Main > Everything Else

Lame largely-my-fault situation

(1/5) > >>

shmokes:
So, in the Summer of 1993 2003 I sat for and passed my Network+ certification exam.  I immediately received a print-out of my score report, which I gave to my professor.  I was in a class with a policy that any student who passed the exam before the end of the semester got an automatic "A" regardless of any of the class coursework.  So, at the time I was already working full-time as a network administrator and in school full-time and I just kind of forgot about it till like a year later and I was like, WTF, where's my Network+ certificate?

I called CompTIA and they said, "We have no record of you taking the exam, check with the testing facility."  Only, I took the exam on-campus on the last day that my campus was an official Prometric (one of two CompTIA test adminsitrators) testing facility.  So my testing facility hadn't existed for like a year.  I contacted Prometric and they referred me back to CompTIA and then I was really irritated but got busy (working full time and school full time) and I didn't need it for anything in particular (was already a full-time network administrator and the certification wouldn't have given me a pay bump or anything like that).  Oh yeah, and my professor didn't keep my score report, so I couldn't get it back from him.  So I just put it on the backburner and it stayed there for a few years.  

Then I got a wild hair and tried half-heartedly to look into it again a couple years later, but I was about to go to law school and figured I'd never work in the computer industry again.  So when I ran into more people just shrugging and saying, "We don't see any records of you at all," I just rolled my eyes and forgot about it.

So now, I'm applying for a special skills and talents French work visa and it would be really useful because France has a major shortage of IT skill so they're much less stingy about letting foreigners come in with those skills.  I've written up a project that combines legal and IT skills, and that Network+ certificate would look really good attached to it.  I have 8 years experience as a network administrator and another year as tech support for Packard Bell, but I only minored in information systems in school, my majors aren't computer related.

So now I've REALLY been contacting the companies and not letting them just dodge the issue.  I was communicating with Prometric back and forth when suddenly they abruptly went back to the old, "We don't issue certificates, contact CompTIA."  I responded that I don't want my certificate, I want my score report, and they just didn't respond.  So I waited a couple days and sent another response saying the same thing and got crickets.  So I called and a woman was miraculously able to pull up my file in about 30 seconds and she said that it shows that I was a no-show for that exam.  

It's so obnoxious.  I told them that I presumably had to check in with the front desk at the testing center and sign something and show ID.  They said they don't keep those logs that far back.  I'm dealing with their legal department now because I told them that I would bring a law suit for breach of contract and that my bank statement shows that I paid for the exam and that my professor will testify to seeing my score report and basing my grade on it (he would) and that even if they thought I wouldn't have sufficient evidence to prove that I ever passed the exam that I'd sue them for negligence for not having the records.  But it's a giant bluff.  Statutes of limitations are run for both causes of actions.

I talked to their legal counsel today and he's going to call me back tomorrow after conferring with CompTIA.  But at best they'll offer to let me take the test again for free which is lame for multiple reasons.  For one, I have no time.  Second, I haven't studied for the exam in eight years and I've spent the last four years entirely out of the industry (studying law).  Third, when I took the exam it granted lifetime certification, but now CompTIA certifications expire after 3 years unless you pay them annually to participate in online continuing education they're offering.

So, I guess the moral of the story is, don't procrastinate, and demand what's due to you even if you think you'll never need it cos who knows what you'll need down the road.  Or something.


edit: heh . . . took the exam in 2003, not 1993

newmanfamilyvlogs:
a lifetime certification for technology sounds kind of bogus to me anyway :P is there anything from that 93 material you still use other than IPv4?

Samstag:
Just put yourself down as having that certification.  If they're skeptical, show them how you terminate a 10base2 line and watch them eat crow.

ChadTower:

--- Quote from: cotmm68030 on February 03, 2011, 06:11:31 am ---a lifetime certification for technology sounds kind of bogus to me anyway

--- End quote ---


Though I'm sure the French visa issuers won't care this was also my first thought.

leapinlew:

--- Quote from: Samstag on February 03, 2011, 08:05:37 am ---Just put yourself down as having that certification.  If they're skeptical, show them how you terminate a 10base2 line and watch them eat crow.

--- End quote ---
:lol

Comptia changed their positon on lifetime certs:

--- Quote ---As a follow-up to our announcement in January, CompTIA is updating its certification policy for CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ certifications. Starting Jan. 1, 2011, individuals will need to complete continuing education to maintain certification. Since you're already certified - your certification status will not be affected by the changes.

The new policy will only apply to candidates who:

Certify on or after Jan. 1, 2011
Certified prior to Jan. 1, 2011 and choose to enroll in the continuing education program
--- End quote ---

That stinks dude. I had a similar issue. I took my test in 98 and moved a couple times. I lost my actual certificate as well as my test score. I had a copy of my certificate with my comptia ID on it. Even with my comptia ID I wasn't having luck getting a copy of my certificate. They simply wouldn't respond to emails.

last year I took the security+ and after I had passed they sent me login info for the comptia website and there was my A+ cert. If they have you as a no-show - that sucks. Good luck.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

Go to full version