Looked at Apple's Certification stuff in the last year or so?

[deckeda]

http://training.apple.com/#certification

I don't know when it changed. I think the last time I looked was 2 years ago and mainly recall seeing a few expensive certs, but now I'm seeing several lower-cost choices that build like packages.

I'm even more interested in doing this "for real"---and am interested in a career with teh Kool Aid as it were.

But would it be wiser at this time to wait for the Lion certs instead?

[C(-)ris]

I would wait for the Lion Certs at this point. Which training path are you looking for? IT, Pro Apps, Hardware?

I've have the hardware certification as well as the ACSP. I've always had an employer that paid for the certifications to stay up to date. When I got into "the business" I didn't have any certifications.

[Chakravartin]

I went decades without certifications and had no problem getting jobs... but that time is over.

Certs are more important these days. It's a competitive job market and anything that makes you stand out is potentially helpful. Additionally, many consultants advertise that their employees are all certified so you'd have a leg up by saving a potential employer the trouble and expense of training and certification.

The study materials and tests for each OS usually trail a few months behind the release. While Lion is slated for a summer release, you may not be able to take a Lion exam until December. If you're in a hurry to get certified, Snow Leopard may be the better option.

That said, I'd still suggest waiting for the Lion exam(s). Lion has enough changes in it that you'll probably put a great deal of time into studying before you're ready for the exam. Making that kind of investment on top of the investment that you'd make studying for the Snow Leopard exam(s) seems a bit redundant to me.

[C(-)ris]

Chakravartin wrote:

That said, I'd still suggest waiting for the Lion exam(s). Lion has enough changes in it that you'll probably put a great deal of time into studying before you're ready for the exam. Making that kind of investment on top of the investment that you'd make studying for the Snow Leopard exam(s) seems a bit redundant to me.

The only plus of going now is that you may be eligible to take a re-certification exam instead of the full blown exams for Lion depending on which certification you are looking at. I believe the Technical Coordinator in the past has had a single re-certification exam instead of two separate exams.

[Chakravartin]

C(-)ris wrote:
The only plus of going now is that you may be eligible to take a re-certification exam instead of the full blown exams for Lion depending on which certification you are looking at. I believe the Technical Coordinator in the past has had a single re-certification exam instead of two separate exams.

'Not sure that's an advantage. I found some of the questions on the Snow Leopard recertification to be trickier than the Leopard ACTC exam. I think they made it harder than the regular ACTC would have been. 'Still passed, but didn't cruise through as I did on earlier exams.

[deckeda]

Thanks guys.

C(-)ris wrote:
... Which training path are you looking for? IT, Pro Apps, Hardware? ...

Of the four shown, probably IT or Business since there's a lot of similarity among the certs that might more easily permit moving around or just getting established. Working with the Pro apps and related hardware is probably more fun but seems like perhaps a longer learning curve and/or more limited opportunities. Not sure why I feel that way.

[WHiiP]

Chakravartin wrote:
[quote=C(-)ris]
The only plus of going now is that you may be eligible to take a re-certification exam instead of the full blown exams for Lion depending on which certification you are looking at. I believe the Technical Coordinator in the past has had a single re-certification exam instead of two separate exams.

'Not sure that's an advantage. I found some of the questions on the Snow Leopard recertification to be trickier than the Leopard ACTC exam. I think they made it harder than the regular ACTC would have been. 'Still passed, but didn't cruise through as I did on earlier exams.
You keep getting older . . . :oldfogey:

[Jimmypoo]

If you people would just brush your teeth you wouldn't need Certs.

.