ICCP CERTIFICATION PROGRAM - The two-day "exam cram" is designed to allow one day of sample tests, timings and discussion focusing on knowledge requirements of the pertinent technologies and your certification credits. The second day is focused on CCP examinations.

The CCP certification requires completion of the Core Information Technology Skills Examination plus two Specialty Exams. If you choose, you may take up to three examinations during the second day of this "Exam Cram" session.

The ICCP Program offers the following examinations.

Certified Computing Professional (CCP) Specialty Examinations include the ICCP IS Core Examination (9 College Credits), ICCP Specialty Examinations (11 different examinations): Microcomputing and Networks, IT Management, Programming Fundamentals, Systems Development, Business Information Systems, Data Resource Management, Office Information Systems, Systems Security, Software Engineering, Systems Programming, Internetworking and Communications;

Associate Computing Professional (ACP) Language Examinations: C++, Basic, COBOL, C and VB. (Candidates for the ACP Examination must complete the IS Core Examination plus one Language or Specialty Examination.)

Customized Training Now Available for Companies and Educational institutes

• Certified Computing Professional (CCP) Review program is available on weekends to be delivered at your company site. This will download a PDF document and brochure
• Associate Computing Professional (ACP) Review program is available weekends to be delivered at your college or university. This will download a PDF document and brochure

IS Core Program for Universities and Colleges

• If you are interested in starting a new program of studies or modifying your current offering of Systems, Analysis & Design or Computing Fundamentals course(s), this will be of interest. This will a download PDF document and brochure

 

Prerequisites/Steps To Becoming a Computer Programmer

• The explosive growth of the high tech world of software, hardware and communications has greatly influenced the actions of numerous people preparing for or changing careers.
• Many see themselves as the next "star" of a new dot.com or wireless company or the creator of software that revolutionizes the business community. It's commendable to have such lofty goals but eventually ambition has to be tempered with reality.
• The question that needs to be answered is how do I get there from here? Of course, there are many ways to achieve one's goals in this information age world. For those not fortunate enough to have the financial backing of a venture capitalist or a public offering for launching their own company, the road to the top is much more arduous.
• For many, the first step up the ladder to entrepreneurial success may start as a computer programmer. A computer programming career can also serve as a springboard to many other information technology positions in a corporate environment or the end career destination for the "super computer programmer".
• The prerequisites/steps to becoming a computer programmer are consistent but will vary depending on the specific Information Technology (IT) career that is chosen. Following is a description of the essential considerations to be satisfied.
  • 1. Research via job description web sites, the various definitions that describe the computer programmer's job. You will find many variations that depict the entry level to senior programmer responsibilities.
  • 2. Arrange to interview a few people who are currently employed as a computer programmer.
  • 3. Discuss with recruiters of computer programmers, the education and experience backgrounds that are typically required by employers. Scanning Help Wanted ads will also be useful.
  • 4. Compare your background to the skills that are requested in the computer programmer job descriptions.
  • 5. Realistically, evaluate your personality and character traits and determine how they match up with the role of a computer programmer. For example, are you good at working with details? Are you logical? Are you patient enough to make a computer program operate perfectly?

   

• If after completing the five steps above you are convinced that computer programming is the career for you, the next step is to enhance your qualifications so that you can be considered for a computer programmer job position.
  • a. If you are a new high school graduate: take at least a two-year Associate degree in Computer Science; Information Science; Business Information Systems; Computer Systems Technology, etc. If you can, you should complete these courses at the Baccalaureate level (Bachelor's Degree).
  • b. If you are a mature student and you have time and the financing in place, you should take the same courses identified the paragraph above. If you are a mature student with a previous degree or diploma and a few years of work experience, then you have an additional option to take a one year "after degree" Information Technology program as a rapid transition into a new career.

   

• The final step of your computer programmer career pursuit is to add professional certification to your resume. The ICCP offers the Certified Computing Professional (CCP) designation for experienced individuals and Associate Computing Professional (ACP) designation for recent graduates or new entrants into the computing field. Also, the ICCP can test your specific technical skills and qualify your specialty expertise. Some colleges are already using ICCP certification exams as part of their graduation process. Employers are using certification achievements as part of their employee selection criteria and for position and salary advancements.

 

The War for IT Talent Is Over and the Talent Won. Value your CCP certification fully

IDC expects that of the more than 820,000 IT job openings in the United States this year, at least 455,000 will go unfilled. This shortfall will exceed 606,000 workers (see Figure 1). For the foreseeable future, then, IT expertise will continue to be a seller's market. (Executive Director's comment: Given the downturn in the global economy these figures may be out of date, however, IT salaries continue to rise, especially for proven IT professionals. Source: US Dept. of Labor.)

Is your IT certificate worth the paper it's printed on? (David B. Horvath, CCP)

Open letter to Lisa Vaas (Ziff Davis)

Lisa: Your article was forwarded to me by a friend. After reading it, I felt that I had to comment.

While I agree with much of your remarks (especially about the limited value of some vendor-specific certifications), you completely missed one category of certification: vendor-independent.

I hold the "CCP" (Certified Computing Professional) from the ICCP (Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals. The CCP is completely vendor-independent and requires more than just a stack of books or a "boot-camp" training program in preparation for the test. In addition to the tests promulgated by the ICCP, the other requirements include real work experience and a continuing education/recertification program.

