Certification is a way to try to ensure to the customer that what he buys is complying a certain standard of quality, be it a car or a software. It does not make you a better programmer, but your customer does not know in advance whether you are a good programmer; with a certification the customer knows that at some extent you meet some requirements and expertise. That's not a bad idea.

So - if I hire a MS certified programmer, and she mangles a project, looses me a customer, and places me in jeoprady - I can sue Microsoft and the certification body?

If your answer is not yes - then wheres the value. You buy a certifed car - it farkles - you can exercise remorse and sue to have it replaced. You buy a certified professional - all you can do is fire her, and then wait for notices from the ex-customers attornies'!:-).


>A profit center for himself and a cost center for the one who pays (client or employer). If the work "the proffesional" does is worth more than what you pay for it, then is a profit center for the one who pays too.
>
>If you want to mean that a non-certified programmer can do the same work than a certified one, then I agree: in a lot of cases is the same work. Sometimes better, sometimes worse.
>
>But that's not the point. The point is certification and standarization, same as with ISO 9000, 9001, 9002, ... quality norms. Certification is a way to try to ensure to the customer that what he buys is complying a certain standard of quality, be it a car or a software. It does not make you a better programmer, but your customer does not know in advance whether you are a good programmer; with a certification the customer knows that at some extent you meet some requirements and expertise. That's not a bad idea.
>
>If you ask me, I'm not planning to attend any of those certification exams. Maybe it's because I'm not good enough.
>
>>Does university makes you a better professional?
>>It depends: Is the professional a cost center or a profit center?
>>
>>>Does university makes you a better professional? I you look at how successful has been Bill Gates after dropping college one might think that having a dregree is a painfull waste of time, that is a wiser choice to follow Gates' path. But I think that for the vast majority having a college degree does indeed "help" to be a better professional.
>>>
>>>>Do developers with certification write better programs than those without?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Hiya -
>>>>>IF you've been sitting on the fence waiting to take your certification exams -
>>>>>please note that the MCSD certification exam period expires on June 30, 2004.
>>>>>
>>>>>Not sure what will happen after that time ..
>>>>>But ?
>>>>>If you're gonna take 4 exams to get your MCSD cert, why not take 2 more and get your MCDBA as well ?
>>>>>
>>>>>take a look at http://www.microsoft.com/certification
>>>>>and study the exam matrix. One elective exam in MCSD can count for a REQUIRED exam in the MCDBA, and one of the VFP exams counts as an elective in the MCDBA exam.
>>>>>
>>>>>Most testing centers are at 100-125 per exam, and if you are attached to a university in any way, see if they have a testing center - you automatically qualify for a testing discount.
>>>>>
>>>>>Mondo Regards [Bill]