Apple Certified Technician

tapdn · January 15, 2010, 01:50:10 PM

Apple Certified Technician: Has anybody done this? Did you use Apple's online training course (http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA714Z/A) before you took the test?

Slappy · January 15, 2010, 01:59:50 PM

Funny you should ask, I looked at it a few times and was a little dismayed & confused by how any courses (and the cost) it would take to actually become certified. Then there's the question of whether I'd rather go hardware or software - or both eventually. I'm going to contact a guy locally who runs a very successful Apple Certified Repair shop. They always seem to be hiring lately, I'm going to try and get his take on whether I'm a viable candidate and some general info on the business growth etc.

Print is dead, I don't even want to look at going to another shop honestly. It's a shame to walk away with so man years of experience & relationships, but I don't honestly see it getting better any time soon if at all.

tapdn · January 15, 2010, 02:10:01 PM

I've been thinking about something to do to keep me busy when/ if I retire. Not a business to make a lot of money, but just do something I like and have always done "informally"anyway. There's not a Apple Certified Technician that I know of in this area.
From what I have gathered so far it is a simple matter of taking the test to become certified. Good idea to talk with some repair shops who are doing this sort of thing.

G_Town · January 15, 2010, 02:15:39 PM

Quote from: Slappy on January 15, 2010, 01:59:50 PMFunny you should ask, I looked at it a few times and was a little dismayed & confused by how any courses (and the cost) it would take to actually become certified. Then there's the question of whether I'd rather go hardware or software - or both eventually. I'm going to contact a guy locally who runs a very successful Apple Certified Repair shop. They always seem to be hiring lately, I'm going to try and get his take on whether I'm a viable candidate and some general info on the business growth etc.

Print is dead, I don't even want to look at going to another shop honestly. It's a shame to walk away with so man years of experience & relationships, but I don't honestly see it getting better any time soon if at all.

Not from where I'm sitting it aint :tongue:

jezza · January 15, 2010, 07:09:25 PM

I've looked at this as well. It's tremendously expensive, and I don't think I'd ever get my money back looking at the wages - less than prepress a few years ago. But I was looking at the software side of thing. Jeeeeeeeezz, if I'd gone through with it, I'd be bored out my wits in a genius bar somewhere fixing the same thing over and over again

frailer · January 15, 2010, 08:06:41 PM

Right now I could use you here, jez. Co-worker's neglected Mac needs a wipe and re-install, by the looks. Oh BTW, it's warm/hot here.
I'll look up cheap air fares now. :cheesy:
And I reckon you'd be in the top percentile, Cert or no Cert! :laugh:

Joe · January 15, 2010, 08:31:41 PM

I'll do it for half price! :evil:

DigitalCrapShoveler · January 15, 2010, 10:22:37 PM

Quote from: G_Town on January 15, 2010, 02:15:39 PM
Quote from: Slappy on January 15, 2010, 01:59:50 PMFunny you should ask, I looked at it a few times and was a little dismayed & confused by how any courses (and the cost) it would take to actually become certified. Then there's the question of whether I'd rather go hardware or software - or both eventually. I'm going to contact a guy locally who runs a very successful Apple Certified Repair shop. They always seem to be hiring lately, I'm going to try and get his take on whether I'm a viable candidate and some general info on the business growth etc.

Print is dead, I don't even want to look at going to another shop honestly. It's a shame to walk away with so man years of experience & relationships, but I don't honestly see it getting better any time soon if at all.

Not from where I'm sitting it aint :tongue:

I agree. We were slow for a few months, but now? It's ridiculous how busy we are and I am getting a shitload of freelance, too. If anything, it's picked up.

jezza · January 16, 2010, 02:25:18 AM

Quote from: Joe on January 15, 2010, 08:31:41 PMI'll do it for half price! :evil:

I'll get it right :wink:

Slappy · January 19, 2010, 04:36:05 PM

Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on January 15, 2010, 10:22:37 PMNot from where I'm sitting it aint :tongue:

QuoteI agree. We were slow for a few months, but now? It's ridiculous how busy we are and I am getting a shitload of freelance, too. If anything, it's picked up.

