Re: Certification
>
> There are many models that could be used to set up the certification;
> it could even be an application that could be downloaded. As for
> studying for it -- one approach would be to select questions from a
> large database of possible questions. The database of possible
> questions could be public, if the size of the database makes simple
> memorization impractical. I believe this is the approach here in the
> US for written pilots' tests.
I know that US Amateur Radio License written exams are done precisely
that way, a large public pool of questions (with answers, to ensure
fairness in the grading) out of which the individual tests are
generated. And there are Amateur Radio licensing books available that
do little more than go over the question pool explaining the correct
answers -- no theory, just review of the questions and answers.
If it was worth a job, I could easily write an application that would
generate, administer, and correct such a "certification" test. Then,
by drilling at it, I could easily pass any such test in month. Two
months if the test is in Italian (a language I don't speak). I might
have no comprehension of the material, but I could get certified. And
given the presence of the Amateur Radio licensing books I described, I
don't think I'm alone.
If any certification happens, I think there needs to be a "practical"
part of the certification process -- have them install Linux on two
"identical" systems (with one SCSI terminator missing, just for fun),
networked via Ethernet, one acting as a router to the Internet at
large, etc. Nothing too complicated, but touching on all the areas a
"certified professional" should know how to deal with. I also think it
should be coordinated by someone with a known name, like Linux
International or SSC. (LI would be a good choice, because any
certification fees would go towards Linux development).
>
> Of course, however the thing would be done -- it would be sure to
> infuriate someone. What is important to include, what is a valid
> question, why didn't I pass when I'm a linux god -- I'm not sure that
> a sane person would get into building it. In an earlier incarnation,
> I was testing coordinator for the public school system in the Northern
> Mariana islands, and I assure you that such issues can take a lot of
> thought and time.
I can agree with this, whole heartedly.
>
> Maybe somebody should hack together something and release it as a toy
> to see if enough people are really interested. I whipped up a little
> kludge of tutorial/test program in C last semester; after doing that,
> I think that perl or tcl/tk would be a better approach, since it's
> mostly text manipulation.
I threw together a quick drill program for myself (so I could pass a
final exam) in perl about a year ago. It isn't hard, and Perl is a
good choice for it.
>
> For the forseeable future, having certification in solaris or whatever
> will be a bigger job getter, but I wish we had a certification to
> advertise our love of free software.
>
> steve
--
Buddha Buck bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
liberty depends upon the chaos and cacaphony of the unfettered speech
the First Amendment protects." -- A.L.A. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice
--
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to
debian-user-request@lists.debian.org .
Trouble? e-mail to templin@bucknell.edu .
Reply to: