February 25, 2012 by mensming.

I was recently researching various mock frameworks for Java. We settled on mockito. I will post more on mockito at another time.

As I was reading about JMock and EasyMock, I had a sense of deja vu. I came across the following report my team developed over 3 years ago. It appears that the report still appears correct:

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February 22, 2012 by mensming.

The following is my response to a question on the now-defunct testing.stackexchange.com. The question was "Is there a good tester certification?" and my answer:

Good for whom?

This tends to be a loaded question with almost religious fervor. Several industry notables have come out strongly against certifications. James Bach posted his objections in a compelling argument. It is a good place to start for the anti-certification argument.

Good for Employers?

As a hiring manager, I have only seen people with certifications listed on their resumes a couple of times. It was an indication that perhaps these individuals are taking an interest in their careers more than just a job. Did the certification sway my opinion of the applicants? No. Just a minor data point.

Good for the Tester?

I do think there can be good from getting a certification for the tester. However, that good does not come from getting the paper that says they are certified. The good comes from reviewing the requirements for the certification, identifying gaps in one’s knowledge, deciding whether it would be good to fill in that gap - it might not, and learning something new so it can be applied to the day to day job.

Good for the Certification Body?

Almost definitely. The certification body gains strength with the number of people who get certified. There have been examples of certifications which are really a mechanism to sell training. It is important to look at the certification body and what their motives are. What is good for the certification body is not necessarily good for the tester nor for an employer.

What is one to do?

First - look at what the certification covers:

• ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer - http://www.asq.org/certification/software-quality-engineer/bok.html
• ISEB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing Syllabus - http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConMediaFile.8904
• ISEB Intermediate Certificate in Software Testing - http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.14425
• ISQTB Certifiied Tester - Expert Level Syllabus - http://www.istqb.org/downloads/Expert-Level-Syllabus-ImprovingTheTestProcess-Beta-1.pdf

Second - Where are you strong? Where are you weak? Are the weaknesses areas where improvement will help you personally and professionally?

Third - Identify for learning and how to fill in the gaps you care about.

Fourth - Decide whether the certification has meaning to you. For some people, working towards the certification is the motivation they need to fill in the gaps.

In any case, if you can speak to the various points covered in a certification and can provide real world example where you have applied the areas of knowledge, you will be able to convince an employer you know your stuff.

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February 12, 2012 by mensming.

What is the value of SAS70 data center audits? - AICPA Fumbles Audit Standards at the 5-Yard Line - bit.ly/wg1hgG
27 Jan

Posted to testingpodcast.com - Twist #79 - Interviewing Testers, Part II - bit.ly/wTF41h
26 Jan

How ‘State of the Union’ Speeches Changed Over Time bit.ly/xzjUAD
26 Jan

Use This Infographic to Pick a Good, Strong Password lifehac.kr/wyZaM3
25 Jan

Finished reading _Lord of the Files: Essays on the Social Aspects of Software Engineering_ by Russell Ovans - amzn.to/zZIKQG
24 Jan

Drive to remove unused code in LibreOffice - bit.ly/AnTHwR
23 Jan

Brush up on your command line skills - Windows Server 8: Server Applications and the Minimal Server Interface - bit.ly/wofRoN
20 Jan

Do You Really Need a Password You Can Barely Remember? - bit.ly/Axg7fQ
19 Jan

7 Essential CSS3 Tutorials For Web Developers bit.ly/A3yaxm
18 Jan

The Cowboys’ ‘Unsweet 16′ - bit.ly/yPvb6b
17 Jan

Just finished reading _We Are All Weird_ by Seth Godin: amzn.to/whmqlE
16 Jan

Posted to testingpodcast.com - TWiST #78 - Interviewing Testers, Part I - bit.ly/xzHrLf
13 Jan

Why didn’t Harry Potter just use Google? - /bbc.in/yvZBoQ
13 Jan

If William Shakespeare wrote an Apple rumor blog bit.ly/wjSOeD
12 Jan

There was a time when I would have been looking forward to this - FreeDOS 1.1 released after 17 years - bit.ly/Ae802q
11 Jan

