Mac OS X certification...
- Thread starter gerbick
- Start date
gerbick,
Press 3 Certifications are an extension of this site. It is a work in progress and will be fine tuned for months. It is an ongoing process, and paving the path for our expansion here.
Our goal is to bring quality certifications to Mac users. It won't be huge over night, but give it some time, and by supporting it (getting certified) you show your support for Press 3 & for macosx.com.
Admin
Press 3 Certifications are an extension of this site. It is a work in progress and will be fine tuned for months. It is an ongoing process, and paving the path for our expansion here.
Our goal is to bring quality certifications to Mac users. It won't be huge over night, but give it some time, and by supporting it (getting certified) you show your support for Press 3 & for macosx.com.
Admin
Thanks for the reply. Trust me when I say that I'm curious. As an MCSE+I (yes, certified by the dark side 
) I am noticing more and more businesses are switching to MacOS X desktops. I'm even doing that at my own house, it seems.
Certification is a path that I would like to follow. Not only would it increase my knowledge on X, but it would validate any and all claims I have about the OS.
regardless, I wish you guys luck. and look for me to be taking those exams soon
) I am noticing more and more businesses are switching to MacOS X desktops. I'm even doing that at my own house, it seems.Certification is a path that I would like to follow. Not only would it increase my knowledge on X, but it would validate any and all claims I have about the OS.
regardless, I wish you guys luck. and look for me to be taking those exams soon
shrill
Registered
I took the test, and am Mac OS X certified now (can't wait to see my certificate!). I'm still waiting for the other certifications (Classic Mac OS and Mac OS Hardware) to come online, so I can be a "MacCSE."
I know for me, the certification was important since there really aren't any Mac certifications out there (except the Certified Apple Tech). That means that there's no way to tell prospective clients and employers that you really know anything about Macintoshes.
To put it in another perspective, good Mac knowledge is so hard to come by, you often see a lot of jobs that are mystically titled, implying knowledge of Macintosh is an Arcane Art. Some of my favorites are "Mac Guru," "Mac Thaumaturgist," and the like; poor Windows folks just get "Technician." Quite often, the title is unofficial .. in my last job everyone called me "The Mac God."
Now that I'm certified, I can back up my deity status with a piece of paper
There's also the one-sided problem of certifications. For PCs you've got CNE, MCSE, A+, etc. Up until now, Macs had "Apple Certified Tech" (and that's only a year old or so).
The Mac world needs a good, independant certification. And if they ever get the tests online, I think it will be
- seth -
I know for me, the certification was important since there really aren't any Mac certifications out there (except the Certified Apple Tech). That means that there's no way to tell prospective clients and employers that you really know anything about Macintoshes.
To put it in another perspective, good Mac knowledge is so hard to come by, you often see a lot of jobs that are mystically titled, implying knowledge of Macintosh is an Arcane Art. Some of my favorites are "Mac Guru," "Mac Thaumaturgist," and the like; poor Windows folks just get "Technician." Quite often, the title is unofficial .. in my last job everyone called me "The Mac God."
Now that I'm certified, I can back up my deity status with a piece of paper
There's also the one-sided problem of certifications. For PCs you've got CNE, MCSE, A+, etc. Up until now, Macs had "Apple Certified Tech" (and that's only a year old or so).
The Mac world needs a good, independant certification. And if they ever get the tests online, I think it will be
- seth -
cybergoober
Neomaxizoomdweebie
Umm, that's not entirely true. Apple now offers two additional certifications. Apple Certified Technical Coordinator and Apple Certified System Administrator. You can learn more about them here. I've taken the Mac OS X Administration Basics class and Exam. Look forward to the Press 3 certs, as well.
A couple of different ways:
1) Apple Certification
You can research Apple's Information and go take a series of exams for around $150/each, plus you might want to take one of the classes to go along with it, which will run you $1000-$2000. I believe though, you have to take numerous exams as well.
