What does it cost to maintain your RCDD? That’s a question you should ask yourself as you embark on this journey.

If you have just successfully passed your exam or already have your RCDD, you’re faced with the challenge of maintaining it. The financing, studying and testing for this important credential can be expensive, both monetarily and in the resulting impact on your personal time. What if you lose your RCDD for lack of a maintenance plan. Replacing it can be extremely stressful while trying to work and stay on top of your studies. So, just forgetting is a big price to pay. We have outlined some options you may want to consider.

In your personal life, how do you remember such things as birthdays, anniversaries, vacations or your child’s soccer games? This is just as important, isn’t it? Attaining this designation definitely increased your marketability in the telecommunications field and moved you forward on your personal career path. The RCDD and your decision to pursue it are accomplishments to be very proud of and reflect a desire to grow in our industry.

Where do you start? First plan out your RCDD maintenance by determining what is doable in your life. Are you able to travel, both to BICSI conferences and to remote locations for classroom training? How often are you able to travel and are you more interested in classroom or on-line classes?

Are you able to be trained at home without much distraction or are you better focused in a classroom, or, are you able to attend 3 conferences in 3 years both time wise and most importantly financially to meet the requirements? We all learn in different ways and it’s up to you to decide which plan is right for you. No matter what you choose, it is still training.

You need 45 CECs over three years to renew your registration. You must attend at least one domestic conference in that three year period for 15 CECs. Or, if you’re not based in North America, you can attend one 2 day Global event and meet the conference requirements or attend two 1 day Global conferences to meet this requirement.

Domestically, there are two BICSI conferences annually. So there are 6 opportunities to attend 3 conferences in 3 years which would meet all of your RCDD renewal requirements. Outside of the US there are BICSI conferences held in many parts of the world. Your country chair or the BICSI website will have details on upcoming events in your area. It’s always a good idea to have a Plan B and even C, if necessary.

If you choose to attend only one domestic conference during the three year period, you will be awarded 15 CECs, leaving 30 CECs to come from some other source. You can choose to either continue your education by learning something new or repeat courses you have already taken for your certification. Cost varies greatly for these courses. You can find links to providers on BICSI’s website.

Of course, you may decide to add additional credentials to your resume, like an OSP, and change your career path within the industry. Or, maybe you have had an interest in a different area of telecommunications, like DAS. So, taking a basic course in that area to discover whether or not this is for you may save you time, money and give you peace of mind. Maybe you’ll find that your real potential lies in management versus technical or viceversa.

You’re never too old or young to improve yourself. The only adversary is you and the fear of failure. What is fearful to us may keep us from having true pleasure in our work and in our personal lives. There’s the old saying “If you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. How very true that is. And look at the world around us, we’re living longer than ever and we’re in better health. With that in mind, exploring our character strengths and even flaws can put us on the path of rediscovery.

I realize this article is not all telecommunication based, but rather a way of looking at life. Telecommunications can seem dull and not as progressive as other fields to the layman. To those of us in the industry, it’s an exciting and ever changing environment that makes all of our lives better.

The RCDD is a terrific step forward for you, and for those of you that already have your RCDD you are in an elite club. If you’re considering getting your registration, talk to someone who already has an RCDD and ask for their advice or guidance.

But, I still haven’t answered the question “How much does it cost to maintain my RCDD”. Let’s look at a couple of options.

Option 1 – Attend 3 BICSI conferences over 3 years.

Registration	Member price & Early Reg	$745	X 3	$2235	45 CECs
Airfare	3 Roundtrips	$500	X 3	$1500
Hotel	4 Nights per Conference	$600	X 3	$1800
Transportation	Rental car, Shuttle, etc.	$200	X 3	$600
Food		$120	X 3	$360

TOTAL = $6495.00

Option 2 – Attend 1 BICSI conference over 3 years and take one BICSI course.

CONFERENCE COST

Registration	Member price & Early Reg	$745	15 CECs
Airfare	1 Roundtrip	$500
Hotel	4 Nights	$600
Transportation	Rental car, Shuttle, etc.	$200
Food		$120

BICSI CLASS

BICSI Course	Member price/Early Reg OSP110	$1950	35 CECs
Airfare	1 Roundtrip	$500
Hotel	4 Nights	$600
Transportation	Rental car, Shuttle, etc.	$200
Food		$120

TOTAL = $5535.00

Option 3 – Attend 1 BICSI conference over 3 years and take free online manufacturer courses.

CONFERENCE COST

Registration	Member price & Early Reg	$745	15 CECs
Airfare	1 Roundtrip	$500
Hotel	4 Nights	$600
Transportation	Rental car, Shuttle, etc.	$200
Food		$120

ADDITIONAL CECs

Online or Local Manufacturer Courses, CECs vary

$0.00

30 CECs

TOTAL = $2165.00

So, there you have it. Based on very rough figures, you can assume it will cost you somewhere between $2000.00 and $7000.00 (if you’re not a member and register late for conferences) over 3 years to have the necessary CECs to renew your credential when it expires. Or, put another way, it will cost between $55.00 and almost $200.00 per month over the 3 years. It’s something to think about.

Why then is it beneficial to you or your company to invest this much money in your RCDD? Let me know your reasons for keeping your credential.