CompTIA Certification Renewal Policy

[wagnerk]

CompTIA Certification Renewal Policy

CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+ certifications are now valid for three years from the date the candidate is certified. The change brings the CompTIA certifications in line with the practice of other major providers of certifications for IT professionals, such as Cisco, Microsoft and Oracle.

The renewal policy also is required for these three certifications to maintain their accreditation and compliance with internationally accepted standards for assessing personnel certification programs (ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024). CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ certifications earned the ISO 17024 accreditation from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2008. ISO requires that individuals have a way to renew the currency of their certification on a regular basis. In CompTIA’s case, renewal will occur every three years.

The new certification renewal policy is applicable to all individuals who hold CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+ certifications, regardless of the date they were certified. Other CompTIA certifications are not affected at this time.

Read the rest of the article here, the FAQ are here.

-Ken

[Boycie]

Interesting. Something they always said they would never do (when i embarked on the A+ back in 2004)! Having said that, the field we work in doesn't stay still, so perhaps it's a good idea. Shame that the exam prices seem to be more than (certainly) the MS ones.

[wagnerk]

Originally Posted by Boyce

Interesting. Something they always said they would never do (when i embarked on the A+ back in 2004)! Having said that, the field we work in doesn't stay still, so perhaps it's a good idea. Shame that the exam prices seem to be more than (certainly) the MS ones.

There's also the continuing education way:

Can I keep my certification current without taking a new exam?
Yes. Our certification renewal program includes a continuing education component that allows eligible individuals to renew their certifications by earning continuing education credits.

But it looks like even that will cost:

Is there a cost associated with the certification renewal program?
Participants will pay an annual maintenance fee of $25 if they are CompTIA A+ certified, or $49 if they are CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+ certified. Payment of this annual fee will be required the first time each year you access the continuing education system. Only electronic payments will be accepted.

Unless I'm reading it wrong...

-ken

[dales]

Oh well took mine back in 2003 so I guess that's expired now under these new rules. Never mind wont bother renewing it Not many recruiters seemed to know what it was when I was applying for tech jobs back then, dont know if thats changed now.

[Josiahb]

I hold multiple CompTIA certifications. Am I required to renew each of them?

No. Individuals with multiple CompTIA certifications will be required to renew only at their highest level certification. For example, someone who holds CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ certifications would be required to meet only the continuing education requirements for CompTIA Security+.

That takes a bit of the sting out I suppose. Its put me off going for Security+ for a bit though.

[nXPLOSi]

I think they may find alot of people not bothering to take the exams if they're going to expire, and people also not bothering to renew them.

Once you've passed the A+/N+ the usual trend is to go onto MCSA/MCSE and then onwards and upwards, are people really going to go back and do the "entry level" exams for £150.00?

From what im reading, I would only need to take the N+ to renew both A+ and N+ as its the highest level exam? So does that mean that because I passed N+ in 2008, that would of "refreshed" my A+, resulting in them both expiring 2011? Confused? I am.

[dmarsh]

Well now got N+, Linux+, Server+, Security+ and hoping to pass Project+ beta.

I was going to take A+ just to get the full 'set'

Now I don't think I will bother, I totally disagree with recertification, especially for entry level certs, it makes no sense at all.

In fact I'm rather pissed I paid £200+ for 'lifetime certs' which now will dissappear in no time at all.

Is someone with 5+ years experience really going to go backwards ? Is a certification going to be much use to them going forward ?

Do we really want to be 'taxed' just to have an IT job ? Who designates them as the 'tax collector' ?

Microsoft certifications do not expire after three years, they largely expire in line with end of life of related products. Neither do Oracle certs as far as I know.

Cisco are the only cert vendors that have a hard recertification policy of three years.

This smacks of rather cynical profiteering to me.

This just makes certifications even more worthless if they expire, my academic qualifications don't expire and the average employer knows what they are...

I would advise everyone to write to Comptia and ask them to reconsider.

[walterbyrd]

I somewhat surprised that nobody is challenging the legality of this.

As the saying goes: a deal is a deal. CompTIA took my money, and told me I had a lifetime certification. Now, after the fact, CompTIA wants to change the terms? How is that fair, or even legal?

It's as if I bought a car, and the car dealer later decides I have to pay an extra $100 a month.

It seems to me that comptia has reneged on it's a promise, and breeched a valid contract.

Whether or not expiring certifications are good or bad, for cert holders is beside the point. Previous cert holders had an agreement with CompTIA, and it is not fair, and should not be legal, for CompTIA to arbitrarily break that agreements.

If CompTIA wants to change the agreement with subsequent exam takers, is a different matter. Comptia has no right to renege on agreements that they have already made.

[dmarsh]

See here :-

http://www.comptia.org/certification...agreement.aspx

CompTIA may modify any examination, test objective or the requirements for obtaining or maintaining any CompTIA certification at any time. It is your responsibility to keep informed of any such modifications and for maintaining your CompTIA certification. If any CompTIA certification requirements are modified, this Agreement and your CompTIA certification may be terminated by CompTIA without further notice, unless you complete any applicable continuing CompTIA certification requirements.

