“I’m a certified Linux Admin, I know how these things work..”
Wow. Yeah. Sure. This article is dedicated to the Systat guy in this quote. Ya know, certifications can show that you have dedication to your job and chosen talents, however, a certification is not a substitute for a brain and common sense.
I mean, yeah, you have certifications. Does that mean that you know what you’re talking about? The answer is simple. No. A certification does not automatically say to someone, “Hey, I know what I’m doing because I have a certification!”
I have certifications too. Does that mean I know what I’m doing? No. It doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the certifications I have I do know what I’m doing, but that isn’t the point of this article. If you read the quote I linked to you’d understand.
Common sense and knowledge of how something works does not necessarily come from a certification. I’m not certified in Windows Administration, but I’m damn good at it. I’m not an ASE certified mechanic, but I can take my car apart and put it back together. I’m not an astronaut, but I’m damn sure I could fly to space and walk on the moon just as well as anyone else.
Trying to convince someone in an argument that you know what you’re doing because you have a certification is like saying that someone KNOWS how to drive just because they have their drivers license. Franky, that means crap. Just because you HAVE the license doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing. Trust me, a certification doesn’t mean you have a clue. It just means you have more of a clue then road kill. You just move quicker when crossing the street as you know what the repercussions of you standing in the middle of the road are.
Point being: Certifications ARE a good thing, but when someone clearly has no clue, then you’re claims to certifications are instantly voided.
Here’s a tip: I would reconsider your certifications, but first you have to slam your head in the door of a bathroom stall and give yourself a swirly before I even consider respecting your authority as a certified linux administrator.
October 1st, 2007 at 1:22 am
Good points, all - a similar observation can be made about “experience”, often “flaunted” like certifications are. Sometimes, x years of experience more resembles 1 year repeated x times, instead of x “actual, valuable, skill-building” years. Its sometimes amusing to observe what people will try to wave/claim in substitute for what they’re really after: credibility.