Are Software Certifications Worth It?

[Walter Biscardi]

In my opinion they’re not worth much of anything quite honestly unless you want to go into teaching. If you want to be a teacher or an instructor at a school or training company, then you need it.

Otherwise, those certifications from Apple, Adobe and others simply tell me you know how to push the buttons the way those companies want you to push the buttons. It doesn’t tell me that you know how to craft a story, assemble a graphic or create that animation I need.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media

“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” Winner, Best Documentary, LA Reel Film Festival.

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[Jim Biffle]

Walter,

Thanks for the input, it’s much appreciated although somewhat of a bummer. I’m not planning to be a teacher or instructor, although it might not be a bad idea for a backup plan or extra cash. I just thought these certifications could be used as leverage for salary negotiations in future jobs.

Again, the input and honesty is much appreciated!

Thanks,

Jim

[John Cuevas]

One pro to consider. I’d been editing for nearly 7 years when my boss offered to pay for a couple of Avid certifications. Thought why not and took the classes. While the certs didn’t make me a better editor, they did make me a more efficient editor. Picked up quite a few techniques and workflow things I would not have discovered otherwise.

So from that POV it was worth it.

As far as hiring anyone, I’ve never looked at anyone’s resume to see what certs they had.

Johnny Cuevas, Editor

[Mike Cohen]

I get the impression that certifications sold by Apple and Adobe are simply attempts by Apple and Adobe to make more money for Apple and Adobe.

Don’t get me wrong, I love these companies, but the best way to become proficient at software is to use it on a daily basis on projects. There are enough tutorials online and on DVD’s costing a lot less than the certified training classes to teach you much of what you need to know. But experience is what you need, not a certificate to hang on your wall.

Mike Cohen

[Todd Terry]

I never care one whit whether an employee is certified in anything or not. The couple of best After Effects guys I know and have used certainly are not, and I’m pretty sure they have no intentions of becoming certified.

I only care that someone is great at what they do, and a certification doesn’t mean that they are. You can be a certified button-pusher, but there’s no such thing as a certified artist.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Michael Kammes]

I think much depends on the type of certifications: creative vs technical.

While I could not agree more with Walter AND Jim (free is good…sometimes!) Technical chops is important for assistants. The assistant has to solve what the lead can’t – or won’t – or doesn’t have time to – fix.

Avid has the ACSR program, and Apple may still have a more technical training program. Maybe. Not sure about Adobe.

~Michael

.: michael kammes mpse
.: senior applications editor . post workflow consultant
.: audio specialist . act fcp . acsr
.: michaelkammes.com

[Mark A. stuart]

Can I become a certified Creative Cow blogger? lol

-Mark
Mark A. Stuart
Producer/Director/Editor

Art is completely subjective. It’s up to the viewer to judge whether or not it has merit. -Ken Danby

[Jim Biffle]

Thanks everyone for your input! It has been most helpful and made me look at this in a different light.

I would like to say that I don’t feel like I’ve totally wasted my time. As John pointed out I did learn a lot of workflow tips and new things that I probably wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

I would also like to clarify that I did not take any classes. I learned by watching tutorials and reading articles on here and other websites. I also bought the Classroom in a Book series and a study guide to help. I have the software at home that I use on a daily basis as well and that helps a ton. Also, my employer is not funding this venture at all. It’s all on my personal dime and time.

I had initially started this venture as a way to better my skills and while it has I now feel as though I got caught up in the hype about the value of certifications. Not that they are worthless, just that they probably won’t help me get to where I want to be as much as I thought they would.

Mike, you’re probably right on Apple and Adobe selling these certifications to make more money. After all they are a business. Also, I couldn’t agree more that the best way to become profeciant with programs is to use them on a regular basis. Once I had access to programs like Photoshop and After Effects readily available I couldn’t put them down. I try to learn something new everyday.

Michael, The ACE exams focus on things like assigning color profiles, how to save and use selections, specific outputs for devices (print, web, video) etc. A lot of which I had no clue on how to do other than the video side.

Todd, I certainly don’t want to be known as a certified button pusher. Your point of view is exactly what has been creeping into my mind lately resulting in this post. Thanks!

John, thanks for your point of view as well. I think the technical skills are a good thing to have along with the creative skills.

Everyone brought good points of view to the discussion.
Thanks again everyone!

Jim

[Timothy J. allen]

I’m going to weigh in on the other side.

We typically get hundreds of resumes when we post for a new position at NASA. While the demo reel and the interview are the real key to landing a position, having a certification can certainly help push your resume in the “second look” pile.

I’ve taken some of the courses in Tewksbury and have certifications in a variety of software so I know first hand they may or may not mean anything as far as judging an applicant’s creativity, expertise, or even basic ability. However, a recent certification from Avid or Adobe hints that the applicant is probably up for learning new things – which is a vital characteristic in my book.

If they do list recent training and have good references and a good reel, I will ask them what they learned in the training during our interview. The secret is that I’m not so much looking for them to tell me that they learned that pushing “button X” will result in “Y.” What I look for is the attitude they show toward that training; what really motivated them to take it? Was it because they “had to”, or were they generally motivated to get better at their craft?

Their impressions and recounts of their training tells me quite a bit about whether they would fit into an environment where advanced continual training is both expected and considered an important thing.

[Scott Sheriff]

Timothy,
P1
“I’ve taken some of the courses in Tewksbury and have certifications in a variety of software so I know first hand they may or may not mean anything as far as judging an applicant’s creativity, expertise, or even basic ability.”

P2
“Was it because they “had to”, or were they generally motivated to get better at their craft?”

Interesting how these two statements are in conflict. First paragraph is an admission that certifications are meaningless even for judging basic ability. But the sentence from the second paragraph implies that getting better (or being good) at your ‘craft’, is somehow related to training and certification.
This points out the basic flaw in using certification as a resume’ filter.
It may (most likely IMHO) keep out those that are actually good editors, and let in those that are good at taking tests, or see the world through the IT departments eyes. These type of folks are generally not the best editors, even if they can rattle off every KB shortcut from memory.
Editing is a craft, not a set skill that you can use a benchmark to determine someones ability.
Does a four year Art History Major make you Picasso? No.
Does certification make you an editor? No.
What makes you an editor is your problem solving and decision making skills, your eye, your ear, your style.
None of which can be learned from a certification course.
Problem #2 in using this as a yardstick, is that the world is changing so fast that these courses are probably out of date, by the time you get through them. A good editor will be self-motivated to keep up to date with the latest codecs, and formats on his own, and not waste time on things that are out of date. That wasted time could be better spent actually editing.
And does certification show your desire, or level of motivation?
Perhaps, or perhaps not.
It could just as easily be argued that those who are trying to break in by using certification, are actually less motivated.
Why?
Because they could be seen as looking for a short-cut, or to bypass the ‘pay your dues’ phase of the job, and jump to the front of the line with the least amount of work. And that is where you do the most learning.

Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com