Re: The Informix Certified Professional Program

I agree here with you on this Tim, but unlike you I'm a DBA and do not have time to get in DEPTH only give some direction. Then it's up to that person to grasp it from there (pick up the book, I've given you the page, topic area to look). By the way, NO I'm not married!!!! Just an DBA trying to do my JOB and using all avialable resouces, since we are usually the ones called on Tech wise when everyone IN HOUSE can not figure it out!!! If the DB is down, I and UNIX ADMIN are the one's trying to get it backup! Not only are our USER's DOWN but also our programmers,analyst..... Managers phone rings, Help desk is SCREAMING!!!! Because for most, their user's are outside of the OS shop, yet for us Everyone who uses that DB are our user's and believe it or NOT they are more important in some instances then the outside user. If they do not have a DB/System to work on how can they supply the outside user with what they need. All said in done we are the beginning and the end, we are there from start to finish, Analyst,Designer, Programmers..... move on to the next project. Being the Sole DBA, I'm on ALL PROJECTS that releate to the DB and remain there when it all done from a design, programming point of view, of course unless I get another job or they get more DBAs to split that responsiblity. Or for me have the best UNIX ADMI, on my leftside, rightside and of course covering my back (catching me when I'm slacking)!!! Was that in depth!!! Have a Good One!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl Kendricks Internet:cherylk@prod1.jcdc.doleta.gov OR cherylk@gwysmtp.jcdc.doleta.gov DTSI, Inc. Voice: 1-800-598-5008 Fax: 512-393-7296 Database Administrator - DOL Job Corps San Marcos, Texas ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Thu, 23 May 1996, Tim Schaefer wrote: } The Dority wrote a lot and some of it got smushed: } > } > I hate to burst the bubble here, but I don't think Informix's primary } > business is selling consulting. There business is selling products -- } > consulting is used primarily to leverage product sales. } > } } Do you work for INFORMIX? How do you know this? } } > It is also sad when you hire some one who appears to be intelligent and } > able to solve real world business problems and they turn out to be a } > total flop while charging you $100/hr. } > } } They found a good rate...where was this? :-) } } > You either know enough to pass the test or you don't. I can't believe } > all the complaining about a $250 dollar fee to take the test. It } > seems well worth it if it helps promote your career. } > } } Hmmmmmm... } } If you have 10 people to certify, and they need 3 tests each, how much } money is that Dority? Or let's say YOU paid for it, and you needed } 5 tests, and next year you'll need another 3...where does this end? } And how do you know if it's a good value? What do you compare it with? } Do I compare that with a Sybase certification or a Oracle certification? } And at what product comparison? It's kinda silly when you think about it, } almost as silly as those ads where they compare benchmarks. } } > Its just like anything else. Want to become an airline pilot? I'm } > sure even if you have all the intellegence and integrity in the world you } > will need to prove your skills and get a license. } } As a general rule, <licensing> is reserved for occupations where the } health and safety of other individuals may be compromised by the person } perfoming the service for which they have a license. Hair dressers in } most U.S. American states must have licenses, just as airline pilots. } If you program a life support program, or hardware, you may be required } to carry general liability insurance, or provide certain guarantees. } You may have to be supervised by a medically licensed individual to contain } the risk. } } Let's not confuse certification with licensing. Novell did this and look } at the fine shape they're in. Example: Today I'm certified in 7.1, and } next week 7.5 comes out. Now what? Do I need to get certified again? } What is the measure of value here? and how long does it last? And what } about the whole damn industry? What's next? } } > In the computer industry its difficult to know what a persons skills } > are due the melting pot of technologies -- certification gives } > employers some idea who they are hiring. } } As a manager I would stay in touch with who and WHAT I'm hiring as well. } If I didn't have enough knowledge about who I was hiring, I could always call } a university, or neighboring professional, or the vendor, for advice on what } is a good candidate for the job. There are plenty of resources at the } library too. If you get a noodlehead, even after all that, replace them, and } get somebody else! } } On the other hand, even experienced managers sometimes hire people where no } matter what the candidate knows, and what the manager knows, it's not enough. } The manager is blind about the candidates' necessary experience, not asking } the right questons, even after a lengthy interview. } } I interviewed for a project about 5 years ago where I was asked about outer } joins. I had little to no experience at the time with outer joins, so I } didn't qualify for the job. The hiring manager had to deal with them } extensively because of the data base, and the way it was designed. I went on } to another project. } } About a year later, I was interviewed for a different project, and outer joins } never came up. I was hired, and got to work. My first day of looking at the } app, and I discovered the WHOLE APPLICATION was based on outer joins! The folks } who hired me didn't know enough to ask me if I had the experience. But I knew } enough to dig into the manuals, and call friends for help rather quickly and } learn everything I could about them. Certification might have allowed me } to pass a test with a question about outer joins, but practical experience was } the real answer. Until I could get some experience I was the wrong man for } the job. } } Sometimes the only real measure of real worth in <THIS> business is practical } experience. Otherwise the consulting rates would be the same "across the } board" for any and all technology skills. It's SKILL, not certification that } makes you worth something, employee or consultant. } } :-) } } -- } \\\\|// } (6 6) } ==============================---o00--(_)--00o---============================ } Tim Schaefer tschaefe@encore.com tschaefe@shadow.net } Encore Computer Corp http://www.shadow.net/~tschaefe } ============================================================================= }