[SunRescue] OT: Advice on Certification

[Peter L. Wargo]

> I _want_ my next job to be much more involved with 'unix' so my question is
> .. how important ARE credentials to the people doing hiring for unix admins?
> 
> I'm going to take the tests (but I don't *like* tests) I'm just looking for
> .. encouragement?  Someone to give me a kind word? (did I say I don't like
> tests?)

Brian-

As a former IT manager, I never based my criteria on certificates.  I
talked to the person for 5 minutes to see if they knew their shit, then
spent the rest of the interview seeing if I could trust them and liked
them.

The best hire I ever made was an ex-marine, no college, who was an
absolute whiz at networking.  I decided to hire him when he said "fuck"
during the phone interview.  He was so comfortable with me that he forgot
it was an interview.  He took my place when I left the company. :-)

I know that I'm unusual, but there are more like me out there - I've
worked for 'em and with 'em.

My advice: Only talk about what you know.  Put on your resume stuff you
can handle, not stuff you saw mentioned once in a book. (like the idiot I
interviewed who had a cert. in TCP/IP networking, and didn't know what a
class C was....)

Show them that you know what you know, you'll lern what you don't, and
that you can be trusted.

-Pete Wargo