RE: Value of certifications

["Devin Rambo" <drambo () vediorps com>]

Hari wrote:

> > > I am in the same position. I think that expiring certifications are
__extremely__ lame. If you have earned something then it's not very smart to
take it away from you.

It's essentially a waste of time and a con trick to generate more revenue by
forcing to re-sit the same exams over and over again.<<<

With all due respect, I couldn't disagree more. First, recertification
requirements force those holding the cert to work to maintain the knowledge
which has been certified. I don't see anyone raising objections to requiring
medical professionals to undergo the periodic recertifications necessary to
retaining their professional licenses, and while IT professionals *usually*
are not faced with the life-or-death circumstances medical pros are faced
with, I still see no good reason why certs requring high degrees of
knowledge and/or training should not subject those being certified to the
demand that their mastery of the material be maintained.

At one point, I was a certified CCNA. Since obtaining that cert, my career
has gone in a different direction from where it was headed at the time. I
still have an understanding of the concepts a CCNA must know in order to
obtain the cert, but I'm quite sure I wouldn't be able to pass the test in
its current form without a considerable amount of study. My point is, should
I be able to tell a prospective employer that I have the knowledge and
skills of a CCNA? I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that, because the fact
of the matter is that I'm not a CCNA any longer.

Certifications are a demonstration that you possess a specific set of skills
or knowledge. Why should someone be able to claim those skills or knowledge
to professional organizations or prospective employers if those skills have,
in fact, been allowed to deteriorate? That would certainly serve to degrade
the value of the cert in question, which doesn't help anyone.

And if a certain cert helps you get a job and is applicable to the work
you're doing, I'm not sure why it's a big deal to recertify, since you'd
presumably be keeping your skills and knowledge current on the job anyway.

Devin