Renewing my CCNA means I spend two weeks in the run up cramming the 
contents of the latest revision book into my brain to ensure I can 
regurgitate it on demand, knowing full well I'll likely forget half of 
the content within a couple of months.  It applies to any area of life 
as far as I'm aware: If you don't routinely use specific knowledge, you 
don't retain it in detail or necessarily with any ease.  General stuff 
will remain, but even that fades over time.  A bunch of the network 
fundamentals and key stuff has lodged itself into my brain thankfully 
(subnetting, routing, etc. etc.)

I know that previous employers have taken to asking people with certs 
how they studied for them and counting significant black marks against 
their technical knowledge if they state it was through an intensive 
course, as have I the few occasions I've been involved in the 
interviewing process.  Instead of fewer technical questions I'll ask the 
same if not more just so I can get a feel for what kind of certificated 
individual I'm dealing with.

On the clueless-with-certificates front, I've worked with CCNPs in a 
hosting company unable to figure out why they can't ping 192.168.0.0/24 
addresses inside a customers private inter-server LAN.

Then again from an experienced-with-certificates front I worked with 
someone who'd done 5 years as a "Solaris administrator" who didn't know 
the pf command or how to kill processes, nicely or otherwise.

That leads me to one conclusion:  never assume either certificates or 
experience are any indicators of knowledge and you'll do fine.

Paul


On 10/27/2010 10:02 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> Ross West made the following keystrokes:
>   >Hmmm, now were did that flame suit go...
>   >
>
> No need for a flame suit.  I think you make a very good point.
>
> Some time ago I was helping someone get through a required
> gen-ed algebra class.  She had no problem with doing the
> actual math, but couldn't remember the concepts for long.  We
> would go over the material the morning of the various tests.
> She'd get it and pass, typically with a good grade.  A couple
> weeks later it would be like starting over.
>
> After the class was finished, she told me that she felt like
> putting her fingers in her ears after we finished the morning
> session to keep the details from running out her ears before
> she finished the test.  She just had a block on math subjects.
> Bio/CompSci/History or anything else she tried was simple.
>
>
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