Re: certification

[Mark Sienkiewicz <mark@chokey.mo.md.us>]

>	I guess the main point that I (and a few others) are trying to make is to
>	keep the number of available badges down to a reasonable level.  Keep it
>	down to skills that are particularly needed for SAs (almost mandatory).
>
>Even if I agreed, at the moment I'll take any Merit Badge that someone
>presented.  If we dither until we create the perfect set, we're right back
>where we started.

How many "optional" merit badges is too many?  It IS possible to
offer too many.  Given that there can be only a few, you must choose
them carefully to avoid using up your small number without covering
everything that needs to be covered.

If you don't take care to limit them, you could make so many that
employers and employees both just ignore them all.

>	All the most SAs are ever going to need to know about either of those is
>	how to install it (read the INSTALL, it is pretty simple) and how to use
>	it (again, read the README).  There is no reason for a merit badge of this
>	kind, and I'd hate to see someone not be able to get a job because of not
>	having a merit badge for such skills.
>	
>But if that's what that job was about, and the employer *needed* those
>skills, then what's the problem?  

What level of ability does the employer need?  Sure the employer needs
knowledge of SSH.  My employer needs me to have knowledge of SSH.  You
know what?  I did exactly what it says above:  I read INSTALL and
README and off I went.  It was good enough.

If he had been foolish enough to demand extensive knowledge as
required for the previously described merit badge, then I would not
have been a candidate, and he would never know how much he missed
out on by not hiring me.

>You're saying we _shouldn't_ make it
>straightforward to learn something because then people might want us to
>know it?  

Nobody said anything about "shouldn't make it straightforward to learn
something".  

Learning is not the same as certification

Learning is not the same as requiring certification from a job candidate.

>I've had PGP on my machines for years, but never have integrated it into my
>life.  Something that would make me do that, and walk me through it would
>be quite valuable.  And, I'd've learned something in the end.

If you want to learn about PGP, go right ahead.  The knowledge is
readily available from a number of sources.

I know that I have not learned more about PGP because I have made
an informed decision to pursue other efforts that I considered more
valuable.  It seems to me that you have probably done something
similar:  Many times, you've had some time to yourself and you
chose to do something other than learning more about PGP.

If the existence of a PGP merit badge somehow caused me to learn
about PGP, that knowledge would come at my own DETRIMENT because it
would take me away from some other thing that I would prefer to
spend my time on.