Interesting view of "Facebook Production Bugs" - bit.ly/ypexv7
10 Jan

Posted to testingpodcast.com - The Sherpas of Testing Success: Studies of Successful Independent Test Groups bit.ly/zge6hq
9 Jan

Google Recruiter Reveals The Biggest Mistake Job Candidates Make read.bi/t2E6zQ
9 Jan

Posted to testingpodcast.com - TWiST #77 - Test is Dead, Part II bit.ly/yw9EC5
7 Jan

10 great Evernote tips for business | TabTimes bit.ly/unv7Oi
6 Jan

Finished reading _Effective Java (2nd Edition)_ by Joshua Bloch - amzn.to/xYG4cZ
5 Jan

Attack Tool Released for WPS PIN Vulnerability | threatpost bit.ly/sN2Jmb
4 Jan

RT @petershankman - Important: How can the world end in 2012 when Marty McFly traveled to 2015?? Something doesn’t add up.
3 Jan

QR Code Malware Picks Up Steam - Dark Reading bit.ly/v9Sx35
3 Jan

Posted to testingpodcast.com - TWiST #76 - Test is Dead, Part I - bit.ly/shmjUe
2 Jan

Quality Coding Takes A Break For The Holidays. But Why? | threatpost bit.ly/uuYrEQ
2 Jan

Posted to testingpodcast.com - TestCast - Show #10 Testing is Dead bit.ly/s8qeKp
1 Jan

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February 11, 2012 by mensming.

@Delta currently on my way to New Orleans via Memphis for my 20 th wedding anniversary
27 Dec

Plastic SCM blog: The version control timeline bit.ly/vAyKVV
23 Dec

Cisco says 70% of young workers ignore IT rules - Puget Sound Business Journal bit.ly/uG2r3B
22 Dec

Facebook Is Making Us Miserable gizmo.do/umWjWH
21 Dec

GPL, copyleft use declining faster than ever | ITworld bit.ly/ucQM1r
20 Dec

Java To Be Removed from Ubuntu, Uninstalled from User Machines bit.ly/tUtfMe
19 Dec

Posted to testingpodcast.com - Software Testing: Five Trends Affecting Testing - Five Years Later - bit.ly/vpTIbf
18 Dec

Posted to testingpodcast.com - TWiST #75 - A Five-Part Testing Meal, Part II - bit.ly/s7Azx6
18 Dec

Visualizing a Year of Extreme Weather | Surprising Science bit.ly/vYX1Tc
16 Dec

Teens and the cruel world of social networking | Techi.com bit.ly/vnJLuN
15 Dec

The Done Manifesto Lays Out 13 Ground Rules for Getting to Done lifehac.kr/vkSdXp
14 Dec

Even Calvin and Hobbes Joined the #OccupyFrontLawn Movement gizmo.do/s3Xxwx
13 Dec

My son matches this - Elderly driving longer than ever, young starting to drive later than ever? bit.ly/sfGNYM
12 Dec

Posted to testingpodcast.com - TWiST #74 - A Five-Part Testing Meal, Part I - bit.ly/su2kxm
10 Dec

Matches my experience: Truth about test plan document & test case document bit.ly/tiMyPt
9 Dec

10 Proven Strategies of High-Performance Teams [INFOGRAPHIC] - on.mash.to/uhBVzf
8 Dec

What should I change?-If You’re Busy, You’re Doing Something Wrong: The Surprisingly Relaxed Lives of Elite Achievers - bit.ly/tI3RLQ
7 Dec

DARPA’s Almost-Impossible Challenge to Reconstruct Shredded Documents: Solved gizmo.do/uQDF7p
6 Dec

Posted to testingpodcast.com - TWiST #73 - Live from STPCon - bit.ly/rO2C9A
5 Dec

Chrome Usage Surpasses Firefox for the First Time lifehac.kr/tkup8l
5 Dec

‘Brick’ breaker: Lego bible too racy for Sam’s Club - cnet.co/vPBM3z
4 Dec

Separating Fact from Hype on Mobile Malware - bit.ly/rPA7Yw
2 Dec

Is anyone surprised? - Lying is more common when we email - bit.ly/vmJV53
1 Dec

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