[Kathy]

Jeff, on 30 August 2013 - 10:27 PM, said:

Are certifications better to get than a degree or diploma when it comes to working in IT? Not planning to upgrade myself currently, but just wondering.

Certifications are temporal, degrees - permanent. But certs are likely tell more about you as a knowledgeable worker.

[Jeff]

If certifications are temporary, what happens if a guy got a degree in IT back in 1980? I mean it doesn't teach the same stuff and as we all know, technology is radically different since then. Heck even since 5 years ago major stuff has happened. Say, when I took my A+ in 2003 they were talking about IDE cables and such, and we don't even use those anymore. Most computers come with SATA. Even that is being replaced by SATA express in the next few years (SATA that uses the PCIe slots for extra speed).

[Kathy]

If you got degree "back in 1980" chances are you won't be even considered for an IT job aside from a supervisor role where CCNA wouldn't matter much anyway.

[Daedolon]

Lunick, on 30 August 2013 - 10:28 PM, said:

Just as I saw that, I hit "Random" on Foobar2000 and it started playing Fear Factory.

[Fox]

I don't think you can run over an Arachnotron like that.

[Daedolon]

The Red Eagle can do anything.

[Jeff]

Kathy, on 30 August 2013 - 11:08 PM, said:

If you got degree "back in 1980" chances are you won't be even considered for an IT job aside from a supervisor role where CCNA wouldn't matter much anyway.

Sorry, bad example. What about if you got one back in 2000 or so? Same outcome?

[Daedolon]

At least here only stuff from the last three years count.

[Kathy]

Probably it wouldn't matter that much if you got degree in 2005 vs 2008 vs 2011 for example. But the cert gotten in 2008 will be already invalidated.

[Sangman]

Kathy, on 30 August 2013 - 11:08 PM, said:

If you got degree "back in 1980" chances are you won't be even considered for an IT job aside from a supervisor role where CCNA wouldn't matter much anyway.

This is nonsense (to some extent) and depends very much on what you're applying for. The company I work at still hires older people (meaning ages 40 and up) because many of them possess valuable experience and insights that 20-somethings usually don't (yet). However over the course of their careers they have developed and nurtured new skills that maybe they didn't have at the time of getting their degree - this does not necessarily mean they have all kinds of certificates.

Of course if you're an IT guy who hasn't bothered to learn anything new since you got your college degree 20 years ago you deserve to be unemployed.

[Fox]

[TerminX]

That's really hilarious, especially given the context of the article.

[Kathy]

Sangman, on 31 August 2013 - 10:15 AM, said:

This is nonsense (to some extent) and depends very much on what you're applying for.

Perhaps I should have said 'here'...

Quote

The company I work at still hires older people (meaning ages 40 and up) because many of them possess valuable experience and insights that 20-somethings usually don't (yet).

'Back in 1980' would mean at least 50. Isn't that really pushing it for many countries? Of course I can only guess about other countries, but 'here' 35+ is already a shaky age for that kind of job.

Quote

Of course if you're an IT guy who hasn't bothered to learn anything new since you got your college degree 20 years ago you deserve to be unemployed.

I haven't bothered to learn anything getting a degree. And no, I especially said about age as an entry point, not because someone failed interview.

TerminX, on 31 August 2013 - 10:47 AM, said:

That's really hilarious, especially given the context of the article.

Erm... it is hilarious solely because of that. Though, I wouldn't have noticed it without your message. Ironic...

[Sangman]

Kathy, on 31 August 2013 - 11:59 AM, said:

'Back in 1980' would mean at least 50. Isn't that really pushing it for many countries?

Why should it? What matters is your knowledge and ability. Whether you got your degree in 1980 or 2012 doesn't mean anything.

Quote

I haven't bothered to learn anything getting a degree.

Well then I hope you're not in IT cause that's entirely the wrong attitude for this field.

