Earning Your Letters: Certifications and a Government Career

As all of our GovEvents readers know, education does not end with the last degree you receive. From on-the-job training to industry events, professionals are constantly learning new things. Learning and career progression are, of course, rewards in themselves, but a certification program is quantifiable and industry-recognized.

Like an educational degree, certifications are an official marker of knowledge study and mastery. While they may add to the alphabet soup that is a government career, having the right letters after your name can make a big difference in what jobs you can apply for and how much you'll get paid.[Tweet "Earning Your Letters: Certifications and a Government Career #GovEventsBlog"]

The team at GovLoop put out a helpful overview of the key certifications across a number of career areas. The requirements for earning these certifications are wide ranging. Some require formal exams while others require completion of a training program and still others require applicable continuing education credits. We've written here about how to incorporate Continuing Education Credits into events and how looking for events that offer these credits can help meet the goals laid out in Individual Development Plans (IDPs). We looked through the list and pulled out a few of the certifications we see frequently mentioned on GovEvents and compiled this handy reference list of where you can go to earn your letters.[Tweet "A handy reference list of where you can go to earn your #ContinuingEdCredits. #GovEventsBlog"]

• CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification was developed and is offered by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC2). This certification is necessary for professionals involved in securing the networks of their organization from cyber attack. The test is comprised of eight domains. To earn this certification, professionals must pass an exam with a scaled score of 700 or higher out of a 1000 point maximum. The 250 question multiple choice exam can take up to six hours. Intrinsec's official (ISC)2 CISSP training program, April 24-28, is a vendor-neutral cyber security knowledge course that focuses on the eight domains within (ISC2)'s Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) for the CISSP.

• PMP - The Project Management Professional Certification is offered by the Program Management Institute (PMI) as an internationally-recognized designation for professionals in project management roles. This designation frequently helps PMs earn more than non-certified counterparts. To earn PMP status, professionals must have a minimum of five years project management experience, 7,500 hours leading and directing projects, and 35 hours of project management education. The certification is earned after passing a 200 question multiple choice test. The SANSFIRE 2017 conference taking place July 22-29 includes an IT Project Management, Effective Communication, and PMP® Exam Prep course.

• CISA - The Certified Information Systems Auditor certification is offered by ISACA as the standard of achievement for those who audit, control, monitor and assess information technology and business systems. Applicants must take the CISA exam, have five years of IS auditing experience, adhere to a code of ethics, comply with the adopted standards, and complete 120 CPE hours over a three year period with a minimum of 20 hours per year. The ISACA CACS conference May 1-3 provides CISA exam prep courses as part of the workshop days and up to 39 CPE credits for conference and workshop attendance.

• CFCM - Certified Federal Contract Manager certification is offered by the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) to validate an applicant's education, training, experience, and knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree, have worked in the contracts management field for at least one year and have completed at least 80 hours of applicable professional development credit. Certification exams are offered as additional training at NCMA's World Congress taking place July 23-26.

[Tweet "How do you use events to earn and keep your certifications? #GovEventsBlog"]We'd love to hear your thoughts. What certifications have been most valuable in your career? How do you use events to earn and keep your certifications? Let us know in the comments.