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  • Subject: RE: IBM certification, especially RPG
  • From: Joel Fritz <JFritz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 11:31:46 -0700

I think we agree more than you realize.  I think it's hard to develop a test
that measures the abilities and knowledge necessary for success in
programming (or substitute other occupation of your choice.)  If I needed
certification to get a job, I'd probably do what was necessary to pass the
test, but the anarchist in me would begrudge it every step of the way.  

Perhaps because I work in a shop where it's kind of a tradition to train
totally inexperienced people for entry level programming positions, I'm not
sure that possession of the *required* degrees etc. is a reasonable
requirement.  I've seen operators and people whose only previous programming
experience was high school classes and/or hobby programming do very well as
programmers once they were given the chance.  When we interview for P/A or
higher positions, we generally ask for a certain number of years of
experience, but not much else.  Experience is no guarantee of competence,
either, but that's another story. 

-----Original Message-----
From: R. Bruce Hoffman, Jr. [mailto:rbruceh@ibm.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 1999 7:12 AM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: Re: IBM certification, especially RPG


Joel Fritz wrote:
> 
> The delivery truck driver at a place I used to work was something of a
> philosopher.  One of his printable sayings was "School don't make you
> smart."

No, school don't.  But paying attention in school does.  Applying
yourself in school does.  And finally, when you PASS THE TEST, others
are assured that you have at least some base level of competence and
ability to think at a certain level, be that High School, College or
Post Graduate.

Just having the cert does not prove that you can do the job.  We still
interview people with the *required* college degrees don't we?  There is
more to putting the right person in the job than *just* a piece of
paper, but we want the paper as a basis, don't we?

-- 
===========================================================
R. Bruce Hoffman, Jr. -- IBM Certified AS/400 Administrator

-- The sum of all human knowledge is a fixed constant.
    It's the population that keeps growing!
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