[consulting] Returning to a solution

[Cameron Eagans]

*History has shown that as a technology hits critical mass, clients tend to
gravitate towards certification (of some kind) as part of their
decision-making process (see: MSCE, Cisco cert, Red Hat, etc)*

Except for when a certification program does not exist: all of the
certifications that you just mentioned have large companies backing them,
and they are therefore sustainable. A certification program would be nice,
but it won't happen until someone with money steps up and says 'We can take
care of this'.

In my experience, people that are looking for a web developer don't care if
they have X certification: they just want someone that can build their
website. (notice I said 'people, not 'companies'). I've never been asked
about Zend Certification, but I still continue to get business doing PHP
development. Ditto for Drupal development services. The focus in this thread
thus far (in my admittedly quick skim through it) has been on how a
certification program could help with freelancer->customer credibility. I
don't think this is a very big issue. I think the bigger issue is
freelancer/employee->employer credibility.
-----
Cameron Eagans
Owner, Black Storms Studios, LLC
http://www.blackstormsstudios.com


On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 11:30 AM, Domenic Santangelo
<domenic at workhabit.com>wrote:

> Bill Fitzgerald wrote:
>
>> Where has this need been demonstrated? I definitely do not have this need.
>>
>>
>> If we have free time, we would rather spend it on maintaining our contrib
>> modules, writing documentation, helping in [snip]
>>
> You're talking from the perspective of yourself here, as a
> developer/contributor/coder. A skill that we as consultants must develop
> (whether we agree about certification or not) is the ability to empathize
> with our client base and predict their needs. If the *market* (our clients)
> demonstrates this need, it will have to be filled.
>
> History has shown that as a technology hits critical mass, clients tend to
> gravitate towards certification (of some kind) as part of their
> decision-making process (see: MSCE, Cisco cert, Red Hat, etc). If Drupal as
> a platform continues to grow at the same rate as it has, it seems inevitable
> that this need will arise. I admit this is an extrapolation based on the
> history of our industry, and perhaps isn't an accurate prediction, but it
> seems reckless not to consider how these established patterns may affect our
> slice of the industry.
>
> I would encourage those participating in the discussion to -- above all
> else -- try to see through your clients' eyes and predict what would make
> their jobs easier (which in turn, makes our jobs easier).
>
> -D
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>
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