Thoughts about not renewing certifications?

N2IT

I have a few that I don't really use. Security +, RMP eventually will expire 2015 and the CAPM expired 2017.

I was just wondering if recerting is really needed.

Personally I don't see security + adding any value. CAPM is whatever and the RMP does provide some value as I continue to ascend through the IT management ranks.

Thoughts?

ajs1976

If it doesn't add any value move on to something that does.

Roguetadhg

I don't see myself working too hard to maintain my CompTIA certs. I'll check out what I need to do to keep them, but otherwise the S+ is really only something I'd want for the DoD side of things. Just in case I'll need it down the road.

jmritenour

My CCNA will be up for renewal in January of 2014. I'm back and forth over whether I want to renew it or not. I'm pretty much out of the networking side of things, but still... it's good to have some basics of networking when working with virtualization, so it might not be bad to keep current.

But then I'm planning on devoting most/all of 2013 to working on VCAP DCA and DCD, possibly going after VCDX in 2014, so... I dunno.

N2IT

jmritenour wrote: »

My CCNA will be up for renewal in January of 2014. I'm back and forth over whether I want to renew it or not. I'm pretty much out of the networking side of things, but still... it's good to have some basics of networking when working with virtualization, so it might not be bad to keep current.

But then I'm planning on devoting most/all of 2013 to working on VCAP DCA and DCD, possibly going after VCDX in 2014, so... I dunno.

JMHO your focus is correct on the virtualization certification if that is what aligns with your experience and direction.

YFZblu

Roguetadhg wrote: »

I don't see myself working too hard to maintain my CompTIA certs. I'll check out what I need to do to keep them, but otherwise the S+ is really only something I'd want for the DoD side of things. Just in case I'll need it down the road.

Completing Sec+ will renew your A+ and Network+ by default unless they have expired by that time. You're stuck with them!

paul78

Hmmm... I've actually never got to the point yet where I had to think about renewing a cert. I think that for myself, it will largely depend on my interest at the time. Even if it's not related to my job, I may do it purely for my own interest. The certs that I've got in the last year have continuing education so it's not very difficult to maintain those certs.

tpatt100

I have let several expire, if I don't use them anymore at work I don't renew them. Well I let them expire if career wise the certs don't align.

W Stewart

tpatt100 wrote: »

I have let several expire, if I don't use them anymore at work I don't renew them. Well I let them expire if career wise the certs don't align.

Me personally, I would keep security + just incase some decent government role came along and if you already have A+ and Net+ you don't need to do anything more to maintain them. But honestly once I starting getting further into networking certs, I wouldn't mind letting my own Comptia certs expire.

blargoe

I'm at the point now that I'm not taking any certs that aren't either an upgrade in "level" (i.e., going from VCP to VCAP), or targeted toward my desired next step in career (thinking about PMP or ITIL). I went out and got that CCNA in 2001 and over time got a pile of CompTIA certs and Microsoft certs. Since I got my CompTIA's before they required renewal, I don't have to worry about those, but I probably wouldn't renew them if they were expiring. Nor do I intend to renew Exchange, or go deep into Microsoft Windows certs (though I probably will keep up with the MCSE/Server if I continue on in a datacenter operations style role).

Ironically, I chose not to renew my CCNA, but now I might actually pick that back up, nearly a decade after it expired.

higherho

Certs are only valuable alongside the experience you accrue. If the company cares that much about a cert (even if you displayed you have the knowledge) then just state you will get it renewed within 90 days.


I have a life time Security + cert, I will keep up with the CE credits since its required by the DoD but once I'm in the private sector I wont. I will just keep focusing on the skills / certs that align with my job / exp.

ptilsen

I would definitely let your Sec+ expire, but you should renew your CAPM IMO. You never know when it could come in handy. I don't see Sec+ doing anything for you.

