[Courses] [C Programming] Anyone still here?

[Lindy Quick]

I know that Microsoft provides the MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solutions
Developer) certification for Software developers.  I also know that the
tests for this certification are very hard mostly in part to the pure
memorization required for the Microsoft certs.  A friend of mine has been
writing VB since the early days and is one of the best programmers I have
seen.  It took him several times to pass the Microsoft tests to get his
certification.
http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/mcsd/default.asp - - - for more info

There are also tests from Sun for Java Programmers that are similar to the
Microsoft tests but on the Java platform.  
http://suned.sun.com/US/certification/java/ - - - for more info

I think the reason that most people don't get these certifications is due to
the difficulty.  From talking with several people they concur that often the
questions on the test are not true to life and you are required to learn to
program the way they think is correct, even though you may know a better way
to achieve the same results.

I personally I am one of the people that has some of the Microsoft certs
without the experience.  I was required to obtain the SQL Administrator
certification without ever having seen the application at the time I took
the test.  It took me twice but thanks to study materials I was able to pass
and had never used the application. (Trust me I'm really not proud of this
fact)

I wish there was a good way to test the skills people have for
certifications.  Granted some try and get close but many such as the
Microsoft Certs are way off base.  Any one have any suggestions as to how we
could adequately test people better? (or is that a question that we have
been trying to answer since testing was first started?)

Lindy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Raven, corporate courtesan [mailto:raven at oneeyedcrow.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 11:10 AM
> To: courses at linuxchix.org
> Subject: Re: [Courses] [C Programming] Anyone still here?
> 
> 
> Heya --
> 
> Quoth Charlotte Oliver (Mon, May 27, 2002 at 09:07:47AM -0400):
> > > > "get your MCSE without touching a computer!"
> > > Wow, I don't see those (and I'm grateful). Sounds like 
> the "physics
> > > without math" crowd ... ouch.
> > Very much so.  What gets me is that these ads are still running
> > (though not as frequently) even though the tech market has collapsed
> > around here.  I've been job-hunting since my lay-off in December,
> > so you can imagine how close the radio comes to being smashed
> > every time I hear one. :)
> 
> 	Yep.  They're incredibly irritating, and (at least the ones in
> DC) promise rewarding careers that are very unlikely to be as
> advertised.  My particularly hated one is, "Did you know that the
> average salary of a Microsoft and Cisco certified engineer is over
> $75,000 a year?"
> 
> 	Now, I design backbones and do network and Unix troubleshooting
> and security.  I have lots of pieces of paper from Cisco and a few
> others.  (No MCSE, though, and no intentions of getting one since I
> don't want to be a Microsoft sysadmin.)  And I do not make $75,000 a
> year.  I'm one of the best people I know at what I do.  The 
> average Jane
> or Joe with certifications is even less likely to make $75,000.
> 
> 	And then there's an ad by the same company this morning, saying
> how the tech economy is not actually in a recession and how there are
> millions of computer jobs out there for the taking if you'll just get
> certified.  Grrr.  I don't know where they got their stats, but 30% of
> my geek friends here are still unemployed since their dot-com layoffs.
> Honestly, I think they're just trying to make money.
> 
> 	You don't see this sort of thing for programmers.  I wonder why
> there's no popularized certification for that skill.  (Or is there one
> for C aptitude or some such, and I've just not run into it?)
> 
> Cheers,
> Raven
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