Nick's Pickle

So, here is my dilemma. I finally got around to passing the C.N.A. exam. So, now I have my basic four certifications that the bank wants. I am A+ and N+ certified. I also have my MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) and the C.N.A (Certified Novell Administrator.) So at this point I have to make a decision. Do I go toward a Novell track or leap onto Microsoft like the rest of the world.

Personally, I like Novell much better. It is a better product, and it is what I know. I was raised in Novell shops my entire career. This is a rare thing as most companies use Microsoft Networking. While, I have supported Microsoft Domains and know a little about Active Directory I am much stronger with Novell.

You see IRI was a Novell shop. Since that is where I cut my teeth that is what I have always known. I than moved onto Monsanto, which had both a Microsoft and Novell networking structure. At Harris again, I was in a Novell environment and here at Bank One it is a mainly Novell shop with some Microsoft services around. So, I have a lot of experience with Novell. I am comfortable in it having worked with it for a while. Also, since Microsoft has a monopoly on operating systems I kind of want Novell to have some market share so I’ve always rooted for them.

The problem is that Novell currently has like thirteen percent of the market share. Novell jobs are few and far between. Since most companies are Microsoft shops, there are a lot more jobs out there for people with an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) than those with a C.N.E (Certified Novell Engineer.) So, for my next certifications I have to think long and hard. I guess to save myself I should just go and get both. However, that may take a couple of years.

All this is bullshit anyways because certifications are bullshit. You see, certifications are big in my industry and let me be the first to say they are a complete joke. Any manager who places faith in the certification program is lazy and dim witted. I guess I should explain. Certifications are usually from Microsoft, CISCO, or Novell and what happens is you get some cheat sheet and memorize all the answers. You then go in and take a test and when you regurgitate the answers and pass it, you get a certification. It means nothing and it in no way is any measurement of a person’s ability to do a job.

After working in this field for as long as I have I run into many people that I call paper certification holders. They study for the test, pass it and then get hired solely because of some piece of paper. Meantime they have no experience and zero idea how to do the job. I worked with this one guy, at Harris who had all the certifications you could want. However, he was clueless when we tried to explain to him how to support a computer. As I have maintained for years there is a huge difference between being book smart and being practical and logical. This guy was very book smart and knew a lot of things about many subjects. But, when it came to logic and applying what he knew into results he failed miserably. He eventually got put into the least demanding and un important job in IT.

So, while I am happy I have passed the test, I now must figure out which test to take next. I will most likely go for my C.N.E, which means I will be stuck at the bank for a while. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Microsoft is coming out with a new infrastructure soon anyway and I might as well wait and go for those cert’s when they come out. Or maybe I should just build a time machine and go back to 1992 and warn myself about going into this field, and having to deal with all this nonsense.

(I bet with the title to this blog you were thinking it was going to be about a different subject matter.)