Overcoming Certification Apathy

So, I wanted to open up conversation this week with respect to the age-old argument regarding the value of certification.

Now, by virtue of all of us being out here on the CIN, we all value certification. We build our lives around certifying for ourselves as well as teaching others. We continuously step up to the challenge whenever a new certification comes out, we allocate hours of personal study and research so that we can add back credential to our ever-growing list. For many of us, it's a way of life and has served us well as our careers have progressed.

But, how do we deal with the problem of apathy among those who come to us saying that they want the nice job, being an IT, but they are just unwilling to put in the necessary time to get certification work done? Yes, it is a real commitment. But I just got done looking at a couple of resumes this morning from students that came out of college and I see one who had a nice assortment of certifications, but for some reason he's not employed yet. Meanwhile I see another student who graduated without a single certification, working jobs like throwing pizza and managing inventory in a music shop.

Because, I hear the excuses from the people that do not have certifications. And if I was to be totally brass tacks about it, the underlying factor is just general laziness. Yes the certifications are challenging, and there is a cost component involved with them but I see that as more of the exception than the rule. Truth be told, there are ways to overcome both of these, if a person wants the bad enough.

So, I put this question to the Network: how do all of you as teachers, instructors, program developers, and the like deal with this ongoing apathy that comes from students who simply are unwilling to put in the time and effort to actually certify? Perhaps, it's just something internal like personal excellence which is not something that is easily taught. Is there something that we have overlooked? Are there techniques and ways to motivate apathetic students and professionals?

Yes, I recognize that this is a YUGE question with so many potential threads and opinions. But, I think it is a question that we, here on the CIN, have to continuously talk about. Time always change. Certifications and technologies change constantly. But I don't think the challenge ever does. So, I'm very interested in hearing the various opinions about this.

@Stephen Schneiter - I would like to propose that we do some sort of CIN meetup - if we can swing it, as sort of a think tank, forum discussion - some way we can talk about this, because I think if we can find strategies that work...really work, we only stand to help ourselves as educators.

Okay, CIN crew...you're up.

/r

Calbright College Seeking Part-Time/Remote/Contract A+ Instructor

**Application Deadline Extended**

Calbright College is seeking a remote, part-time instructor with expertise in training adult learners in CompTIA A+ curriculum. Under the direction of the Dean of Learning and Instruction, the incumbent will provide instruction, student support, development and implementation of curriculum and evaluation of courses. The instructor will support student success and retention from learning to job placement by ensuring curricula and instruction meet student needs and industry standards. The instructor should possess a commitment to working with a diverse student population in an online environment.

See attached position description for further details.

Who We Are
Calbright College is one of California’s newest community colleges – the first statewide, online campus designed to bridge the gap between employers with unfilled positions and students who don’t have either the time or money to attend a traditional school. Our mission is to increase economic mobility and close equity gaps for working adults who lack easy access to traditional forms of higher education by offering online, flexible, affordable skills-based programs that provide tangible economic value for both working adults and hiring managers.


To apply, email your resume and letter of interest to Kelly Carroll, Project Manager ([email protected]). Application review will begin on August 9, 2021.

Attachments

  • Contractor_ CompTIA A+ Instructor - Calbright College.pdf
    91.4 KB · Views: 7

Seeking a Talented Server+ Instructor

Applied Technology Academy is in need of a talented Server+ instructor for Online Live classes. These courses will be in the evening from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm (running Monday through Thursday.) Please reach out to [email protected], (800) 674-3550 x2 if you would like to set up an interview.

Advisory Committee Meeting

One of the requirements for most academic programs that are characterized by the label "career and technical education" is they need to have advisory committees composed of people from business and industry ("employers"). This requirement is in likely recognition of a need to have input on what we should be teaching (as opposed to what we want to teach). Yesterday I participated in a meeting, where my primary function was to convince respected industry insiders to participate. The conversations were interesting, with a focus on what the participants thought of the list of knowledge, skills, and abilities prepared by faculty. Below is a link to a video of the meeting. To get to the "meat" of the conversation it probably makes sense to move forward to 00:24:00. What meetings like this suggest is we need to listen to the people in the industry.

Video Link: Login to view embedded media

Identifying Pre-Requisite Knowledge Requirements

As I was reading through the Cloud+ 003 textbook, I saw this little statement:

IP address allocation via DHCP is assumed knowledge for CompTIA Cloud+. Please review the process if you are not familiar with it. A very brief review is provided below.

Now, we all know that certain certifications represent pre-requisite knowledge that a person has to have when attaining higher certs; that's why the suggested core path is A+, Net+, Sec+, etc. Each cert builds skills into the next. Now, we also know that there is a fair bit of overlap as well - with some topics discussed in many different certs.

