Re: PostgreSQL Certification

From: Christopher Browne <cbbrowne(at)acm(dot)org>
To: pgsql-advocacy(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: PostgreSQL Certification
Date: 2003-10-24 22:24:16
Message-ID: m3ekx2p94f.fsf@wolfe.cbbrowne.com
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The world rejoiced as jd(at)commandprompt(dot)com ("Joshua D. Drake") wrote:
>>Yes, we could do that, but with structure, there comes power, and with
>>power, arguments. Is it worth the risk?
>>
> Probably not. Who would be a part of it?
>
> PgSQL, Command Prompt, Red Hat, SRA? Seems like a pretty big hassle.

And it begs the question of what the _specific_ value of it is
supposed to be.

The merit of Oracle certification is that it allows you to "put out
your shingle" and be able to claim competence to (accept a DBA
job|attract an Oracle contract).

In contrast, if someone has (Informix|DB/2|Anything Less Popular)
certification, this represents, at most, some _vague_ indication that
they know something about some database.

The only way for a PostgreSQL 'certification' to be of much value
would be if we could expect that hundreds/thousands of people would
GET HIRED as a result of having the certification. That doesn't seem
too likely in any near term, which would make the process, yes,
indeed, a pretty futile "big hassle."

I don't think that terribly many people have actually GOTTEN HIRED as
a result of having LPI Linux certification; the RHAT courses may be
_marginally_ more valuable simply in view of the hefty cost
associating some cachet of value to them, but only marginally so.

What _would_ be valuable would be for there to be some form of
"professional development." The valuable (and expensive) form of that
would be to catch one or another of the "Open Source" conferences with
a PostgreSQL track, such as the Portland thing last summer.
--
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