Just wanted to see if there were others out there in the world who were Avid Certified Users and what your experiences have been regarding your certification and other goodies from Avid?

My story:

I took part in the User Certification Exam Beta Program on Jan 25, 2010.  (that's last year), if you recieved a passing score you received Certification for free.  I passed, of course.  

In late June 2010 - (ie, 6 months after taking the test), I finally got an email thanking me for participating and there was a link that I was to follow in order to receive my ACU "kit"  I filled it out and waited....

Then on Aug 10, 2010 I received a DigiDelivery email that contained the logos and certificate etc.  Nearly 8 months had passed since taking the test and MC v5 had already been out for 2 months - making me think that now my MC v4 User Certification is obsolete

Anyway, fast-forward to today (Feb 24, 2011) - I received a FedEx envelope that contained one Official Certificate with Mr. Greenfield's signature photocopied onto it commemorating my achievement on becoming a Certified User of Media Composer 4.  That was it.  One piece of paper... which I had already received electronically in August 2010.  

The "Date of Certification" is listed on the document as July 2010.  I find it almost laughable that it really took this long to receive.  Really?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenton.VanNatten:

Anyway, fast-forward to today (Feb 24, 2011) - I received a FedEx envelope that contained one Official Certificate with Mr. Greenfield's signature photocopied onto it commemorating my achievement on becoming a Certified User of Media Composer 4.  That was it.  One piece of paper... which I had already received electronically in August 2010.

 

Avid's qualification process for paper is very strict and only paper that has passed engineering tests can be used to print official Avid material.  The up side is that if you experience any certificate problems you can call tech support as you have a "qualified" paper certificate.  Naturally you can print the electronic version on your own paper at your own risk but dont come here to the forums complaining that the ink has faded when clearly you have gone off on your own...

Oh man, that made me laugh!  I wish this forum had a "LIKE" button!!!  

Hi Kenton: I have been seeking Avid certification for THREE YEARS ! Every time I ask my reseller for information on the process, he just shrugs his shoulders and tells me they will get back to me, then promptly they never do ! I have sent emails to Avid and never received any response ! I have spoken with folks from the Toronto office, who told me they have courses in Toronto occasionally, but I live and work in Montreal, and can't just pick up and leave my business idle for a few weeks while I travel to another city to take courses or exams ! This is just one more thing, which makes me love Media Composer, but deeply resent being treated so poorly by Avid ! In Montreal, I can't even get off the ground with the company to get the certification, which I wanted !

Mark Job

Hi Mark,

Why do you want Avid certification?  I'm not trying to annoy you, but I've been cutting with Media Composer since 1997, and not once has anyone ever asked, "Are you certified to operate that system?"  My guess is a potential client/employer would be less impressed with certification than with a demo reel demonstrating work I'd done in the real world.  I'm sincerely wondering what you hope to gain out of certification.

ciao,
Carl 

camoscato:

Hi Mark,

Why do you want Avid certification?

….Hi Carl: I thought it might be a big plus on my resume, or give me a little more cache in my local market.

camoscato:

My guess is a potential client/employer would be less impressed with certification than with a demo reel demonstrating work I'd done in the real world.

…True enough. I think your body of work should speak the loudest of all regarding your true potential as an editor. I saw Avid certification as one more step up the ladder in my industry. Perhaps not ? In any case, I no longer give a damn, but the experience left a bitter taste in my mouth. Just one more thing in a long list of things to irritate me.

Respectfully,

Mark Job

 

Hi Mark,

Mark Job:

I thought it might be a big plus on my resume, or give me a little more cache in my local market.

I see what you mean.  In my experience, nobody who is good at evaluating talent cares about Avid certification.  To be honest, I don't see the point of certification for editing software.  It's not like a test where you either know something or don't know it; editing requires talent that can't be measured objectively.

Mark Job:

ust one more thing in a long list of things to irritate me.

You gotta learn to let stuff go.  

ciao,
Carl 

camoscato:

You gotta learn to let stuff go.

….Well, I have in that I don't really care about the Avid certification certificate anymore, but for me and my relationship with Avid the company, it has been death by a thousand cuts, so to speak. It's not anyone issue, rather it's a collective overall impression created by many small issues to produce one whole complete impression over a period of years, if you get my drift. Sorry, too many cokes today to let this one slip by unnoticed

Mark Job

Actually, the test is really hard and it's not an "editing" test it's a proficiency with Media Composer test.  I'm almost embarrassed to say that I only scored an 80, though there were some questions that I thought were a bit bogus.  Obviously, you don't have an Avid in front of you when you're taking the test so it's all 100% memory.  For example, I didn't realize until taking the test that the little button in the Effect Editor that you click to navigate to your photos in the Pan & Zoom effect was called "Other Options" - so I missed that question.  One question asks which key combination would you press to enter Multicam mode?  Things like that I don't commit to memory, so it's easy to get confused by the 4 combinations they present as choices.  

I don't think the test is meant to say that you're a good editor, but I think it can help when you're trying to land a new job with a new client when you can have "Media Composer Certified User" in your signature and on your business collateral.  It is supposed to insure that you know what you're doing and that you take yourself seriously.  

Also Mark, I just took the Exam at Future Media Concepts.  I didn't have to take a litany of courses first.  Though, you can take a bunch of courses online through FMC (fmctraining.com)

 

Just as an aside, back in October of 2010, I participated in an evaluation conference call regarding a beta version of a website revision, and as a token of their appreciation, I was told I'd receive a mousepad in the mail. I'm still waiting for it.

Kenton.VanNatten:

Also Mark, I just took the Exam at Future Media Concepts.  I didn't have to take a litany of courses first.  Though, you can take a bunch of courses online through FMC (fmctraining.com)

 

…Hi Kenton: As far as I'm concerned, I am still a student of Media Composer. I occasionally refer to myself as a competent MC editor, (which I consider myself to be), but I'm not completely comfortable always doing so. It seems every other week I learn a new command, and MC never gets boring. The more keyboard commands and short cuts I learn, the faster edit sessions are going, and this excites me. My slow development as an MC editor was another reason I got really paranoid about upgrading to 5.x. I don't think I can deal with too many radical changes in the keyboard command structure at this stage in my development as an MC editor. I think I need stability and continuity as I grow. I get really nervous about stuff like that when it comes to using the device for paying jobs. I hope this makes sense ?

Mark Job

 

Hey Kenton,

Kenton.VanNatten:

Actually, the test is really hard and it's not an "editing" test it's a proficiency with Media Composer test.  I'm almost embarrassed to say that I only scored an 80....

That's what I mean.  I've seen your work, I know you know what you're doing, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you to someone else.  If some guy I don't know was looking for work in your area and told me he was Avid certified, that wouldn't make me recommend him over you (in the absence of any other evidence he knew what he was doing).

I think certification might be useful for an assistant or tape op trying to show dedication to learning and a desire to take on editing work, but I wouldn't suggest a working editor with clients or a staff job needs to be certified, or would get much benefit from certification.

ciao,
Carl 

 

camoscato:

That's what I mean.  I've seen your work,

Hi Carl: Here's my latest short subject documentary. Can you check it out on YouTube and give me your feedback, please ?  A Home is More than 4 Walls and a Roof.  Please note I have changed an on screen title at the park sequence to one which pops more. 

Mark Job

Hi Mark,

Rather than clog up the forum, I'll PM you.

ciao,
Carl