MVP summit
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I say that if you want to study for something, study for a degree, and get a widely accepted fairly generic qualification that is valid for some time. A certification is just that, not evidence of any real education, but only of compentency to pass a set of product specific examinations, based on product specific crash courses. I slept with faith and found a corpse in my arms on awakening; I drank and danced all night with doubt and found her a virgin in the morning. - Aleister Crowley
Again, I draw your attention to my comment, "there is a difference between knowledge and understanding". Because one memorized the answers or may know how to answer those types of questions doesn't mean they understand it. Yes, they got 80% or more of the answers right on a test, but that still doesn't prove that they get it. This field is an art like many other fields. You either get it or you don't. Some people have to struggle to get it; to others, it's like second nature. It's those that don't fit into this catagory (like those that are too lazy to even read the SDKs in part or in whole) that, IMO, don't deserve the certification to fool employers who don't know any better. That's the unfortunate part: too many employers find certification proof of understanding. I'm sure that in companies where the programming leads are doing the hiring (like I do for our company, but we're small so that doesn't really count), this isn't such a problem. They should at least know the content of such tests and know that it isn't exactly proof of concept.
Microsoft MVP, Visual C# My Articles
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I'd like to go, if Chris lets me ;P Marcie (ASP.NET MVP) Day Job, CP!: http://www.codeproject.com Datagrid Stuff: http://www.datagridgirl.com