Certification... just lost a job offer

[Jim]

I thought I aced the interview.

I went in with a graphical and text oriented portfolio, showed
my stuff in color coded tabs, showed an extensive history of
experienced programming. I've done their project a dozen times
over. I'm the man.

To make it sting even more, the job was paying $10,000 less
than I felt comfortable taking. I felt it was a demotion.
(Relocating) But it was okay. The enviornment had tons
of potential.

It was a slam dunk interview or so I thought. I didn't hear
anything back for a month and suspected they were still looking.
Sure enough, today, I'm told a different candidate was selected.

So I sent an e-mail asking the hiring manager for future
interviewing advice. Assuming the guy was sincere and honest, I
didn't get the job because I wasn't certified and the competition
was. Say again??

It was for a SQLServer DBA/Java/JSP position. It used to be that
MS certification was the butt of jokes. JSP certification? Are
you kidding? Solaris, Java, Cisco, maybe even Redhat might carry
some weight I guess.

Hey, I'm a MCP! I stopped the ridiculous tests because it became
apparent that they were easy, it didn't weight for much, and it
cost hundreds of dollars. Why pay for something that managers
laughed at and which expired every couple of years? Except
apparently managers don't laugh any more.

Anyway, rant aside, I've been tucked away in a nice stable job
for the past seven years. Are certifications the thing to have
now? If so, which ones?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Chris Smith]

Anyway, rant aside, I've been tucked away in a nice stable job
for the past seven years. Are certifications the thing to have
now? If so, which ones?

The SCJP certification in Java has always been at least somewhat known
and respected. As of late, I've been hearing a lot about the SCBCD and
SCWCD (Sun's EJB and servlet/JSP certs, respectively). I've never heard
anything about Sun's Java developer and architect-level certifications,
except from Sun themselves.

I don't think certifications have become "the thing", though, except
*maybe* the SCJP for entry-level positions. Perhaps the company was
looking for an excuse to hire the HR manager's son (I've seen it
happen!), or perhaps they are unusually focused on documentation. In
either case, you could choose to look at it as a blessing that you were
spared the experience.

--
www.designacourse.com
The Easiest Way to Train Anyone... Anywhere.

Chris Smith - Lead Software Developer/Technical Trainer
MindIQ Corporation