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Certification, Why should I?
Author: jeph
Short Link: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-jobs-talk/thread.cfm/threadid:43#230
Although that's probably the way the world works and the way hiring managers
think, I really think the certification is a bunch of B.S. I'm certified,
and was able to pass the certification within 4 months of picking up a CF
book, and programming a few sites. It is not a difficult test, and it is
also not a practical test. I was disappointed when I sat down to take the
test and it was all these questions that tested your memory, as opposed to
actually programming and problem solving skills. Remembering which
attribute to use in some seldom used tag seemed to me like a silly thing to
test on. It takes 2 minutes to look it up in the help file. I would rather
the certifications actually test programming principles and problem solving
aptitude instead of these silly syntax questions about specific tags. There
were some good questions about the way the CF server interacts with the
webserver, and how all that works, which I think is important to know, but
overall...I think it's just another way for Allaire/Macromedia to make a few
bucks. I really put no faith into anyone that has their certification,
because it's not difficult at all to get.
I put much more weight on someone with a degree in programming, because you
know that apart from all the coursework, and specific programming languages
learned, they will probably have developed well tuned problem solving
skills, and learned how to use the tools available to them, or where to find
help when they need it. I would not hire someone that didn't have a degree
in CS, unless it was obvious from their sample code that they had a high
level of creative problem solving skill and some good experience to go along
with it.
So, I guess to sum it up... Doug is probably correct in the fact that hiring
managers do look at certification as an important attribute, while I think
it is a mistake. I think how someone goes about architecting an application
is much more important than if they could remember specific information on a
few uncommon tags, as long as they know where and how to find the
information they need. Just my $0.02, but I don't think those
certifications tell barely anything about the aptitude of a programmer...
the safest way to hire a programmer is to create your own tests, or sample
applications that would use some or many of the core programming concepts
you are looking for.
While I'm at it...I have to say a few things about hiring managers who
require "Fusebox" experience. I have used Fusebox on a few sites, and while
it has it's benefits on extremely large sites that are difficult to
manage...with many different programmers working on specific parts, on
smaller to mid sized applications I believe it to be somewhat detrimental to
the efficiency with which a project gets done. Couple that with the fact
that it only takes a week at most to pick up and understand...why would that
be a requirement for a job? Wouldn't you rather have a programmer that can
pick up new concepts and methodologies quickly, as opposed to someone who it
takes 4 months experience with it to understand it fully? Ok, I'd been
wanting to get that out for a while, and I figured since I was posting
anyway, I'd throw that rant it there =)
I know there are some die hard fusebox fanatics out there, so feel free to
flame away =)
-Jeph Marrero
> As a user group manager, I usually recommend to all employers that are
> considering outsourceng or hiring telecommuting developer positions,
insist
> on (or give much greater weight) to the Certified Developer.
>
> For the developer who is career employed, or already has his/her own
circle
> of contacts, this may well not be necessary, as you already have a
> relationship built On the other hand, Certification is a recognizable
> credential when presented to an employer who has ot previously dealt with
> you. Not wishing to offend anyone, however from an employers's point of
> view (That is what I was before retiring) When a job announcement is
posted,
> there comes a flood of resumes, and the hiring manager cannot readily
> determine which are inflated and whether ot not the code samples are
really
> authentic. As a result, we scheduled intergiews (first on a technical
> basis) to weed out the lesser qualified, and save time. I can tell you
that
> all the resumes that sported certifications in the field related to our
> announcement, got in-person interviews without aqtechnical interview.
More
> and more job postings REQUIRE a certification to be even considered, and
> that does not mean a better qulified person got the job, it just means
that
> you did not go to the trouible.
>
> I know there are many experienced developers out there that pooh-pooh the
> idea of certification, mainly because they are either too lazy, or have
> plenty of work at the time, and don't see the need. These are the ones
that
> get pidgeon-holed when applying for a gig at a new employer, and they
wonder
> why.
>
> As a result, I strongly recommend sitting for your certification exam, and
> overcome your fear of falure. (I had to take mine three times) Then go
for
> the advanced certification. It is not hard for an employer to go to the
> Macromedia site and get the names and contact address of the certified
> developers in their area. You should strive to get your name posted
there
----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----
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Author: doug
Short Link: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-jobs-talk/thread.cfm/threadid:43#226
As a user group manager, I usually recommend to all employers that are
considering outsourceng or hiring telecommuting developer positions, insist
on (or give much greater weight) to the Certified Developer.
For the developer who is career employed, or already has his/her own circle
of contacts, this may well not be necessary, as you already have a
relationship built On the other hand, Certification is a recognizable
credential when presented to an employer who has ot previously dealt with
you. Not wishing to offend anyone, however from an employers's point of
view (That is what I was before retiring) When a job announcement is posted,
there comes a flood of resumes, and the hiring manager cannot readily
determine which are inflated and whether ot not the code samples are really
authentic. As a result, we scheduled intergiews (first on a technical
basis) to weed out the lesser qualified, and save time. I can tell you that
all the resumes that sported certifications in the field related to our
announcement, got in-person interviews without aqtechnical interview. More
and more job postings REQUIRE a certification to be even considered, and
that does not mean a better qulified person got the job, it just means that
you did not go to the trouible.
I know there are many experienced developers out there that pooh-pooh the
idea of certification, mainly because they are either too lazy, or have
plenty of work at the time, and don't see the need. These are the ones that
get pidgeon-holed when applying for a gig at a new employer, and they wonder
why.
As a result, I strongly recommend sitting for your certification exam, and
overcome your fear of falure. (I had to take mine three times) Then go for
the advanced certification. It is not hard for an employer to go to the
Macromedia site and get the names and contact address of the certified
developers in their area. You should strive to get your name posted there
too.
Comments and flames welcome.
Doug White
manager
San Antonio Macromedia & ColdFusion User Group
http://www.samcfug.org
http://www.clickdoug.com
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May 21, 2012
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