VMware certification announced that they are now putting timers on to their certifications and encouraging the recertification of titles. This has caused an uproar amongst the VMware and virtualisation community. Previously VMware certified professions have been able to certify against an exam and keep it past the date of the product going EOL. There are many VCP3’s around who are not VCP5. They are still eligible to the VCP status.
What do I think of this? So what. Welcome to the dynamic nature of IT, the industry which evolves and continuously changes. Certifications have always been a great framework for me to study against and been a good foundation for supplemental learning. I’ve always experienced the expiration of certifications having first been certified with Cisco technologies with my CCNA. This has a three-year expiration in which a candidate is expected to re-sit the same level or higher exam to retain its status. Cisco does this across their pillars – voice, security, R&S, DC, SP and wireless. Juniper has the same expiration policy on a two year cycle but chooses to keep recertification status within its vertical. (Security only refreshes security and not other verticals.)
IT changes. IT evolves. Why walk around with a dated badge on your chest? What VMware are doing are increasing the validity and quality of their certified engineers by ensuring certified professionals are of a current and maintained standard. They are aligning to the industry and what all other vendors do. This is a great step forward and I welcome it. If you don’t like it maybe you’re one of those people who can’t handle change. Maybe its time to dust off the books and get onto the journey of continuous education.
I have a coworker who is an MCSE on Win2k. He doesn’t bother telling anyone about that, anymore. Sure, it’s still valid, but it’s not a useful benchmark of what he knows now. If it was, why would you want to advertise that?
As far as I know, I’m still a Novell CNA (4.1) and MCSE (W2k). My opinion really depends on how the program is built. If a certification happened to be called Windows NT4 MCSE, then you should always have it. The market determines the obsolescense. However, it that certification is called MCSE, then the individual should be retested on current technology.
Perhaps VMWare should consider negating the requirement to sit the courses to be eligible to take the exams? I’m not against expiring certs, but the vendor can’t seriously expect every engineer to either self fund or have employer funded courses regularly sat to be entitled to sit an exam.
Well… I’ll back peddle on that, I’ve noted the statements on the FAQ… *hides* atleast I have till March next year to consider a re-cert on my VCP3…. 😉