PsyOps
Pixelated
Where I work, we’re apparently a little behind the curve. We just found out that the DoD changed the rules for security certifications and education. Within the DoD it’s a requirement that all IT people (military, civilians, and contractors) obtain at least a Security+ certification. I got mine a little over a year ago, and got in with a lifetime cert; meaning I don’t ever have to recertify again. Folks after a certain time have to recert every 3 years.
Fine and dandy… that is until the DoD stepped in and said every cert obtained before Jan 1 2011 will expire on Dec 31 2011 and you either have to recert – and do so every 3 years thereafter – before Jan 1 2012 or enroll in the CompTIA continuing education (CE) program. This program requires you pay $50 a year, in 3 year increments, and obtain a certain amount of credits in order to remain certified.
Now, I get the DoD wants IT folks to stay proficient in knowledge of network security, but this has all the makings of someone lining their pockets and Fraud Waste and Abuse. The whole certification process – whether it be CompTIA, MS, or Cisco – is a money-making racket anyway, but now the DoD has stepped in and forced every person to fork over $$$ that otherwise wouldn’t have had to do. And the best part is, the military and civilians folks will have theirs paid for by none other than YOU, the tax payer. Contractors will demand their companies pay the bill, forcing the cost of contracts to go up.
Just when our government is trying to cut spending. This could potentially cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars, just to maintain one single level of certification. For the military and civilians most IT training is maintained through Career Based Training (CBT) at very little cost to the government, now someone came along and thought this would be a brilliant idea.
Personally I’m stuck in a quandary. I am right in the middle of obtaining my CCNP certification and will have to stop everything I’m doing, start studying to either recert my Security+ or obtain a higher level cert; or enroll in the CompTIA CE program. Either way it virtually ruins my current training path and will cost me hundreds of dollars until my company figures out how they’re going to reimburse me.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Fine and dandy… that is until the DoD stepped in and said every cert obtained before Jan 1 2011 will expire on Dec 31 2011 and you either have to recert – and do so every 3 years thereafter – before Jan 1 2012 or enroll in the CompTIA continuing education (CE) program. This program requires you pay $50 a year, in 3 year increments, and obtain a certain amount of credits in order to remain certified.
Now, I get the DoD wants IT folks to stay proficient in knowledge of network security, but this has all the makings of someone lining their pockets and Fraud Waste and Abuse. The whole certification process – whether it be CompTIA, MS, or Cisco – is a money-making racket anyway, but now the DoD has stepped in and forced every person to fork over $$$ that otherwise wouldn’t have had to do. And the best part is, the military and civilians folks will have theirs paid for by none other than YOU, the tax payer. Contractors will demand their companies pay the bill, forcing the cost of contracts to go up.
Just when our government is trying to cut spending. This could potentially cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars, just to maintain one single level of certification. For the military and civilians most IT training is maintained through Career Based Training (CBT) at very little cost to the government, now someone came along and thought this would be a brilliant idea.
Personally I’m stuck in a quandary. I am right in the middle of obtaining my CCNP certification and will have to stop everything I’m doing, start studying to either recert my Security+ or obtain a higher level cert; or enroll in the CompTIA CE program. Either way it virtually ruins my current training path and will cost me hundreds of dollars until my company figures out how they’re going to reimburse me.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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your situation sounds like what I went through... except I self studied and had all four core NT 4 certs and just had to take the two electives and Microsoft decided to retire them... so many people complained that they decided not to ... but I said screw it and started on my bachelor's instead. 
