BRITISH COMPUTER SOCIETY - CITP

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Hi again folks.

Me again talkin about certs and the usual stuff! Obviously every1 here has heard of the MS, Cisco, Comptia etc exams but has anyone heard of the Chartered IT Professional accreditation from the ( British Comp Society (BCS) ?

Whats it all about?
Is it worth having?
Why does it take 10 years to achieve (apparently with a bsc degree it takes less)?
does any of the more 'senior' people on this forum have one?

Fat P - Cheers

:

 

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Yes I have it, means very little to me, like all this stuff whats important is what it represents, 10 years quality experience is worth more than any cert, badge, logo, title etc

Unfortunately as you kind of indicate its possible to get with 10 years bad experience, or maybe a bit less and a degree or a couple BCS exams. If I remember correctly if you are part of an approved degree program or work from an approved company you get extra credit and a few years off, I've worked for companies on the approved list that were useless and ones that weren't that were excellent so again does not prove much. So again I'm not sure it really does prove anything, but I figure the more ammo the better, every little piece of evidence you can give employers that you are indeed the real deal helps.

 

One of the (I believe) fundamental things about the BCS, at any level of membership, is the agreement to abide by their code of conduct. Its supposed to indicate that you are professional in your activities.

Theres also the social networking side of it, with regular meetings.

 

Maybe you should join the BCS first, then find out what they're about.

 

Im a member, and its worth it, just for the monthly meetings/seminars i get to go to.

i think its more benefit to those in London as most of the activity seems to be down there but i think its decent value.

Also they have a recruitment site and other useful things, but id start off with an associate membership just to see what they offer.

 

I think the CEng is slightly more useful, tends to get requested in europe apparently, although you'd have to ask someone a little more european to be sure !

I also think the ACM and IEEE are more recognised for their publications and conferences and probably more use if you are really into your research.

The BCS seems to be more for padding CV's and networking than anything else as far as I can tell.

Lastly for contractors theres the PCG...

Thats exactly my point, anyone with a few years experience and a couple of references can get it, its no more infallible than any other system.

I've never seen any job require CITP status, it is currently nowhere near chartered status in other professions.

 

My degree was not approved either, it generally has to be a bog standard course at a red brick university. With my degree you'd be talking 15+ years, for most of my career I would be ranked lower than most due to this fact and the fact I preferred working for smaller companies which are not BCS approved either. The two together make a substantial difference to progression. Therefore it took me 10 years to get CITP where for others it might take 5, even though I probably still knew more than them when I was at 5 years !

Once you have ten years experience you can apply for any or all of CITP,CEng/IEng and CSci depending on your preference as long as you have taken part on suitable projects. You merely need to submit an essay on the project/s in question.

I've known BCS fellows who were far from remarkable and made some pretty dubious design decisions...

Look at it as a long service medal, thats the way I see it, it bears very little resemblance to anything else.

 

This discussion has really opened my eyes about the BCS as I was looking at becoming a member a few years back. Well guess its not all gloomy then

 

I think the BCS is a crock. College football should have a playoff system, by God!

 

Cheers for all the advice guys.
Some good and some bad as per usual!