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CEDIA Certifications: Naming protocol has changed
This thread has 24 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Thursday November 5, 2015 at 16:32
2nd rick
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Hello,
I wanted to put this up on it's own thread so it's not buried in other discussions.

The Certification names of the past are officially gone.
Here are the new names, and the equivalents if you were familiar with the old labeling.

Rick Murphy
Troy, MI
Post 2 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 00:42
radiorhea
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anyone of those titles and 5 bucks still won't get you a cup of coffee at Ratsbucks
Drinking upstream from the herd since 1960
Post 3 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 00:42
radiorhea
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8>0
Drinking upstream from the herd since 1960
Post 4 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 09:57
Archibald "Harry" Tuttle
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What's a cedia?
I came into this game for the action, the excitement. Go anywhere, travel light, get in, get out, wherever there's AV trouble, a man alone.
Post 5 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 12:31
juliejacobson
CE Pro Magazine
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(Rick, you should have known that was coming)
"CEPro: your website sucks!" - Fins
www.cepro.com
[Link: twitter.com]
Post 6 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 12:34
kgossen
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Do they think that renaming them will make anybody care?

I remember taking the installer test years ago, the average 10 year old could have passed it.
"Quality isn't expensive, it's Priceless!"
Post 7 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 13:12
highfigh
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On November 6, 2015 at 12:34, kgossen said...
Do they think that renaming them will make anybody care?

I remember taking the installer test years ago, the average 10 year old could have passed it.

And yet, some had a hard time finishing in the allotted time. The other guy from the company we worked for needed the whole test period and when we were installing the owner's theater, he couldn't calculate a simple series/parallel speaker load for the four butt-kickers so they wouldn't cause the amp to shut down.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
OP | Post 8 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 13:58
2nd rick
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On November 6, 2015 at 12:34, kgossen said...
Do they think that renaming them will make anybody care?

I remember taking the installer test years ago, the average 10 year old could have passed it.

The goal with the name change is to make the Certifications more uniform in how they are presented. Other organizations in other fields handle their certifications in a similar fashion.

- InfoComm has the CTS Cert as it's basic designation, and then CTS-D and CTS-I designations that address specialties.

- The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence does the same for automotive technicians, starting with the ASE automotive maintenance and light repair cert as their most common, then offering additional ASE specialty certs for diesel, auto body, electric vehicles, etc.

As to your other comment:
There is no question that the Installer I was not a very difficult test. That is part of why it's no longer offered. :)

Installer II and Designer had some teeth, even going back the first iterations.
The current ESC-T, ESC-D, and ESC-N exams are not lay-down tests by anyone's yardstick.

I just posted this as a general heads up for anyone who may not have seen the releases. There are other members of the staff who are generally in charge of creating the messaging and managing the marketing of these things.

My role at the organization is in the training department, specifically at helping to build upon the online training (members asked for more self-paced online courses, CEDIA committed to creating more self-paced online courses!)

If anyone wishes to learn more, we have member relations staff here at the office who are always available for a chat. 800-669-5329.

In addition, I welcome any of you to call me at the office.
My direct line is 317-735-4018.
Rick Murphy
Troy, MI
Post 9 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 14:51
highfigh
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On November 6, 2015 at 13:58, 2nd rick said...
If anyone wishes to learn more, we have member relations staff here at the office who are always available for a chat. 800-669-5329.

In addition, I welcome any of you to call me at the office.
My direct line is 317-735-4018.

I have a question- what is CEDIA doing to raise consumer awareness of what it is/does? In all of the years since I got into consumer electronics (1978), I have yet to be asked about it or if I'm a member.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 10 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 15:36
kgossen
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On November 6, 2015 at 14:51, highfigh said...
I have a question- what is CEDIA doing to raise consumer awareness of what it is/does? In all of the years since I got into consumer electronics (1978), I have yet to be asked about it or if I'm a member.

Exactly!! I've been in electronics for almost as long as you and have also never been asked about Cedia. I've talked about Cedia and have never had a single customer know what it was.

The sad thing is a Yelp review has 100 times more impact to a consumer than being a Cedia certified installer/designer/programmer.
"Quality isn't expensive, it's Priceless!"
Post 11 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 16:14
juliejacobson
CE Pro Magazine
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On November 6, 2015 at 15:36, kgossen said...
Exactly!! I've been in electronics for almost as long as you and have also never been asked about Cedia. I've talked about Cedia and have never had a single customer know what it was.

The sad thing is a Yelp review has 100 times more impact to a consumer than being a Cedia certified installer/designer/programmer.

That's not so sad. You look at automotive techs or hair dressers -- consumers don't care about their certifications. Advertising the value of these certs to the mass market would be pointless.

