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April 2010

Featured Topic: "Will Any Letters Get Me The Job?" -- What you don't know about certification can hurt you!

As more and more companies adopt Agile development methodologies, it is becoming increasingly necessary for IT professionals to have more than a passing familiarity with the subject. You’ve heard rumblings of a cautious resurgence in the job market, and yet it seems as if there are still too many people vying for too few positions. You can see a variety of certification courses and training curricula out there. How do you choose the right ones for you? What do you need to have in your arsenal to stand out in the crowd? For that matter, as a prospective employer, how do you navigate the alphabet soup of certifications and titles to find the best candidates?

Come out and spend an evening with other Chicago-area industry professionals, to discuss and debate the merits of various Agile certification programs. Join our panel-led discussion, and together we’ll explore the confusing waters of certification.

What is true certification?  *  The difference between certifications and certificates  *  What is the perceived value?  *  What is the real value?  *  How does the IT world perceive certification?  *  What certifications you should be pursuing  *  How experience comes into play  *  Can you advance your career without certification acceptance from your peers?

Lead-in Activity

As always, the first half-hour of the event is reserved for networking and food. Pizza and pop will be provided, so come hungry, grab a couple slices of pizza, and get to know the other attendees who are making Agile Leadership happen in Chicago.

Follow-up Activity: "OpenSpace"

Following the talk, attendees will take part in an OpenSpace discussion forum.  At least one topic will focus on the theme of other “impossible” situations for Agile, but attendees are free to propose any topic for discussion.  An OpenSpace session is a high-energy experience:  more structured than chit-chat, less rigid than following an agenda.  If you’ve never participated in an OpenSpace event, be prepared to be surprised!  For more about OpenSpace, see the original definition at AgileOpen.net.

About the Panel

Lance Welter -- Lance is a highly motivated professional who understands the importance of business relationships. He has extensive experience working with and serving both non-profit and for-profit organizations, establishing credentialing and certification programs, scoping and overseeing implementation of psychometrically valid tests for different industries and professional specialties. Currently, Lance is Chair of the CNG Chicago - Certification Networking Group of Chicago. CNG is a group of certification professionals who meet quarterly to discuss various aspect of Certification. He has also appeared as subject matter expert in association management and certification for the online TV program, Association Executives.

David Babicz -- David is a Senior Consultant, Certified Scrum Master, and Agile methodologies specialist at Solstice Consulting, a Chicago-based technology and management consulting firm. He has more than a dozen years' experience in all areas of application development, from project management to business analyst to QA to DBA. David heads the Agile Transformation practice at Solstice, where he leads clients through their transition from traditional methodologies to Agile practices. He's also particularly focused on the application of Lean principles in Agile to help clients optimize their business processes. David rounded out his own alphabet soup with a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification and a B.A. in Communication.

Michael Marchi -- With over 20 years of industry experience, Mike spearheaded the agile adoption effort for the Building Controls division of Siemens Industry, Inc.. He has personally trained several hundred people in Agile theory and practice, and coached them through the shift from traditional (waterfall) methodologies to the adoption of Scrum. He currently holds a CSM, CSPO, and a CSP. He has been considering pursuing a CSC or CST, and watches with growing bemusement at the ever-increasing variety of certification options.

Derek W. Wade -- Derek is a Certified Scrum Professional (CSP), Innovation Games(tm) Qualified Instructor, Core Passion Authorized Facilitator, serves on the Board of Directors for the Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN), and is a founding member of the APLN-Chicago. He has spoken at numerous public forums, including ScrumGathering, Agile2008, the Chicago APLN, the Tulsa Area Agile Group (TAAG), CITCON, Ignite! Chicago, and OOPSLA. Derek is also a licensed Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor; these have more relevance to the Agile world than he ever expected.

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Registration for this event is now open.

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