The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 5 (of 5) - Old school certification schemes

Old school certification schemes

I was just reading Bruce Eckel's books when I realizes there is no way to test my knowledge of C or C++ like we do in MS languages or Java. I mean, what is the equivalent of a Java Certification exam to a C/C++ programmer? How can he prove he knows his stuff like a Sun Certified Java Programmer or a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer?

RP
Thursday, June 3, 2004

Start an open source project at SourceForge.net. :p

Green Pajamas
Thursday, June 3, 2004

A certificate from a corporation means what now?

Thursday, June 3, 2004

It still means a lot. All job offers I get ask for a certification.

RP
Thursday, June 3, 2004

> It still means a lot. All job offers I get ask for a certification.
Sounds like you answered your own question. If job offer asks for a certification, then that is the one you should work towards. If it isn't mentioned then the certification is useless (for this situation).

SC
Thursday, June 3, 2004

My question was both empyrical and practical.

Empyrical because there is no way for you to know how good someone knows C/C++. They can recite all the containers in the STL without knowing how pointers work and if you didn't pay much attention and hired that guy, you'd be in a world of hurt, when deadlines started slipping because he was learning the basics on the job.

Practical because I personally need someplace to remove exercises from.

RP
Thursday, June 3, 2004

I personally like the really "old school" certification called a B.S. in Computer Science. I even here there are lots of organizations granting them :)

Ben Combee
Thursday, June 3, 2004

I'm not certified, and have never been asked for a certification. In addition to my resume that mentions my past experience with C++, I've answered interview questions about C++ ("what is its most useless feature?"), and answered written "Hello world" and "reverse-string-in-place" and "recursion" kinds of programming exercise quizzes; plus, probation period.

Christopher Wells
Thursday, June 3, 2004