Certification in C

[patrick courant]

Hello everyone,

I am an european freelance engineer, fighting with computer science for too
many years to remember. However, when applying for new missions, I found
that experience is not always enough to convince.

Still humble and weak (and ignorant), I know I will get smart and powerful
(and the first to know) through a certification process (in C language, of
course)

Would the skilled and brilliant C community have an idea where to go and who
to ask? Is there any center well-recognized by the professional market, in
US or elsewhere?

I will be very grateful for any answer, and deeply unhappy for any insult.

PC.

[Mike Wahler]

"patrick courant" <pa************ *@club-internet.fr> wrote in message
news:41******** *************** @news.club-internet.fr...

Hello everyone,

I am an european freelance engineer, fighting with computer science for too many years to remember. However, when applying for new missions, I found
that experience is not always enough to convince.
No, it often is not. Often it's a case of not only citing
what you have done, but convincing them of what you *can and will*
do. You need to make them believe that it's in their best interest
to hire you (and of course if they do, deliver on that promise).

Still humble and weak (and ignorant), I know I will get smart and powerful
(and the first to know) through a certification process (in C language, of
course)
Um, I disagree. Certification does not bestow knowledge and skill.
Studying and practice does that. Knowledge and skill are usually
a prerequisite for 'certification. ' Also note that the idea of
'certification' is not standardized, there's no consensus on its
meaning. IOW, certified by whom? Certified to be what?

Would the skilled and brilliant C community have an idea where to go and who to ask?
I'd start by investigating local community colleges and/or
vocational/technical institutions. Personally, I prefer
the private ones over government funded and run ones, but
that will have to be your decision.
Is there any center well-recognized by the professional market, in
US or elsewhere?
Investigate the reputations of various learning institutions.

Inquire of local employers which 'certifications ' or 'degrees'
are meaningful to them. Arrange and go to 'informational interviews'
(i.e. not applying for work, but finding out what they do, and what
they need).
I will be very grateful for any answer,
I hope you found mine of some use.
and deeply unhappy for any insult.

You stink!! (Just kidding) :-)

-Mike

[patrick courant]

Well, thank you very much for such a quick and relevant answer.

To speak in earnest (is this still good english?), I was wondering whether
there was something for the C language that could be compared to the Oracle
or Cisco or MicroSoft Certification. (May be not to the same extent, but
still comparable).
Browsing on the net; googling with the word "certification" , I found several
sites, generally called "something.org" , that proposed certifications on
various subjects, sometimes including "Taking good care of children" as well
as "Java" or "C / C++ programming".

So my thoughts were about: is it worth the (rather small, I would say) price
that is asked for, and the concern of answering a few dozen of questions.

If you have any opinion ...

Still, thank you very much for your concern.

Patrick C.

--> The proof of the cake is in the eating. (depends where you eat). <--
"Mike Wahler" <mk******@mkwah ler.net> a écrit dans le message de
news:hl******** *******@newsrea d3.news.pas.ear thlink.net...

"patrick courant" <pa************ *@club-internet.fr> wrote in message
news:41******** *************** @news.club-internet.fr...

Hello everyone,

I am an european freelance engineer, fighting with computer science for

too

many years to remember. However, when applying for new missions, I found
that experience is not always enough to convince.

No, it often is not. Often it's a case of not only citing
what you have done, but convincing them of what you *can and will*
do. You need to make them believe that it's in their best interest
to hire you (and of course if they do, deliver on that promise).

Still humble and weak (and ignorant), I know I will get smart and powerful (and the first to know) through a certification process (in C language, of course)

Um, I disagree. Certification does not bestow knowledge and skill.
Studying and practice does that. Knowledge and skill are usually
a prerequisite for 'certification. ' Also note that the idea of
'certification' is not standardized, there's no consensus on its
meaning. IOW, certified by whom? Certified to be what?

Would the skilled and brilliant C community have an idea where to go and

who

to ask?

I'd start by investigating local community colleges and/or
vocational/technical institutions. Personally, I prefer
the private ones over government funded and run ones, but
that will have to be your decision.

Is there any center well-recognized by the professional market, in
US or elsewhere?

Investigate the reputations of various learning institutions.

