Hello, thank you for reading up on my daily notes.

The other day one of my colleagues at Skynet Belgacom (Belgium’s reference provider of integrated telecommunication services) asked me if it would be difficult for him to obtain the PHP5 Zend Certified Engineer Certification.

Being a ZCE myself I was in the excellent position to answer that question for him.

I responded it wouldn’t if he really wanted it. It is the same as everything in life. People can do extraordinary things if they really, really want it. Do you ever stop and think when you see an airplane glide through the air that it was once just a man’s idea?! Man couldn’t fly, if he was meant to fly he would have gotten wings they told Wilbur Wright. Well we all know the Wright brothers showed us. Millions of people fly now a day, every day!

They made the impossible possible with their passion!

I hear people too often say what they don’t want, that they never even consider what they do want. If you want something and just take action you can grab it. Almost every time, guaranteed. Besides it is not the goal that makes it a success it is trying to reach that “want” that makes the trip and the total a success. You’ll never hear someone say when they come to pass, I had a great house, great furniture, a runway model as a spouse and 50 million on my bank account. No they will tell you all the great stories on how they achieved that goal. You see, it is not the achieved end that is a success it is the road trip and all the personal development you gained while taking the trip. Everything can be stripped and taken away from you, but not the development you gained. That’s yours for ever!

I told my colleague he should go for it. Posing the question if it is a hard thing to do indicated he wants the certification but is in doubt of himself or the work that is involved. I told him he shouldn’t be afraid of himself or of the work involved. Just go.

If you are interested in obtaining this certification yourself let me share a secret with you:

You can achieve this, I am positive you can!

I know you can, maybe you’ll just have to take the test and pass, maybe you will have to study for a month or even 2 years. But like I said before, if you want it, you can do it. Only the things that you have earned through hard work are the things that you really value. And what is wrong with hard work? Working towards the goal should be fun. And it will be if you are pursuing something you want. So take your time but start moving.

PHP Architect has this great mock exam . I suggest you take it to verify your readiness for the new Zend PHP 5 Certification Exam. It is just a test so if you fail don’t let it get you down, but see it as an opportunity for you becoming an even better programmer as it will indicate in detail which areas of PHP you have to sharpen. A great book called “Php|architect’s Zend PHP 5 Certification Study Guide” can help you with that.

If you are like me and pass with the grade “excellent”, get your butt to the nearest examination center and take that exam.

The benefits are huge, as an employee you can ask for a raise, you have a proven knowledge, and have something to brag about to your colleagues. 😉

As a freelance PHP Expert Developer Consultant like myself the benefits are even greater. Really big companies, as the one where I am doing a project right now, will contact you themselves. You have after all proven to have a very high know-how and experience in PHP.

But what we both share, employee and freelancer, is the deep satisfaction of knowing you wanted something, went for it, and obtained it. And this feeling is far more important than anything else. It makes you see. It makes you feel. And finally it makes you believe in yourself and know that when YOU want something, you can make it happen. Every time!

Sunny greetings from Belgium,
Nick Belhomme

Ps. I have a great house, great furniture, a runway model as a spouse and I am working towards the 50 million on my bank account. 😉

Some great books to help you prepare for the exam.