Re: Is MCAD.NET cert based on VS2003 still worth to take?

From: Kevin Spencer (kspencer_at_takempis.com)
Date: 11/04/04 

Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 16:30:43 -0500

Hi Shawn,

I hope you didn't consider my post to indicate that I would count
certificates AGAINST anyone. I just don't count them at all. Microsoft
consultants, for example, are encouraged to get as many certificates as they
can, and for obvious reasons, as they work for all kinds of companies, some
of them quite large and beaurocratic. Having a certificate could not
logically be held against anyone; it certainly shows no lack of character.
However, neither is it an accurate indicator of the person's programming
ability. Their code certainly IS. 

-- 
HTH,
Kevin Spencer
.Net Developer
Microsoft MVP
I get paid good money to
solve puzzles for a living
"Shawn B." <leabre@html.com> wrote in message
news:uWd#IuqwEHA.2192@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> I'm a senior developer writing the accounting system for an insurance
> software company, and have been a senior developer for other enterprises
in
> the past.  I am quite intimate with .NET / ASP.NET / C++ and the VB6 COM
> world, know how to design software very well that scales, performs, easy
to
> maintain, and maximizes code-reuse.  I don't have a college degree nor do
I
> have any certifications but I do have 8 years of professional experience
and
> 15 years total of programming experience.  However, I am working on my
MCSD
> right now not so much for future employment (I'm currently employed and
> happy) but as an educational tool, more or less.  I am very familiar with
> most of the content required by the MCSD and have the experience to back
it
> up, but some of the "finer" points I've picked up from studying for the
exam
> and the exam forces you to have to formalize your knowledge of the
material
> covered.
>
> I can agree with the sentiment that certifications prove nothing and that
> code speaks louder than words.  I've had my share of cleaning up horrible
> code from other people (and my own, I haven't always been perfect and
still
> am not) and having to teach people from India and Pakistan who have
multiple
> masters degrees in computer science math and physics that don't know how
to
> debug a C# application or a VB6 component, so we can argue that education
> isn't everything either.  I've worked with others who are "self-taught"
who
> make for headaches on the team and those who are excellent performers.
You
> just can't know until you meet the person and probe them in an interview
for
> thier abilities and their problem solving skills.
>
> But to hold a bias AGAINST people who have a certification isn't a good
> thing, it really cheats the a person who may be fully-qualified for the
> position and the company.  I would hate to think that because I took the
> time to earn a certification in a field that I'm very well experienced and
> competent in would actually deny me a position somewhere because of an
> overly zealous bias, as well as I would hate to think that I got the job
> only because of the certification.  But I know how the world works and
that
> there is a hard sentiment against certification holders but personally, I
> don't think they indicate one way or the next what the person is capable
of,
> and should be treated as such.
>
> Some people get them for an easy oppurtunity, others like myself get them
to
> help reinforce what I already know from experience and extensive trial and
> error.  Why should I be denied employment because of it?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Shawn
>
>
>
>
> "Kevin Spencer" <kspencer@takempis.com> wrote in message
> news:elvhXVQwEHA.2316@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> > I am a team leader and Senior Application Developer for my company. I
> > participate in the hiring process. I couldn't care less about the
> > certificates that prospective employees have. A certificate proves only
> that
> > one can cram for and pass an exam. As a programmer, I've never had to
take
> > an exam in order to create an application. Therefore, the ability to
take
> > exams is not a requirement for software developers. Writing solid code
is.
> > So, if you want to work for me, you've got to show me the money (i.e.
> code).
> > On the other hand, if you want to work for a beaurocratic dinosaur, get
as
> > many certificates as you can, and best of luck to you.
> >
> > -- 
> > HTH,
> > Kevin Spencer
> > .Net Developer
> > Microsoft MVP
> > I get paid good money to
> > solve puzzles for a living
> >
> > "andy lim" <admin@infoteknika.com> wrote in message
> > news:eKfkwDPwEHA.4048@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> > > hello all,
> > >
> > > i developed several ASP.NET web application with VS2003.
> > > i'm preparing myself to take an exam on the path to MCAD.NET.
> > > then, the VS2005/.NET framework 2.0 (beta) came in to my hand. after i
> > > played around for some time with it, i found that VS2005/.NET 2.0
> includes
> > > so many built-in functionalities that we need to built from scratch
with
> > > VS2003. for example: user authorization/authentication, datagrid
> > > formatting/sorting/paging etc.
> > > the bottom line is: developing with VS2005/.NET 2.0 can makes my
> > development
> > > life much easier than using VS2003/.NET 1.1
> > >
> > > can someone tell me, is it still worth my effort and time to take that
> > > expensive certification exam, if it would only 2 years or so to become
> > > obsolete? or, should i better wait till Microsoft officially replaced
> all
> > > MCAD.NET to conform with its new release (in VS2005/.NET 2.0)?
> > >
> > > i really feels like i'm on a crossroad here, and need some insights
from
> > you
> > > all...
> > >
> > > thanks in advance,
> > > andy
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

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