Renew A+ by taking Net+?

I got my A+ back in 2002 when it was an adaptive test and was supposed to NEVER expire. Fast forward to now and I find out that my A+ will expire every 3 years. The CompTIA website says that if you have multiple certifications through them, that you only have to take the hardest test to keep the others current. So does that mean that if I go take the Network+ test, that my A+ will renew for another 3 years?

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steve13ad

That's the way that I read it. If you want to keep your A+ then take the Net+, and then in 3 years take your Security+.

But keep in mind that your going to have to pay an annual maintenance fee.

captobvious

steve13ad wrote: »

That's the way that I read it. If you want to keep your A+ then take the Net+, and then in 3 years take your Security+.

But keep in mind that your going to have to pay an annual maintenance fee.

+1

But it will be a cold day in hell before I renew an entry level cert like these. That is unless it becomes absolutely necessary.

danclarke

Clear as mud.

The whole idea of "renewing" CompTIA certifications seems ludicrous - and the renewal rules seem at the same time vague and arbitrary.

They come out with some spurious justification for renewing every 3 years, which frankly doesn't cut the mustard.

For pity's sake - you don't renew degrees every 3 years!

rwwest7

danclarke wrote: »

Clear as mud.

The whole idea of "renewing" CompTIA certifications seems ludicrous - and the renewal rules seem at the same time vague and arbitrary.

They come out with some spurious justification for renewing every 3 years, which frankly doesn't cut the mustard.

For pity's sake - you don't renew degrees every 3 years!

Cisco has been doing this for years. Personally, I think you should have to re-prove your knowledge every now and then. Why would you want someone working in IT who doesn't keep up with the new technology?

dmarsh

rwwest7 wrote: »

Cisco has been doing this for years. Personally, I think you should have to re-prove your knowledge every now and then. Why would you want someone working in IT who doesn't keep up with the new technology?

Plenty of these around and certification is not going to stop them, they either don't bother to cert or they get jobs as management.

Anyone doing a real IT job will be forced to keep their skills current on a daily basis, a CV check and an interview should sort the men from the boys. A CompTIA test is never going to do that, especially with the amount of braindump material around.

As for recert A+ with N+ ?

Well just bear in mind CompTIA have now lied to you once. "Catch me once shame on you, catch me twice, shame on me."

The N+ will recert the A+, but it will also up the number of CEU's you will need, same with Secruity+, so in essence you are makng the hole deeper. I say do yourself a favour, stop digging, step out of the hole now !

rwwest7

I wasn't saying I'm going to renew my Comtia certs, I'm definately not. I could care less if they expire and move off my resume. I think moving on to CCNP and such is a better return on investment.

However one of my co-workers who became an "A+ Certified Technician" back in the early 90's and has not aquired another cert since better hope he never has to look for another job. Those are the kind of people who'll be most hurt by this. 20 years in the biz and now zero certs!

dmarsh

rwwest7 wrote: »

However one of my co-workers who became an "A+ Certified Technician" back in the early 90's and has not aquired another cert since better hope he never has to look for another job. Those are the kind of people who'll be most hurt by this. 20 years in the biz and now zero certs!

Its likely he figures he doesn't need them, many employers only care about experience, not certs.

Unfortunately in some spheres recruiters have no clue, they only search by buzzword, no buzzword, no job, and if that buzzwords a cert title, then you have to go get it...

mikedisd2

rwwest7 wrote: »

However one of my co-workers who became an "A+ Certified Technician" back in the early 90's and has not aquired another cert since better hope he never has to look for another job. Those are the kind of people who'll be most hurt by this. 20 years in the biz and now zero certs!

If your co-worker progressed over the 20 years from helpdesk to senior engineer/architect (or whatever) then having 10x A+' for the next 100 years won't do anything for him. He'll get by on experience by itself. Yes some jobs will be lost due to ignorant goons, but that'll be marginal.

Comptia has no worth over here, but I imagine anyone who attained the A+ would hopefully have progressed after 3x years.

RouteThisWay

The changed their mind and anyone certified before 2011 will have the cert for life. Anyone certified after 2011, will have to renew

Sounds fair.

MeanDrunkR2D2

RouteThisWay wrote: »

The changed their mind and anyone certified before 2011 will have the cert for life. Anyone certified after 2011, will have to renew

Sounds fair.

I think they were hearing the backlash and decided to grandfather in the ones who had passed on the old terms of the Cert. That's a good thing and if I can still get my N+ in a month or so and still have it be lifetime I'll be happy with that too.

Otherwise if it expired in 3 years, I was seriously considering switching to the CCENT/CCNA route instead.

ChrisPEditor

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

Otherwise if it expired in 3 years, I was seriously considering switching to the CCENT/CCNA route instead.

Except you'd have to re-certify your CCNA eventually, too. I know this re-certification thing seems like a huge waste of time. If it hadn't been for them letting those of us with old A+'s stay life-long, I'd be taking the test, too (I may anyway, since it'll be on the company dime

But you guys realize that you don't have to re-certify by taking the exams again, right?

MeanDrunkR2D2

ChrisPEditor wrote: »

Except you'd have to re-certify your CCNA eventually, too. I know this re-certification thing seems like a huge waste of time. If it hadn't been for them letting those of us with old A+'s stay life-long, I'd be taking the test, too (I may anyway, since it'll be on the company dime

But you guys realize that you don't have to re-certify by taking the exams again, right?

I know that I don't have to do so now to stay current.

And I do know that I would have to recertify the CCNA, which I am fine with because it does carry more weight (especially the more advanced ones) than the N+.