If I had the CE trio I would let them all expire. If I had a CCNA, I would keep it current even if I'm not using it.

f0rgiv3n

One thing you might consider:

If you let it expire, I wouldn't put it on your resume at all, not even as "expired". I personally think it comes across in a negative way. So now thinking of it as not putting it on your resume at all, are you OK with that? If so, then there's no reason to renew

nosoup4u

f0rgiv3n wrote: »

One thing you might consider:

If you let it expire, I wouldn't put it on your resume at all, not even as "expired". I personally think it comes across in a negative way. So now thinking of it as not putting it on your resume at all, are you OK with that? If so, then there's no reason to renew

I know people listed A+ to get past HR/algorithms if they job requires it regardless of status...

f0rgiv3n

True, that's one thing to consider I guess. I feel that if you're applying for a job that the HR people are using A+ (or any other cert) in the algorithms, you'd want to keep it valid.

ptilsen

I haven't seen any CompTIA certification listed in job descriptions in years, nor have they mentioned A+ skills. Once you're past that career level you're past it. You don't need your systems and network engineers to prove their A+ skills or even "have" them.

If and when I find myself back on the market, I doubt I'll even list my CompTIA certifications, and mine never expire.

nosoup4u

I agree with you but it does happen for mixed role desktop/server support jobs. I'm in this role while trying to move into pure server admin.

Posting here for my counterpart position here at amazon:

Amazon.com: Technical Support Engineer

While I'm sure they don't care if A+ is listed or not if you have any of the others that's what I was referring too is all.

higherho

If the test changed then I can see keeping it updated but I dont think its a problem listing an expired cert. It shows you passed it at that time and you have that knowledge. If you passed a CCNA in 2008 I would still list it (expired) afterwards because when it comes to the technical interview their going to find out if you know your stuff or not.

Apollo80

I agree with the general concensous that trying to maintain a plethora of certifications is inefficient for those certs that no longer hold value for one's career path. However, as a server/storage/virtualization focused individual, I can say the CCNA (even though I have not done any direct networking work) has come up in every recent interview. I definitely believe that is one worth holding onto.

veritas_libertas

I don't intend to renew my CompTIA certifications. I don't have to really, but I will certainly not be participating in Continuing Education (CE) program.

tpatt100

I probably should keep my Security+ current under the new program but I have higher level security certs that comply with the DOD requirement, even though I no longer do DOD work but you never know.

brownwrap

ptilsen wrote: »

I haven't seen any CompTIA certification listed in job descriptions in years, nor have they mentioned A+ skills. Once you're past that career level you're past it. You don't need your systems and network engineers to prove their A+ skills or even "have" them.

If and when I find myself back on the market, I doubt I'll even list my CompTIA certifications, and mine never expire.

Well, you haven't looked at any DOD jobs then. I got my LIFETIME Sec+ in 2010. Now the DOD is forcing us to get the Continuing Education Units completed to remain qualified to. Two of the certs I completed would have qualified for 40 of the 50 CEUs, but they were taken prior to 90 days before I registered for the CEU program. Both Solaris 10 and HBSS would have qualified, so I had to find yet another course to keep my Sec+ which is a job requirement, along with Solaris 10. Other DOD jobs I have applied for required Linux+, even though I tried to explain to them I could get it once hired.

ptilsen

If I were looking at DoD jobs at my skill level I would get my CISSP (or Associate). But you're right, DoD jobs are fairly region-specific and make up a fairly small portion of the job market relative to the average IT professional, so I haven't looked at many DoD jobs.

brownwrap

In order for me to find employment, I had to move out of state and take what I could get. This area is desperate for Solaris Admins and even though I had been working Sun off and on since 1988, they required a cert in it. Even though the last five previous years had been Red Hat, prior to that Silicon Graphics and Sun, and prior to that SGI, Sun, and HP. They wanted those certs.

RomBUS

To be honest I never thought twice about renewing my CompTIA certs...I got A+ because one of my older job experiences required it before probation ended. I achieved the Sec+ before the new renwal stuff because I really wanted to get the Security specialization in MCSE 2003 and this was the quickest and easiest route to go.

alipyle

I am getting ready to graduate with a Masters in Cyber Security. I have a CCNA that is expiring in a week but I have not had the time to properly study for it since we have just recently relocated from the west coast (Hawaii) to the east coast (Maryland). So my question is....how crucial is a CCNA in regards to getting a cyber security related job? I am currently not working but will start putting out resumes at the beginning of the new year. Also, in a previous thread, someone mentioned not putting it on your resume. Should I take it off completely then??? Thanks...Ali

broli720

I say you maintain it especially for any security work. It will definitely make the job search a lot easier.