But, when I saw the above statement, I nodded in approval, because this is something I had wished we'd see more of in CompTIA materials - indicators that I may have to step outside the certs objective list to understand something in order to buttress up a topic - that points to another cert's body of knowledge, or something like that. To me, this makes learning more efficient because it helps with those age-old statements like, "yes, for the security+, you need to have a mastery of ports and protocols - which is germane to the network+"

I would even go so far as to make this its own category - "Stuff You Should Already Know" or "Assumed Knowledge".

Perhaps this is assumed when you review CompTIA's certifications roadmap. But little sign posts along the way, to me, are extremely helpful.

/r

ReadAloud: Browser Screen Reader that works for CertMaster Learn eBooks

So yesterday, during the TTT session, I mentioned it would be nice to incorporate screen reader functionality into the eBook reader.

Since I have keratoconus, my vision isn't always up to 20/20 standards - in fact, without my lenses, I see about seven of everything. So while my lenses make it easy for me to see, they are two rather large pieces of plastic on my eyeballs, which do make me look like a Colorado resident with the red-eye thing going, not to mention constant irritation and the occasional headache. And, given that I am more of an audio style learner, I prefer to listen to my books, and read along with my eyes secondarily.

I often try screen readers for the sight impaired and found that ReadAloud does a great job inside the CertMaster environment for reading the text. I've not tried it yet in other areas of Learn, but I will.

I hope this little tidbit helps someone out there, who, like me, struggles to read things visually.

Happy Friday, my Friends.

/r

The Review and Prep Site

Thoughts on this site:

Calbright College Seeking CompTIA A+ Instructor (Remote/Contractor)

Calbright College is seeking a remote, part-time instructor with expertise in training adult learners in CompTIA A+ curriculum. Under the direction of the Dean of Learning and Instruction, the incumbent will provide instruction, student support, development and implementation of curriculum and evaluation of courses. The instructor will support student success and retention from learning to job placement by ensuring curricula and instruction meet student needs and industry standards. The instructor should possess a commitment to working with a diverse student population in an online environment.

See attached position description for further details.

Who We Are
Calbright College is one of California’s newest community colleges – the first statewide, online campus designed to bridge the gap between employers with unfilled positions and students who don’t have either the time or money to attend a traditional school. Our mission is to increase economic mobility and close equity gaps for working adults who lack easy access to traditional forms of higher education by offering online, flexible, affordable skills-based programs that provide tangible economic value for both working adults and hiring managers.


To apply, email your resume and letter of interest to Kelly Carroll, Project Manager ([email protected]). Application review will begin on August 6, 2021.

Attachments

  • Contractor_ CompTIA A+ Instructor - Calbright College.pdf
    91.4 KB · Views: 9

  • Question
Cloud+ TTT Curriculum Access

Hello!! I am attending Cloud+ TTT and I can not gain access to the Instructor manual with the voucher that was emailed. When I enter the voucher, I get a message that states the voucher has reached its limitation.

Is anyone else having that issue? @Rick Butler @Stephen Schneiter

Thanks!

CompTIA A+ Instructor Needed for Online Course

Kingsborough Community College, Office of Continuing Education & Center for Workforce Development (CEWD), is seeking a part time experienced CompTIA A+ instructor to join our team. The instructor will teach a virtual non-credit course that will prepare learners to successfully pass the CompTIA A+ certification exam. The instructor should have a passion for training, and supporting adult learners from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. KBCC CompTIA Training

Please apply for the instructor position here - CUNY Research Foundation - CompTIA Instructor

CompTIA Learning has an Immediate Need for a Labs Accuracy Checker for CASP+

CompTIA Learning is looking for a CASP+ certified instructor to perform a "key check" of our forthcoming CertMaster Labs product for CASP+ (CAS-004). The key checker is responsible for progressing through the lab activities (hosted via Learn on Demand Systems) as a student would and noting any inaccuracies, confusing steps, or errors within the content. Our author will use this feedback to ensure our labs are ready for launch.

Compensation provided.

We are looking to begin work in early August and it will progress through September.

Please complete our application if you are interested. Thanks!

CompTIA National CTE Advisory Council Seats Available

Hello educators,

The national CTE advisory council has seats available. There is only one seat per state available for a CTE teacher. If you are a CTE teacher at a secondary or post-secondary school, live in any of the following states, and are interested in joining this prestige Council, please complete the Online Application. After you complete the form, feel free to book an interview using my calendar booking tool . For information on the council, check out the press release Thank you:

Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia,

Free 4-hour Discovery course for IT, Networking, & Cybersecurity

I'm part of the Open University Community through NetAcad. They just put out a free resource I thought folks might be interested in checking out. See below:

"
Earlier this year, the OU Cisco ASC collaborated with City & Guilds and FutureLearn to create a short, 4hr Digital Discovery course for all prospective digital technology students of all ages post 13yrs old. This tool, is designed to help you offer your students a careers development and discovery route, for IT Support, Network Engineering and CyberSecurity roles.

It is free and anyone can enrol via ... https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/step-into-digital-and-it/3
"
Lee

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