Is Zos Entrylevel Certification helpful for Storage Enginer?

ananth86 · New User Joined: 10 Jun 2009 Posts: 59 Location: Hyderabad

I started my career as Mainframe Storage Engineer 1 Year back. I recently found the Entry Level for z/OS System Programmer Mastery Test .

My question here is: will this certification be useful?

superk · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:10 pm

I would think that it might be more useful AFTER you've moved into a Systems Programmer position and have learned how to perform many of the tasks as required for such a position, and after you've completed the necessary prerequisite technical training in preperation for that role.

My question is, does the company you work for, or any companies you might work for in the future, care if you complete this certification or not?

ananth86 · New User Joined: 10 Jun 2009 Posts: 59 Location: Hyderabad

Sorry I didnt made my point clear in the previous post.

I am thinking of switching to sys prog, will this certification help me in that process?

superk · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:08 pm

I stand by my original response. I'd like to try to avoid confusing proper hands-on experience and training with a professional certification. Hopefully someone who IS a Systems Programmer might have something more to add.

I would think that if you have the proper training and/or hands-on work experience, and if your current position proves that you posess the proper technical knowledge and know-how, then I'd think that you should be considered equally as anyone else when applying for a position as a Systems Programmer. I'd hope that the hiring Manager would consider the skills and experience that a candidate brings to the table over any type of certification(s), since they are not really a basis for proving your competency for a specified position. Now, once in such a position, then I'd say fine, get the certification, at the very least it might help to highlight an area where maybe you need more training, or if all went well then it could certainly be used as a bargaining chip for the compensation received for such a position.

Robert Sample · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:25 pm

As a system programmer, while I support the certification concept, it's not really that relevant to our work environment. It may give you an edge over other equally qualified applicants, but hands-on experience is vastly more valuable than the theoretical knowledge certification tests. Knowing what it means that an SMP/E APPLY got an 8 return code, knowing how to find the message, and knowing how to fix the problem is a commonly needed skill set, and not something that certification will give you.

Much of the day-to-day activities are practical and focused on the environment (monitoring the system, evaluating bottlenecks, adjusting parameters, assisting applications programmers, looking at system dumps, interacting with vendors). If you do go for the certification, realize that it is merely a platform to build skills upon and not an end goal.

An application programmer was talking to me a few years ago and said that our jobs weren't really that different. I thought about it and replied that the big difference was that if he messed up, his team leader and a few users of the application might notice but rarely would anybody else know about it. If I or the other system programmers messed up, EVERYBODY knows about it because the system either is down or having severe problems.

praveensinha · New User Joined: 02 Oct 2009 Posts: 64 Location: Hyd

what are the certifications a mainframe storage guy should do??

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 1:58 pm

a certification certifies only that You were able to answer the questions of the certification quizzes
not that You are capable of doing well Your job