Inquiry About Becoming a CompTIA Instructor
- By Shea Bennett
- Instructor Toolbox
- 10 Replies
Preach! I have had a number of younger folks new or at mid level in industry ask me about what cloud or Cybersecurity certifications they need. They expect some glorious answer, but after 25 years, I only study and focus on what applies to me at my current job or work or what I specifically will teach.One of the things I do for myself working in private sector Higher Ed is have credentials and certifications, not just in what I teach, but in general education practice. For example, schools that are affiliated with the CECU, educators have the ability to earn a credential called CHEP or Certified Higher Education Professional. It's not a difficult credential to obtain - one just takes online classes and gets the cert after completing a number of courses, maintaining it with two additional courses per year. It focuses on things like online and on-ground teaching, campus operations, financial aid, career services, and so on.
No one can "get 'em all", and getting tons of certs adds to the stress of maintenance, particularly if they are outside one's general thread of work. Since I'm not presently leading classes these days, I'm less focused on my instructor certs, and more focused on certs relating to platforms like Azure/365 and disciplines like security, IT governance and compliance.
When I was younger, I was more obsessed with getting certifications to validate myself, and more importantly, to push that "imposter syndrome" away, something for which I personally have always struggled, along with a long litany of self-esteem issues. As I've gotten older, while I still struggle with these psychological issues, I have at least learned that people will respect me or they won't - and it won't matter how many letters I have, hanging from my business card.
Life is short and time is so condensed. You can't spend your whole life and time studying for random exams. I'm focused on excelling in one thing and the other is for my own personal enjoyment and goals. For example, IT pays the bills. So I will focus only on what is necessary for maintenance or promotions or sustainment, but my long term goal is to end up running a Deli or a small diner and laugh and joke and talk with customers. I have zero desire to teach or be in IT when I retire. I don't even want to see a computer after 60.