Update: CompTIA has backed down.

Original story: CompTIA is the computer industry group that oversees common certifications such as A+, Network+, and Server+, and its certifications have always been good indefinitely.

Not anymore. In a policy change announced this month, CompTIA dropped a bombshell on the hundreds of thousands of people who hold its certifications: those credentials are now good for only three years—and the change in policy is retroactive.

Damage control



CompTIA announced the change earlier this month. Over the last several years, CompTIA has had its certs accredited by the US-focused ANSI and then the internationally oriented ISO (yes, both groups actually "certify the certifiers"). Such accreditation means that CompTIA certs are more valuable to holders, but ANSI and ISO want to make sure that cert holders stay up to date. That meant changing CompTIA's longstanding policy that certs were good forever—and the move has enraged many who spent several hundred dollars on what they believed was a lifetime qualification.

The policy applies only to the A+, Network+, and Security+ exams; others are not affected "at this time." Exam certifications now carry a "valid through" date that is good for three years from the exam date.

Keeping current doesn't mean taking a complete test every three years, though. CompTIA has launched a new continuing education program, much like those in many other industries, to ensure that its holders keep current with their skills. Continuing ed credits can be gained by taking classes, writing whitepapers, earning other certs, writing books, giving conference presentations, etc. Once someone earns enough credits, their certification is extended for another three years. CompTIA charges a $25 or $49 annual fee to remain certified.

Dig a little deeper, however, and you will find that holders of older certifications may in fact have to take a new exam after all. According to CompTIA's FAQ on the new program, it covers only those "who are certified in the latest version of the CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+ exams, as well as those certified in the CompTIA A+ 700 and 600 series exams." If you passed a previous version of the test, you'll need to take "the most current applicable exam to be eligible to enroll in the continuing education program."

The policy change has not gone over well with many existing cert holders. CompTIA quickly recorded a brief podcast addressing the wrath directed at the organization, and the host noted that the issue had "elicited a lot of comments," most of which were... "concerned" about the move.

You say "concern," I say "rage"

An Ars reader who spoke with us about the issue explained why it bothered him so much. "Maybe it will make the exams more valuable," he said, " but the fact still remains that CompTIA clearly promised lifetime certs. In my opinion, a done deal is a done deal. If I was promised a lifetime cert, then I want a lifetime cert—period. It should be up the cert holder if the cert holder wants a more updated cert. It should up to the employers whether an updated cert is needed."

Another Ars reader, who holds 15 certs at the moment, is even more upset. "When I took my CompTIA certifications I knew they were of low value, both to myself and to the industry in general, but I thought even low value certifications may help win an interview one day and since they were 'for life,' the time and cost involved could be seen as reasonable," he wrote in an e-mail exchange.

"This is the agreement I entered into, which has now fundamentally changed, it is not an agreement I would now knowingly have entered into, yet I have no recourse or right of refund."

Not anymore

CompTIA stresses that continuing ed credits should be easy enough for most active professionals to earn without extra work, but that's now how our correspondents see it. "There are extra costs now involved," says one. "A fairly simple proposition of one-off payment, one-off test and certification for life has now changed dramatically. I now must pay for the CEU system, I must follow the system, I must get involved in the bureaucracy, none of this directly adds to my bottom line as a freelance consultant/programmer."

In the blogosphere, such thoughtful comments quickly morph into... this: "What the hell! Are you f***ing kidding me? How can you tell hundreds of thousands of people that when you certify with CompTIA that its good for life, and then pull this s***... If you do decide to change the rules, then the people who certified before you changed the rules should be grandfathered in. You know what you are doing is complete BULLS***! Oh sure you have other ways that we can renew our certifications, but we still have to pay a yearly maintenance fee for our certifications? ... I hope you realize your stupidity before your company goes bankrupt!"

On CompTIA's own blog, the comments have been coming fast and (mostly) furious. (Comments have not been edited for spelling or grammar).

"Propanganda, wat a cheap way of doing damage control."

"talk is cheap.. now comptia’s intergrity is in question.. all the podcast says are just craps because it does not solve our problems... I sense some despotic ways of doing things to justify higher profits.

"The reputation of comptia is going down the drain. Period. I never thought why would anyone wanna shoot on their own foot."

"Comptia is now adding additional stress to the recession. All the schools offering comptia’s certifications will see drastic drop in enrollment. All the certifications book for comptia will be left on the shelves in book stores."

"My God. I just discovered that my 'lifetime' A+ certification will expire. Time to get an attorney because that is not what was advertised by CompTia when I got certified. I still have all the original web pages and advertising literature. Seems like Republicans are behind this—you know, the unilateral contract changers who are really corporate raiders masquerading as politicians."

"I had to go put on my boots while listing to the podcast cause the crap was getting too deep, they must take us all for fools."

"So I just took the most current 2008 Sercuity+ exam in September. Now my 'lifetime certification' is only valid for 3 years? Wait, no according to your renewal policy it is only valid until Dec 31, 2011. So for my money I get 2 years and 3 months? What a bunch of crooks!"

"Congratulations Comptia, you’ve chopped off three of your cash cow’s legs."

On the podcast, CompTIA's VP for certifications talked up the value of the ANSI/ISO accreditation and said that the policy change was "very much in response to their evolving requirements." It doesn't make CompTIA much money (and the group is a nonprofit in any event), especially since it requires more backend work by CompTIA to track and verify continuing ed credits. "If we don't keep this thing rigorous and certified at the ISO level," he said, "it loses some of its shine."

As for why the change was retroactive, it was "easier" to apply the policy to everyone than to have various classes of cert holders.

Those answers don't seem to be placating the masses, who have turned to Facebook groups and forums to vent their outrage.