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Certification Zone's Newest Study Zone Prepares
Subscribers for Two Highly Desirable Certifications
Ever since CertificationZone.com went live in 1999, we have
considered expansion of our coverage to certification programs other
than Cisco's. We recently became aware of a certification program
that really excites us. The Field Certified Professional program
offers the Zone community of over 20,000 one of the most meaningful
IT-related certification opportunities available. We'd like to find
out if you agree.
On Friday, August 22, 2003, Certification Zone will post our first
Study Guide addressing a technical topic found on the exam blueprints
for the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, the Field Certified
Systems Engineer, and Field Certified Systems Administrator
certification programs for Windows 2000/2003/XP. We will be inviting
all members of the Certification Zone user community to preview the
Tutorial, Study Quiz, and Lab Exercise components of this Study Guide
at no cost. The only thing we ask in return is that you complete a
short questionnaire after you've finished your review of this new
material.
Most networking professionals are very much aware of the popular
Microsoft certification programs. The same cannot yet be said for the
relatively new Field Certification Program.
On July 1, 2002, the Field Certified Professionals Association
(FCPA), the creator and driving force of performance-based
certifications, announced the introduction of the first six Field
Certification exams. To become a Field Certified Professional you are
required to prove by personal examination before a proctor-examiner
your field abilities to administrate, manage, and troubleshoot
complex computing environments.
The benefits of becoming a Field Certified Professional are (1)
clearly differentiates you from hundreds of thousands of others who
hold "paper certifications", (2) provides potential employers with a
greater comfort level that one truly possesses the IT skills sought
in new hires, (3) provides the holder with greater self-confidence in
their skill base, (4) industry peer admiration and recognition, (5)
in time it is hoped that it will provide increased job security, and
(6) increased earning potential.
To become a Field Certified Professional all you need to do is pass a
FCPA Field Exam. The FCP designation is also available to IT
professionals who have successfully achieved other third-party
performance-based certifications recognized by the FCPA. At present
these include Cisco's CCIE, Novell's CDE and Red Hat's RHCE.
Professionals who already hold any of these certifications can apply
directly to FCPA to become an FCP under the association's
Pre-Qualification Program.
How the FCPA Field Exams Work: In the FCPA Certification Exams,
candidates will be presented with a partially broken system or
network in a lab environment. The exam requires that you perform
assigned tasks and bring the system or the network back to a working
status within a certain amount of time. The exams are designed to
test ability to plan, design, implement, test, monitor, optimize and
troubleshoot the system or the network. Candidates are provided with
most of the resources typically available in a work environment such
as tools, books, reference materials and online resources. The
candidate may be asked to decipher appropriate information to perform
a task, as all provided information may not be needed. Candidates may
also be confronted by situations in which it may not be possible to
meet all the requirements. The exams are also designed to test the
ability to perform tasks within time constraints. Successfully
passing a performance-based exam enables utilization of the Field
Certified Professional (FCP) credential. The FCPA and its sponsoring
companies believe the FCP will become a highly prestigious
certification, distinguishing the holders from the multitude of IT
professionals who hold only paper-based certifications.
The FCPA Certifications are ranked by degree of difficulty from
entry-level to advanced-expert. These certifications include the
following:
Field Certified Systems Administrator (FCSA)
Skill Level: Intermediate
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as system
administrators. The exams are generally vendor-neutral, although some
will specialize in a particular vendor's products. The FCSA
certification is obtained by following one of nine tracks: FCSA for
Windows NT, Windows 2000/XP, NetWare 6 (CNA 6/FCP), NetWare 7 (CNA
7/FCP), Linux, Unix, Cisco (CCNA/FCP), Citrix, or FCSA Cross Platform.
Field Certified Systems Engineer (FCSE)
Skill Level: Advanced
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as system
engineers. The exams are generally vendor-neutral, although some will
specialize in a particular vendor's products. The FCSE certification
can be obtained by following the FCSE for Windows 2000/XP track. It
may also be granted to Cisco CCIEs who meet the requirements of the
FCP Pre-Qualification Program.
Field Certified TCP/IP Expert (FCTCP)
Skill Level: Advanced
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on networking expertise for
new and existing TCP/IP networks. This exam is vendor-neutral and
focuses on multiple platforms including Microsoft, Novell, Unix, and
Linux. The FCTCP certification is currently under development.
Other Field Certifications exist or are under development. See details at
http://www.fieldcertification.org.
We are extremely excited to introduce in this week's Zone Newsletter,
the Zone's plans to partner with IT Solutions Group of Saratoga, NY (of NTBootCamp fame)
to offer the Zone's community of users a whole new line of
information and study tools to help you pass Field Service
Certifications and Microsoft Certifications for Windows 2000/2003
Networks.
Check back on Friday, August 22, 2003, to see our first FCSA / MCSA
Study Guide and preview the Tutorial, Study Quiz, and Lab Exercise at
no cost. Then complete the short questionnaire after you've finished
your review to help let us know how to proceed with these
certifications at CertificationZone.
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