A Trip Down Instructor Memory Lane

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Steve Linthicum

Steve Linthicum

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    • Jul 31, 2019
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    #1
    Recent postings relating to changes at CompTIA had me thinking about the great days of the late '90s and early 2000s. I recall with fondness Microsoft's AATP program. Googling the program, I found a useful history of the program, well worth reading. Back in the good old days, many of us in the academic world sought that Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) designation, with access to free exam vouchers and no charge for gaining the MCT designation. The cool thing was that for those of us who held the MCT designation, we were grandfathered, gaining the CompTIA CTT designation without taking a written exam or providing a teaching demonstration.

    Things changed and at some point Microsoft started charging an annual fee in order to retain the MCT designation. That is when I decided to no longer carry that designation. My recollection was the fee was $500. Research indicates that "The MCT Program Fee was waived in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This waiver to the standard MCT annual fee remains in effect." Some of you may want to consider joining up to spice up your resume, given the cost elimination.

    This of course has me thinking about the CTT+ designation that is, at least from what I've been able to find, no longer available (based on this posting on CIN).
     
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    #2
    This of course has me thinking about the CTT+ designation that is, at least from what I've been able to find, no longer available
    Click to expand...

    Correct, CTT+ is no longer available and it's a shame. Some party should maybe look into buying both the training and the certification materials and rights, to make a new independent trainers certification. It was pretty good, although it was probably not cost effective for CompTIA.
     
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    #4
    #5
    Steve Linthicum said:
    Recent postings relating to changes at CompTIA had me thinking about the great days of the late '90s and early 2000s. I recall with fondness Microsoft's AATP program. Googling the program, I found a useful history of the program, well worth reading. Back in the good old days, many of us in the academic world sought that Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) designation, with access to free exam vouchers and no charge for gaining the MCT designation. The cool thing was that for those of us who held the MCT designation, we were grandfathered, gaining the CompTIA CTT designation without taking a written exam or providing a teaching demonstration.

    Things changed and at some point Microsoft started charging an annual fee in order to retain the MCT designation. That is when I decided to no longer carry that designation. My recollection was the fee was $500. Research indicates that "The MCT Program Fee was waived in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This waiver to the standard MCT annual fee remains in effect." Some of you may want to consider joining up to spice up your resume, given the cost elimination.

    This of course has me thinking about the CTT+ designation that is, at least from what I've been able to find, no longer available (based on this posting on CIN).
    Click to expand...
    The stories I could tell about the 1980s and 90s Novell Certified Netware Instructor (CNI) program! If you were a CNI, you had a 'batting average' based on the surveys that students completed at the end of a class. Those students always completed those surveys because if they didn't, they would not receive a completion certificate. The Novell CNE practical lab class (701) was 5 days long and very hands-on. Students who took 701 and completed all the labs were prepared well for the corresponding Novell Certified Netware Engineer (CNE) exam (offered at Drake testing centers). That week-long 701 class was our 'boot camp'. I would start class at 9 AM and go until 7 or 8 PM Tuesday through Thursday so that students could repeat lab exercises.

    I believe that's what many of the new certificate programs, such as ACE-T, BLT1, and even the SANS GIAC programs, are doing. They offer training that includes hands-on lab activities that must be completed to achieve the certificate.
     
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    #6
    They offer training that includes hands-on lab activities that must be completed to achieve the certificate.
    Click to expand...

    With SANS, you don't have to complete anything for the certificate of completion.

    For the certification exam, sure, you have to tackle as much as you can... but you will simply get the cert of completion at the end of the week, as far as I know. ... Reminds me, I should still grab mine for LDR521.
     
    #7
    Steve Linthicum said:
    Recent postings relating to changes at CompTIA had me thinking about the great days of the late '90s and early 2000s. I recall with fondness Microsoft's AATP program. Googling the program, I found a useful history of the program, well worth reading. Back in the good old days, many of us in the academic world sought that Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) designation, with access to free exam vouchers and no charge for gaining the MCT designation. The cool thing was that for those of us who held the MCT designation, we were grandfathered, gaining the CompTIA CTT designation without taking a written exam or providing a teaching demonstration.

    Things changed and at some point Microsoft started charging an annual fee in order to retain the MCT designation. That is when I decided to no longer carry that designation. My recollection was the fee was $500. Research indicates that "The MCT Program Fee was waived in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This waiver to the standard MCT annual fee remains in effect." Some of you may want to consider joining up to spice up your resume, given the cost elimination.

    This of course has me thinking about the CTT+ designation that is, at least from what I've been able to find, no longer available (based on this posting on CIN).
    Click to expand...
    Thanks for sharing this, Steve. I too used to have the MCT cert until i got tired of paying that fee around 2008 or 2009. My memory for some reason is fixated on a $450 fee. I loved the resources we had access too at the time, especially with my MCAD .Net cert.

    It's great to hear that the fee has been waived, I wonder how easy it will be to re-activate that cert, without having to jump through many hoops. I am at the point in my life where I only take the path of least resistance.

    Best,
    -Moez
     
    #8
    Talk about the path of least resistance. A year ago, I faced dealing with that $125 certification maintenance fee for my CISSP certification. In checking with the (ISC)2, I found our that for a nominal one-time fee of $375, I could maintain the certification, add the word "Emeritus" to it, and never have to do another continuing education event to keep it. Yeah I didn't particularly appreciate paying the money, but the way I look at it, if I live longer than 3 years in retirement, it was an economically beneficial decision.;)
     

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