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Time For My Recertification
I got a letter today reminding me I need to take my IPC Specialist certification test again because my current certification will be expiring in the near future. It expires January 12, 2009, but the state has a very short list of classes I can take if I want a refresher course before I take the test again.
Here’s how it works. I can pay about $20 to take the test without going over the material. I can pay $100 to take a refresher course on the day of the test. You sit in a classroom for 4 hours listening to someone go over the correct procedures, then you immediately take your test. You aren’t given any time to actually look over the material on your own, so to me it’s a waste of cash.
The last option is to take a 2 day class that goes over the J-STD-001 Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies in detail. You have to pay $150 for the 2 day class. You’re allowed to take notes in the classroom, but you’re not allowed to take any of the material home to study it. Yet again it seems like a waste of money to me.
If I were to take the class I would have to take it at the manufacturing plant where I previously worked. I hate that place with a passion, so there’s no way you’re going to catch me spending 2 days there. It’s bad enough I’m going to probably have to spend an hour there taking the test.
Besides I can keep my $100-$150 because I have the power of the internet. I have already found a place where I can order my own hard copy or electronic copy of all the material for the course for $37. I would really like to have my own hard copy of the material since I’m using it in my job at least once a week anyway. Then whenever that times comes every 2 years when I have to renew my certification, I can stick with the $20 recertification test.
Even if I never use my certification again I’m still going to get recertified. Why? Because it’s cool to be able to say I’m certified to solder for NASA. lol
2 Responses to “Time For My Recertification”
About Me
I'm Jenn, and I'm just your average happily married 20-something southern chick. I'm the proud mom of two awesome furbabies. I'm a certified IPC specialist, and I run my own computer repair home business. I love to blog, ride motorcycles, and buy stuff, but free stuff rocks my world.
Wow, that’s shitty. You can’t keep the material if you take the classes? What kind of baloney is that? I wouldn’t waste my money on that either. I’d just find some information to refresh with over the internet.
Good luck on the certification!
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Yeah it is shitty. When I took my original certification I was working for the company giving the class so it was free. I was pissed when I found out we weren’t allowed to even take material home to study. We spent 8 hours in class, took our notes home, spent another 8 hours in class and were immediately given the test 15 minutes after we finished up the course.
There were about 10 people in my class, and only 2 of us passed. Gee I wonder why! I only passed b/c I’m really good at cramming a ton of info into my head at once, but then I forget most of it shortly afterwards.
It looks to me like the company would realize they’re losing valuable time when they continuously have to pull their workers off the floor for 2 day classes because they didn’t pass the first time. Let them take the material home, study it, and pass the test. It works out better for everybody that way.