[TerminX]

Kathy, on 31 August 2013 - 11:59 AM, said:

Erm... it is hilarious solely because of that. Though, I wouldn't have noticed it without your message. Ironic...

Eh, I would have still found it funny regardless, just because it called 4 in 10 a majority.

[Fox]

So she did get iron nipples too.

[Mark]

She's just happy to see me.

And Robin is looking at Jimmy.

[Kathy]

Sangman, on 31 August 2013 - 04:10 PM, said:

Why should it? What matters is your knowledge and ability. Whether you got your degree in 1980 or 2012 doesn't mean anything.

The hell should I know? Here you won't get hired as some mid-level IT programmer or helpdesk while being 50 years old. My fault was thinking that in other parts it is at least somewhat similar.

Quote

Well then I hope you're not in IT cause that's entirely the wrong attitude for this field.

I am, but I hope you're not implying my attitute didn't change.

Fox, on 31 August 2013 - 04:16 PM, said:

So she did get iron nipples too.

Actually, these costumes are awesome.

[Jeff]

Kathy, on 31 August 2013 - 09:37 AM, said:

Probably it wouldn't matter that much if you got degree in 2005 vs 2008 vs 2011 for example. But the cert gotten in 2008 will be already invalidated.

A+ is a lifetime cert, least up until 2011 it was. As was Network+. Since then if you got certified post 2011, you need to pay a fee to keep it. There was this huge fuss, where people would have to pay to rewrite the tests, so they dropped the test requirement and went for the fee.

I'm personally one who believes education isn't everything, but experience is more important. Someone can have a degree, but if they can't do the job, then they're hooped. Where my brother went to school, he got a diploma in geomatics (surveying), but they taught him actual skills that will be used on the job, instead of a bunch of theory. Some of this was doing some outside work with surveying equipment. Landed a job right out of school.

[TerminX]

Heh, when I got A+ certified it was still full of questions about floppy drives and ISA bus speeds and Windows 95 and everything else. At least re-certification keeps your qualifications relevant. Good to know my A+, Net+ and Security+ will never expire, even though all the knowledge used to obtain them at the time certainly did.

[Person of Color]

I scored near perfect on A+. Don't remember my Net+ score.

[Fox]

Concetrate on the middle

[Mark]

Cool.

[Radar]

I'm starting two classes at a local career center that are supposed to prepare me to pass the tests that will get me the A+ Certification and CCENT. Anything else I should know about these crazy classes and tests?

The best thing is that I get to skip the first 4 hours of school with these classes, making me only having 4 classes my whole high school senior year.

[Lunick]

[Jeff]

Ms. Radar, on 02 September 2013 - 06:01 PM, said:

I'm starting two classes at a local career center that are supposed to prepare me to pass the tests that will get me the A+ Certification and CCENT. Anything else I should know about these crazy classes and tests?

The best thing is that I get to skip the first 4 hours of school with these classes, making me only having 4 classes my whole high school senior year.

A+ is pretty basic when it comes to certifications. Might ask you stuff like, where in Windows can you find the disk defrag program. Or what kind of cable is this, and they'll show you a picture.

I vaguely remember my instructor saying that the way the A+ or Network+ tests work (perhaps any CompTIA tests) is that if you get the first 5 questions wrong, your score will drop dramatically, so it's important to get the first few right. Unlike a test where your mark is a percent, they run them by a number.

[Radar]

Thanks Jeff. Sounds like nothing I should worry too much about. I usually do well on these things.


And if I could know which moderator officially branded me as "mentally retarded" that would be great k thx

[Alan]

What? You're Mentally Radarded.

[Radar]

WTF thanks for pointing that out. Well I guess the former still applies if I couldn't spot that.

Well then, that's actually pretty cool.

[Hank]

Ms. Radar, on 03 September 2013 - 01:34 PM, said:

WTF thanks for pointing that out. Well I guess the former still applies if I couldn't spot that.

Well then, that's actually pretty cool.

Have you read your latest title?