[consulting] Drupal Certification

[Sam Tresler]

No certification ever made is ever going to do anything other than set a 
standard.  That is all it can do, imo. The difference being we assume 
someone hiring a nurse at least knows what the nursing standard is.  We 
can't make the same assumption about a project manager hiring a developer.

Well gee, I'm joe blow and I've just been tasked with finding a drupal 
developer for company X's website.  Where do I start?  What do I even 
put in a classifieds ad to find such a person?  "Help wanted: Must be 
experienced in Drupal.  Must have strong work ethic. and self 
management"  yeah, that sounds good... ...

Maybe I should put that in {}

One might suggest that Joe B.  ought to know more about websites if he 
is going to accomplish this task, but again, that is the entire point. 
Unless I am missing something vast, certification is about setting a 
baseline standard of what someone should know in order to call 
themselves a developer SO THAT people who aren't developers can check 
"knows basic vocabulary" off on their interview list without needing to 
fret over the fact that they themselves Do Not know basic (geek) 
vocabulary.  As Evan has said, it cannot ensure that who you are hiring 
is competent in any other of the infinite skillsets that make a good 
worker, communicator, or minion.

-S
Jeff Greenberg wrote:
> Well, again, certification exams, including nursing, prove that you know 
> what you need to know. It doesn't prove that you're any good at putting 
> it to use. Having a nurse's certification means that you have the 
> minimal knowledge they feel is necessary. It doesn't mean you'll perform 
> well in an ER. Hiring a nurse who does NOT have the minimal knowledge 
> would certainly be foolhardy, probably cost you your insurance, and 
> besides, I don't think you can get licensed as a nurse without the 
> degree or certification.
> 
> 
> So with development, even though I give a nod to the fact that sooner or 
> later there will be Drupal certification, I again question the value. 
> You can assure a minimal amount of knowledge. Unlike being in the middle 
> of a nursing day, a developer could easily look up the information, if 
> ever needed, from the exam.
> 
> 
> I guess I'm saying that the difference between a low score and a high 
> score on a certification exam for a software person is academic, and 
> really doesn't speak to whether they can deal with clients, their specs, 
> digesting their business need, or turning out a function let alone an 
> app or site.
> 
> 
> Evan Leibovitch wrote:
> 
>>
>> Anyone who is interested in such models is strongly advised to visit the
>> National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), to which the ANA
>> and scores of other publicly-trusted certifying bodies belong , mainly
>> in the medical and scientific fields. (It was a source of personal pride
>> that LPI was the only IT certification to have ever passed NOCA's
>> stringent NCCA criteria for certification bodies)
>>   
> 
> _______________________________________________
> consulting mailing list
> consulting at drupal.org
> http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting