RE: RPG IV Certification

Larry,

Trevors statement was that if I had two candidates, one with and one
without, that I would (arbitrarily) chose the one with the cert. This is an
invalid argument and doesn't hold water with either me or many other
folks...

Cert is only one of many variables considered in the selection process.

Sorry for the confusion... See you in Orlando...

DR2

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-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Larry Bolhuis
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 11:54 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: RPG IV Certification

Don,

Why is the argument invalid? Certification clearly is but one variable
as you say, but if you have several things you use to qualify a
potential employee and they are all equal except one candidate holds a
certification and the other does not, why wouldn't the certified
candidate be preferred? Even if the other candidate could pass the test,
they did not take the initiative to do so and that right there says
something about them.

- Larry

Don wrote:

Trevor,

IFF a person certified or not is only ONE variable in a whole lot that are
used in a hiring decision. Cert alone is not a make or break point.

Never

has been. Never will be. And I think that's basically global... Ergo,

your

claim is invalid.

As for certification guides, once again, I would refer you to how the
pSeries people have taken this seriousely with not only a series of

redbooks

as cert guides(some of which probably need updating) but a whole track at
the pseries tech conferences that was a cert prep track...

EVER seen ANYthing like this in iSeries/AS400/etc space??? NAH.....

DR2

=========================================================

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Trevor Perry
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 9:01 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: RPG IV Certification

Don,

If you have ever looked closely, you will see there ARE recommendations

from

IBM on what and how to study. There are no printed "study guides", sure,

but

that does not mean the test is any less effective.

The main difference between MCSE (for example) and IBM certifications is
that IBM certifications are based on real street experience. If you are
looking for "book learning" tests, take "almost every other major accepted
certification in the industry". IBM certifications require you to

understand

it in practice, as opposed to having read it in a book and parroting it

back

on to a test.

I think the reason you claim they "do not exist" is because they IBM
certifications are not ~required~ by companies for employment. When there
are so many Wintel "developers" out there, you have to sort out the weeds
somehow. For System i developers, when demand increases, and supply
increases exponentially, companies may ask for something that

differentiates

you from the pack. Then it would be advantageous to have a certification.

In the meantime, if you were interviewing two candidates of equal

experience

and skill set, you would hire the one with the IBM certification. Which
means the net effect is... they exist.

Trevor