IT Certifications that Never Expire (2024)

There are two major pains when it comes to getting certified in IT.

The first is having to do all the work to learn the materials, and the second is paying the exam fees. But did you know that there are a number of certifications that you can pass once and never have to renew? You do the work once, pay once, and keep the credentials for life.

All other IT certifications have to be renewed every three to five years, by which time you pretty much have to learn everything from scratch and pay another $400 or so (if you pass the first time).

I'll list a few certifications for you to consider. I'll include the top-level ones, but they may be out of your reach or consideration for now.

Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr)

This certification is the highest level of certification offered by Cisco and does not require renewal. However, it is also one of the most difficult certifications to obtain. For 99.9% of us, this level of certification is both unobtainable and offers no real benefits. Even taking the exam costs $15,000, with around an 80% first-time fail rate. No thanks.

The Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) certification is for senior network infrastructure architects who produce technical specifications for the network to support business objectives. The curriculum focuses on understanding the business strategy and translating it into technical infrastructure requirements.

Getting to the CCAr status would require many years of hard work, years of study, and a huge financial investment that would never likely be paid back.

Oracle Certified Master (OCM)

The OCM certification is also one of the highest levels of certification offered by Oracle and does not require renewal.

Obtaining the Oracle Certified Master credential requires passing an onsite practical exam that is conducted at designated Oracle University facilities in each global region. You will be tested on your ability to perform database administration tasks in a live database environment. Skill sets are timed and require a high degree of Oracle database knowledge to successfully complete them.

The exam costs $500 to take but the salary level by the time you have the experience necessary to pass is around $150k.

Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)

The RHCA certification is also one of the highest levels of certification offered by Red Hat and does not require renewal.

According to Red Hat, an individual who attains this level of certification demonstrates through a series of hands-on, performance-based exams that they possess breadth across technologies, depth within a given technology, or both.

You will already need to possess the Engineer level Red Hat certification and have the relevant real-world experience. After this, you need to pass five exams from a list of around 15 in order to certify.

LPI – Linux Essentials

This is the entry-level Linux certification from the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) and doesn't require renewal.

You have 60 minutes to answer 40 questions from the exam syllabus to qualify and you can keep the certification on your resume for life. The exam only costs $120 USD so it is probably one of the cheapest in the IT industry.

You only need to learn a few basics about Linux distros and commands in order to take the exam. We have a complete course from start to finish as well as follow-along labs. Take the LPI – Linux Essentials course here.

LPI – Web Development Essentials

As we move closer to network automation, a rudimentary understanding of programming is pretty much a must-have nowadays. But finding entry-level certifications can prove to be difficult. This is where the Web Development Essentials comes in.

According to the LPI, the exam objectives cover the most important aspects of Web Development. They are specifically designed to include everything needed to implement simple web applications. This makes Web Development Essentials the perfect choice for practical courses and training. In self-studies, candidates find everything they need to achieve immediate success in implementing their first projects.

Exam topics include software development, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and NodeJS Server. It's all at a very basic level and the perfect way to get some hands-on experience using free tools. The exam is very basic and only costs $120.

You can take the LPI – Web Development Essentials course here.

Cisco Certified Support Technician – CCST

This was announced in the first quarter of 2023 and is a brand-new certification track from Cisco. You can certify in networking or security. We already have the Cisco CCST Networking course here.

We cover everything you need to know about CCST Certification in a recent blog post so please do read it.

The CCST is aimed at helpdesk or junior positions, with the security track being somewhat more challenging than the networking track in our opinion but the good news is that the certifications never expire.

Microsoft Fundamentals

According to the Microsoft Certification Expiry Page, fundamental level certifications never expire. You need to visit the Microsoft Certifications page and do a search ticking the relevant boxes but they include Azure Fundamentals and Microsoft 365, among others.

The MOS, MTA, MCSA, MCSD, MCSE, and MCE certifications do not expire either, but these are no longer offered by Microsoft.

Strangely enough, Microsoft role-based (associate and expert) and specialty certifications are valid for one (1) year from the date that you complete all requirements to earn that certification. This seems somewhat extreme, but it's lifted directly from their website.

You can take the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals course here.

CompTIA Cloud Essentials+

CompTIA is the go-to certification vendor for hundreds of thousands of IT students, and for a good reason.

They lay a strong foundation for pretty much any IT career path and they are a must-have for any Department of Defense roles or any company that contracts for the DoD. CompTIA updates its exam syllabus every three years, and the certifications must be renewed every three years unless you meet their continuing education requirements.

The Cloud Essentials+ certification never expires for some reason. You can read the details on the CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ information page. Of course, we teach the course here, so check it out if you want to learn all the basics of Cloud networking.

Expired Certifications

Often vendors do a complete revamp of their certifications, meaning some are retired permanently.

Cisco did this with their design track which was a great pity as far as we are concerned. Network design is a very important role. The Cisco CCDA and CCDP ran alongside the CCNA and CCNP, and to get the CCDP required only one additional exam meaning you could hold both the CCDP and CCDP, dramatically enhancing your status.

Any retired exam you held can't expire by its very nature. This is why I still list my MCSE as a certification, I can't renew is and Microsoft say it doesn't expire anyway. Not that it's much use, but then again, this got me residency in Australia when I wanted to emigrate because Cisco wasn't on the skills list at the time.

I hope that this post gives you a few things to think about. If you found it useful then please consider sharing and subscribing to our newsletter.