Reflective developer

...or why I see no authority in traditional certification exams?

I have followed authority and I am aware of the value of doing that, so much so that today I still look forward to follow authority. A serious problem is precisely that there is no grounds to hold any longer the belief that the mindset behind the traditional style of skill certification for application development has authority in any relevant sense, based on current trends of ubiquitous availability of information and new options for skill acquisition —also known as «the age of information revolution».

A second but related problem is that this style of skill certification hurts the bottom line of the business value delivered to customers by means of application development. Mainly because the traditional style is based, for the most part, on the psychological memory of single individuals, tactical execution, and their ability to follow steps, and not in their mutual cooperation and ability to reflect in practice.

There is much more to it, but the problems just stated are enough for me to declare myself as a kind of conscientious objector: refusing to be part of the traditional style of skill certification for application development, which represents a type of conscription inside an increasingly problematic mindset.

As part of my efforts of skill acquisition for myself, I am also conducting a personal research program to develop alternatives to the traditional style of skill certification for application development, based on creativity research, problem solving, and peer collaboration. Outcomes would be insights about ways of life for reflective developers, along with the design of an adapted style for skill certification.