7/11/2007 --

Welcome to the new weekly CertCities.com column from Emmett Dulaney covering everything and anything certification-related!

PDI+ -- an acronym for "printing and document imaging" -- is intended for those who want a recognized and respected third party to be able to authenticate their entry-level skills in maintaining and repairing printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines and "multi-function peripherals."

Information specific to the PDI+ certifications can be found here. Go here to access the objectives.

The Changing Face of IT Certification
It wasn't that long ago when looking at an ad for an IT certification study product (test engine, boot camp, etc.) meant that you were looking at images of some of the most unattractive -- or even homely -- individuals in the ad business.

Transcender, one of the pioneers in self-study test engines, had a character named Spike who became so popular that soon his friends -- most of them Goths, nerds and other characters you'd never want to meet in a dark alley -- started appearing in the ads, as well.

A plethora of other vendors jumped on the bandwagon and came up with similarly interesting-looking spokesmodels. As far as I can tell, the idea was that if these people could become certified, there's no reason why you couldn't.

Look at the ads now, though, and you'll see that the market has undergone a 180-degree change. Instead of seeing images of people you know you're better than, you now see images of people you want to be (or be with).

Transcender now has a "club" with images of hip people dancing, jumping and otherwise celebrating. And Training Camp makes you a superhero. Even Microsoft has images of the happy people that I dream of working with.

It's gotten a whole lot tougher to be a photogenic nerd.

Book of the Week: 'CCNP ONT Official Exam Certification Guide'
CCNP certification continues to hold its value in the marketplace, and Cisco Press continues to put out high-quality study guides for the exams.

One of the newest entries in the line is Amir Ranjbar's CCNP ONT Official Exam Certification Guide. Targeted at exam 642-845, this book walks through the objectives in an understandable manner and condenses what you need to know into a manageable package.