Re^3: Perl Certification revisited

in reply to Re^2: Perl Certification revisited
in thread Perl Certification revisited

I will only hire Perl developers who either have stuff on CPAN or are vouched for by someone who does

I disagree with this because CPAN is about common useful utilities to the community, not to pad someone's job credentials.

I also don't like the exclusivity of saying "I created a module on CPAN therefore I must be an expert". How many Perl programmers are there in the world? 50,000? They should be vetted by the 1,000 authors on CPAN? It is unrealistic and being a CPAN author does not necessarily indicate their ability to determine another persons skill set.

I would love for Perl to be treated (by PHB's) as a true PROFESSIONAL language that is on the same level with .NET or Java rather than just a scripting language like BASH. If that means that is a Perl certification would bring this level of recognition then I am all for it.

While I agree that a certification is not necessarily a good way of determining a persons skills. It does provide something to make a decision on besides a gut feeling This is especially so for a non-technical manager..

Comment on Re^3: Perl Certification revisited

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Re^4: Perl Certification revisited by dragonchild (Archbishop) on Oct 19, 2007 at 16:14 UTC
You misunderstand why I have that rule. If you have code on CPAN, that means I can read it. If you are vouched by someone who has code on CPAN, I can see the quality of the person doing the vouching. That gives me a standard by which to measure the work you will do on MY code. Yes, you're right - there's a lot of dreck on CPAN. That means I know not to hire that person. Some background - I was a consultant for several years and in every interview I went to (often 2-3 every 6 months), I'd be asked for code samples. Well, I didn't have any because everything was owned by the employer. CPAN, for me, was a way of getting code that was mine that I could show a prospective employer. And, more importantly, it showcased my abilities to provide independent value, manage large projects, and work with clients. Anyone I hire is going to fall into one of two categories - experienced or intern. If you're experienced, I want to see proof of that. In Perl, that probably is going to be CPAN. If you're junior, I'm hiring you cause I know your professor at school through another set of networking. My criteria for good software: Does it work? Can someone else come in, make a change, and be reasonably certain no bugs were introduced?	[reply]

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Re^4: Perl Certification revisited
by dragonchild (Archbishop) on Oct 19, 2007 at 16:14 UTC

not

Some background - I was a consultant for several years and in every interview I went to (often 2-3 every 6 months), I'd be asked for code samples. Well, I didn't have any because everything was owned by the employer. CPAN, for me, was a way of getting code that was mine that I could show a prospective employer. And, more importantly, it showcased my abilities to provide independent value, manage large projects, and work with clients.

Anyone I hire is going to fall into one of two categories - experienced or intern. If you're experienced, I want to see proof of that. In Perl, that probably is going to be CPAN. If you're junior, I'm hiring you cause I know your professor at school through another set of networking.

My criteria for good software:

Does it work?
Can someone else come in, make a change, and be reasonably certain no bugs were introduced?

[reply]

In Section Seekers of Perl Wisdom