Okay....so my supervisor is retiring in three years. He has a RCDD Certification. Do I need it? Am I better off heading in a different direction? I see a lot of you here have been in the industry a while. I want to be here. I enjoy it. I will take any and all recommendations.

Larry (nfcphoneman) would be the one to talk to about that. I would think that being your sup is RCDD certified you would know something about what value he is to your company and what he does.

-Hal

I know what he does, the main value it has, superficially, is that he's the only one that has it.

I just wanted an outside opinion because his was the only one I've ever heard. What value would RCDD have to COMSYSTEC? For example...

Melissa

What value would RCDD have to COMSYSTEC? For example...

None but Larry would have a different take.

-Hal

the value really depends on where you are and where you want to go in the industry

If you do large jobs, an RCDD is a help. If you do consulting, an RCDD is a big help. If you manage a very large account(s) then an RCDD is a very big help.

Why?

It's like a university degree. You may be brilliant, but you're not going to get a job at a Fortune 500 in any sort of management position without one.

You may know all there is to know about Telecommunications - but how do you prove it?

An RCDD is a way of showing those that make the decisions and sign the checks that you've completed a rigorous course of study and that you CONTINUE TO TAKE CLASSES EVERY YEAR to keep yourself current. When I got my RCDD, way, back when, I believe the requirement was 45 hours a year. I don't know what the requirements are now.

Is there a value to an RCDD? It depends. There was a lot of value to me as Network Manager of The Bank of New York. Is there value to me now as a Plant Man at a NYC government agency?

No.

Education of any sort - especially if it's in your chosen field is always good. But is the Return On Investment there?

Larry is a lot more current and can probably give you a better answer.

I'm just a beat-up old Telephone Man, hobbling off into the sunset - so take what I say with a grain of salt

Sam

e-mail sent

We have 2 RCCD on staff. I'm 1 of them.
It help's when you are bidding on large job's or with high end customers. Does it have any real value to us as a company? Probably not. Keeping up with everything is time consuming and the return on investment is not always there. If I was just starting out I probably would not do it.
However the knowledge you gain is always useful.
Go for it.
Good luck.

I have BICSI RCDD, NTS (Network Transport Systems), and OSP (Outside Plant) designations. I recently failed the very new ESS exam (Electronic Safety and Security) and plan to retake it in January. RCDD was very difficult, and ESS should have been easy. I went from a 93% on the practice exam to failing the real thing. The actual ESS test was much more difficult than I expected and was "application" based. Things like asking to name an obscure part on a diagram of a heat/light sensor based smoke detector befuddled me. Anyway, even if you forget everything you learned studying and getting the designations, you have the comprehensive manuals with codes, standards, and best practices to guide you if needed. Also, continuing education can get expensive, but I think it's worth it.

Yes, I think it is worth it. If you want to be the next supervisor, then you should probably become an RCDD, right?

As has been said, the RCDD will help you land some government and larger private jobs. It will also help you distinguish your company from your competitors with all potential customers.

The test is very difficult, and you may find that you do not always agree with the BICSI way. However, you will learn a lot and you'll have a wealth of knowledge (in your head and the TDMM) to share with a customer who needs "guidance".

It is much easier to convince a customer, or an IT guy, who thinks he knows how to handle a wiring situation when you can back your thoughts up with detailed information and documentation. Going up against a slammer? An RCDD will help you distinguish yourself as a true professional, worthy of your high prices.

If you really want the respect of architects, GCs and ECs, get an RCDD and then study the NEC. You'll be able to get their respect and then they'll value your opinion.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I officially have been approved to attend the course and take the test in 2010. I have the manual now and will be doing some studying thanks to your advice about the difficulty of the exam. I discovered that we require our vendors to have a RCDD on staff currently and this would actually alleviate that requirement and allow for more vendors to bid. I also think this will give me more confidence when I am working with the rest of the staff and they might have more respect for me given the effort I am putting in to learn all I can about the industry. Again, thank you.

Good luck