I don't believe it will last though, and the way shops are just prone to close without any warning whatsoever, I feel like I'd better have another skill ready, ya know?

jezza · January 19, 2010, 05:34:23 PM

There will always be a need...

However you will always have to buy food

tapdn · January 19, 2010, 05:36:35 PM

When I retire I think I had rather fix Macs than be a Wal-Mart greeter

youston · January 19, 2010, 05:45:02 PM

Quote from: Slappy on January 19, 2010, 04:36:05 PMI don't believe it will last though, and the way shops are just prone to close without any warning whatsoever, I feel like I'd better have another skill ready, ya know?

Learn how to write for and use a complex cross-media variable data program. Become fluent writing sql queries. Learn how to use a robust database platform like SQL. Learn PHP and ASP, and how to create PURL sites. Position yourself in a company that does a lot of one-to-one marketing type stuff. Marketing is absolutely never going away, and when the printing side wanes, you can easily make the jump over to the Internet side.

I really, REALLY didn't want to be taken out of prepess and plopped down in the programming department, but I can honestly say that had I not made that change, I would be looking for a job right now. (Well, actually, I *am* looking for another job, kinda, but I wouldn't be doing it from the position of having a job while I was looking.)

It's a natural extension of the skill set you've developed in your prepress job -- actually, I've had to learn a TON more about Illustrator and Photoshop since making the move -- and it gives you security moving forward (until global oneness of thought makes the Internet unnecessary ... you're on your own after that).

Joe · January 19, 2010, 09:59:20 PM

Quote from: youston on January 19, 2010, 05:45:02 PM
Quote from: Slappy on January 19, 2010, 04:36:05 PMI don't believe it will last though, and the way shops are just prone to close without any warning whatsoever, I feel like I'd better have another skill ready, ya know?

Learn how to write for and use a complex cross-media variable data program. Become fluent writing sql queries. Learn how to use a robust database platform like SQL. Learn PHP and ASP, and how to create PURL sites. Position yourself in a company that does a lot of one-to-one marketing type stuff. Marketing is absolutely never going away, and when the printing side wanes, you can easily make the jump over to the Internet side.

I really, REALLY didn't want to be taken out of prepess and plopped down in the programming department, but I can honestly say that had I not made that change, I would be looking for a job right now. (Well, actually, I *am* looking for another job, kinda, but I wouldn't be doing it from the position of having a job while I was looking.)

It's a natural extension of the skill set you've developed in your prepress job -- actually, I've had to learn a TON more about Illustrator and Photoshop since making the move -- and it gives you security moving forward (until global oneness of thought makes the Internet unnecessary ... you're on your own after that).

Hey Professor, what time does class start? I'm ready to learn.

Joe · January 19, 2010, 10:12:33 PM

Quote from: Slappy on January 19, 2010, 04:36:05 PM
Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on January 15, 2010, 10:22:37 PMNot from where I'm sitting it aint :tongue:
QuoteI agree. We were slow for a few months, but now? It's ridiculous how busy we are and I am getting a shitload of freelance, too. If anything, it's picked up.
I don't believe it will last though, and the way shops are just prone to close without any warning whatsoever, I feel like I'd better have another skill ready, ya know?

I've been thinking more and more like this as well. The two people that replied that nothing has slowed down in their shops are both doing packaging. There will always be packages. For those of us doing magazines and newspapers the writing is on the wall. I had always hoped to be able to get out and retire before the anvil dropped on my head but that is looking less and less likely. I read that print advertising was down 19% in 2009 over 2008. More and more of those ad dollars are going to go to the web. There is no doubt in my mind about it. Combine with that the new workflows that take in PDF's and spit them out at a rate that was unimaginable 10 years ago. When I started in this trade it took a shop of 20 people 2 weeks to get out an issue of Cosmopolitan. Nine years ago when that plant closed it took 5 people about a week. Today that amount of work is done by one person in a day. PDF's are easier to make than ever. We get almost no jobs that are native anymore and with the automation that gets better and better everyday, prepress in shops like mine is going to be one person just to make sure everything keeps moving along. Probably an IT type person that knows a little prepress and it probably wouldn't hurt to know a little of the stuff youston mentioned. Print is not dead but it's far from healthy.

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Apple Certified Technician