IT Certifications Expire and It Is a Good Thing That They Do!

IT Certifications Expire


The field of IT is unlike many others. It is a field where everything moves quickly. Innovations happen and everyone in the industry adjusts and pivots as a result. Students who attend university and colleges may find by the time that they graduate what they learned in year one is out of date. Certainly, by the time they are 6-7 years out of school much of what they have learned is no longer applicable or utilized in the same way. That does not mean that their learning is not valuable. It is, but this learning needs to be built upon to ensure that professionals are able to keep up with the ever-changing world of technology. Thankfully, the industry has developed tools to ensure that professionals are upskilling and to allow alternative pathways for individuals who would like to get into IT without a formal post-secondary degree, IT certifications. IT certification exams have been around for years and for good reason. These certifications exams are regularly updated to keep up with industry trends.  

A good example of examinations being updated is CompTIA’s Security+ exam. CompTIA updates exams approximately every 3 years to maintain quality. Individuals holding certificates must update their certification or upskill prior to their certificate expiry date. The most recent release of this exam was in November of 2020. The release had important updates that reflected the current industry needs. For example, the new Security+ 601 exam covers more material in the architecture and design domain that relates to reliance on the cloud. Reliance on the cloud was already increasing prior to the pandemic, but with the number of remote workers, this inclusion in the exam was necessary to ensure professionals in the field were able to fulfill this portion of the job role.  

Another reason for IT certifications to have expirations is to show retention of the material. Not every IT professional will obtain or choose to maintain a specific position after getting their certifications. Many will have plenty of hands-on experience that will keep them actively using the concepts that are covered in their certification. However, there will also be a good portion of individuals who will only use some of what is on the exam for their job role. Exam expirations ensure those individuals are taking the time to refresh themselves, either through self-study or certification prep courses, allowing hiring managers to feel confident in the knowledge base of the professional holding a certification.   

One of the best reasons for IT certifications expiring is that expirations of certifications help to fill cybersecurity gaps in senior-level positions. Most IT certifications that expire provide options to either re-take the same exam or take the next level exam, which will build upon those domains and the knowledge base that the professional had previously. When given a choice to take another certification exam, most professionals will choose to upskill with cybersecurity courses and this effectively helps to make sure that the industry is moving forward and that there are more knowledgeable individuals available to fill in multiple roles. 

If you are thinking about a career in IT, you should consider if you are a lifelong learner and start by taking the foundational A+ certification training to see if it is right for you. Do you enjoy learning and refreshing your knowledge? Can you see yourself enrolling in short courses that help you to maintain or upskill your current knowledge base? If so, IT may be a great career for you. To learn more about different IT career paths and the certification process, you can visit technoedgelearning.ca 
 

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