Re^2: What is your opinion in Perl Certified Professional?

[merlyn]

Truth be known, certifications may not be an accurate measure of skill, neither is a Degree.

You were about to make a reasonable argument, then you went down this route.

True, a Degree is no guarantee, but it at least shows a certain time spent on a subject.

A certification shows only that someone can cram for a test, get a passing test score, and write a check.

Even if you think Degrees show some hope, I can't see how you can put certifications in the same category.

Also, any "test" that is worth taking takes a lot of time and skill to develop. There's no way someone could do this testing for free: the resources it takes to develop and administer the test (like monitoring for cheating) must be recouped somehow.

You call me cynical. I call you idealistic. I call myself realistic. {grin}

[delegatrix]

A certification shows only that someone can cram for a test, get a passing test score, and write a check.

That depends. While this may be true of some programs, there are highly valued cert programs that require much more than a quick test. The incorporate work experience, college degree requirements, etc.

(Although I should add I've never been in favor of programming certs - as an employer I like flexibility in my programmers).