I received an e-mail yesterday from Cisco's Career Certification and Training department announcing fast track membership to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The IET is a global engineering professional organization based in the UK. It provides a number of benefits including international recognition, job search, publications, and professional networking.
There are three types of membership in the IET - Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng), and Engineering Technician (EngTech). CEng appears to be the highest level membership. From the description, these engineers come up with new technologies to solve problems. IEng members use existing technologies to solve problems and require effective interpersonal skills. EngTech members apply best practices to solve practical problems.
Membership costs 97 pounds (about $194). According to the webpage, "Cisco's FastTrack membership means that you can apply for membership with post-nominals without getting someone to support your application because your certification is verified by Cisco. This makes the application process easier for you to complete as your Cisco certification demonstrates your commitment to professionalism, provides independent verification of your qualifications and displays that you are actively engaged in work at a relevant level in the industry."
This appears to be a worthwhile international engineering association. I imagine Cisco is trying to broaden the appeal of its certification program and the credentials of its certified professionals. Being a qualification to a professional engineering organization can set Cisco certifications (more) apart from other vendor programs.
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Michael Morris is a communications engineering manager at a $3-billion high-tech company. His background is in enterprise WANs working with telcos and developing large-scale routing designs. He has worked on networks at government and corporate organizations, including networks at two Fortune 10 companies. In his current role, he leads a team of 10 engineers responsible for large-scale IT networking projects and architectural standards for data networks, storage area networks, IP telephony, contact centers, and security. Michael is CCIE #11733 and recently became one of the first three Cisco Certified Design Experts (CCDE) ever (#20080002). He has 11 years experience in networking and communications, including four years as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He has a bachelor's degree in MIS from the University at Buffalo and is working on his MBA from NC State University. In 2008, he was awarded the Network Professional Association (NPA) Professional Excellence and Innovation Award for his work on network architecture, templates and enterprise MPLS design.
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