The first question I would like to answer is
“Why me?” This was also the first question I asked myself.
I am neither from Pega Academy nor had
decades of Pega experiences. So, what made me qualified to write this book? Not
to mention a book about the highest technical certification in Pega!
I Have Lecturing Experiences
I had delivered lectures and tutorials to
students pursuing Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees from Monash University and Deakin
University, through their respective distance learning programs.
The largest student group that I had
lectured was well over hundreds. Degree programs included the following:
·
Bachelor of Information
Technology
·
Master of Information
Technology
·
Bachelor of Computing (Computer
Science/Software Development)
This gave me knowledge and experience in
handling undergraduates, their thought processes, and their common pitfalls.
I Have Experiences Writing
Courseware
In case you do not know what a courseware
is, it is similar to a full subject material offered in a university.
Courseware is not just the study or lecture
materials, it included the tutorial exercises, sample solutions for the
lecturers delivering the course, as well as the exam papers, with the
associated marking schemes (rubric, as some might refer to it).
This experience provided me with great
insights on the end-to-end structures of exams, it also provided me with a
deeper understanding of what examiners are typically looking for, including the
CLSA Team.
I am CLSA Certified in the New CLSA
Path 7.3/7.4
There is no point in telling people how to
prepare for Pega CLSA if one has not even passed it.
On top of that, being a CLSA does not mean
that the person is qualified to teach. It should be the same new CLSA Path to
have any relevance, shouldn’t it?
Having decades of Pega expertise and experiences
are commendable, but not relevant in writing this book because the exams
structure is no longer the same.
In short, being certified in older versions
of CLSA for many years, does not add more values compared to a person who had
been through the new CLSA path, the same path that you would be taking, agree?
I Passed the Application Build on the
1st Attempt
Passing the Application Build on the 1st
attempt, 2nd attempt, or even on the 3rd attempt, has no
direct correlation to the technical skills.
However, the ability to pass it on the 1st
attempt is an indication that the given candidate knows the approach and is inherently
able to present his solution in the expected format. Coupled with my lecturing
and courseware experiences, do you see the strong relevance now?
I Have a Strong Academic Background
I have a master’s degree. During my masters,
I had written thesis, published papers, and produced patents together with my
professors and helped them to start up 2 companies, which were later bought
over.
Therefore, writing books and doing
publications are all in my blood.
I Have Experience Writing a Book
Writing a book is not easy. In general, it
usually takes at least 6 months to complete a book, not including the
miscellaneous tasks of getting a publisher, proof reading, book designing, and
finally publishing it.
Worst, the return is often not worth the
effort that one has put in. (Yes, I know Harry Potter, but that is more of a rare
exception, rather than the norm. Furthermore, there is no way to disprove a
fantasy series, is there?)
For me, it is not as difficult because this
is not my first book. How hard could it be for me if I had possessed so many of
the above attributes? All I need is just 1 month of my own free time to release
a book.
I Have Many Years of IT Experiences
Apart from many years of IT experiences, I
have experiences in other BPM/CRM systems as well as other areas, including
SQL, UNIX, etc.
You may not be able to relate how these
would help in passing the CLSA certification, but you would know the relevance after
you have finished reading this book.
I Think There Should be More Pega
Technical Books
Today, the biggest problem that Pega faced
is a pool of certified and qualified Pega architects. It is not possible to
further extend this pool of Pega architects if there are no books written for
it. Take a look at Java, Oracle, Microsoft, CISCO, etc. There are tons of books
on that and from various sources!
Today, the only relevant Pega related book
in Amazon.com is only “Build for Change” – By Alan Trefler. However, that is
more of a management book rather than a technical one.
Therefore, someone needs to start somewhere,
and I am not shy to say that the best person is me; and doing a Pega CLSA Guide
is a great starting point.
Summary: I Have Multiple Relevant
Attributes
My boy wants to be a writer, just like me,
and he is very motivated. At the age of 9, he had finished reading Sherlock
Holmes (the original series).
The first question I asked him was: There
are millions of books out there, why would anybody buy yours?
After I had set him on the thinking path, I
suggested him to search for the author, read his profile in Wikipedia, and
answer my question again.
With some guidance, he finally realised the
reason: Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle is a physician by profession, which was
why he could write Sherlock Holmes so convincingly!
His first novel, “The Haunted Grange of
Goresthorpe”, did not even get published, which goes back to the initial question
to my boy: Anybody can write a book on a ghost story, why would anyone buy his?
In business terms, this is called “competitive
advantage”. A business or idea would prosper if and only if there is a “competitive
advantage”, coupled with a high entry barrier.
I had come across great professors with
good academic accreditations, but their lectures were the best ‘sleeping pills’
one could ever buy in the open market!
Technical ability and knowledge are important.
However, knowing the technicality and possessing the ability to solve the most
complex issues do not give birth to good writers or good teachers –-- these require
a far more well-rounded ability to achieve that.
Are You Convinced?
I sincerely hope you are. If not, please
don’t get this book. I hate ‘grumpies’. If you think you can do better by doing
it solo, please feel free to do what you think is best for yourself.