Companies like this employ lawyers to ensure they are ahead of the little guy.

Of course none of us know what the exact agreement we entered into was, it would have been in small print on a screen in a testing centre 1-8 years ago where cameras were forbidden.

I agree with your sentiment though, if I paid £5000 for a bottle of milk to be delivered every day for the rest of my life, and then they only chose to deliver for 3 years I'd say they owed me a pro rata refund of approximately 30-40 years of milk !

The reality is the only thing that we have protecting us from these moves is goodwill on the part of the cert vendor and the threat of mass protests.

Currently CompTia are agressively filtering comments on their site in order to perform damage limitation and try and make it appear all is normal.

If this sort of attitude and behavior becomes acceptable then I will find it very hard to reccomend any certifications at all, in fact I already prefer academic qualifications for those that can manage it.

[GiddyG]

Originally Posted by dmarsh

Currently CompTia are agressively filtering comments on their site in order to perform damage limitation and try and make it appear all is normal.

Agreed. I've put a couple of comments on, and they haven't appeared. Mind you, a few are starting to get through that show the strength of feeling against the move.

By the way, did you see the company reps on the CompTIA board of directors? They must have a mixed view of how it will impact their certification take up (for the better?), where they have a cert route.

[JonnyMX]

Originally Posted by GiddyG

By the way, did you see the company reps on the CompTIA board of directors? They must have a mixed view of how it will impact their certification take up (for the better?), where they have a cert route.

That's an interesting point.
I've only really considered it from an individual's point of view.

But what about companies who hire A+ certified staff and advertise that fact.
Are they going to pay to keep their staff's certs up to date, or will it become a condition of their employment that they do it themselves?

What if you've got a lot of them?

[dmarsh]

Originally Posted by JonnyMX

That's an interesting point.
I've only really considered it from an individual's point of view.

But what about companies who hire A+ certified staff and advertise that fact.
Are they going to pay to keep their staff's certs up to date, or will it become a condition of their employment that they do it themselves?

What if you've got a lot of them?

They have now published their recert or CEU plans.

Recerting the Network+ or Security+ recerts the A+, the Security plus also recerts the Network+.

I would suggest there is limited overlap between these certs, so it would appear this is just their attempt to make money while making at least one concession to appease certified members.

If you hold Network+ or Security+ you will have to pay $49 per year for the CEU, it does not list UK prices, who knows what they will be.

Otherwise you must resit the exams every three years which run at around £200 each in the UK.

Nobody knows exact details on the CEU, you need 50 points every 3 years, publishing a book will only earn 20 CEU's !!!

http://www.comptia.org/certification...newal/faq.aspx

Its quite possible for many this will mean paying for expensive CompTia approved courses and conferences, so the end cost could be well above the £200 to re-sit. They are the judge and jury, (sound familiar ?) so could decide not to count thousands of pounds worth of professional development courses.

In my experience in the UK very few employers pay any of, let alone the full cert cost, since CompTia is not well known it's even less likely they will pay for CompTia.

BosonMicheal and BosonJosh make the point of why not publicize the A+ to employers. Why should I help market their product when they show such contempt for their certified members ?

It does appear this is a tax on IT for entry level IT professionals and the US DoD who probably will pay for their permanent staff.

I would advise those in the UK to evaluate their options and maybe consider academic quals like NVQ, OCR iPro, BTEC, OU Certificate, HNC/HND, Foundation Degree's, etc.

[GiddyG]

Originally Posted by JonnyMX

That's an interesting point.
I've only really considered it from an individual's point of view.

But what about companies who hire A+ certified staff and advertise that fact.
Are they going to pay to keep their staff's certs up to date, or will it become a condition of their employment that they do it themselves?

What if you've got a lot of them?

Sorry Jonny, I meant it from the perspective of Cisco rep on the Board of Directors, as an example. Yes, there are other vendors there too.

I wonder if they feel that the 3 year refresh will 'engineer' more people moving to the likes of the CCENT as opposed to possibly being happy to stay with the likes of the Network+ for a while.

But you raise a valid point.

[BosonMichael]

Originally Posted by JonnyMX

But what about companies who hire A+ certified staff and advertise that fact.
Are they going to pay to keep their staff's certs up to date, or will it become a condition of their employment that they do it themselves?

I'm sure there are companies who don't pay for certification exams, but I have yet to work for a company who didn't pay for them, and I've worked for nine employers while in IT.

That said, they won't pay for expensive training, though they will buy books. And the studying is usually done after hours unless there's some downtime (hah!).

[BosonMichael]

Originally Posted by dmarsh

If this sort of attitude and behavior becomes acceptable then I will find it very hard to reccomend any certifications at all

So... basically, no change from before, right?