[NTLUG:Discuss] Linux certs vs "real-world" relevance

[brian@pongonova.net]

Please read the following *in its entirety* before hitting your 'r' button after
the first paragraph!

I am looking for some insights (personal anecdotes are certainly welcome) as to the
relevance of the various Linux certifications (LPI, SAIR, SAGE, RHCE, etc.) in the
"real world."  Some examples: Is more weight given to one cert over another?  Do RH
shops consider the RH cert more valuable than the non-RH cert?  How applicable is a
particular certification to the "real world"?

URLs to pertinent sites comparing the different certs would be welcome as well.

**Please note, I'm not looking for a flame war here, nor am I looking for a "which
one is best" solution.  Also, I'm not interested in the certification vs.
experience debate.** 

My point-of-view is from an instructor standpoint (I teach Unix courses at the
college level), trying to get a grasp on the high and low points of each cert and
the level of correlation between different college-level Unix curricula and various
certification objectives.  My working thesis is that if there's a good fit between
a given cert's objectives and the "real world," I believe a good indicator as
to how well a Unix program prepares a student for the "real world" is how well the
Unix program covers the cert's objectives. 

>From what I can tell, most of the certs focus on network and sysadmin-related
tasks, whereas my Unix background is mostly software development on various Unix
platforms.  I don't have a good handle on how *applicable* each cert is from a Unix
admin point of view, which is why your input will be valuable.

Knowing this group, I'm certainly looking forward to your responses :)

  --Brian