But it does matter in terms of hiring and subcontracting. You might want to hire a certified CEDIA guy if for no other reason than they took the initiative to do the training.

Likewise, you may want to refer jobs to CEDIA-certified integrators in the absence of other credentials.

Certain institutional customers might care about certifications. A restaurant chain, for example, might require that each store use a certified CEDIA (or Infocomm) professional.

So, yeah, the certifications matter and it's important to abide to the same conventions as other tech trades.
"CEPro: your website sucks!" - Fins
www.cepro.com
[Link: twitter.com]
OP | Post 12 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 16:43
2nd rick
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On November 6, 2015 at 16:14, juliejacobson said...
That's not so sad. You look at automotive techs or hair dressers -- consumers don't care about their certifications. Advertising the value of these certs to the mass market would be pointless.

I wouldn't use the term 'pointless' at all.

Last year, over 40,000 people used the 'find a CEDIA professional' button on the CEDIA.ORG site (the consumer site).
Rick Murphy
Troy, MI
OP | Post 13 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 16:45
2nd rick
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Speaking to Highfigh's question of what we are doing:

CEDIA offers 11 different ROI presentations for members who have completed the ROI train-the-trainer program.

This means that you can offer lunch and learn presentations to architects, designers, builders, etc. There is always strong interest and attendance at these events. Since each session is accredited by numerous organizations (AIA, ASID, NARI, etc), the attendees earn CEU credits for attending ongoing instruction toward *their own* industry certifications.

Again, we have *eleven* unique presentations, each of which qualifies attendees for ongoing CEU credit. A CEDIA member who takes full advantage of the ROI program could offer a unique training nearly every month for the design and specification community in their markets.

When I worked for a large manufacturer's rep firm, I traveled numerous occasions with the trainers and RSMs from vendors who were teaching lunch and learn events (Lutron and Vantage). I can personally attest to the fact that architects attending the presentations were very interested in what was being discussed. I also spoke to a large group (40+) of interior design professionals at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago about automated motorized window coverings on behalf of Draper.

Each time, at least one of them stopped to ask about a project that was in process or on the horizon. That is high end lead generation at it's very finest.

In empowering the members to teach these types of sessions with CEDIA-developed content, we are creating a scenario where the INTEGRATORS THEMSELVES get to be viewed as the expert in the room, and not a person from a manufacturer.

If anyone is interested in learning more, please feel free to use the numbers I posted in the earlier thread.

[Link: cedia.net]

Edit: the term ROI (Registered Outreach Instructor) is no longer used.
It is now called COI (CEDIA Outreach Instructor).

Last edited by 2nd rick on November 6, 2015 17:03.
Rick Murphy
Troy, MI
Post 14 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 17:11
kgossen
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On November 6, 2015 at 16:14, juliejacobson said...
That's not so sad. You look at automotive techs or hair dressers -- consumers don't care about their certifications. Advertising the value of these certs to the mass market would be pointless.

But it does matter in terms of hiring and subcontracting. You might want to hire a certified CEDIA guy if for no other reason than they took the initiative to do the training.

Likewise, you may want to refer jobs to CEDIA-certified integrators in the absence of other credentials.

Certain institutional customers might care about certifications. A restaurant chain, for example, might require that each store use a certified CEDIA (or Infocomm) professional.

So, yeah, the certifications matter and it's important to abide to the same conventions as other tech trades.

When I first heard of Cedia and started reading about them, their number one talking point was consumer awareness, educating the consumer about our industry. The point was to be Cedia certified to impress your customer, not others IN the industry.

If I'm looking for somebody to help on a job, I couldn't give a crap about their Cedia certification, I'm more interested in their experience. I know a few guys that have a lot of Cedia courses under their belt and I wouldn't let them wire a dog house. I want someone that understands my regional electrical code until we have a unified electrical code for North America.

Cedia does have it's benefits. I can go to the show and take many manufacturers' courses at a fraction of the cost of travelling all over to take them.

It's frustrating when there was so much potential to raise consumer awareness and it's been pissed away.

I care if my mechanic is certified, you should too. Don't have enough hair to worry about a hairdresser :(
"Quality isn't expensive, it's Priceless!"
Post 15 made on Friday November 6, 2015 at 17:29
tweeterguy
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I think CEDIA is like other things in life in that you get out of it what you put into it. If you're just attending a class so that you have another diploma on your office wall or so you can put the logo on your website...it won't do a damn bit of good. But if you take the time to explore other areas that Rick mentions such as networking with architects, builders and designers...it could be worthwhile. It only takes getting in with one architect or designer to make it worth it.
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