I think the message of this article is a good one, perhaps not always applicable depending (of course) on the individual scenario and circumstances, but a worthwhile message nonetheless. I think a large part of whether or not it applies is the risk assessment. If the risk is extremely great should failure occur and there are not major time constraints, preparation should be careful and considered. As the idiom goes, "Fortune favors the prepared".
Many, like myself, have been struck by this particular paralysis of analysis, stuck in a studious stupefaction of research and preparation, in part due to fear of failure and in part due to never feeling prepared enough. My particular case is of pursuing the Red Hat Certified System Administrator certification. I have yet to take the exam, but have put in a fair bit of time of study with books and with online resources (some of which were paid subscriptions, like LinuxAcademy). Of course, the stakes aren't extremely high - if I were to fail, I'd be out $400. Not a huge amount of money but not small change either. Needless to say, I still want to get the certification but have yet to motivate myself to commit to it. Suffice it to say, I'm one of those people that thrives and prospers under deadlines, whether said deadlines are artificial or are a true limitation on my window of preparation.
I'm also preparing for the RHCSA! It's grueling but now that I'm getting close I feel way more confident in Linux. I'd always heard it was the "entry level" cert (which is technically true) but at least in my eyes it really means something. It's not something you can cram for and wing and still pass.
Many, like myself, have been struck by this particular paralysis of analysis, stuck in a studious stupefaction of research and preparation, in part due to fear of failure and in part due to never feeling prepared enough. My particular case is of pursuing the Red Hat Certified System Administrator certification. I have yet to take the exam, but have put in a fair bit of time of study with books and with online resources (some of which were paid subscriptions, like LinuxAcademy). Of course, the stakes aren't extremely high - if I were to fail, I'd be out $400. Not a huge amount of money but not small change either. Needless to say, I still want to get the certification but have yet to motivate myself to commit to it. Suffice it to say, I'm one of those people that thrives and prospers under deadlines, whether said deadlines are artificial or are a true limitation on my window of preparation.