2) Press 3 Certification
Press 3 provides independent certification for Mac OS X. The Mac OS X Exam runs $40 and you can take it online. You can take 3 Exams and pursue Press 3's MacCSE program. Right now if you purchase all three, you can get Master Mac OS X (800 page book) for free. http://www.press3.com.
Both companies stand behind their certifications. The choice is yours.
Admin
1) Apple Certification
You can research Apple's Information and go take a series of exams for around $150/each, plus you might want to take one of the classes to go along with it, which will run you $1000-$2000. I believe though, you have to take numerous exams as well.
2) Press 3 Certification
Press 3 provides independent certification for Mac OS X. The Mac OS X Exam runs $40 and you can take it online. You can take 3 Exams and pursue Press 3's MacCSE program. Right now if you purchase all three, you can get Master Mac OS X (800 page book) for free. http://www.press3.com.
Both companies stand behind their certifications. The choice is yours.
Admin
jackshedd
a bastard.
Is they are a useless way to judge an employee.
Two of the worst techs I have ever encountered were MCSE going on three years with the certs. They knew very little theory, and instead, relied heavily on Microsoft's documentation to explain to them just what to do.
Perfect quote:
"Microsoft says that shouldn't happen. It must be a hardware failure."
Two months later, Microsoft admitted it was a bug.
Luckily, my boss, a real GURU, figured out the problem, and saved our client for a costly server upgrade. Guess what? My boss has no certs. At all.
He can do things that make your head spin off.
There's a training college here called Devry. I'm not sure if they have nationwide centers or not. As a general rule around here, no one hires Devry grads until they have 5 years experience under their belt.
Computers are more like art then something like mathematics. Formula's don't always apply. Especially for programmers. There are ussually quite a few ways to fix things, all exceptable, and every person arrives there in different ways.
Yes, there are standard ways to diagnose a problem, but it depends on how you want to diagnose. A rival firm to my own uses the unique 'clean install" method for their clients. They have the clients completely rebuild their systems every month...no matter what's wrong.
Before you ask, no, not a single client as a complaint about the stability of thier machines, nor the bills they recieve. A clean install of all applications and the system, with only mail migration, can be done with under an hour for most clients, while a hardcore troubleshoot can last upwards of six.
Does the competing firms method work? Yes, for the most part. Machines are always fresh, drives always unfragged, and everything is neatly organized.
However, isn't that kinda like buying a new car everytime you have a flat tire, only to find out there was a nail in your driveway?
This is why many Macintosh technicians are among the worst. Once they learn the easy way to fix things, they always use this method, and their knowledge base never expands. It's very similar to when Gateway tells you to re-install windows because your modem isn't dialing ( this happened to me ).
The Macintosh can be the easiest system in the world to fix. Reinstalls are simple, and correct 90% of problems. Ussually.
Nastly bugs are often documented, and you can fly by the seat of your pants with Apple's pull-aparts and walkthroughs when your dealing with hardware.
You can even get certified using these skills. Apple's cert is little more then learning how to reference the Apple Tech Info Library, and Apple Spec databases. They give you a copy to work with in the tests. Know the system well enough, and you can pass with no information at all before hand, aside from mac basics.
Again, trust me, I've seen people do it.
I haven't checked out apple's latest certs, although I plan on taking them to add another logo to my resume...in the end, that's all it does. It's resume decoration. Just like A+. MCSE, and CLP have been.
Now Cisco's certs are damn hard. DAMN hard. I failed two of them the first time through. But, when I finally passed, I knew I knew something. Why? Cisco's certs focus on theory, not obtuse knowledge. Sure, you need to know the proper commands to configure NAT and how to set up a IPSEC VPN connection, but, most of the questions asked are all theory based. Things like, "What is the best setup for x and y to do z."
With answers that vary effectively, elimating chioce elimination strategies from the fold.
Anyway, that's my two cents
Two of the worst techs I have ever encountered were MCSE going on three years with the certs. They knew very little theory, and instead, relied heavily on Microsoft's documentation to explain to them just what to do.
Perfect quote:
"Microsoft says that shouldn't happen. It must be a hardware failure."
