RE: [FW1] Helo for CCSA Exam

["Dave Long, NCR" <dave.long@unitedkingdom.ncr.com>]

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Dave/Stuart,

The only real problem with the CCSx certifications, as I see it, is that
non-technical people might read more into them than they actually mean. And
that's only a problem if you let non-techies do your recruiting for you. If
you think that doing the course is worthwhile, then having a bit of paper to
say you've done the course AND understood a reasonable amount of it (as
opposed to an attendance certificate which you can get by just staring at
the screen for a few days and looking busy) must surely also be useful as
long as people understand just what it means.

I'd love to see a Check Point equivalent to CCIE but even CCIE just says
that the holder has passed a technical exam AND exhibited a certain level of
practical experience under pressure - the learning process does not stop
with certification of any kind, even CCIE (I discount death certificates, of
course!).

Cheers,

Dave Long
NCR UK

Statements and opinions in this email are mine and not necessarily NCR's.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave A. Flanigan [mailto:dave@flanigan.net]
> Sent: 03 September 1999 20:04
> To: Dave Long, NCR; sirving@ca.ibm.com
> Cc: fw-1-mailinglist@lists.us.checkpoint.com
> Subject: RE: [FW1] Helo for CCSA Exam
>
>
> Dave:
>
>          While there is definitely merit to what you are saying, isn't it
> putting the cart before the horse? The CCSE/CCSA, as with any
> professional
> certification is supposed to be an pedigree saying "I know" not "I am
> learning".  If anyone who can read a couple of books can go and pass the
> certification exam, then is it really of value?
>
>          I believe the fault lies with this particular certification
> process, not concept as a whole. Take Cisco's CCIE certification as an
> example of a certification process that works. There are only 5 CCIEs in
> the Cleveland area (for example) and many who have tried and failed. The
> process is long, and includes testing, and grueling lab. At the end there
> is no question (to you, and to the world) that you know what you
> are doing.
> Only then are you awarded the CCIE certification.  Unless it takes both a
> good amount of study, and a good amount of real world experience to
> accomplish the certification, then it becomes meaningless.
>
>          Having taken both the CCSE and CCSA I can honestly say that they
> should be handing out "Certificates of Completion" not certifications.
>
>          Dave
>
> At 04:12 PM 9/3/99 +0100, Dave Long, NCR wrote:
> >I think what I'm working my way round to saying is that you
> could certainly
> >get the level of knowledge contained in CCSE by work experience, but you
> >wouldn't get it in the same time. So someone who does CCSE and
> then starts
> >applying it in the real world will soon be ahead of someone who
> missed CCSE
> >but spent the time getting a few days' more real world experience.
>
>



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