NYCPHP Meetup

[Kristina Anderson]

You have a valid point about the state certs...which could be 
problematic...however, I do take exception with your characterization 
of liberal arts courses and degrees as "garbage"...as a non-CS major 
who is now in the field and also as someone who believes STRONGLY in 
the "non-vocational, liberal arts model of post-secondary education" 
(i.e. the university is NOT a vocational school).

> Kristina Anderson wrote:
> > Industry certifications are all well and good but state-certified 
> > professional licenses would be a huge step forward.  
> > 
> > Just think how cool it would be to have a "NYS Licensed Code 
Jockey" 
> > certificate in a huge frame on your office wall :)
> > 
> > Not to mention the economic & lobbying power that state 
professional 
> > organizations have.
> 
> Like it is with electricians? No way! An electrician licensed in Mass 
is not 
> allowed to install a wall outlet in NYS. I wonder why? Are the 
outlets 
> different? Does NYS use a totally different form of electrical power? 
So with 
> a state license for coders you can code PHP in NYS, but nobody is 
allowed to 
> run that on an out-of-state server?
> 
> Certs are something to get hired into a position, but they have the 
advantage 
> to be more specialized. Unlike a bachelor's degree. 2/3rd of the 
study time 
> are wasted for English, history, art, and whatever else non-major 
garbage the 
> universities make students take. Some universities may be better than 
others 
> and thus offer better bachelor programs, but the most are nothing 
more than 
> mainly catching up what high school didn't bother to teach. I really 
don't get 
> why a bachelor student has to read "The Great Gatsby" for the nth 
time when 
> majoring in CS.
> I got by BS from a german university and 30 courses and labs were on-
topic, 
> with 3 electives venturing into less subject related areas. I took 
mass 
> communication, work safety and technical English. I went on to 
getting an MS 
> at a US university and there was really only one course that didn't 
consist of 
> brainless busy work, but challenged one's mind and had one think. 
Without 
> doubt, that was the course I learned most.
>  From that view point I think certifications are a good thing, but it 
depends. 
> There are certs for QA folks and tech writers and I think the vast 
majority of 
> people working in those trades (it's not a profession, isn't it?) 
don't have 
> any and don't plan on getting them. Especially for tech writing, 
getting a 
> cert is something recommended for those who were car mechanics before 
or horse 
> racing judges that didn't make it into FEMA.
> Certs are a proof that you are capable of systematic learning and 
performing 
> when needed, just like a bachelor, master, or doctoral degree. It 
doesn't say 
> anything how qualified one is for the job and thus shouldn't be 
generally a 
> requirement unless loss of life and property are directly dependent 
on that 
> accuracy of the work. So having a national cert for an electrician is 
OK, 
> which would include training on special regional requirements (such 
as piping 
> all lines up to the 10th floor in NYC) and how to go about obtaining 
> information about regional regulations. Interestingly enough, there 
is no 
> certification required for someone to work on your car breaks.
> 
> David
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