CompTIA CEU Cycle Warning

davemurf

(Note: This comment applies to all CompTIA certs but for the purposes of this thread I am focused on the 50 CEU requirement for Security+. Secondly, this is my first time on the forum and apologize if the info below has already been posted elsewhere.)

I am employed by a DOD agency and track the Cyber Workforce certification requirements. I found out something today about CompTIA's CEU policy that I want to pass on to everyone that could be affected. CompTIA has a 3-year cycle for cert holders to complete their CEU requirements (i.e. 50 CEUs forSec+). However, unlike (ISC)2, CompTIA does not require you to manage your 3-year CEU cycle by doing x many CEUs each year. You can wait until the mid-night hour at the very end of your 3-year cycle and do all your CEUs at the last minute if desired.

That being said, CompTIA will basically punish you for being proactive and getting your CEUs done early. For example, say you passed your Security+ examin Jan 2014. You now have until Jan 2017 to complete your 50 CEU requirements. Now let's say you're ambitious and decide to get your 50 CEUs out of the way ASAP. You manage to get them done and submit them in Jan 2015. You give a sigh of relief and sit back thinking you're good to go until Jan 2017. Wrong! As soon as you submit all 50 CEUs, CompTIA resets the clock and your 3-year cycle starts again. (I don't think (ISC)2 does this but am not sure.)

Therefore, the only way to truly take advantage of the 3 years to obtain all your CEUs would be to wait until the last month of the last year to submit your 50th CEU credit. Otherwise as soon as you submit that last CEU credit that puts you at a total of 50 CEUs they will reset the clock and your 3-year CEU cycle starts again.

jvrlopez

Yes, I was always under the impression that meeting your CE requirements renewed the cert for 3 more years from that point and started another cycle of requiring another 50 CEUs from that renewal date.

Doyen

Actually, thank you very much for this information. To take full advantage of the cycle, I just have to claim my Cisco certs towards my Security+ when it gets close. To make it worth it, I also need to time my Cisco cert renewal as well so that if falls in that time period as well.

colemic

That is an odd way of doing it. And ISC(2) definitely does not do it that way, it is a set 3 year cycle with an expiration date. It's the same date every 3 years, you just have to get the minimum CPEs each year for CISSP (20 I think?) but 120 over the 3 year span (meaning you can't do the bare minimum for 3 years and have enough.)

LittleBIT

You're tracking. Lol, oh man, you are probably near too many Army guys if you are saying "Tracking".

But thanks for the info, I was actually unclear about all this, and I just got m Sec+, A+ and Working on my Net+. I hate CompTIA's BS about CEU's... Just another way to make money.

samurai86

Good info to know!

msb129

I just completed 50 CEUs today, Feb 21 and my new expiration date is March 8 2017, which is three years after my last expiration date, even though I completed my requirements two weeks early. I believe OP was referring to the note about good-for-life candidates, that their renewal cycle date is the date they moved to GFL, not the date they originally got their lifetime cert:

News[h=4]2013-Mar-25[/h]Important Notice “Good For Life” Candidates Enrolled in the Continuing Education (CE) Program


“Good for Life” (GFL) candidates have three years from the date they enroll in the CE program to; accept the Code of Ethics, complete the appropriate level of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and pay in full the 3 year CE maintenance fees. Once the requirements are met candidates earn their ‘ce’ designation. At this time they begin a new cycle that expires 3 years from that date. It is important "Good for Life" candidates know that by completing the CE requirements 'early’ (before the end of the 3 year Enrollment period) that the cycle does not extend 3 years from the original expiration date. The cycle extends 3 years from the date the 'ce' designation is earned.
Example: If a “Good for Life” candidate enrolled on 2/1/12, their CE enrollment period expiration date will be 2/1/15.
If the candidate completes the final CE requirement on 8/25/13 prior to their expiration date, their new CE cycle dates would be 8/25/13 - 8/25/16.
Participation in the CE program does not affect a candidate’s “certified for life” status, the good for life certification will always remain in effect, regardless of CE program participation.

SephStorm

Spoke to Comptia today, they confirm, submitting your CEU's early will reset the time clock. they dont seem to see any issue with it, freaking money grubbing, time-wasting... If I didn't have to do it for work I would NOT enroll in CE at all. First time i've ever said something like this: EC-Council has a better CE program (slightly)...