Two months later, Microsoft admitted it was a bug.
Luckily, my boss, a real GURU, figured out the problem, and saved our client for a costly server upgrade. Guess what? My boss has no certs. At all.
He can do things that make your head spin off.
There's a training college here called Devry. I'm not sure if they have nationwide centers or not. As a general rule around here, no one hires Devry grads until they have 5 years experience under their belt.
Computers are more like art then something like mathematics. Formula's don't always apply. Especially for programmers. There are ussually quite a few ways to fix things, all exceptable, and every person arrives there in different ways.
Yes, there are standard ways to diagnose a problem, but it depends on how you want to diagnose. A rival firm to my own uses the unique 'clean install" method for their clients. They have the clients completely rebuild their systems every month...no matter what's wrong.
Before you ask, no, not a single client as a complaint about the stability of thier machines, nor the bills they recieve. A clean install of all applications and the system, with only mail migration, can be done with under an hour for most clients, while a hardcore troubleshoot can last upwards of six.
Does the competing firms method work? Yes, for the most part. Machines are always fresh, drives always unfragged, and everything is neatly organized.
However, isn't that kinda like buying a new car everytime you have a flat tire, only to find out there was a nail in your driveway?
This is why many Macintosh technicians are among the worst. Once they learn the easy way to fix things, they always use this method, and their knowledge base never expands. It's very similar to when Gateway tells you to re-install windows because your modem isn't dialing ( this happened to me ).
The Macintosh can be the easiest system in the world to fix. Reinstalls are simple, and correct 90% of problems. Ussually.
Nastly bugs are often documented, and you can fly by the seat of your pants with Apple's pull-aparts and walkthroughs when your dealing with hardware.
You can even get certified using these skills. Apple's cert is little more then learning how to reference the Apple Tech Info Library, and Apple Spec databases. They give you a copy to work with in the tests. Know the system well enough, and you can pass with no information at all before hand, aside from mac basics.
Again, trust me, I've seen people do it.
I haven't checked out apple's latest certs, although I plan on taking them to add another logo to my resume...in the end, that's all it does. It's resume decoration. Just like A+. MCSE, and CLP have been.
Now Cisco's certs are damn hard. DAMN hard. I failed two of them the first time through. But, when I finally passed, I knew I knew something. Why? Cisco's certs focus on theory, not obtuse knowledge. Sure, you need to know the proper commands to configure NAT and how to set up a IPSEC VPN connection, but, most of the questions asked are all theory based. Things like, "What is the best setup for x and y to do z."
With answers that vary effectively, elimating chioce elimination strategies from the fold.
Anyway, that's my two cents
tagliatelle
_____________________
I have a graduate in informatics and I'm not paid for it. I see that Apple is selling reasonable. I think that I have to much old computerstuff.
shrill
Registered
jackshedd ..
point well taken. When i was working tech support a while back, we learned quickly that the worst calls were always the people who announced "and you can talk tech to me, I've got an MSCE" at the beginning of the call. This more often than not meant that you had to speak *really* slowly. More than one MCSE couldn't didn't have a clue what an IRQ was, or where the Device Manager was in Windows. It's rediculous.
But, like college degrees, people are more likely to get hired if they have a certification or two. It's not a substiture for qualifications or skill, but they help round out the resume, and suggests to the employer that you're serious about the profession.
It all boils down the same as everything else. There are people who get it, and people who don't
point well taken. When i was working tech support a while back, we learned quickly that the worst calls were always the people who announced "and you can talk tech to me, I've got an MSCE" at the beginning of the call. This more often than not meant that you had to speak *really* slowly. More than one MCSE couldn't didn't have a clue what an IRQ was, or where the Device Manager was in Windows. It's rediculous.
But, like college degrees, people are more likely to get hired if they have a certification or two. It's not a substiture for qualifications or skill, but they help round out the resume, and suggests to the employer that you're serious about the profession.
It all boils down the same as everything else. There are people who get it, and people who don't