What Professional Certifications Were Much Harder to Earn Than You Thought?
The sheer number of professional certifications is staggering. Whether you're an IT professional, a safety expert, or a scientist, the variety of certifications available can seem overwhelming. Many of these certifications are designed to ensure that professionals meet certain standards of knowledge and expertise in their field. However, some of them are harder to earn than you might think.
The CSP and ASP Certifications: From Easy to Challenging in Decades
Paul, a seasoned safety professional, shares his experience with the CSP (Certified Safety Professional) and ASP (Associate Safety Professional) certifications. Originally, the CSP was a straightforward 100-question test for safety management. However, in the late 1980s, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals decided to re-write the exam, making it more suited for safety engineers rather than just safety managers. According to Paul, the new test required extensive knowledge of calculus, physics, and engineering problem-solving skills. The test remains 100 questions, but the difficulty has shifted from recall to problem-solving, making it significantly more challenging.
The IT Perspective: Linux CompTIA Certification
In the IT sector, certifications like the CPC (CompTIA IT Fundamentals) are commonly associated with entry-level roles. However, even these can be surprisingly challenging. An IT professional highlighted the LINUX certification, noting that, while it is a CompTIA certification, delved into aspects of the system that were foreign and rarely used in real-world scenarios. Specifically, the Bash commands became a major obstacle. To prepare, the professional spent 2-3 weeks memorizing various command arguments and their outputs, which would typically be found in the built-in man pages or through online searches.
A Pioneering Approach: The CASP Certification
Some certifications may not have the hype or reputation in the industry, yet they are just as demanding. The CASP (Certification Authorities Security Professional) certification, while less talked about, presents a rigorous assessment of security skills. Some industry participants found the CASP test to be unexpectedly challenging. According to one professional, they underestimated the difficulty of the CASP certification. In contrast, the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification, which is highly touted for its difficulty, did not live up to the hype for them. They felt that the CASP test was indeed challenging, but not as drastically as many professionals believed.
Conclusion: The Unsung Challenging Certifications
It is important to recognize that some certifications are often overshadowed by their more high-profile counterparts, yet they are no less rigorous. Whether it is the CSP for safety professionals, the Linux certification for IT experts, or the CASP for security professionals, these certifications demand deep and specialized knowledge. Understanding and acknowledging the challenges of these certifications can help professionals prepare better and achieve success.