To all...please don't misunderstand me. I've spent my time in the trenches, and know the difference between passing an exam and being qualified for a job. My problem is two stages:
(a) getting a resume past the HR screen -- which means presenting all your paperwork, whether earned by exam or by cast-iron seat pants; and
(b) convincing the hiring managers -- who are, like yourselves, resentful of the paper cert crowd -- that gaps in my knowledge are understandable gaps that can be solved with a "?" keystroke or an O'Reilly command guide....and are NOT indicative of an attempted cover-up.
I, too, was once a hiring manager for programmers, and I had my own techniques for sorting out candidates and assigning "trust". In this newer world, however, the gap between HR and technical pro's seems to have been worsened, not aided, by the whole certification process.
I AM a telecom pro, who is reentering the field after a long absence. That means honesty, integrity, talent, and experience. The CCNA, et al, mean that I took the trouble to begin updating my skills to get back in -- NOT that I took a cheap exam to get my ticket punched. I have no other way of advertising that fact to the world with any success (like the bias against non-degree holders), so I did what was necessary to get in, and now I've got to face the resentment of people who think all newbies are the same....
SHEESH! Not all books can be judged by their covers!