Inquire of local employers which 'certifications ' or 'degrees'
are meaningful to them. Arrange and go to 'informational interviews'
(i.e. not applying for work, but finding out what they do, and what
they need).

I will be very grateful for any answer,

I hope you found mine of some use.

and deeply unhappy for any insult.

You stink!! (Just kidding) :-)

-Mike

[Kevin D. Quitt]

On Wed, 5 Jan 2005 00:36:31 +0100, "patrick courant"
<pa************ *@club-internet.fr> wrote:

Well, thank you very much for such a quick and relevant answer.

To speak in earnest (is this still good english?),
"Speaking earnestly" is idiomatic, but yours is correct.

I was wondering whether
there was something for the C language that could be compared to the Oracle
or Cisco or MicroSoft Certification. (May be not to the same extent, but
still comparable).

There is not. The problem isn't knowing C, per se, as it is knowing how
to solve the kind of problem your prospective employer has (and to do so
using C). I will grab someone who is a beginner in C but an expert in
high-reliability hard real-time; I will probably not hire a C expert who
has only been doing business programming.

So, for you:

Step -1: (Optional but recommended.) Get Knuth's books on the Art of
Programming; read and understand them.

Step 0: Memorize and *understand* the CLC FAQ.

Step 0.1: Get a C compiler and write a bunch of programs doing various
things so you know how to do (formatted) file and stream I/O, basic logic,
and some numerical work (http://tinyurl.com/48xb3). You should be able to
show that you can create simple but meaningful programs from scratch;
compile and execute them.
Step 1: Be able to demonstrate that you have expertise that is directly
applicable to the employer's problems and goals. (YOYO)

Step 2: Be able to demonstrate that you are a good programmer and have a
working knowledge of C (hence steps 0.*).

--
#include <standard.discl aimer>
_
Kevin D Quitt USA 91387-4454 96.37% of all statistics are made up
Per the FCA, this address may not be added to any commercial mail list

[Mike Wahler]

"patrick courant" <pa************ *@club-internet.fr> wrote in message
news:41******** *************** @news.club-internet.fr...

Well, thank you very much for such a quick and relevant answer.

To speak in earnest (is this still good english?), I was wondering whether
there was something for the C language that could be compared to the Oracle or Cisco or MicroSoft Certification. (May be not to the same extent, but
still comparable).
Browsing on the net; googling with the word "certification" , I found several sites, generally called "something.org" , that proposed certifications on
various subjects, sometimes including "Taking good care of children" as well as "Java" or "C / C++ programming".

So my thoughts were about: is it worth the (rather small, I would say) price that is asked for, and the concern of answering a few dozen of questions.

If you have any opinion ...
Find out how much if any value the employers you're
interested in place upon which, if any, 'certifications '.
But of course if you believe that any offered training for
certification would help you improve your skills (even if
it doesn't result in a certificate), by all means go for it.
Only you can decide how much you're willing to pay for what.
Still, thank you very much for your concern.

You're welcome. I'm glad to see that you're trying to take
a directed course of action, unlike many I see who simply
read a couple books (whose quality and correctness they're
not qualified to assess) and then declare themselves
'professional programmers'.

Also be sure to see Kevin Q's (imo good) advice as well.

Good luck!

-Mike

[patrick courant]

Ok, that's it!

I am very grateful to this group (as I am with the other group
"comp.database. ingres" I follow faithfully, but that's another story) which
is so efficient populated mostly with nice people committed to give you
straight and clear answers.

Ah mais! (French)

So? Thanks again!

Patrick C.
"Mike Wahler" <mk******@mkwah ler.net> a écrit dans le message de
news:ix******** *******@newsrea d3.news.pas.ear thlink.net...

"patrick courant" <pa************ *@club-internet.fr> wrote in message
news:41******** *************** @news.club-internet.fr...

Well, thank you very much for such a quick and relevant answer.

To speak in earnest (is this still good english?), I was wondering whether there was something for the C language that could be compared to the

Oracle

or Cisco or MicroSoft Certification. (May be not to the same extent, but
still comparable).
Browsing on the net; googling with the word "certification" , I found

several

sites, generally called "something.org" , that proposed certifications on
various subjects, sometimes including "Taking good care of children" as

well

as "Java" or "C / C++ programming".

