The Great Certification Debate

[Scott Williams <swill41@jcpenney.com>]

I'm considering taking Sun's exams for Certified System Administrator and 
Certified Network Administrator. So, on a whim, I went down to another support 
group in our company that supports UNIX servers and apps. I asked one of the 
senior managers what he thought of Sun certification, and certification in 
general. He told me, rather bluntly, that it means absolutely nothing to him. 
Out of 15 or so UNIX admins, only one is certified. He's ranked among the 
bottom three of the group. The top admins have the same experience level, and 
even had a couple of classes. He was of the impression that just about anybody 
with "book smarts" could study and pass a test, but you have to be able to 
apply that knowledge in the real world. The certified guy could not, and the 
un-certified people could. Now I'm not saying that all certified people are 
this way!! But in this instance it is so. I do remember, years ago, I was 
working as a PC network admin, and there was this guy who worked in another 
department. He desperatly wanted to "break" into the computer field. He was an 
average user with no special skill to stand out. He studied and studied the 
Novell manuals and became a CNA with absolutely no experience at all. He 
wanted to come work with us, but none of the bosses wanted to hire him.

So, I guess it seems that anybody (almost) could buy those study books and 
memorize information to pass a test and become certified. Therin lies a 
problem. I might have studied and passed tests, but can I really do the job? I 
studied and passed accounting in college, but years later I can barely balance 
my checkbook! I can't remember that stuff because I'm not an accountant, and I 
don't use it everyday to keep it fresh and to build on it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that any certification program that SAGE 
should endorse should have some sort of internship with it. Like a 
journeyman's program. That way, upon completion, at least you have "book 
smarts" and actual real world experience.

This very thing has happened to me. I was trained by the US Army to be a 
helicopter mechanic. I spent months in school learning airframe, powerplant, 
and avionics. When I went to my fist duty station, a pilot came up to me 
outside the hanger and said "she's got a pretty bad 1 to 1 and my feet tingle 
in a left hand turn. See if you can get it fixed by lunch." Needless to say, I 
found the nearest seargent and got help. All that training and "book smarts" 
did jack squat for me. It took years to develop troubleshooting skills. It 
hasn't taken nearly as long for me in this field, because basic 
troubleshooting is a frame of mind. I guess that's the "real world" 
application that senior manager was talking about.

How can you test for that? How can you certify that? How do other managers out 
there feel about certification? Would it really make a difference to you? Or, 
is it just a "flag" on your resume to get you through HR?

Scott Williams
Sr. Systems Admin.
JCPenney