RE: is consulting dead

Patrick,

It would matter to me to the extent that it would differentiate a job
applicant or prospective consultant from someone who was productively
using older technologies.  If I were programming manager of a shop which
was implementing new code using modular ILE concepts, I would want some
assurance that applicants were conversant in those concepts.

There are many shops out there in which a programmer can be a productive
superstar while only using RPG III coding techniques.  Those just happen
to be the standards in use at that shop.  Not a reflection on the
dedication, creativity, or productivity of those programmers, they just
would not be up to speed on something that mattered to me.

There are many other ways to make this determination, but IBM
Certification in RPG or COBOL does provide a minimal level of validation
that the person does know some of the concepts and vocabulary.  I would
never consider it a requirement, but it would be a positive indication
of skill currency.

Regards,
Andy Nolen-Parkhouse

> On Behalf Of Patrick Conner
> Subject: [Consult400] is consulting dead
>
> I received my regular e-mail from midrange reminding me
> what groups I belong to. I noticed I haven't received
> anything from this list in a while. Just wondering if it
> is dead, because I do have a question.
>
> Does certification in RPG, COBOL, etc. help? I'm mainly
> looking for opinions here. I already have my own.
>
> Thanks