Re: Is there a shortage of postgresql skilled ops people

On Mar 27, 2007, at 3:58 PM, Jorge Godoy wrote:

> "Merlin Moncure" <mmoncure(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:
>
>> On 3/27/07, Erik Jones <erik(at)myemma(dot)com> wrote:
>>> Not having looked myself, this is as much a question as a
>>> suggestion, but
>>> are there not postgres dba training seminars/courses you could
>>> recommend
>>> they send their dba's to?
>>
>> There are some classes out there but in my opinion your best bet
>> (from
>> point of view of looking for good talent) is to get people that found
>> their way to postgresql themselves. In that sense you want to
>> hook up
>> with people from the mailing lists or develop contacts from within
>> the
>> community. So, training classes are useful for beefing up on
>> knowledge and learning new tricks, but postgresql dbas are born, not
>> made :)
>
> I have the same opinion. Just look around and see how many "certified
> something" are there and how many of them *really* know the
> product, its
> details, how to work with it.
>
> Certifications don't even certify the minimum knowledge. They are
> like tests
> that we do in school: they show how we are feeling and what we
> "know" (or
> memorized during the night) at the instant of the test. Some
> people even
> cheat on tests (not that I'm saying it is done or is common with
> certification
> tests...).
>
> So, if I have a good memory to retain information for a week, I'll
> excel in
> certification tests. But then, what after that week?
>
> I'm against certifications for any product. It just doesn't show the
> reality.

While I agree with everything you guys have said on this, my point
was that client's like seeing that kind of stuff. I'm sure a lot of
companies would give that second thought to converting their systems
over if they had what they perceived as decent training available for
their existing staffs.

erik jones <erik(at)myemma(dot)com>
software developer
615-296-0838
emma(r)