TekMetrics (Brainbench) | Transcript ID: 91390 | September 5, 1999 | HTML Programmer
On September 5, 1999, I earned my Certified HTML Programmer credential through TekMetrics, the online testing platform that would later become Brainbench. This certification was one of the first I completed, and it became the starting point for many more that followed.
I first learned about TekMetrics from my brother, who told me about a website based in Sterling, Virginia, where you could take professional-level IT certification exams for free. No fees. No test centers. No scheduling stress. Just log in, prove your knowledge, and see if you really have the skills.
At the time, the tech industry was heavily pushing Microsoft certifications. They were expensive, required traveling to a testing facility, often meant taking vacation time from work, and sometimes felt like they rewarded memorization rather than real understanding. My trust in them had already been shaken. The cost barrier and inconvenience made the whole system feel restrictive and unfair.
TekMetrics felt refreshingly different.
It was accessible.
It respected real-world skill.
And it removed unnecessary barriers.
HTML was a natural first certification to pursue. In 1999, the web was still young and hand-built. If you wanted a site, you wrote it yourself. Understanding HTML meant understanding page structure, browser behavior, and how the web really worked. There were no luxury frameworks doing the heavy lifting. Everything depended on what you actually knew.
The Certified HTML Programmer exam tested far more than tag familiarity. It measured real understanding, best practices of the time, and actual capability. Passing it was not symbolic. It was confirmation.
This was not a college degree.
But in 1999, it was validation, confidence, and momentum in an industry that often made credibility expensive and inaccessible.
And to this day, I am proud of it.
Is HTML Really Programming?
One funny thing about earning an HTML “programmer” certification is that, in the industry, we generally do not refer to HTML as a programming language. HTML is markup. It structures content. It describes hierarchy, meaning, layout intent, and presentation. It does not contain logic, decision-making, or executable behavior on its own. Any real “programming” on early web pages lived elsewhere — inside JavaScript, VBScript, or embedded Java applets, ActiveX controls, Scriptlets (sandboxed web pages), or server-side scripting that was written separately. Even so, mastering HTML mattered. It defined whether a page functioned, whether it rendered correctly across browsers, and whether it met the technical constraints of the time. Understanding HTML was understanding the web itself.
Brainbench
When TekMetrics later became Brainbench at the beginning of 2000, something unexpected and meaningful happened. Brainbench honored all existing TekMetrics certifications and mailed out new, official Brainbench-branded physical certificates with the original achievement dates preserved. It meant I did not just keep my credentials — they were officially recognized and carried forward into the next era of online certification.
Even better, Brainbench & TekMetrics issued transcript verification IDs so employers could independently look up certifications. Mine was 91390, and I would eventually take many exams linked to that number.
TekMetrics and Brainbench also hosted free beta exams. These allowed you to help refine tests before they were finalized. You did not earn certificates for passing beta exams, but they were still valuable experiences and another sign of a platform that prioritized community and skill development over profit.
Acquisitions
This evolution reflects how TekMetrics, later Brainbench, grew from an early, accessible online certification platform into part of a global talent assessment infrastructure. Moving through multiple acquisitions, mergers, and rebrandings, the platform helped shape modern digital skill testing while serving millions of individuals and thousands of organizations worldwide.
- 1998 – TekMetrics founded
- 1999 – Renamed to Brainbench
- 2006 – Acquired by PreVisor
- 2011 – PreVisor merged with SHL
- 2012 – SHL acquired by Corporate Executive Board (CEB)
- 2017 – CEB acquired by Gartner
- 2018 – Talent Assessment business sold to Exponent Private Equity
- 2018 – Rebranded back to SHL
