* Did Linux certifications help you land your dream job?
Many readers responded to last week’s newsletters about Red Hat’s new security certification. At the end of the piece, I asked if Linux certifications are valid or bogus in the current IT industry. Readers seemed to be in favor of certifications, as more employers are looking for a tangible way – whether valid or not – to measure the competency of Linux professionals.
“Before 2001,” one reader wrote, “I used to think my traditional engineering degree and over a decade of engineering and technology experience would land me any client or position. But after getting laid off twice in the downsizing of 2001, I found that having experience wasn’t enough. With a glutton of technology workers seeking employment, those little letters quickly became ‘filters’ to trash resumes or ways for recruiters to reduce the number candidates they look at.”
Another reader – someone with an inside look the Linux certification process – is more skeptical of vendor-sponsored certifications: “IT is one of the remaining fields left in which certification is primarily seen as a way to sell training and doesn’t serve the public interest,” wrote Evan Leibovitch, former president of the Linux Professional Institute, which offers vendor-neutral Linux certifications. “Compare the state of IT certification to that in the fields of law, medicine, engineering or other fields. Does your drivers’ license come from Ford?”
According to others, any little bit of credentials helps in a tight market. “I work as a freelancer and [certification] does get me more appreciation from colleagues. It might well have been one of the reasons to prolong my contract with another year, giving me job security until end 2006,” one reader wrote.
