> 2. I wish decentralized certification systems became a bigger thing. Personally, I would love to be able to take a definitive test on whether or not I knew Python well enough to spend forty hours a week working in Python. Make it open notes and timed, like the real world is. I know this used to be a big thing in the 90's, but that was before my time -- why did this go out of style? Did the rapid advancement and evolution of the industry prove the system prohibitively time/effort-consuming?
The problem is when you have enough desperate unethical people to break any system of testing that you can throw at them. During my undergrad, there were books that were filled with possible questions that could come up in the statewide exams. One was supposed to memorize the answers (given in the book) and write the same answer in the exams. I remember when I wrote my GRE, there were people constructing a database of all the possible questions that showed up in a particular month of the GRE. Every system is breakable; your decentralized certification system will make it only easier for a bunch of people who don't know shit but have shiny new certificates to show up.
> Look at interviewing. There exists of a database of interview questions that you need to learn to game the interview.
That is part of the reason that I have become tired of the tech industry; its job application process is silly. There is enough correlation and causation issues. As an interviewer, you assume that a lifestyle, schools, ability to solve a bunch of textbook algo problems means that the person will be a good employee; as an interviewee, you assume that a company which asks such questions, talks about exotic languages, technologies, provides free lunches and other crap will be the good fit for you. I have decided I am going to ask companies if I can work for x time for them on a project; then we can figure out in practice whether we are both good fits and then decide on a final settlement. Of course, this will never become widespread because it fucks with the H1B system and a lot of people are still convinced that the way tech interviews happen is the right way.
The problem is when you have enough desperate unethical people to break any system of testing that you can throw at them. During my undergrad, there were books that were filled with possible questions that could come up in the statewide exams. One was supposed to memorize the answers (given in the book) and write the same answer in the exams. I remember when I wrote my GRE, there were people constructing a database of all the possible questions that showed up in a particular month of the GRE. Every system is breakable; your decentralized certification system will make it only easier for a bunch of people who don't know shit but have shiny new certificates to show up.