Are You Ready for IT Pro Day?

As the saying goes, "The best things in life aren't free." (Well, unless you're Motown legend Berry Gordy, and you wrote that one song that the Flying Lizards covered in 1979 for the dance mix generation. Then maybe the best things actually are free. That's what the song says, at any rate.) It's also long been observed that, "There's no such thing as a free lunch," and further reflection yields, "You can't get something for nothing." Look, people, stop trying to freeload your way to the Big Brass Ring.

On the other hand, there's CompTIA IT Pro Day. There are lots of official days. There's even that one day where Krispy Kreme has to give everyone a free donut. (Try to tell us that's not one of your favorite days.) But there aren't very many days set aside to celebrate the dedicated men and women whose IT expertise makes the world go 'round. Actually, exhaustive research* indicates that CompTIA's inaugural special day for tech professionals, coming up on Wednesday, is the first such observance of its kind.

What's particularly exciting (and endearing) about IT Pro Day is that CompTIA is not only throwing a party, but you're invited! More to the point, like all of the best parties (all of the best things in life, really, or so we've heard), this one is free. You don't have to spend one thin dime to attend. Actually, you don't even have to book time off from work, or so much as stand up from that cozy chair in your office. CompTIA's big IT Pro Day bash is an online event, a virtual tech-a-palooza that doesn't require anyting more than some sort of monitor and an internet connection.

You do have to RSVP to attend, by which we mean that registration (of the non-fee-dependent variety) is involved. But in exchange for linking your e-mail to the CompTIA marketing machine, you can get instant access to webinars with topics like "ITIL for the Front Line IT Professional," "Security Analytics: Tools of the Trade," and "Cloud vs. Enterprise: Impact of Today's Approaches to Providing Services." (Be honest: You just danced a spontaneous jig of pure excitement upon reading those titles.)

There are even party favors, so to speak, and this is one reason why you're reading about IT Pro Day on a certification and training blog. Once you get certified, you have to stay current in order to keep your credential from expiring. And one of the main weapons in your recertification arsenal is CEUs, or Continuing Education Units. Well, batten down the hatches, because for every 1 hour that you spend participating in IT Pro Day, CompTIA will award 1 CEU toward maintaining your CompTIA certifications.

So not only are there free webinars on IT Pro Day, but you can get free CEUs (well, at least from CompTIA) for checking them out. It's a win-win for busy IT pros. So go ahead and treat yourself on Wednesday. Berry Gordy would approve.

* A quick Google search where we scanned the first 10 search result summaries.