I checked out the free certs from ACT online and was happy to see FEMA was involved adding some credibility (irony!). Incidentally I found the site on this forum so thank you. I tested out of one right off the bat (information security basics), they are not terribly difficult, I was wondering if they are worth anything. Specifically will it look good on a resume? I learned a few things as I reviewed the answers I missed though so it's not a total loss either way but I won't continue if they have no resume weight. Thanks!
I just applied for a different technical job within my organization. I put my three ACT/FEMA certs on my resume (Cyber Ethics, Information Security Basics, Information Risk Management). Even if they don't help measurably, they shouldn't hurt. I agree that the Info Security Basics was easy, I already knew almost all of it. I found Info Risk Management to be more difficult, and I did learn something from the course.
Yes, I have found the ACT Online certs to be useful for additional preparation for a job that found me. I was able to punch through a couple courses using the prequalification tests but then the courses got really tough and I had to start reading the course material. Go figure. My view is that they are very good CE courses; the delivery is about at the community college level and the content is definitely top notch, so one might argue that they really are equivalent to college semester credits. Thumbs up! Highly recommended.
I put them (5 courses) on my resume when appropriate for the position I am applying. I list these courses under 'professional development' rather than under academic education. Having taken digital forensics, white-collar crime, and information systems courses for academic credit I found the ACT Online courses good reviews and was able to validate my understanding of those topics through the pretest without needing to proceed through the actual ACT Online course.
I like your idea of differentiating the two in your resume. It may not stack up to regular IT certs but taking classes after the fact makes you look motivated to be up to snuff. Smart idea. I am 99% sure i will use that. Thanks!
https://www.act-online.net/ It's a free service offered by a collaboration of several different groups including an university and FEMA. They offer courses that are not really long but have good material and you receive a printable cert after (much like FEMA independent study). It does not really seem especially well known yet, but the material is good.
Hey, how would you present the certificates on you resume? Could one say "certified in Information Literacy by FEMA/ACT".
Just an update in case you missed it in the other thread from 15 December 2009. I received an email today (15 December 2009) stating ACT Online courses are moving to new servers and will require a new account effective 01 January 2010. ACT Online Users, Effective Jan 1, 2010, the ACT Online courses will be hosted on the TEEX Domestic Preparedness Campus servers located at: http://www.teexwmdcampus.com/index.k2. If you haven't already, please complete all current coursework by Dec 31, 2009. You will need to create a new account in the TEEX system. Training Coordinators should archive all Training Coordinator information, as it will be unavailable after Dec 31, 2009. We would like to thank you very much for your participation in this very important project. Without your support, we could have not produced such a strong set of courses. Sincerely, The ACT Online Team
