CompTIA CE program

shochan

I am not sure what to think about CompTIA's CE program. It seems they are relying on "fees" to possibly pay their salaries at this "non profit" company. Don't you think the tests are already expensive, seems like they continuously get more expensive whenever the next version is released. We also have to purchase training materials (books, CBT's, etc), so the costs of pursuing a certification can get expensive, IMO.

I emailed CompTIA to see what they would say:

I do apologize that you feel that way. There are other options to renew your certifications other than paying the maintenance fees and submitting CEUs.

There are three options available to renew your CompTIA Security+, Network+, and A+ certifications
1. Pass the most current exam for your highest level certification in the third year of your renewal cycle. NOTE: If you plan to retake the exam, there are no CE fees or CEU submissions required. Your certification(s) will automatically be renewed with a new 3-year cycle upon passing the exam.

2. Achieve a higher level CompTIA certification. You can view the hierarchy of CompTIA certifications online. NOTE: If you plan to achieve a higher level CompTIA certification, there are no CE fees or CEU submissions required. Your certification(s) will automatically be renewed with a new 3-year cycle upon passing the exam.

3. Pay CE maintenance fees and complete qualifying CE activities to earn CEUs toward the renewal of your certification(s). Review the list of program fees and number of CEUsrequired online. To see the full list of qualifying activities, review the CE Activity Chart. We now have a CEU Assessment you can use to evaluate if your CE activities meet the CE Program requirements to verify that they’re valid for CEUs. There is also a list of pre-approved training courses on the website, as well as a list of other industry certificationsthat will grant full or partial CEUs towards your renewal.

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

EnderWiggin

Pretty much every certification worth its weight in paper (with a few rare exceptions) has CE fees in some form or another. And CompTIA has the lowest rates out of any I've seen.

NetworkNewb

Yep, companies aren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. The nerve!

stryder144

Here is how I look at it: the exam fee is $311 for Security+. The CE fees are $50 per year, $150 per three year certification cycle. A lot of your CEs can be had for little to no money, which makes the paying the nominal CE fees a real bargain.

joelsfood

Exactly, Stryder. $150 vs 311 is actually earning them LESS money, and you should be continuing your education in general anyways. Comptia also offers free webinars/lectures that count towards CEs, so you don't necessarily have to be spending money earning the CEs. Staying continuously current, vs cramming for a test every 3 years, will make you a better IT professional

thomas_

Also, CEs take the pressure off of having to pass a test.

shochan

Thanks for the input!

I have another question, I actually finished my CertMaster questions, which gave me a completion certificate & I believe 10 CE credits BEFORE I passed the Security+, would these CE's be valid in CompTIA's eyes? I am guessing they would NOT.

stryder144

shochan wrote: »

Thanks for the input!

I have another question, I actually finished my CertMaster questions, which gave me a completion certificate & I believe 10 CE credits BEFORE I passed the Security+, would these CE's be valid in CompTIA's eyes? I am guessing they would NOT.

I am not sure but I would contact CompTIA. My first thought was that the CEs would be useful for any certification below Security+. They would not, though, be valid for any certification that you have not attained yet.

scjohnson1988

shochan wrote: »

Thanks for the input!

I have another question, I actually finished my CertMaster questions, which gave me a completion certificate & I believe 10 CE credits BEFORE I passed the Security+, would these CE's be valid in CompTIA's eyes? I am guessing they would NOT.

They will not be. The Certmetrics site has the date validity range for submitting CEUs.