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Fulfillments... Are we no longer fulfilled?

Mitch Garvis
jonobrewski said:
Had the same thing happen to me, so I inquired and was told it changed November 6th, 2025. The only thing you get now is the ability to download the PDF version. You now need to purchase a token (currently $10 USD) for each certification kit you want to order, or replace.

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Okay thanks... November 6, huh? I guess that's why I don't have one for Linux+. In my opinion, the junior exams (Tech+ and such) it makes sense... but for senior certs where the exams cost HUNDREDS of dollars? It seems a bit cheap to me. But then again... I stopped getting wallet cards from Microsoft what... two decades ago? And all the cards and certificates that I have sit in drawers. I like that ISC2 sends pins with the welcome kit though...
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Inquiry About Becoming a CompTIA Instructor

Shea Bennett
Rick Butler said:
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.
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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.

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.
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Inquiry About Becoming a CompTIA Instructor

Shea Bennett
Rick Butler said:
And just to add to what Greg said here - CompTIA used to have a Certified Technical Trainer credential, which was discontinued a few years ago. Personally, I'd love to see some kind of Instructor credential return, but for now, the best we can hope for is "a certified professional who teaches CompTIA certification courses." - an often thankless job that is also, sadly, credential-less.

Cheers

/r
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I second the thankless part!!!
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Why recertify?

Jose A Ruiz Marquez
Your post is so spot on on so many points. Repeating the same certification exam version after version often adds limited professional value compared to expanding into adjacent or higher-level domains that strengthen both instructional capability and real-world effectiveness. Like you, I hold multiple CompTIA certifications — A+, Network+, Security+, Server+, Linux+, Cloud+, PenTest+, CySA+, and CASP+. In my case, those credentials are largely tied to instructional requirements: if you hold the certification, you are eligible to teach the course; if you do not, you are not.

Over the years, I have renewed my CompTIA portfolio by earning other industry certifications rather than repeatedly sitting for updated versions of the same exam. This January, I renewed all of my CompTIA certifications with CGEIT. In the coming years, I plan to pursue CISM, renew CGEIT, and in doing so maintain my CompTIA certifications as well.

Let’s also mention market perception. Experience and certifications are needed, but, Cloud+ sounds good on paper, but employers are not asking for it. They want AWS or Azure certifications. Vendor-neutral cloud theory does not compete with platform-specific credentials in hiring decisions. PenTest+ is even more disconnected from reality. You are not getting a serious offensive security role because you hold PenTest+. I have OSCP and OSCE, and those actually carry weight in the field. Yet the university I teach for required PenTest+. At that point, you do not know whether to laugh or cry and end up not questioning their real credential knowledge, for what?. And CASP+, while solid academically, does not carry the same weight in the real world as CISM or CISSP. At the enterprise and executive level, those are the certifications decision-makers recognize. CASP does not move the needle in the same way. The same with Network+, I have CCNA renewed with CCNA Voice and they made me take the CompTIA Network+ test. Thank god I don't have to pay a dime on Cert Master / Test Out courseware or vouchers because they have the full Academic Partnership

Also, there are situations where once you have a CompTIA certification, you are generally good to go from a teaching standpoint. I have fellow instructors who still hold lifetime A+, Network+, and Security+, and they continue to receive classes to teach without issue. That alone says a lot about how versioning is perceived at the university level.
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Fulfillments... Are we no longer fulfilled?

Mitch Garvis
Hey folks!

I did not even notice it when I did not get a fulfillment package for my last couple of certifications. I was telling my students recently (they are doing Tech+ A+ and Network+) that when you earn a new certification CompTIA will mail you a hard copy of the certificate and wallet card. One of my students told me this morning that he asked for it and was given the option to purchase one, but they are not provided. Can anyone tell me when that changed?

Thanks in advance!
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A+ Certmaster Perform - Instructor Opinions on prioritizing labs assigned

C
Looking for any opinions on Certmaster Perform and the Labs for A+ (at this point specifically Core 2). I am finding with the course I am teaching for a company, I need to take some of the labs out of required ones that I assign to my students. I do not have them do the Challenge Labs already. Before I go through the labs again and determine these myself, is there a document somewhere or any forums/posts with opinions on the labs and which ones may be a priority?
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