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<title>Creating a Linux Certification Program LG #33</title>
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<H4>
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"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"
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<H1><font color="maroon">Creating a Linux Certification and Training Program</font></H1>
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<H4>By <a href="mailto:dyork@Lodestar2.com">Dan York</a></H4>
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<H1>Creating a Linux certification and training program</H1>
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<P>Certification. The very word spawns Usenet flame wars and conjures
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up images of inexperienced novices with a piece of paper winning
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employment over more experienced candidates who lack the appropriate
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acronyms. It reeks of centralized control and of forcing people to take
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exams to demonstrate their knowledge. It creates a swirling alphabet
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soup of acronyms - MCSE, CNE, MCP, CCIE, CLP, ATEC, LAEC, CNA, CSA,
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EIEIO...</P>
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<P>Yet if Linux is to be widely accepted into the computing mainstream,
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I believe a certification program is essential. First, though, before I
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am flamed, let me state clearly that I do not believe a certification
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program should ever replace experience in the hiring process. A
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certification program is ultimately a tool, primarily for marketing and
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recruitment. In this article, I want to begin a discussion of why Linux
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needs a certification program and how such a program should be
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focused.</P>
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<H2>Why Linux needs a certification program</H2>
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<P>The need is out there... here is what I believe a certification
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program can do for Linux:</P>
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<UL>
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<LI><B>Create industry recognition</B> - Microsoft, Novell, Lotus and
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others have spent millions upon millions of dollars convincing the IT
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industry of the value of certification. People, especially managers,
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perceive that there is value and importance in certification. A Linux
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certification program will allow those who value certification to see
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that Linux "has emerged as a viable option."</LI>
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<LI><B>Provide an organizational path for students</B> - Students who
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want to learn about Linux may not even begin to know where to start.
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Yes, they can read an intro book on Linux... but where do they go from
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there. Some people can learn well on their own with a book or CD, while
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others find greater benefit in instructor-led classes. But what books?
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What classes? Students who want to learn about NT have a nice, easy
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path - just follow the MCSE track - through either classes, CDs, or
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books. The certification program takes away the pain of "where do I
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begin?"</LI>
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<LI><B>Provide an organizational mechanism for training centers</B> -
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Training centers <I>love</I> Microsoft's MCSE program. Instead of
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getting students in for one class here and there, training centers can
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fashion a program that entices students to sign up for a block of 6
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classes at a time. Typically, an MCSE program can generate $8-10,000 in
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revenue for a training center. If training centers want to teach Linux,
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how do they begin offering classes? A certification program allows a
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center to provide a path for training that can generate significant
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revenue. A common training/certification program also allows training
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centers to compete with each other.</LI>
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<LI><B>Enhance marketing</B> - Every training center and every book that
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focuses on the path to certification creates more marketing about the
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product. A training center in the northeast will spend $1.4 million
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dollars this year promoting Microsoft certification. Every
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advertisement for this training center beats the drum for Microsoft and
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helps promote NT and the value of certification. When you go to a book
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store, how many books do you see on the shelves for Microsoft or Novell
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certification? Each book creates more marketing opportunities for
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publishers, bookstores, etc. A Linux certification program will help
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promote the overall growth of the Linux operating system.</LI>
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<LI><B>Counter the "no</B>-<B>support" argument</B> - Opponents are
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quick to slam Linux for a perceived "lack of support." We in the Linux
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community know the truth... about the support from newsgroups and
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mailing lists... but corporate management is looking for some way to
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support IT products. New programs from Red Hat and others that allow
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corporations to purchase support contracts are certainly one great step
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in this direction. But the existence of "certified" individuals is
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another. Microsoft is quick to point out that there are now hundreds of
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thousands of MCSEs out there who can support Windows NT. This argument
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provides a certain degree of security to a manager about to plunge into
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NT - he or she knows that there are people out there who can support the
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product which is about to be used. A pool of Linux-certified
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professionals would counter this argument.</LI>
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<LI><B>Turn students into advocates</B> - If students learn all about
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Linux and how to install, configure and use the operating system, they
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will then become advocates for Linux as they move within the IT
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industry. This is both due to the knowledge learned during the course
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of preparing for certification... and also due to the fact that since a
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certification candidate has invested a serious amount of time, energy
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and money into the product, they want to use that actual product. An
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MCSE candidate may spend $10,000 and six months studying to become an
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MCSE. At the end of that time, they have a vested interest in working
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with NT. People recommend what they know. We need them to know
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Linux!</LI>
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<LI><B>Provide other means of employment for Linux-skilled
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individuals</B> - A certification program creates many opportunities for
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employment for people knowledgeable about Linux. Books can be written.
