ACS Membership highjumps(was Re: [Linux-aus] Linux Australia member services)

[Steve Walsh <Steve@nerdvana.org.au>]

Brenda Aynsley wrote:

> OR
> to someone who can satisfy the Society that he or she has acquired the 
> Core Body of Knowledge through demonstrated equivalence and has at least 
> 4 years relevant professional experience

So, I've been working in IT (in both commercial and R&E fields) for 8 years, and 
I don't have a degree (it was written out from under me in the last semester to 
meet a government and ACS framework, which I'm not bitter about at all). I've 
got a Red Hat certification and I hold a Practitioner Level Certification in 
ITIL (which the BCS endorse very heartily endorse). Is that enough to satisfy 
ACS for a membership that actually means something?

> Yes there's a lot of emphasis on qualifications at the tertiary or VET 
> level, but how many medical doctors, lawyers, dentists, architects, vets 
> do you know who dont have at least one degree?  We think the ICT 
> profession deserves nothing less than the other professions in terms of 
> the education and qualifications of its practitioners.

If that's the case, why is it ACS chooses to recognise a Microsoft certification 
(which assess your knowledge of the theory), but not a Red Hat Certification 
(which assess your knowledge of the underlying theory, as well as assessing your 
ability to apply it practically).

I also can't fathom why it's ignoring ITSM and ITIL certifications, which to me 
seem rather odd things for an organisation wanting to make sure that the only 
people who can man the first level call centre are graduates of a relevant 
Software engineering or Comp Sci degree.