Considering the fact how quickly things change these days, many IT specialists want to keep up with the evolving world and have the relevant skills for their roles. Thus, most of the companies that provide the individuals with the certification programs improve them from time to time to bring the professionals the best experience and help them get the needed level of expertise. If an organization offers the certificates that include the recertification process after a certain period of time, this means that the path can be changed through years and the vendor takes this into consideration.
This is a good sign for the potential candidates because they can be sure that the skills they gain will be relevant to the current industry changes. Therefore, it is not a surprise that such popular companies as CompTIA and IBM have some undergoing changes that will affect 2022. Let’s take a closer look at the changes taking place now:
- CompTIA
First of all, it is important to mention that there are some changes in the CompTIA Network+ certification path. To help you gain new knowledge and validate the skills needed to maintain the essential networks that businesses rely on, the vendor has decided to review the N10-007 exam and replace it with CompTIA N10-008. The old version is available until June 2022, and the new test will be the only option for the next three years.
If you are an individual who is planning to obtain the CompTIA Cloud+ certification, you need to know that there will also be some changes. The retirement date of the CV0-002 test is January 7, 2022, and you will no longer be able to sit for this qualification exam. Those students who want to get certified can go for the CV0-003 test, which is more relevant to modern technologies.
CompTIA Server+ is another certificate that will be renewed in January 2022. The SK0-004 exam is going to be fully replaced with CompTIA SK0-005. There are also some changes in the prior recommended experience that you need to know about. Thus, it is required that you have at least 2 years of experience in the field.
The PT0-001 exam associated with the CompTIA PenTest+ certification is going to be fully replaced in April 2022. Thus, the vendor provides all the interested individuals with the new version, which is known as CompTIA PT0-002. The potential candidates can choose this option since October 28, 2021 to prove that they have the knowledge required to be able to plan and scope a penetration testing engagement.
Besides that, the CompTIA CASP+ certificate is undergoing certain changes. The old version of the test, known as CAS-003, will be removed on April 5, 2022 and fully replaced with CompTIA CAS-004. This new exam verifies that you possess the skills needed for you to be able to engineer, architect, implement, and integrate secure solutions across complex environments.
- IBM
IBM is another company that is planning to retire some of its exams, which are no longer relevant to the current situation of the world. The vendor provides the IT professionals with various tracks because its certification program covers different domains of the IT industry. Considering the fact that any area of the field can be changed through time, you need to be ready that your IBM certificate or the one that you want to earn is going to be changed somehow.
Thus, the IBM Certified Deployment Professional – IBM Tivoli Network Manager V4.2 certification is going to be retired on March 31, 2022. The exam from the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus V8.1 certificate of the IBM Certified Deployment Professional path will be retired as well. This means that you need to be ready to prepare and pass the test before the retirement date if you want to get one of these certifications.
Most of the paths that are related to z/OS are retired. This means that the exams associated with IBM Certified Application Developer – DB2 11 for z/OS and IBM Certified System Administrator – DB2 12 for z/OS, as well as the test from the path that covers the fundamentals have some changes. The retirement date for the first two paths was on September 30, 2021. To get certified, you need to visit the official website and see which exams are available at the moment.
The certificates, such as Certified Specialist – InfoSphere Optim for Distributed Systems v9.1, IBM Certified Administrator – Security Guardium V10.0, and IBM Certified Solution Implementer – API Connect V5.0.5, are retired or provide the candidates with the updated exams to let them learn the relevant skills. Thus, for example, the C9530-519 test is not available anymore and you need to pass the C1000-044 exam instead.
All in all, there are a lot of changes in the IBM certification program, which have already started. This means that some of the paths will no longer be available in 2022 and some changes will take place in 2022.
Conclusion
The IT industry is changing very quickly and it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all the new paths and opportunities that are occurring almost every day. Thus, it is important to stay tuned and know when and which changes are undergoing in different areas of the IT field. The same goes for the certification and training options. If you are a certified specialist who needs to get recertified to enhance an IT career or an individual who wants to enter the field, you should know what changes will occur along the path you choose.
Therefore, it is recommended that you explore the market and know the changes that are coming to the sector you are in. Besides that, it will be better for you to subscribe to the newsletter to know when the certificate you are interested in is going to change and what is the exact reason for that. If the exam is replaced with a newer version or the path is not relevant anymore, you will know everything. Building networks is also important because some people can give you important information to get you on the right track. This is why it is vital to have as many information sources as possible to boost your IT career with a valuable and relevant IT certification.