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Courses can be developed and taught. There is a whole industry out
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there teaching and developing certification courses and books for
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Microsoft, Novell, Lotus and others that is looking for new products.
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Each person who can be employed writing or teaching about Linux becomes
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yet another advocate, potentially full-time, for Linux.</LI>
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<LI><B>Recruit new Linux users</B> - How many people have responded to
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ads in the paper along the lines of "Want to earn $70,000 per year? Come
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to <I>xxx</I> training and join our MCSE program."? How many of those
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individuals might never have entered the computer industry? Now they
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are employed... through marketing and by providing a training path.
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The development and acceptance of such a certification program for Linux
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will keep expanding the user base of Linux users.</LI>
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<LI><B>Assist in the hiring process </B>- This is the controversial
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part. Flame wars will rage about people who were passed over from
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employment/promotions/projects because they didn't have the appropriate
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certifications. Other arguments will ensue about "certified" individuals
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who passed exams but had little practical experience. Novell's program
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at one point became so diluted that you could find "paper CNEs" who had
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become a CNE through reading books without ever touching a NetWare
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server! While Microsoft has tried to make their exams tough enough that
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you <I>must</I> really use the systems to pass the exams, there are
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certainly large enough quantities of study materials out there that
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someone <I>could</I> try to get by purely on studying. <BR>
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But certifications can <I>assist</I> in the hiring process. When I
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evaluate candidates for a position, I do not decide solely based on what
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acronyms they may tag after their name. Yet knowing that a candidate
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has passed a certification program allows me to know that they have some
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base level of product knowledge. It also shows a candidates persistence
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and determination to complete a project (the certification process).
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Both factors help me evaluate what a candidate is all about and how they
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can work.<BR>
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I have had people who want to use Linux ask me, "how do I find
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someone who I can hire to support this Linux server? If I don't really
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know much about Linux myself, how can I know if this technical person
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I'm hiring does, in fact, know anything about Linux?" A certification
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program can assist in helping managers know that a person has at least a
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certain level of Linux product knowledge and capabilities.</LI></UL>
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<H2>Creating a certification program</H2>
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<P>So if a certification program can benefit the Linux community, what
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are the characteristics of a program that will work?</P>
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<UL>
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<B><LI>It must be exam-based. - </B> Most vendors' certification
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ch as Linux International are not (yet) set up to handle such a task.
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LI would be an obvious choice to run such a program. Perhaps a group of
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Linux distributors could contribute financially to LI to set up and
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staff an education division.... or perhaps the funds come from training
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centers...</LI>
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<B><LI>The program must have multiple levels.</B> - Training centers
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love Microsoft's program because there are several different paths for
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students. After one exam, a candidate becomes a "Microsoft Certified
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Professional" (MCP). After a certain three exams, you can become an
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MCP+Internet. After six exams (4 core exams and 2 electives chosen out
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of a pool of a dozen or so exams), you can become a Microsoft Certified
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System Engineer. Another three (for a total of nine) brings you to an
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MCSE+Internet. Students find this useful in that they achieve certain
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certifications as they progress. Training centers love the program
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because they can sell lots of classes. Publishers love the program
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because they can create and sell lots of books. For a Linux
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certification program to work, it, too, must have a series of
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exams.</LI>
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<B><LI>The exams must be difficult.</B> - If it's easy to become a
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Certified Linux Professional (or whatever title evolves), than there is
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no value. It must be challenging to obtain the certification or the
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title will become meaningless. One of the toughest credentials currently
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is the Cisco Certified Internetworking Engineer. The CCIE involves a
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single Sylvan Prometric test, but then a 2-day hands-on exam at Cisco's
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site where you are put in a room with Cisco equipment and told to build
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a network. At the end of the day they send in an engineer to break what
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you built and your second day is spending finding the errors. You have
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only your knowledge and the product documentation. The problem of
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making it too difficult, however, is that it limits the number of people
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who can obtain the certification and therefore the certification does
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not become widely recognized. Linux needs to strike a balance.</LI>
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<B><LI>Training centers must become "certified" to offer Linux
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certification.</B> - In a very competitive market, training centers are
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seeking to differentiate themselves from their competition. Becoming a
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Linux Certified Training Center (or some such wording) would be a
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marketing point for training centers. However, someone (that central
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certifying authority again!) must "authorize" those training centers...
