At one time, I was seriously interested in certification as a Lotus
software developer. Then I worked with a lady that was certified, but could
not design a database. I also watched people go to 5.0 application
training and then go and take certification tests after the training. I
began to wonder what the certification really meant. I have been working
with Lotus Notes for about seven years, but the certification does not seem
to take my experience into consideration. I'm not sure it matters whether I know how to define, design and implement a Lotus Notes application. What am I missing about Lotus Notes certification?
Certification isn't for everyone. And we also do not see the value in
so-called "paper" certifications and dislike the proliferation of these in
the market. But you can find this with any certified occupation - doctors
that are less than perfect, and accountants that can't keep a decent set of
books. Both certified in much more difficult ways than software
certification programs. That being said, there are many individuals and
companies who do value certification in general and Lotus certification in
particular. Regarding Lotus certification, we have a long-standing history
of providing a high quality certification program based on job-based
certifications that test you on what you can do versus what you may have
memorized. Regarding certification in general, many individuals find value
in certification because of it allows them to further their career in terms
of promotions and raises. For those looking for jobs, they find it to be a
foot in the door as it is an impartial measurement. For business partners
and consultants, they find it helpful to win projects. For companies, they
find it useful as a human resource tool and assessment tool used in
conjunction with to evaluate training effectiveness and skill levels.
Do some unqualified people sneak through - yes. But I think you find much
less of this with Lotus than with other vendors such as Microsoft. This is
because we do not encourage bootcamp style training designed to help people
pass the test. How many of us know people who graduated from high prestige
colleges who can't do the job they studied for!
This was first published in September 2002