While there are preparation materials for the ICCP test, experience is something that cannot be picked up in a class. You probably remember the term "paper-CNE" (referring to someone who held the Certified Novell Engineer designation without ever working on a real network); it has been applied to other vendor-specific certifications since then. Fortunately, it is not possible to be a "paper-CCP". With the continuing education/recertification program (each CCP holder needs to show 120 contact-hours of continuing education every three years), skills remain current. There are many other vendor-independent certifications that you missed. Three that come to mind (because I've worked with holders) are the CQA (Quality Assurance), CPIM (Inventory and Manufacturing), and CPM (Project Management).

What is the value of certification?

First off, it all depends on the certification program itself (i.e., "paper-CNE" versus a CCP or Cisco-certification where real-work skills have to be demonstrated) -- if the program only proves that the holder can pass a test then there is little value (since material is forgotten shortly after taking the test).

Getting beyond those issues, I have to say that the certification holders and organizations that employ them receive a better value.

For the holder, there is the personal satisfaction of gaining the certification itself. More importantly for most people, is the added marketability. The employer knows that the prospective employee has a minimum skill level which makes the candidate more attractive. With certification programs that require continuing education/recertification, the employer knows that the candidate has made the effort to keep their skills current.

Remember that no matter which certification a person has, they had to feel there was some value to it -- otherwise, why bother and why put out the effort?

At the very least, having a designation after my name has gotten my resume a second look as hiring managers go through the stack of papers on their desk (or screen). Even if they have no idea what "CCP" means, it attracts their attention. Some see it and automatically assign some value without knowing what it means (think about it -- when you see the title "Dr." before someone's name, you assign them a certain level of respect -- without knowing what education they really specialize in ). Others are intrigued by it and ask.

While having a certification is no guarantee of getting hired, it certainly helps. And in portions of the field where they are expected, not having the right certification (i.e., MSCE for an NT Administrator job) could mean *not* getting hired.

In your article, I found the following particularly interesting: {There are those who would challenge the value of Kotwicki's certificates. Steve Farr, a Microsoft Certified Professional and assistant network administrator at Salerno/Livingston Architects, in San Diego, thinks Kotwicki's certifications are, basically, fluff. "A+ is very easy to obtain," Farr said. "I don't think that's very respected. Neither is Network+." And even Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers aren't a sure bet, according to some. }

Of course Farr thinks that A+ is fluff. It is much easier to attain than an MSCE. Having reached that level, anything easier is going to be fluff!

Also of interest was: {What's notable about the model is that at its very base are the soft skills enterprises are now clamoring for: teamwork, employability skills, communication and even ethics.}

While it is difficult to test for those skills, having the right certification implies the ability to realize the importance of those skills. In addition, some certification programs include a code of ethics which the holder must subscribe to (I know the ICCP does).

David David B. Horvath, CCP Consultant, Author, International Lecturer, Adjunct Professor; Board Member: ICCP Educational Foundation, ICCP Test Council, and Philadelphia Association of Systems Administrators

New Certificates (To order contact: or call 1-800-843-8227)

New Certificates: You can get them framed or we'll do it for you. Order two, one for the office one for your home (download 1.07MB PDF for viewing)



US Department of Veterans Affairs Approves ICCP Examinations for Financial Support.

Recently the US Department of Veterans Affairs assessed the ICCP examinations and the university credits available from taking and passing the ICCP examinations. Consequent to their assessment they have notified the ICCP office that all ICCP examinations are acceptable and that US Veterans may find financial support for this activity from them. For more information on this please contact the ICCP office via email or phone 800-843-8227 or 847-299-4227.

Improved Membership Benefits for ICCP Members

Eligibility for the programs listed below is limited to those currently enrolled in the Recertification Program and those who are active ICCP Members at Large. If you are currently not active in either program, ICCP Membership at Large is available for $75 per year. For enrollment information about any of these programs, send a message requesting the "Get Involved" application form. 

ICCP and CISSP examinations comparison

CCP - Systems Security exam experience (http://www.cccure.org/)
Posted by cdupuis on Friday, August 08 @ 19:16:38 EDT (38 reads)

Spatkovic writes "NOTE FROM CLEMENT: Thanks for sharing with us"
Any CCPs around here?
I would like to share my recent experience with the ICCP Systems Security Specialty Exam. It is an elective part of the Certified Computing Professional curriculum, which requires of a candidate to pass a mandatory Core exam and two elective specialty exams. Since the Systems Security was offered among other specialty exams (Programming, Management, Systems Design etc...), it seemed as a logical choice for a CISSP in a good standing.

I must admit I was nicely surprised with it - and learned that I have underestimated its difficulty - or I simply thought that since it cannot be any tougher than the CISSP it must be a no-brainer considering its smaller footprint..

The research I conducted on the CCP experiences (amazingly little can be found on the Net, what may be quite surprising considering there is 55k CCPs out there!) revealed only a few facts: candidates claim it is difficult, no good study materials exist, and the passing rate is very poor - as a result of the fist two I suppose.

The exam itself very much reminds of the CISSP. It contains 110 questions in total, or so, it is paper based, it has a same multi-choice format, and a similar taste. Only the allowed time is proportionally shorter compared to the CISSP - 90 minutes in total. In order to pass it, a 70% or more has to be answered correctly - according to the ICCP.

The Core exam seems even more challenging as it covers a wide area of college level knowledge.

CCP folks certainly deserve lots of respect in the IS community. The proof of that can be found in the fact that the CIPS accepts the CCP as a valid alternative to the college designations (when combined with the appropriate level of the professional experience) for those who apply for the I.S.P.

Some people are taking these exams as the proficiency exams for their college credits.

I have copied the short list of the study area covered by this exam.

All the best to those who decide to pursue it.

Sinisha Patkovih


---