On 6/11/07, Karsten McMinn  wrote:

quoted text
> alot of anti-cert sentiment. borderline misinformation in

> some cases. I've interviewed folks with and without certs.

> I don't know why some people insist on arguing

> that "book != cover"[1] with regard to certs. silly.

>

> here's a couple points for consideration:

I think those are extremely good points.  As with everything else, not

everything is black and white.  And in certain cases, certifications

do ensure a minimum level of knowledge.  I try to keep an open mind.

Certain certs, I don't really care (ie, mcse).  Other certs, such as

ccnp, do imply a minimum level of knowledge.  Of course, there are

dumb as rocks CCIEs too.
One thing to keep in mind, just because I have a cert doesn't mean I

don't know what I'm doing.  Sometimes, it is necessary, for example,

to get past HR.  Way back in the mid-90s, a large back in town was

hiring for a security guy.  I tried for months to apply, but never got

past the HR firewall.  One day, the hiring manager put his own ad out,

with his email address.  I sent in my resume, and was immediately

summoned for an interview, and offered the job right then.  It was a

damned cool job too - he told me 70% of my time will be spent surfing

the net!!! :)
--

"This officer's men seem to follow him merely out of idle curiosity."

-- Sandhurst officer cadet evaluation.