Guest Author
[This post was originally published on 9/17/2015 and updated on 3/13/2019.]
All the long hours studying, taking practice tests, training, and whatever other stunts you pulled paid off, and now you have a CompTIA Network+ certification.
The journey isn’t over yet. Don’t add the certification to your LinkedIn account, Resume or CV and call it a day. Well, you are allowed to unwind after the test, but don’t forget that Network+ is not a lifetime certification.
You need to renew it. This is how. This blog post breaks down the steps you need to take to ensure the certification stays valid and the ways to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to renew it. A certification is only good if it’s valid.
Ashley Wheeler wrote a blog post detailing the ways to earn CEs for a CompTIA Security+ certification. The requirements are pretty much the same, except the activities must address content addressed in Network+.
How often do I need to renew Network+?
You need to renew Network+ every three years.
How do you know if your certification is active?
Go to your certification account at CompTIA’s website. Login and check it out. This place stands as the central hub for submitting CEUs, paying fees, and other details for keeping your Network+ certification active. Also refer to the “How to Renew Your CompTIA Certification” page for a detailed breakdown of everything you need to know.
How many CEs are necessary to renew Network+?
30 CEs over three years.
What are the CE Activities to earn CEUs?
- Teach or Mentor – 15 CEUs
- Design and Create Instructional Materials – 15 CEUs
- Complete a CompTIA Exam Development Workshop – 30 CEUs
- Complete an American Council on Education (ACE) course – 20 CEUs
- Attend a Live Webinar – 6 CEUs
- Attend a Conference – 6 CEUs
- Complete a College Course – 20 CEUs
- Publish a blog post – 12 CEUs
- Publish an article or white paper – 12 CEUs
- Work Experience – up to 9 CEUs
See a detailed list of activities from CompTIA in this CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) Activities Chart PDF
What certifications count towards Renewal?
Let’s assume you’re the progressive type who wants to move forward (earn higher level certifications) while fulfilling renewal requirements. This option includes CompTIA and non CompTIA industry certifications. See the full list of certifications on CompTIA’s website here.
Achieving the below CompTIA certifications gives you all of the 30 CEUs necessary for renewing Network+.
Other Certifications that fulfill the 30 CEUs for renewal:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
- AWS Certified Developer – Associate
- CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker
- ECSA – EC-Council Certified Security Analyst
- Google – Professional Cloud Architect
- Google – Data Engineer
- Google – G Suite Administrator
- CISSP®- Certified Information Systems Security Professional
Disclaimer: If you take this route, in 3 three years you will need to renew Network+ again and the new certification you just gained. However, many people will just let their lower level certs expire afterwards and continue a path to maintain their higher credentials. The thought process behind this is the higher level cert will still qualify your knowledge in the lower one indirectly and therefore isn’t necessary to maintain both.
Annual Fee Info
Even though you spent considerable money on training and the certification exam, the expenses don’t end there.
According to CompTIA’s website the annual CE fee for Network+ is $49 or $147 for three years.
After you get past all the messy details (well it’s not too overwhelming) then you can devise a reasonable plan of attack. Otherwise do you really want to be that person calling the training coordinator or a point-of-contact at CompTIA asking question after question about the renewal process and demanding an activity to earn the last few CEs? You know who you are people. Don’t wait till the last minute to fulfill the requirements. The renewal process isn’t as demanding as some individuals make it out to be.
Ask yourself this question: Would you rather be the person who’s maintained a CompTIA Network+ certification over 5 to 10 years, or the person who’s too good to renew it?