Ubuntu Certification considered harmful
…to my wallet.
Wandering for the net today, I had the luck/misfortune to follow a Google advertising link about some Ubuntu certification courses. The ad recited something like “Ubuntu Certification Corse for only 3100€ !”. Holy crap, I really had to click.
See the original web page.
While I am happy about Ubuntu growth, I really think the cost is an overkill. Please keep in mind the place we’re talking about, Italy is one of the nations with lower average incomes of all Europe (difficult here to get more than 900€/month if your at your first work experience. You’re likely to get even less)
The program of the courses follows the Canonical’s for Ubuntu Certification (translated at hand from that italian page)
Ubuntu Linux Professional - Corso 1
- General overview of Ubuntu community (where to find help, etc)
- Basic installation of Ubuntu
- GNU & UNIX commands
- Hardware & architecture
- Installing and managing Linux package
- Devices and filesystems of Linux. Standards of Linux filesystem hierarchy
- X Window
Ubuntu Linux Professional - Corso 2
- Il kernel - Managing, reconfiguring, building, installling a personalized kernel
- Printing - Local and remote management
- Documentation (???)
- Shells, scripting, Programming (???) & compiling
- Amministration duties (?)
- Networking foundations
- Networking services
- Security
Achieving an Ubuntu Certification is ultra nice, but I highly doubt many people will ever think about donating 3100 to the cause. Ten days of course are unlikely to give you any real knowledge and business owners know that - so.. what is going to be the return of your investment ? Unhappy to be said, this configures itself as yet another bland attempt to get money out of unemployed people desperation.
As the cost includes exams price, a overall cost of 1000 euros for both courses would have been more than appropriate. If you have 3000 euros to spend for a 10 days course, my honest advice is to go to some LUG or Loco looking for a private teacher to hire.
I have nothing against Canonical’s partners, but there are many better suited charities causes to donate money for. I wonder if it’s the same in other countries (keeping in mind different costs of life and average incomes, obviously). Did anyone have related experiences ?
7 Responses to 'Ubuntu Certification considered harmful'
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These are normal prices for courses like that. If it’s just the certification you’re after, you can take exams in LPI certifications for around 150 Euro (lpi.org), and if you want to prepare yourself, there’s a book from O’Reilly. Cheaper than the course, but just as effective, IMHO
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Stefano Forenza | 22 Jun 08 at 10:32 pm
@Justin: you’re right. I don’t like negotiate anyway, my take is I will just buy a book like Hendrick suggests when I decide to try to take the exams.
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Billy Cina | 24 Jun 08 at 4:39 pm
Hi, I run the training programme at Canonical, so am always very pleased when I come across course feedback. Just to clarify:
- Redomino is not an authorised Canonical or Ubutnu training partner. The material and training they provide is in no way endorsed by Canonical.
- Canonical does not set training prices for courses provided through partners - we rely 100% on our partners to know what is best for their market.
- Ubuntu Certified Professional covers a lot is useful ground for any system administrator deploying Ubuntu in the office.
Thanks
Billy -
Justin Dugger | 24 Jun 08 at 8:33 pm
Cina, not China
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Stefano Forenza | 24 Jun 08 at 8:45 pm
OMG ! Corrected :-). The italian for China is Cina, that’s why I got confused.
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Fabrizio Reale | 26 Jun 08 at 5:22 pm
Hi, I am one of the managers of this course at Redomino and I thank you, Stefano, for your feedback.
People who have partecipated to our courses have been satisfied, but they were usually from companies or organizations.
The numbers in the table are not the remaining seats, but the maximum size of the class. We will be clearer next time
We have recieved much interest from people who would like to have cheaper and shorter courses because they want to learn Linux but can not afford a full course.
We have already provided many free courses for open source softwares and published docs on our Labs:
http://redomino.com/it/labs
And as soon as possible we will provide something similar also for Ubuntu.Thank you,
Fabrizio
Justin Dugger | 22 Jun 08 at 1:55 am
Who exactly is the charity here?
Training isn’t just for the unemployed. It’s also for new hires in businesses that use technology. I could conceivably see a company sending ten employees such an event so they can roll out their own training for new hires–send out ten smart people and come back with ten people ready to teach others. The price seems high, and you’ll notice they haven’t sold a single seat yet.
If you’re interested in their course, negotiate. You’ve got money, and they’ve clearly got a lot of time on their hands with nothing to do.