[BSDCert] "If you build it, they will come"

[Justin Krejci]

On Monday 21 November 2005 11:27 pm, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
> Siju George wrote:
> >basically that assumption comes because many think BSD to be the geek
> >OS who think only geeks who shun the idea of things like certification
> >use/can use it.
>
> Well, there is more than a kernel of truth to that perception. I
> attended a number of Usenix conferences where the subject of
> certification was raised, and each time quite quickly shouted down. "I
> would never work for a company that demanded certification" was a common
> comment.
>
> It was only within the last few years that Usenix, itself struggling for
> legitimacy and purpose, decided to move ahead with a cert program -- but
> it was too late by then. The org threw a lot of money at a program that
> was eventually mothballed. THERE WAS NO DEMAND, even though Usenix had
> produced a very high-quality cert.

I am not familiar with the Usenix certification program at all but how do you 
know it failed due to a reason of no demand. Perhaps they did not market it 
properly (or at all). It is not the technical people that would be getting 
the certs that will cause serious demand, it is employers and large 
organizations calling for the cert that will cause serious demand. Was the 
Usenix certification marketed to these type of people?

>
> Employers who use BSD have generally been successful so far in finding
> quality people, without having a cert program. What new capability does
> a cert program offer them? Is the growth rate of BSD such that there is
> a boom in jobs, or a glut in people claiming to know BSD enough to be
> employed in it, that requires a certificate as a hiring tool?

Again, where is your data on this? Maybe there are tons of employers to opt to 
go with something other than BSD because they could not find anyone to fill 
the spot of BSD admin or don't even consider BSD because they need project 
XYZ completed ASAP and they have a bunch of people who only know Windows so 
that is what they use.

It is kind of a chicken and the egg deal I think. Many employers don't know 
the value of BSD so they don't go looking for people to who know BSD so they 
can implement it. So how do they break into the BSD world? A BSD 
certification might help them understand there is value in BSD. Then on the 
flip side many people getting into the tech world don't know value of BSD and 
don't see many employers looking for BSD knowledgable people so they think 
why waste time learning BSD, or maybe don't even go that far and just think, 
"Hmmm Windows Server 200X is popular, and Exchange and Active Directory, that 
is what I will use, everybody uses that."

So we are in a position where employers are generally not looking for BSD and 
where individuals are not looking for BSD skills. Having an active BSD 
certification group market their certification successfully might be what is 
needed to disillusion everyone and carve BSD into the sites of both employers 
and individual tech people.

> How can you say that? Statistics? Interviews with employers? Gut feel?
> Wishful thinking?
>
> This is a foundation of my point. Demand does not exist merely because
> you assert so.

My argument is that demand does not really exist at all, at least not at a 
level that is noticeable. Did "Chia Pets" have a demand before they were 
created and marketed like crazy? No, they didn't. We of the BSD communities 
will be charged with the advocacy of BSD and a BSD certification if we want 
it to flourish and have a demand.

>
> - Evan

Please note, all of the above statements are my opinions and I may have very 
skewed ideas but they are MY skewed ideas. Thanks for reading them. :)