So my thoughts were about: is it worth the (rather small, I would say)

price

that is asked for, and the concern of answering a few dozen of questions.
If you have any opinion ...

Find out how much if any value the employers you're
interested in place upon which, if any, 'certifications '.
But of course if you believe that any offered training for
certification would help you improve your skills (even if
it doesn't result in a certificate), by all means go for it.
Only you can decide how much you're willing to pay for what.

Still, thank you very much for your concern.

You're welcome. I'm glad to see that you're trying to take
a directed course of action, unlike many I see who simply
read a couple books (whose quality and correctness they're
not qualified to assess) and then declare themselves
'professional programmers'.

Also be sure to see Kevin Q's (imo good) advice as well.

Good luck!

-Mike

[Ravi Uday]

patrick courant wrote:

Hello everyone,

I am an european freelance engineer, fighting with computer science for too
many years to remember. However, when applying for new missions, I found
that experience is not always enough to convince.

Still humble and weak (and ignorant), I know I will get smart and powerful
(and the first to know) through a certification process (in C language, of
course)

Would the skilled and brilliant C community have an idea where to go and who
to ask? Is there any center well-recognized by the professional market, in
US or elsewhere?

Have you tried www.brainbench.com ?? I liked it, its ok on C test.
- Ravi
I will be very grateful for any answer, and deeply unhappy for any insult.

PC.

[patrick courant]

Hello ravi,

I went to the site following your advice, and I found it's (on the face of
it) the one that offers the most interesting commitment to good testing. (as
compared to other places I browse, like Expertrating, and, which is less
relevant, Learning Tree, ICCQ, ....).
Well, you have to search deep to find sites offering certification in C
langage (as compared to Oracle: there are so many I am sure my grocery round
the corner offers one ...)

My question is : can you be a little more precise about the reason why you
found the site appaling, and did you try anything else? Your Cisco belonging
impresses me, so I care for your opinion.

If you can spare a minute to tell me, I will be grateful.

Thanks again.

Patrick C.
"Ravi Uday" <ra******@gmail .com> a écrit dans le message de
news:1104893952 .697302@sj-nntpcache-5...

patrick courant wrote:

Hello everyone,

I am an european freelance engineer, fighting with computer science for too many years to remember. However, when applying for new missions, I found
that experience is not always enough to convince.

Still humble and weak (and ignorant), I know I will get smart and powerful (and the first to know) through a certification process (in C language, of course)

Would the skilled and brilliant C community have an idea where to go and who to ask? Is there any center well-recognized by the professional market, in US or elsewhere?

Have you tried www.brainbench.com ?? I liked it, its ok on C test.
- Ravi

I will be very grateful for any answer, and deeply unhappy for any insult.
PC.

[CBFalconer]

patrick courant wrote:

.... snip ...
My question is : can you be a little more precise about the reason
why you found the site appaling, and did you try anything else?
Your Cisco belonging impresses me, so I care for your opinion.

Please do not toppost. Your answer belongs after, or intermixed
with, quoted material after snipping out anything not germane to
your reply.

I don't believe he found the site appalling, which is one possible
spelling correction. Appalling means abysmally foul, horrible,
vile. However, I have been wrong before.

--
Chuck F (cb********@yah oo.com) (cb********@wor ldnet.att.net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
<http://cbfalconer.home .att.net> USE worldnet address!

[patrick courant]

"CBFalconer " <cb********@yah oo.com> a écrit dans le message de
news:41******** *******@yahoo.c om...

patrick courant wrote:

... snip ...

My question is : can you be a little more precise about the reason
why you found the site appaling, and did you try anything else?
Your Cisco belonging impresses me, so I care for your opinion.

Please do not toppost. Your answer belongs after, or intermixed
with, quoted material after snipping out anything not germane to
your reply.

I don't believe he found the site appalling, which is one possible
spelling correction. Appalling means abysmally foul, horrible,
vile. However, I have been wrong before.

--
Chuck F (cb********@yah oo.com) (cb********@wor ldnet.att.net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
<http://cbfalconer.home .att.net> USE worldnet address!

Sorry, I meant "appealing" not "appaling".
In due respect of the group rules, my mistake.

Patrick C.