Why did we ever leave the master-journeyman-apprentice system behind?

I took the CompTIA A+ certification test just yesterday and also left feeling like it had been a certified (certifiable) waste of time. Pieces of paper and test scores are not really indicative of performance or potential; as stated in the column, these tests are great for those of us who are good test-takers, but really don't measure what they intend to measure (proficiency in a given field) since an objective test can really only measure retention of facts, figures or principles.

I can recite the steps to installing a new motherboard (or recite principles of network security) until the cows come home, but that doesn't mean I have any idea what I'm doing if you hand me a mobo (or network) and tell me to install it (or verify its security).

We've gotten confused somehow, having made pieces of paper the goal (that goes for education in general) rather than useful, applicable knowledge and experience in applying that knowledge. This is not to say those with certifications are worthless, only that the certification is NOT what gives the individuals their worth.

[For the record, the A+ cert was for my job - I'm not much of a core hardware guy and I try to avoid the OS technology that A+ emphasizes (except on the job where it is, alas, necessary).]

matt@paperlove.org

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Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/columns/67/11006#11006