NYCPHP Meetup

[David Vogel]

I'd like to weigh in here because I'm in a position to have my job pay 
for training and have been wondering for a while when the TBA's on the 
training ramp cert. page were going to become actual dates.  I think the 
best thing I can contribute to the conversation is a summary of what I'd 
like to get out of some PHP +related training.

First of all I came to PHP (and web stuff in general) via photography, 
design, cooking, biology etc.  So, I started using PHP because it's easy 
to to a lot of things.  But, basically I don't know what I'm doing and 
have been floundering around for a while wondering how to get my 
bearings when there are so many other (better IMHO) ways to spend time 
than in front of a computer.

That said.  I would like to gain a more solid understanding of the 
fundamentals of the language itself.  As well as enough familiarity with 
the other parts of the 'framework' to be confident that I am proceeding 
with a project in a way that makes sense instead of going off on a 
tangent (which is easy when there are so many alternative ways to go 
about a task).

As an employee at a medium-sized university I will never be 
administering the servers or compiling the PHP, but I would like to know 
enough about Apache etc. to be able to confidently interact with the IT 
dept that does (eg lobby for a new mod in PHP, or not be so in the dark 
(where they like to keep people) about the environment I'm trying to 
work in).

I should shut up now.  But as far as certification goes I don't care 
about certification (and I totally agree that casual conversation can 
speak volumes about a potential employee) but if I can learn more about 
the things I'd like to know and get a certification to show to the 
people out there who do care about certifications, then so much the better.

Hope that's somewhat helpful from one potential student's perspective.
And, I hope you figure all this out soon so I can come down and take 
some classes soon...

Dave


Tim Gales wrote:

>Chris Snyder writes:
>  
>
>>How do people feel about "official" certification as a qualified PHP 
>>programmer?
>>
>>    
>>
>
>Thies Arntzen once said:
>"I could teach PHP to a monkey, if I had enough bananas." 
>
>One of the main advantages of PHP is that it 
>is a small and 'intellectually manageable' language.
>
>You can get a pretty good grasp of PHP, the language, 
>in an afternoon -- if you come from another programming 
>discipline (C++, Java, etc.)
>
>But PHP doesn't operate in a vacuum -- 
>it works together with an operating system, 
>a web server, and more often than not with 
>a database (and that's not including permutations 
>with PHP as a CLI)
>
>When it operates like this PHP is much more 
>than a language. When PHP works with the other 
>components, it becomes a framework.
>
>That's why at NYPHP we have this concept of 
>'AMP' (Apache MySQL PHP) training -- i.e. 
>PHP doesn't operate in a vacuum.
>
>To digress for a moment, this would probably be 
>a lot clearer if someone (me) had done a 
>better job explaining the training on the 
>pages of NYPHP's website.
>
>(I could use some help here. I invite all 
>interested parties to drop a line to:
>
>Michael Southwell
>VP, Education Department
>NYPHP
>michael.southwell at nyphp.org
>
>and request membership to the Education 
>Department mailing list.
>
>This is a golden opportunity to help shape 
>not just the web pages at NYPHP -- but 
>to work together on forging the future curriculum 
>at NYPHP. 
>
>Since I am digressing, let me also say 
>you don't have to have an advanced degree in 
>education or be a PHP guru to help.
>
>Everybody on this list has an area of 
>expertise, which can greatly help our 
>effort -- so please consider this: 
>You can make a *BIG* difference in the PHP 
>community and help it to grow, if you decide 
>that is something you want)
>
>Back to the original topic (PHP certification), 
>what is meant by PHP certification?
>
>If it means you know the language, then 
>it strikes me that it wouldn't be to 
>valuable (that is, of course, if you take it 
>as a given that you could learn the language 
>in an afternoon).
>
>Now if PHP certification means that you know 
>all that stuff (the twelve chapters) which 
>was included in the post about Zend 
>certification, then I have some thoughts on that.
>
>One, it seems to ambitious.
>I don't see how you could cover all that 
>ground in even a hundred questions on an 
>exam -- of course I haven't seen the book 
>or the test, so perhaps I am just badly 
>informed here -- much less seventy questions.
>
>Two, it seems uneven.
>It might be better to have a volume on 
>PHP with databases, and a volume about 
>PHP with XML -- instead of all in one 
>book.
>
>Basically, the NYPHP focus is going to 
>be on AMP certifications (and even there, that 
>might be too broad -- i.e. perhaps it should 
>be broken into WAMP, XAMP, and LAMP)
>
>If you don't agree, join the Education 
>Department. We work by consensus -- 
>your voice will be heard. 
>
>T. Gales & Associates
>'Helping People Connect with Technology'
>
>http://www.tgaconnect.com
>
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