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if anyone can be a LCTC (my example acronym) that why should a center do
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it? As an example, to become a Microsoft Certified Technical Education
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Center (CTEC, formerly "ATEC"), a training center must pay Microsoft
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several thousand dollars (per site), agree to stringent hardware
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requirements, and maintain at least two MCSEs directly affiliated with
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the center. Additionally, Microsoft approves which centers can become
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CTECs and does limit the number within a region. Fees from Linux
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certified centers could go to fund the central certifying
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authority.</LI>
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<B><LI>Instructors need to be certified.</B> - If someone has the
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knowledge on a particular subject, does that necessarily mean they can
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teach it? Most certification programs have some mechanism to specify
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who can teach certification classes at authorized training centers.
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Microsoft has the Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Novell has the
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Certified Novell Instructor (CNI). The Information Technology Training
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Association (ITTA - an organization representing companies in the
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computer training industry) has been promoting the Certified Technical
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Trainer (CTT) credential. In all these cases, candidates must
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demonstrate abilities to effectively communicate information and some
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knowledge of adult learning techniques. The CTT even involves a
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videotape of the candidate being reviewed by other senior instructors.
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</LI>
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<B><LI>Courseware must be developed.</B> - Certainly if a certification
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program is to be developed, some entity out there needs to write some
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courseware that training centers can use. Publishers must also create
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books that candidates can use for self-study. Does this courseware need
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to be "authorized" as it is in other certification programs? I'm not
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sure that it does...</LI></UL>
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<H2>Moving forward</h2>
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<P>If you agree that a certification program can be beneficial for the
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growth of Linux, how do we as a community go about addressing the points
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I made above about creating a certification program? Do we create
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another mailing-list or newsgroup? (Does such a group or list already
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exist? If so, I have so far failed to find it.) Do we meet at a
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conference? </P>
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<P>Is a Linux certification program even possible? I have felt the
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UNIX/Linux community (of which I count myself a member) has historically
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been extremely resistant to anything remotely resembling
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certification... are we still? Such a program by its nature involves a
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certain degree of central coordination that has not necessarily been a
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part of our ethic? Can we create such a program?</P>
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<P>Who should be players in this project? Which vendors are interested?
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(Would Caldera be interested in joining with others to create a common
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program?) What is the role of Linux International? What about other
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efforts within SAGE or USENIX?</P>
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<P>I don't necessarily have the answers - but I would like to
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participate in the discussion. If someone can suggest the appropriate
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forum in which this discussion should take place (or is currently taking
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place!), please let me know. Also to that end, I'd like to propose
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creating a "Linux Training Alliance" consisting of other training
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centers and/or instructors who are interested in creating a Linux
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training and certification program. Please email me at <A
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HREF=3D"mailto:dyork@Lodestar2.com">dyork@Lodestar2.com</A> if you
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believe such a program would have value and would like to participate.
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</P>
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<P>I believe that a certification program can accelerate the growth of
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Linux into the computing mainstream, while creating new advocates for
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Linux, expanding marketing and countering arguments about the lack of
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support. Can we build a certification program to do this? What do you
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think?</P>
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<center><H5>Copyright © 1998, Dan York <BR>
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Published in Issue 33 of <i>Linux Gazette</i>, October 1998</H5></center>
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