...when you pass your first SCTE certification exam!
Jonathan L. Kramer, Esq., BTS, BDS, BPS
Member, National SCTE Professional Development Committee
SCTE Senior Member
SCTE Proctor
SCTE Loyal Order of the 704
Attorney and Counselor at Law
...and sponsor of the SCTE Southern California Chapter Certification Challenge, which I like to call "The SoCalC3."
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What's this about? I started in cable in 1978 at Warner Cable in Malibu. I became a member of the SCTE in 1980, and was elevated to Senior Member status in 1993. Heck,
I guess I've been around since before there was a Southern California Chapter. Many of you know me personally, and I know many of you as friends, peers, and colleagues. I've been privileged to be an invited speaker at a number of our SoCal Chapter events over the years, as well as other chapters around the U.S., and at national level events. I suspect that most of you know how highly I treasure the training and professional development that is central to the mission of our SCTE national and chapter organizations. Over the past decade, I've observed that the cable industry is, by necessity, becoming a workplace of specialists. In metropolitan markets such as in Southern California, gone are the days of the Jack- (or Jill-) of-all-trades cable installer/tech. Today, we have largely moved to a workforce of drop and installation specialists; distribution specialists; trunk and transport specialists; headend specialists; modem and IP specialists; and telephony specialists. Another reality is that we are also facing a maturing cable/telecom industry where new jobs and job retention go to the technically educated and skilled members of our ranks, and those who can demonstrate their education and experience. To rise to the changed circumstances in our industry, I challenge all members of the Southern California Chapter of the SCTE who do not yet hold any SCTE-issued certification to step up and demonstrate your professional status as a specialist in any one of the key areas of our field. Here's the challenge: I challenge every member of the SCTE's Southern California Chapter who are not presently holders of any SCTE certifications to become SCTE-certified for the first time in any of the following categories:
Specifically, for every SCTE Southern California Chapter member who passes his or her first SCTE-certification in any of the testing areas listed above, I will personally write you a check to cover half of the SCTE "member rate" test fee listed at the SCTE web site. It's that simple: You pass; I pay. So why am I limiting this to candidates who have never received any SCTE certification? I believe that once you start along the path of securing SCTE-issued certifications, you'll continue to reach higher and higher to demonstrate broader professional expertise by going after more SCTE certifications, other certifications, and advanced education. This is, in essence, my gentle little nudge to get you headed along the right path. And I've always found that cash is a great incentive to nudge people to doing things...even things that are good for them! How about you? In my own career, I've repeated reaped tremendous rewards from the multitude of federal and state licenses I hold, as well as the industry certifications I have earned in cable and wireless. For an idea about how certifications and licenses look on a resume, read my own professional resume online at this site. The letters you can attach after your name look cool, too! Okay, so you're asking, 'Why is Kramer only paying half the testing fee?' The answer is that I want you to have a personal financial stake in your own professional development. But I'd also like to offer you a tangible benefit to offset half of the cost of demonstrating that professional development. Here's a limitation: This offer is open to all members of the SCTE Southern California Chapter who (1) do not hold any SCTE certification, and (2) do not receive any certification testing reimbursement or sponsorship from their employers. That second condition is only fair because if your employer is already wiling to foot the testing bill, why not stand aside and allow other chapter members with, ah, less enlightened employers benefit from this certification challenge. I've set aside $1,000 for this challenge, so it's first-to-pass; first-to-get-paid. This challenge will stay open until I've awarded the full $1,000 to successful first time SCTE-issued certified members of our Chapter. Heck, depending on how successful I am at handing out this challenge money, and how successful you chapter members are at earning the money, I might just drop some additional grant funds into the challenge bank. |
Here's how to grab my cash! To get a check from me for half of your first certification testing fee, here's what you need to do: (1) Take one of the SCTE certification exams listed here; (2) Pass the test (duh!); (3) Send me a photo copy of the pretty wall certificate that you'll receive from HQ shortly after passing your test; (4) Tell me that you're not reimbursed by anyone else for taking the test; (5) Give me your mailing address so that I can mail you the check! When you do all 5 steps above, I'll verify that you're a SoCal Chapter member, I'll cut you the check, and put it in the mail to you. By the way, if I'm your exam Proctor, you can skip steps 3 and 5; I'll hand you the check on the spot! Such a deal. Even if you don't pass the exam on your first try (or the second...etc.), this grant is available when you pass during the challenge period. As a member of the California Bar, with its horrible pass rate of around 45 percent, I can certainly tell you that not everyone passes examinations the first time...what matters is that you keep trying until you DO pass! Here's how much money remains... I hope you steal any or all of the ideas on this page and use them to form your own chapter challenges! If you think you've got a better way of doing a chapter challenge, let me know and I'll bring it to the SCTE Professional Development Committee. It's also likely that I'll steal your idea right back and deploy it here for the SoCal C3.
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