benefit most. . . .      (HaHaOnlySerious)

>> I agree with the others that certifications have little 
>> value, and that all (and more) of what you are suggesting 
>> above could be gotten by contributing to an open source 
>> project. The only problem is that would take more time than 
>> some silly certification course, and I guess therein lies the 
>> problem...lazy people wants results fast so they can jump on 
>> the bandwagon with little effort. Sorry but no 
>> self-respecting Ruby shop is going to get on that boat.
> 
> How can putting the effort into getting certified be considered lazy? It
> takes energy, time, and commitment to take any certification, or degree for
> that matter.

True.  A close friend recently underwent a year college course,
online, for a certificate in computer programming.  I can verify
it required concentrated and consistent daily effort on her part
to pass the classes (she got straight A's... and worked hard 
for them.)

However - I had the chance to observe how they were teaching
this material.  It was a lot of memorization.  I think my friend
could have learned more in three months being tutored to write
a real--simple--program, than all the quizzes and tests and 
program fragments she was given to write in a year.

I mean - she has a certificate - and got straight A's - and
worked *hard* .... but doesn't know how to program.  

As to the "laziness" question - not all persons applying for
certificates may be lazy, to be sure.  But some may not 
understand the difference between passing some exams, and 
developing a complete, useful program.  The 90/10 rule may
be hard to learn until one has actually experienced it: the
last 10% of a program or library developed for public 
consumption can take 90% of the work.

So, yes - as a prospective employer, a certificate would mean
very little to me, compared to a rubyforge project.

I'd go as far as saying, based on my limited first hand
observation, that certificates--despite the hard work of the
student--may be a scam.  (Even if well-intentioned...)


Regards,

Bill