Certification or College degrees?

Wed May 22 23:52:34 UTC 2002

Nigel,

I think you are confusing software engineers with network engineers. As a 
rule of thumb, software / applications writers rarely understand how 
networks really work, in the same way that network engineers rarely 
understand how software / applications really work.

IMHO, there is no mandatory reason a network engineer has to know a 
programming language, in the same way there's no mandatory reason that a 
top software engineer has to be able to configure a Cisco router. People 
who grok both worlds are critical for companies that are writing software 
that touches networks, and in general such people are versatile and 
valuable. But the real trick is getting a team of all three types to 
complement each other, not hiring a single skill / mindset.

You also seem not to like Cisco for some reason. Perhaps this is why you 
have never looked at the curriculum for CCIE. It does require you to know 
the Cisco CLI, but that is to show you can correctly implement the 
solutions you devise -- a very practical consideration for someone 
purporting to be a network engineer. Knowing how to devise those solutions 
is the major focus of CCIE, not memorizing the Cisco CLI. You could equally 
translate the learned knowledge to, say, Juniper CLI. Finally, trying to 
paint re-certification in a very fast-moving industry as some kind of 
conspiracy is a real stretch.

The title of this thread is part of the problem: "certification or 
degrees", as if they are mutually exclusive.

Cheers,

Mathew

At 06:37 PM 5/22/2002 -0400, Nigel Clarke wrote:

>IMO:
>
>Certifications are a waste of time. You'd be better off
>obtaining a Computer Science degree and focusing on the
>core technologies.
>
>Why would you devote your career to learning a vendor's
>command line or IOS?
>
>Cisco has done an excellent job @ brainwashing the IT
>community. The have (unfortunately) set the standard for
>"Network Engineers".
>
>What do you think is more respected, a masters degree in
>Networking Engineering or a CCIE. In most
>circles it would be the latter.
>
>Cisco's certification program has effected the entire IT
>community. Their CCIE's are required to recertify every few
>years, thus forcing them to stay true to the Cisco lifestyle.
>
>I've met some CCIE's who don't know any programming languages
>or any experience with Unix. It's clear that they are one
>dimensional and unfocused.
>
>Why study the same thing over and over? Do you really have X
>amount of years experience, or do you have 1 years experience
>X times?
>
>Think about it. If you have been in the field for over 5
>years and someone new to the industry by way of certification
>can handle your work load, that is a serious problem.
>
>If anything certs should be used as a stepping stone or
>advancement to new technologies or areas.
>
>Then again, the question of CERTS vs. DEGREES might apply
>differently to someone without any experience. I guess it
>really depends on what your looking for.
>---
>
>Nigel Clarke
>Network Security Engineer
>nigel at forever-networks.com