Disappointed in the certification program

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psrch
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Disappointed in the certification program

Post by psrch » Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:44 pm

I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed in the way the certification program works. From what I can tell, I can only do the certification exam:
  • At a JUG,
  • At a JoomlaDay, or
  • At a Joomla Learning Partner
That's great, but...

The local JUG around here is basically defunct, according to the organizer. He told me that even when it was going, however, they did not offer the certification exams.

As a working developer in a one-man shop, I really don't have time to travel out of town to a JoomlaDay - I have clients to take care of. One day I'd love to go - but they're never near me, and travel isn't cheap.

Last but not least, I was unable to find a list of JLPs, although I did see an article about one in the Netherlands. I'm in the US, so that obviously won't work for me.

According to the main page of the Certification Program:
The Joomla! Certification Program has been created to ensure the competence of Joomla! professionals through documented measurement of skills and knowledge. The program aims to establish a certain standard whilst promoting a qualified workforce.

Professional certification can play an important role in the decision of a company or business owner when hiring skilled individuals for specific roles.
That's all well and good - but at this point, certification is essentially non-existent and wholly impractical for almost everyone. Which probably explains why, although Joomla is so widely used, there are only 160 certified users. If you truly want to make certification "ensure the competence of Joomla! professionals" this will have to change.

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effrit
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Re: Disappointed in the certification program

Post by effrit » Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:18 pm

ha-ha. Seems like you must catch constantly moving train to get certification.
Look like very local sport. I am sure i didnt seen any Joomla certification in Russia even if i am one of most active member of local community.
I think it's time to make it via online testing and posting list of owners on special page. It must be good marketing tool, not for very special 160 members.

sozzled
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Re: Disappointed in the certification program

Post by sozzled » Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:19 pm

You make some good points. When I first heard about the idea to build the certification program (I was in The Netherlands attending Joomla & Beyond 2013) it took a couple of years before it came into being. Although it's not necessary for people to possess formal "qualifications" in Joomla System Administration, it's probably a good thing to have.

Like most other certification programs, there are costs associated with administering this one to ensure, as far as it's humanly possible, that the examination is conducted objectively and that candidates for the qualification are tested in a way that does not allow them to cheat—for want of a better way of describing it. While some of the areas that are examined may not actually be utilised in day-to-day work (for example, the multilanguage features of Joomla may not routinely be exercised where professionals live, work and operate in a single-language environment), the examination should at least test a basic awareness of those features.

Like you, I'm incovenieced that there's local place for me to undertake this examination. The nearest centre may only be 3 hours' driving distance (and the exams occur perhaps as often as once every year there), although there are other places in Australia where we can travel to do these things, taking into account the travel, accommodation and meal costs, there's a bit of money involved. Anyway, that's just the way things are at the moment and perhaps, in the future, things may change.

In the meantime, I am pleased that the certification program has reached the stage that it's reached (five years after the concept was being discussed) and I look forward to it being maintained long into the future.

psrch
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Re: Disappointed in the certification program

Post by psrch » Fri Feb 16, 2018 2:12 pm

Everything you said is true, very true. And I agree, I am glad it's gotten to this point. I believe it's going to be something which can help make Joomla a CMS-of-choice for more people. (PS - I think the way J! 4.0 is looking, it's going to be a real step forward.) It'll be something that can set us apart from other CMS's, like WordPress - we would be the only CMS with a formal certification program, by the creators, indicating that we know what we're doing. That's a HUGE selling point.

I just wish there was some way to make it available to more people. If any of the moderators are listening, I'd be more than happy to help brainstorm options.... just saying.

One thing that might be worth looking into is Pearson VUE https://home.pearsonvue.com/ - they;re where I went to take my Linux LPIC exams, and certainly fit the bill for helping ensure there' no cheating, because you have to go to a test center to take the exam. And, they have the advantage of being located in many cities around the world.
Paul Srch
Three Cats Design


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