Certification

Hi all:

Needed to add my two cents on certification.

All certification means is that an individual met certain test requirements
on a specific date and time. It says nothing for that individual's skills
following the test or even prior to the test.

Several issues must be addressed. The issue of licensure needs to be
addressed separately from the issues of currency and competency.

Licensure:

Would you have my cousin Vinny handle your legal affairs if he wasn't a
licensed attorney?

Currency:

Would you have a doctor work on your body if his last patient was in 1950?

Competency:

Would you have a doctor work on your body if his only skill was doing
autopsies?
Would you have a tax lawyer manage a criminal trial with you as a
defendant?


One of the most important rationales associated with state licensure of
doctors and lawyers is that there is a, "compelling state interest in
protecting the public." No state in the US has made this determination
regarding our profession.

Currency may be testable if we had objective and standardized testing every
six months or so. What would that do to the business partner pool? Do
people forget that often? For example, in aviation, currency for flying in
clouds must be met by either (a) six hours of instruments and six
approaches within six months or (b) an instrument competency check. If this
is not met for another six months, an instrument competency check (or
equivalent) is mandatory.

How often do people forget CFAS400, RPG IV indicator placement, etc?

Competency is directly related to experience. There is no substitute for
experience. Certainly certification does not imply experience. In fact, it
only demonstrated one level of competency on a particular date and time.

The problem as I see it is, [begin quote mode] "There are many business
partner firms that have minimal or even no real AS/400 skills." [End quote
mode] Certification is a way to cut out some [emphasized] of these business
partners.

Why should those of us with 20+ years of experience have to suffer because
of those who can't figure it out?

IBM's latest attempt at establishing a deadline of November 30 was not
workable. They've since 
extended the deadline but the problem hasn't gone away.

The price for the test is $300 per exam, almost as much as the two day
Hawaii Bar Exam!
This is certainly overpriced. At this price, we may need to examine the
true motives. I hope this is not another way to just generate more income
rather than reducing commissions of the business partners.

There should be a way that the local IBM branch office can vouch for the
skills of the business partners and let them do their job!

If they mess with the business partner program too much they'll certainly
wipe out many of the smaller business partner companies. I wonder if this
is the true intent?

JMHO

Steve Glanstein
mic@aloha.com

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