[vox] LUGOD's own Linux test certificate

[Steven Peck]

Some of the tests I saw referenced by others were the A+ and Linux+.
Both of these tests are designed to demonstrate 0-6 months experience in
an industry with a given product.  The A+ is used by HW venders(Dell,
HP, IBM) as a base level "I have seen a motherboard" level cert required
for the vender warranette certifications in break/fix repair shops.

Such programs are a pain to admin.  A set of online questions/answers
posted to LUGOD's web site would probably be beneficial of area's that
people so intested could research and study on for themselves.

I view certifications as a roadmap of what to study in a vender's
product line.  It is not necessarily how products will be used, but it
is important to know how some think they should be used.  In this
manner, you can account for things you didn't setup, or your setups can
reflect standards that others will be able to troubleshoot later.

In todays market, certifications are an indicator, not a be all end all.
However, 'sometimes' when there is a choice between two candidates who
are equal otherwise (interview, resume, experience) certifications can
be a tie breaker.  The Linux certification market is not mature enough
to rely on that though. =20

The best use of the certification track(IMHO) is as a personal
roadmap/study guide to stretch your self and your abilities.  During the
study process you may come across ideas that you would not normally
apply to your environment.  Now you may never use that process, or it
may be better than what you are doing.  But at least you were exposed to
that idea once and so will be familiar with it when you encountered it
again in the workplace.

A more relevant Linux cert would probably be the Red Hat Certified
Engineer.  Because of it's commercial install base.  It's all a wash if
you have the experience, however, as one person I know put it.
'Nobody limits their potential employment by obtaining certifications.'

The best trick, is to arrange it so that you do not pay for your
certification tests yourself.

-sp


Reference:
http://www.comptia.com/certification/linux/default.asp
CompTIA Linux+ Certification
The CompTIA Linux+ certification is a new standard of competency for
technicians with six-months experience installing, operating and
maintaining Linux operating systems.

http://www.comptia.com/certification/a/default.asp
CompTIA A+ Certification
The CompTIA A+ certification is the industry standard validating the
vendor-neutral skills expected of an entry-level computer technician.

http://www.eweek.com/print_article/0,3668,a=3D38793,00.asp
Article

-----Original Message-----
From: vox-admin@lists.lugod.org [mailto:vox-admin@lists.lugod.org] On
Behalf Of Mark K. Kim
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 11:13 AM
To: vox@lists.lugod.org
Subject: [vox] LUGOD's own Linux test certificate


What do you guys think about creating a LUGOD Linux test?  It can be
used to set some amount of standard we want our members to reach, show
members what Linux facts they are missing out on (or not missing out
on), and it can be a cheap way to get another certificate on our
resumes.  We might even want to contact local LUGs and make it a
regional test, which would give it more credibility (though LUGOD kind
of has a good credibility
already.)

We can gather test questions from everyone, pick the good and relevant
ones and compile them, have all questions be reviewed in fragments by
random people, create multiple versions of the test, etc.  We can charge
a nominal fee ($5?) for the test as a way to raise some money, too.
>From what I heard about the other tests from Peter, really, those other
tests are so low-quality *and* charge way too much.  We can do a much
better job, I think.

We'll have to get someone in charge of this test (a semi-officer
position, perhaps), setup a test cycle (is once a month too often?),
decide whether it'll be a computerized or paper test, setup a review
process for creating and scoring the tests, etc.

Just an idea.

-Mark

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