[Python-talk] Popularity of Python ?

[Alex Hewitt]

On Mon, 2007-08-20 at 09:57 -0400, Ted Roche wrote:
> Peter Courlis wrote:
> > Greetings
> > 
> > Since the programming language: Python is gaining in
> > popularity and growing, is there interest or movement in
> > a Certification, for programming skills in this language ?
> 
> Unlike 90% of the community, I actually value certifications, though
> perhaps not with the perspective most people seem to have. One of my
> favorite Dilberts of all times is the one where the noobie spreads his
> arms and declares "I summon the power of certification!!!" Nothing
> happens, of course.
> 
> Certification can serve several purposes: self-validation, minimal
> knowledge achievement, a guided study path, and a means of marketing
> oneself. None of these are bad of themselves.
> 
> In several careers, I've received certifications such as Senior
> Lifesaving, First Responder, First Aid, CPR, Fire Watch, NASDS (SCUBA)
> diver, Submarine Damage Control ("dolphins"), Throttleman, Electrical
> Operator, Shutdown Reactor Operator, Novell Certified Network
> Administrator, Microsoft Certified Professional, Certified Systems
> Engineer and Certified Solution Developer, and MySQL 4 Core
> Certification. None of these make me competent to operate your computer;
> 20+ years experience in the field helps there. None of this makes me a
> better developer/sysadmin that a competitor, but it does show an
> initiative to go get the piece of paper, something akin to putting up
> with 4 years of college to earn a sheepskin.
> 
> I think certification (and BS degrees) are over-rated by HR departments,
> which don't accept applications from people without certain checkboxes
> on their resume. At the same time, I recognize that a certification
> means that the applicant at least ought to have heard of some features.
> It's a learner's permit, not a sign of mastery.
> 
> And the logos look good on your business cards ;)
> 
> Q: What do they call the guy who graduates at the bottom of his class
> from med school?
> 
> A: "Doctor."
> 

I've certainly looked at certification offerings to see what they
covered. You're certainly (no pun intended) correct that a certification
doesn't guarantee much.  For example I have a bachelor's degree in
Computer Systems (MIS) but I never took the trouble to get an MCSE. I
routinely ran circles around the people who spent the time and money to
become MCSEs and of course no training can make up for a lack of
aptitude. Notice I said "aptitude" rather than IQ. When I taught
programming at a local community college I found that perhaps 10% of the
students had a real aptitude for programming. Plenty of intelligent
people didn't have the patience or interest in becoming programmers. The
best student I had in six years of teaching was a welfare mother. She
was one of the best natural programmers I had the pleasure to teach.
Other drawbacks stopped her from doing much with her skills. She had low
self esteem, poor teeth and less than wonderful grammar. 

The one thing I would pay attention to with a certification program is
coverage of the specialty. We do need to remember also that most
programmers only use a fraction of the available language. You tend to
use the facilities of the tool that you find useful and are comfortable
with. One of the drawbacks with tools like C++ and Java is the sheer
size. Trying to certify someone with an environment like Java 6
Enterprise with it's 3800+ classes would be daunting to say the least.
And in the end, I doubt if most Java programmers would come close to
using even 10% of the environment.

-Alex