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lurch99 · Jun 30, 2002, 08:24 PM

Hey Folks,

Am wondering if anyone has any comments or experience with this APPLE APPLECARE TECHNICIAN TRAINING. Also, there is another company called Press 3 offering something called MacCSE certification, but this doesn't appear to be even endorsed by Apple. Any light on this would help me a lot, thanks.

Lurch

imafreak · Jul 1, 2002, 04:14 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by lurch99:
Hey Folks,

Am wondering if anyone has any comments or experience with this APPLE APPLECARE TECHNICIAN TRAINING. Also, there is another company called Press 3 offering something called MacCSE certification, but this doesn't appear to be even endorsed by Apple. Any light on this would help me a lot, thanks.

Lurch<hr /></blockquote>Don't waste your time and money.

::maroma:: · Jul 1, 2002, 04:45 PM

Um, DO waste your time and money if you plan on getting a job that requires certification. I'm not sure which program is best, but it all depends on what your future plans are. It's kinda pointless to get these certifications if you aren't going to use it in a job or something.

CommonSense · Jul 1, 2002, 07:58 PM

The MacCSE isn't entirely worthless. (Of course, maybe I'm trying to justify having spent the $99 for it myself.) It's three certifications in one, and yes, I know it's not recognized by Apple. But a lot of the places you go to for employment may not really be so concerned with that distinction. What they know is that you've taken a reasonably thorough test on your knowledge of OS 9, OS X, and hardware issues, and passed it.

Yes, it's web-based, which technically means you could sit with another browser window open and look up the answers (if you can do it in the 60 seconds or so you get per question), but that wouldn't be the easiest thing in the world to do. And besides, what kind of company would expect you to do the job totally from memory all the time, NEVER using the Web or other tools at your disposal?

Of course, just as a CYA move, I'm going for my ACTC also.

maxelson · Jul 2, 2002, 07:56 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by imafreak:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by lurch99:
Hey Folks,

Am wondering if anyone has any comments or experience with this APPLE APPLECARE TECHNICIAN TRAINING. Also, there is another company called Press 3 offering something called MacCSE certification, but this doesn't appear to be even endorsed by Apple. Any light on this would help me a lot, thanks.

Lurch<hr /></blockquote>Don't waste your time and money.<hr /></blockquote>Disagree. I took it. I got the cert. It is the reason I enjoy the very well paying and incredibly enjoyable position I have today. Yeah, you can get a job at a small shop without the cert. Hell, I could have gotten a job here without the cert- at 20K LESS. But the likelyhood that I would have found out the job would have been next to nil. These people called ME.
I suppose it depends on what you want to do. Want a summer job with Macs and trusting your future to people networking or do you want a career- a good paying well settled job. Like it or not, Mac genius or not, a lot of those type of employers want to see the cert. And, in my experience with companies and clients I deal with every day (In cluding Apple), as Macs become more prolific in the workplace (and they are), companies want the certs.

maxelson · Jul 2, 2002, 07:59 AM

Also. Remember. If you're good enough, you've got no need to take the training. If you know you've got the smarts, just take the tests. But talk to someone who already has before you do to make sure you are not cheesing yourself out of $125 with a fail grade.

Admiral Ozzel's Hat · Jul 3, 2002, 12:32 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by maxelson:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by imafreak:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by lurch99:
Hey Folks,

Am wondering if anyone has any comments or experience with this APPLE APPLECARE TECHNICIAN TRAINING. Also, there is another company called Press 3 offering something called MacCSE certification, but this doesn't appear to be even endorsed by Apple. Any light on this would help me a lot, thanks.

Lurch<hr /></blockquote>Don't waste your time and money.<hr /></blockquote>Disagree. I took it. I got the cert. It is the reason I enjoy the very well paying and incredibly enjoyable position I have today. Yeah, you can get a job at a small shop without the cert. Hell, I could have gotten a job here without the cert- at 20K LESS. But the likelyhood that I would have found out the job would have been next to nil. These people called ME.
I suppose it depends on what you want to do. Want a summer job with Macs and trusting your future to people networking or do you want a career- a good paying well settled job. Like it or not, Mac genius or not, a lot of those type of employers want to see the cert. And, in my experience with companies and clients I deal with every day (In cluding Apple), as Macs become more prolific in the workplace (and they are), companies want the certs.<hr /></blockquote>Which one do you have the Applecare one or the MacCSE certification?

maxelson · Jul 3, 2002, 07:57 AM

I got me the Apple Certified Technician thang and I am two courses into the ACSE. Like to get that one. Also working Sun and (ulp) Dell stuff right now. Sun stuff was a lot of, well, fun. But they have a TON of courses. I only have a coule (and they were also very useful for deeper OS X understanding and provided some useful tools).
To me, the decision to get or not depends on what you'd like to do with it. If it is for your own edification, well, the name means nothing. If you're looking for the type of job I described, though, I'd say get the Apple certs. After yesterday's short discussion here, I asked my boss why the Apple Cert. He said it was a simple criteria, and he knew exactly WHAT my training content was. He knew what the scores meant.

Xaositect · Jul 3, 2002, 09:23 AM

Another angle:

If you're going to be fixing hardware in warranty, AppleCare Certification.

Want to show you know the software? Apple Certified Trainer

Want to show you know OS X Server? ACTC/ACSA

go to <a href="http://train.apple.com" target="_blank">http://train.apple.com</a> for more info on the last two. I also recommend the CompTIA certs - A+, Network+, I-net+, etc. Many places require them even if they don't seem to directly apply to your position. <a href="http://comptia.org/" target="_blank">http://comptia.org/</a>

To your specific question, if you are going into in-warranty hardware repair, the AppleCare cert is required. Out of warranty, any Apple cert is more than most of your competition will have but the AppleCare cert will be better than the others. The CompTIA certs will also be very important as well. If you're not doing break/fix, then it's useless except as a personal achievement.

JHromadka · Jul 3, 2002, 09:59 AM

Are there any self-train books or software available for the Apple certifications?

maxelson · Jul 3, 2002, 11:39 AM

There are for the new ACTC/ ACSE courses. Coriolis, I think, does one. I know exam cram has one.
As far as the Apple Cert. Tech, I know of none. And not for lack of looking.
And I will still disagree with those who would say that it is a waste to do the Apple Course. The thing is quality and I don't care what your level of expertise is. You're going to learn something.

daimoni · 12:42 PM

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