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Comments
The
Top 10 Problems with IT Certification in 2008
March
14, 2008
- You really nailed
HR right on the head. Certifications aside, the requirements that HR
departments are putting on job description for a SR level .NET developer
is ridicules. They are listing skills from all over the place that no
one developer would have exposure to. If they ever manage to hire someone
to fill this job, I would like to meet them. I have over 10 years experience
as a developer and have not managed to do work in every area of application
development. The same goes for all of the developers that I know. We
have all worked within certain niches of development and have not been
exposed to everything.
- I would like to
add the following Issues:
1. Troubleshooting and Design get limited attention.
The focus is mostly on Implementation. I have seen several folks with
certification with poor or little exposure to troubleshooting or Design.
2. Certification builds on top of the Individual's
Profile. You have to be liked before your Certification gets liked.
Certification does not plug the gaps in your career or Personality.
-
Well said. Gone
through the certification process I couldn’t agree with you
more.
Did we ever needed to be certified in CPM or COBOL?
For someone starting out with a degree, an A+ and/or Network+ would
be a good starting point.
I am no longer thrilled with vendor centric certifications. Does my
networking knowledge disappears with my MCSE NT4? Is TCP/IP that much
different in MS Server 2008?
I have left the certification treadmill for 2 reasons, one my present
employer is fine with my Windows 2000 certs and two, I am close enough
to retirement that I just don’t give a rats tail.
I still keep up with whatever is new out there and I am one of the
first to try out what is in the pipeline but I am not inclined to
spend thousands of dollars and countless hours following the next
cert.
I am done drinking Microsoft and other’s Kool-Aid.
-
Your article
was the most succinct, well articulated argument that I’ve heard
to date regarding IT certifications. It summarized everything that
I’d been thinking and feeling for the past decade, then added
significantly to that.
As Jean-Luc would
say, “Nicely done!”
I’ll be
using a copy of this article in my core set of reference materials
for years to come. It’s not that I’m against certifications,
just that they need to be recognized for what they are. And certainly
not as a substitute for interviewing skills, background checks, etc.
as they had come to be for a period of time.
- You are dead right!
I watched in horror from 1995 onward as the demand for certification
destroyed my market. No amount of argument on my part made the slightest
impact.
Now
What? First Steps into IT, 2008 Edition
- First and foremost, thanks
a lot for coming up with very frank articles: "The Top 10 Problems
with IT Certification in 2008" and "Now What? First Steps
into IT, 2008 Edition", which addresses the issues related with
Certification.
I guess it's the only article of its kind. Very straightforward and
honest articles, addressing issues in the way it should be addressed.
Master
of Integrated Networking

The
public announcement for this program will be published on InformIT.com
in March/April 2008.
One
course/program that I have proposed to several schools and publishers
is "Designing
and Administering an Integrated Network". A
book proposal for this title was submitted to Novell Press in '06 just
before they went through a round of budget cuts.
This
course/program would require students to design, configure, implement
and administer a real-world enterprise network that consists of NetWare,
Microsoft, and Linux/UNIX servers and workstations, Cisco appliances,
remote access solutions, and wireless devices. This program would take
a student through introductory skills and concepts required to manage
each of
these
platforms as well as have them incorporate products such as ZENWorks,
Identity Manager, an e-mail solution and finally an SQL solution that
would make distribution of data and applications manageable. Incorporated
in this network would be a Web server, a Proxy Server, a NAT solution,
a DNS and DHCP solution and a firewall.
Depending
on the time available this could be a single course, or a program leading
towards a degree, i.e. multiple courses with the final project being the
development, design and configuration of a working enterprise.
If
a vendor were interested, this could be a vendor-based certification,
or an "open-source", "Multi-vendor/platform" certification,
leading to a Master level designation. Some would say this is overkill,
but those are the folks who have not looked at HR requirements for recent
Network Engineer, System Engineer type jobs. This type of curriculum and
their associated certifications and potential degree are what is being
asked for in the IT market place. It just does not exist. Not in a way
that if you hire someone with a single certification/degree you are assured
that that person has the qualifications and hands-on experience necessary
to do the job in an enterprise. This degree/certification guarantees that
the person will have the needed skills and knowledge. The certification
or degree could be called "Master of Integrated
Networking."
A
possible degree/certification/certificate program might consist of the
following courses and assessments:
(Prerequisite:
Either the A+ and NET+ certifications, or equivalent documented knowledge
and experience. Could be validated with an online assessment.)
Revision
03/2008
Course |
Assessment |
Introduction
to Directory Services-covering eDirectory, NDS, ADS, LDAP, X.500 and
more. |
Computer-based
cognitive exam |
Novell
OES Administration |
Novell
CNA Exam |
Microsoft
- Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment (Or the
Appropriate MS Server exam for your area.) |
Microsoft
MCP |
Microsoft
- TS: Microsoft Windows Vista, Configuring (or the equivalent MS Client
exam for your area) |
Microsoft
MCTS |
Linux
Server Administration |
LPI Level 1certification |
Introduction
to Cisco Routing and Switching |
Cisco
CCNA |
Introduction
to E-Mail Systems (Exchange, GroupWise, Notes, Sendmail, Postfix or
whatever the industry in your geographic area is using in the enterprise) |
Vendor
exam for equivalent |
Introduction
to Enterprise Services- Apache, IIS, DNS, DHCP, NAT and Virtualization |
Project:
On a single virtual server, install, configure and deploy and populate
a Web Server, and deploy a DNS, DHCP, and NAT solution. |
Security
101- Firewalls, Packet Filtering, Access Control Lists, Directory
Service Security, File System Security |
Either
CompTIA's Security+, SCNP certification or a security certification
from Microsoft or Cisco- depending on geographic demand.
|
SQL
101 |
Either
the MS TS toward SQL 2005 or MySQL CMA certification. |
Wireless
101-Optional |
CWNA
certification |
Final
Project/Capstone Course- Master of Integrated Networking- 4 Credit/60
Hour Master’s Course |
Design,
Install, Configure, Administer, Secure, Use, Troubleshoot and Evaluate
an Enterprise environment using geographically relevant platforms
and skills. |
Students
would graduate with a possible degree, multiple vendor certifications,
a Master Level Certification/Certificate, and real-world experience in
an Integrated, Enterprise Networking Environment.
Those
who might be interested in such a course/program, feel free to contact
me at 3WsCertification.com.
I will be glad to work with Colleges, Universities, Vendors and/or Training
Partners to change the face of the IT Training and Certification Industry.
This
program has been presented to and is being consider by Florida State University's
College of Information. It is also being presented to the wider
community
through an upcoming article on InformIT.com. It should be published in
Q1 2008.
It
has been reviewed by Emmett Dulaney in the August 2007 edition of Redmond
Magazine. The review is called The Need for an Integration Certification.
That review and Emmett's constructive comments can be found Here.
My thanks to Emmett and Redmond Magazine for taking the time
to review and present this proposal to the wider IT community. Any and
all comments are welcome. Feel free to contact me at:
wyrostekw@threewscertification.com
For
the most up-to-date, official proposal for this program please contact
me at the above email address.
Several
suggestions that have come in since the review was published in Redmond
Magazine and that I am seriously considering include the following:
Benedicat
vos omnipotens Deus Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus!
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UPDATED 3/06/08
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