IPC CID certification - worth it

[steaky1212]

Hey,

So I received an email about CID certification and was wondering what other people thought of it.
I've worked on a couple of active electronics projects over that last 3 years, but a lot of the stuff I work on deals with purely passive PCB's - in that the the only components are a couple of connectors, and the PCB is designed to use the tracking as inductors and pads as capacitors.

I think Dave is CID certified, but don't know if that was off he wanted to, or needed to.

Steaky

*EDIT* - Also, sorry if this is in the wrong place.

[steaky1212]

I guess that means nobody  has any strong opinion either way regarding CID.

[ejeffrey]

I don't know anything at all specific about the CID, and you haven't provided any reason why you are considering it.  Therefore I give the advice I give about all professional certifications.  Is your current employer encouraging you to get it or offering to pay for it?  Are you looking for or considering looking for jobs in the near future that list it as a requirement or desirable qualification?  If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then go for it.

If you are happy with your current job, think it is reasonably secure, and you are not prevented from doing things by your lack of certification, I wouldn't bother.

[EEVblog]

So I received an email about CID certification and was wondering what other people thought of it.
I've worked on a couple of active electronics projects over that last 3 years, but a lot of the stuff I work on deals with purely passive PCB's - in that the the only components are a couple of connectors, and the PCB is designed to use the tracking as inductors and pads as capacitors.

I think Dave is CID certified, but don't know if that was off he wanted to, or needed to.

Yes, I'm CID certified, did it through work.
I wanted to get it, for two reasons:
1) I was a PCB designer, and it just seemed like "the thing to get", plus I might learn something. Good thing to have on the resume when going for PCB design jobs I thought.
2) Make the bastards pay for some training which they always crapped on about that they gave us and I never got. I complained at several yearly performance reviews and they finally caved, and they asked me what I wanted and I said CID training. Wasn't bad that it also happened to require a trip to Melbourne that year :->

You can just sit the exam, but it's recommended that you also do the companion course which prepares you for the exam. I think it was 3 days or something like that.
The course was pretty good, and covered a lot of stuff.
The exam wasn't that easy, even for an experienced PCB designer, as you may not have dealt with every aspect of the course before that was covered. The idea of the course is that whilst learning stuff, it does prepare you for the exam pretty well.

Interestingly, AFAIK I was the only one at Altium who was CID certified. Kinda ironic for a PCB design company that they didn't even know what it was...

There is also the newer CID+ which is the next level. That wasn't around when I did mine.
I'd recommend it if you have the opportunity, and if you want a PCB design job, it's maybe even worth your own $$$ to do it.

Dave.

[steaky1212]

Dave,

It's good to hear some positives. I am waiting on the tutor getting back to be with regards to the "appropriateness" given the type of PCB design work we do, but work is willing to stump the cash - and just stick it under "continious development". I've been here for 3 years and only been on one EMC conference/course so I think I'm due some extra learning.

Unfortunately I doubt I can get a trip to Melbourne out of it (as I'm in UK) - plus as the nearest centre is only 70 miles away I guess I'll get stuck with driving to and from for the 2 day thing. Speaking of Altium, the place offering CDI (and CDI+) is also an Altium reseller.