Measure the Quality of Certifications

Don't even get me started about getting 9.66 questions out of 10 correct.

Recently, I updated my Apple Support Professional certification to Snow Leopard.  One of our company values is “High quality of work.”  Apple Certification speaks to this value by recognizing our technical competency and helping us maintain credibility as the area’s best Mac support.

But this certification is simply passing a Support Essentials test: 86 questions taken in a closed environment to prove that you know the material.  When the test is over, a passing grade means you can safely boast that you know many of the underlying functions of OS X and how to support it.  Or can you?

Don’t assume that just because someone says they are Apple Certified that they will deliver the highest quality of work to you and your Mac.

Certification can prove that someone knows a topic or it can prove that they can memorize some material long enough to pass a test.  This is the reason a doctor has to be in residency for at least 2 years before being granted a license. Without a sufficient amount of real world experience, a certification means nothing.

Anyone can plunk down $200 and take the test.  You can prepare for it by taking a $2000 week-long class, buying a $40 book… or you can really know the material.

My preparation for the test was to take 20 minutes to make sure I’m thinking “Apple’s way,” and then to rely on 20 years of Mac experience.  I was in and out of the 2.5 hour test in 40 minutes.  I don’t say this to brag – ok, maybe a little – but rather to point out that my Apple certificate is not memorization of a book, or a class I just took; it’s a representation of a skill set I already have.

Starting in April, my team and I have been holding weekly training sessions with the Support Essentials curriculum as our guide.  Like me, their skills are not the result of memorizing a book – it’s from months of solid review and training, as well as at least a year or two of working under my guidance with Macs and OS X Server.

When you see one of your BestMacs team in the Apple Certification Registry, you’ll know that the title represents a true understanding of the Mac and that this will translate into the best quality of work for you.

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