RE: RPG IV Certification

From: Larry Bolhuis

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?

I don't think Don is saying that test have no value, Larry. Just that their
value is relative.

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.

I sort of disagree with this. I've never taken a programming language
certification test in my life; I've never thought the time spent on it was a
productive use of my time. An RPG expert that didn't take an RPG test might
have all the skills they need and find it more productive to learn a new
language, or spend time with their family or community. So to say that one
candidate is better than another JUST BECAUSE they took a test is a little
off kilter.

Again, that's not saying that tests are bad, either. I was APICS certified
at one point in my life, because that particular test made lots of sense for
my particular situation: I was a programmer by trade, not a manufacturer,
and getting my CPIM certification gave me a lot of background in areas of
knowledge I didn't possess through hands-on experience.

In fact, that's sort of my knock on tests, and it's purely personal; I don't
expect everyone to agree. But in my mind, if you need to take tests to
learn programming, then you aren't really a programmer. Tests are
different, of course, and the relevancy of the test depends on the test
itself, and it seems to me you guys are trying to make the tests as real
world as possible. But I've seen plenty of certification tests in the IT
industry that were pretty useless - LOTS of rote memorization and questions
based on information unlikely to ever be of use in the real world.

Joe