Interview Hints

[NetworkGroover]

My A+ was free as part of my curriculum in Navy IT A School so it wasn't a bad deal but I didn't have a choice about getting it either. It hasn't helped me much since I got into networking but back in the day when I was doing more desktop/server stuff it was listed on plenty of job reqs as nice to have, one place I worked at had it as a requirement. Nowadays the jobs I'm looking at want CCNA and/or CCNP.

Yeah A+ is purely desktop support IMO.  I stopped even listing it as a cert on job websites and such because I kept getting spam about $10/hr desktop support jobs.

[routerdork]

(Mine's expired - don't remember if they covered ACLs in that cert).

HAHAHAHAHA I see you even listed it as expired in your signature.

They seriously need to stop ripping people off with the CompTIA crap.

Well it started off as a joke.  I have/had a lot of certs, though I'm honestly going to let a lot of them lapse because they do me ZERO good right now and it's not worth the time/money to re-cert them.

Anyway, now, I guess it's not a joke.

Oh, and yes, it is quite the ripoff.  When the Gov't jobs started requiring Sec+, they jacked up the prices like over 100 bucks.. I think its like 275 or 375 now... ridiculous.  The exam is a joke - as are most CompTIA exams... ok strong language but in comparison to other exames it's true.  It's multiple choice memorization, and you can mark questions for review and come back to them later.  It's a very simple strategy for any CompTIA exam:

1. Get ExamCram book
2. Memorize
3. Sit down for test
4. Mark any questions you don't immediately know the answer to for review
5. Do the questions you do know the answer to, then go back and hit the ones you marked for review
6. Profit (questionable)

I don't think I've ever, ever even come close to failing a CompTIA exam... no offense to others who may have...

We don't joke around here. 

[SimonV]

You sure about that?  I thought the same thing, then I got a notification that my A/N/Sec were being moved to the new program, and have recently expired.

Think so, I remember it being a big deal on the certification forums a few years back. People even rushed to get their exams done.

Those certified in 2010 or earlier are considered "certified for life," but these individuals can enroll in the CompTIA Continuing Education Program to show they are versed in the latest skills and technologies. It is optional unless mandated by an employer. For example, enrollment is required for those using a CompTIA certification for compliance with the Department of Defense 8570 IA Directive.

http://certification.comptia.org/news/2012/11/29/Deadline_for_Certified_for_Life_Candidates_to_Enroll_in_Continuing_Education_Dec_31.aspx

Think I did mine in 2008 or 2009 (edit: 2010). Even when I'm retired, I'll tell the grandkids I'm Network+

[SimonV]

Apparently it's called Good-for-Life. I've updated my certs as such

https://certification.comptia.org/stayCertified/good-for-life-certification-holders

[deanwebb]

There is no expiration on the IBM Firewall Expert that I picked up back in 1997.

There is, however, an expiration on the IBM firewalls... still, if you've got Windows NT in your environment, it'll get the job done.

[NetworkGroover]

Apparently it's called Good-for-Life. I've updated my certs as such

https://certification.comptia.org/stayCertified/good-for-life-certification-holders

That seems kinda silly.  "Ok, thanks for enrolling, here's your GFL cert.  However, your CE cert expires in three years anyway.  So any job requiring the CE cert you won't qualify for and you'll have to recert anyway."

Plus, if I'm a knowledgeable employer who cares about his company, I'm pretty sure I'm going to want you to have the CE cert to show you've kept up to date.

I really don't get the point of lifetime certs anymore...  everyone knows that in IT tech changes so often that a cert from six years ago means almost nothing now.  The recertification process is probably the only part of the whole greedy cert treadmill process I actually agree with.

[wintermute000]

Lifetime certs make sorta sense if they're tied to a product VERSION.
e.g. Palo Alto certs are lifetime, but they're specifically linked to the version.

e.g. I have the PCNSE6 which clearly is for PAN-OS 6.x. To certify on PAN-OS 7.x, I have to take a PCNSE7. Guess who did their Palo cert in the month that 7.x came out. yay for me!