hmm, the idea that certs are useless is something that I held myself for quite awhile. Now, looking at where I am now, I would not have gotten the job I have without the certifications I do have. The problem seemed to me that folks relied too heavily on certifications, either college or other. While it is possible to provide a certain leel of proof in an interview that you know what you are talking about, most companies seem to look at the certs first, as a way to decide who even makes it to the interveiw. So, for me, I'm glad I have the certs. It allows me to at least get to the table so I CAN talk intelligently about the position. I certainly can do it without the certs but I would not be given the chance to without them. Another piont to make is that the certs I hold have also allowed me bargaining power when it comes to money, Companies can not just look at me crosseyed and snicker when I ask for more pay comeasurate (sp?) with my knowledge. Now, I have the chance to say, "Uhh excuse me but you can not summarily dismiss my desire to make ends meet anymore. I can take my knowledge elsewhere." Even though you have not proved that you actually know what the hell you are doing, it does stop and make the company think if they want to risk their comeptition getting your knowledge when they could have it. (Yes, this does mean that if you get the job you had BEST be able to provide what you say you can.) To go further on that point, one of the biggest things that held me back in the industry with getting the level of pay and position I warranted was the lack of certs or college. This gave the companies something to base a decision of lower pay on. "Sorry but we just can't pay you as much as we'd like to. You don't have any certifications or college." Well guess what, now I do. They can't use that against me anymore and it allows me to level the playing field. True, certs are meant to show that you are competent and capable, the truth is companies use them as bargaining chips. On top of all of this, the industry as a whole is seeing this trend and the working community is tired of it. There are companies out there that are saying "If you want OUR bargaining chip for your negotiations with companies you had better be able to pass the tests. So, to ensure that we can guarentee a minimum leevel of competence, we will structure our tests to really test your knowledge." Doing so gives them the ability to set a standard minimum not a maximum. This affects the companies out there using these certs as bargaining chips between potential employees to re-evaluate how they play the game. This helps the employee as it levels the field for them. For me, I think certs are good provided a definite eye is kept on the quality of the tests administered. I, too, have my RHCE. I was employed by them. Some probably think they just slap a tag on you and say "You are now an RHCE." Nothing of the sort. You have to take the tests with the guys coming in from Sun, IBM, Dell, and other companies jsut like everyone else. If you don't pass the tests within a certain time frame, you don't have a job. They did this to make it fair and in doing so made the value of their tests and courses that much more potent and valuable. With a course that has a 60% failure rate, Red Hat RHCE is definitely something to be proud of obtaining. -- David D.W. Downey Red Hat Certified Engineer Cert# 806100581800665 Assistant Site Manager http://www.LinuxNewbie.Com Come on, join us! Resume is online - http://www.brainbench.com/transcript.jsp?pid=96113 -- To unsubscribe: mail -s unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] < /dev/null
