Hallo Brian, Your question is valid – very valid !!! I have various issues with the LPI qualification. The exams 101 & 102 are set far too high to be of any use in Africa. Also they are only valid for a limited period of time. And lastly they reserve the right to disqualify certificate holders (revoke qualification) if they “misbehave” – rather like taking someone’s driving permit away if he is having an affair with his neighbours wife. Also the lpi Certification is overtly commercial and therefore “EXPENSIVE”. If they were truly interested in the common good then why is it so difficult to discover the exam specifications on their website and impossible (at least from the lpi) to obtain “Tutorial” material. Lastly – anyone with an lpi qualification wouldn’t dream of working in Africa, where employers are not prepared to pay what qualified staff are worth – they have already emigrated !!! I do not know anything about FOSS qualifications as I have had no contact with FOSS. The few emails that I have sent up till now have not been answered and that is all I need to know about them. University qualifications ??? I could write a book about things that “African bachelors degree in computer science” holders DON’T KNOW !!! I was fascinated by Fwd: Job line - System Admin MUK ([email protected][mailto:[email protected]] 17.7.2011) looking for a LINUX admin. All those demands and no mention of what salary they are prepared to pay ??? 300.000 plus free matoke in the coffee break ???. Lets be honest – anyone who actually meets those demands (not an African bachelors degree in computer science because that is not really a qualification) has already left for the states or Europe. The demand that really blew my mind was “3. Experience at setting up and managing Database Systems such as Postgres (that should be PostgreSQL but who the hell cares when you are offering a job in a country where there is so much unemployment and making ridiculous demands) MySQL and Oracle”. We have been working with PostgreSQL for some time and for all its power it is not an easy piece of software – but no !!! They want PostgreSQL, MySQL and Oracle !!! Wow - take hat seriously if you will !!! But I need not worry because despite my own abilities I do not hold a bachelors degree in computer science – I suppose I am “unqualified” a least on paper !!! By the way it might be worth mentioning, that Bill Gates – acknowledged as an extremely talented programmer - dropped out of Law School to start Microsoft (no bachelors degree in computer science !!!). Unfortunately LINUX in Africa is still pretty much irrelevant. Recently at the URA I sat next to an employee with a nice new DELL (160GBHarddisk, CD/DVD Drive etc. etc. etc. I asked him what he used it for – mostly word processing & emails (has anyone in authority heard of the LINUX Terminal Project ???) and later at the URA in Town (Stanbic Towers) I sat beside an employee who found it hard to concentrate on my case because he was “chatting” on facebook with some girl – and anyway he couldn’t do anything for me because the URA website was down (as it is most of the time). COME BACK TOMORROW !!! The fact is that LINUX is usually seen as a Server System (KDE & Gnome have seen little development in recent years and cannot compete with Windows although it is nevertheless adequate for the requirements of government authorities). LINUX relevance has nothing to do with the fact that the software is free but everything to do with the fact that the operating System and its applications offer more power and security than Windows Servers. Unfortunately not only users but those in authority believe that computing nowadays is about clicking pretty coloured boxes and until a few Servers are broken into and Data destroyed – unleashing a scandal in the national press - then it is unlikely that anything will change. The same goes for private enterprises large enough to require Servers (of which there are sadly very few in Uganda). Brian, to comeback to your question, how can employers in Uganda recognise LINUX Qualifications when they don’t know what LINUX is (and that includes the Universities) ??? The ICT Industry in the Western World evolved through competition (companies hat to implement efficient ICT or competing companies would do it better, politicians had to implement efficient ICT or competing authorities or countries would do it better – and the MPs would be voted out of office). But that competition does not yet exist in Africa ”or have you recently asked a voter on the High Street in Aura, Gulu or Mbarara whether he believed that it would be better for the government to use LINUX or Windows and whether he would vote for an MP based on this assessment of government efficiency ??? The blank expression on his face is your answer !!! Brian, Companies will only ask the right LINUX questions when the survival of their companies depends upon it. Equally the government will only ask the right LINUX questions when MPs jobs depend upon it. The same goes for universities. ICT departments will continue to smear the obligatory “dedicated to excellence” All over their BUGGY Websites and can’t even spell LINUX. Only competition will solve this problem – and that could take many years !!! I am still astonished, that ICT students sign up for university degree courses that offer no LINUX Tuition – but as long as they do that. then Universities will “take the money thank you very much”. My own Company – GNC Ltd – is currently putting together a number of LINUX courses. Our courses are aimed at an international teaching market although we have the requirements of the African market in mind. Like all commercial courses, they will not offer any widely recognised “Certification” but are intended to convey valuable abilities in the LINUX World. Unfortunately we don’t really expect much enthusiasm from African Universities & Training Institutes for the reasons that I have already outlined. Africa’s tragedy is the misunderstanding that, in the end, it is not the piece of paper that you hold in your hand, but what you can do that determines your success
Gottfried Daimler did not have a driving permit (or bachelors degree in automobile science) when he drove the first car through the streets of GermanyOrville & Wilbur Wright did not have a pilots licence (or bachelors degree in aviation science) when they flew the first aeroplane at Kitty HawkUri Gagarin did not have 5 years astronautical experience when he basted off to be the first man in spaceBill Gates did not have a bachelors degree in computer science when he and his friends wrote the first operating System for a PCAnd the streets of Africa are filled with unemployed kids that have useless bachelors degrees in “you name it” Regards David M. Gullever CEO - GNC Ltd (Uganda) ------------------------------------------------------------ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Brian Ssennoga Sent: 27 July 2011 16:50 To: Uganda Linux User Group Subject: [LUG] LUG Training Partner Hello people, I wonder, if the LUG were to approve an institution as an approved training partner, 1. what kind of courses would you like to see that institution determine to offer? 2. what other kind of criteria would the LUG set in place? Reason i ask, is i cant help wondering what ICT employers in Uganda consider Industry Level Grade when it comes to Linux/Open Source related training. How do you tell what is the true value of "3 years of Linux experience" OR the meaning of "good knowledge of Linux systems" How about if ICT Employers knew that when it comes to Linux Experience Grading - a certain institution matches the standards for determining and approving who we consider a good Linux systems Administrator, or for that matter, FOSS expert... -- Love indeed conquers all..... Brian A. Ssennoga ___________________________________________________________ SMS schreiben mit WEB.DE FreeMail - einfach, schnell und kostenguenstig. Jetzt gleich testen! http://f.web.de/?mc=021192 _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way.
