ISCET

[Marina]

Hi Everybody.

Happy New Year! You guys are really awesome. I'm learning a lot from reading posts on this site. I was just wondering if any of you are members of ISCET, or what you think of that organization?

Best Wishes to All,
Marina

[Enzo]

Certifications never hurt on your resume. However, over several decades of hiring and training technicians, I have never asked for such certs nor found them a factor. Frankly I have more use for a guy who has been learning on his or her own by doing, than I do for someone with a fresh diploma and zero practical experience. This is only my opinion. Others may disagree.

I applied a couple years ago for a position at Michigan State University in their electronics and computer engineering college as an electronics technologist. My resume listed my experience and areas of expertise, I have degrees but no certifications. And they didn't ask for any. Part of the interview was technical questions. They could learn more from my responses than they could from a cert.

(I didn't get the job, interview went very well, but they wanted more computer knowledge than I have.)

[Marina]

I'm studying for their audio certification. To me it's much less expensive than taking college courses, and it's a learning experience. They have certifications and training material in several areas such as consumer electronics, audio, & video, medical electronics, & I think they have one for computers, but they don't seem to have anyone or anything in pro-audio. I wish they did.

[Enzo]

Oh, training materials are another thing altogether. I didn't know they had course materials. That is always of value.

As to pro audio vs consumer audio, I'd say the difference is in scale and specifics. You just won;t see 2000 watt power amps in home stereos very often. if you do, it is more likely a pro unit anyway. The basic troubleshooting is going to work anywhere. The way to find a problem in a tuner/preamp/power amp/speakers home setup is the same as a mic/mixer/EQ/power amp/speaker setup. There are details like balanced lines that don't come up so often in consumer goods, but those are details.

Troubleshooting is a universal skill, it applpies to anything you work on. Get THAT out of any courses you take, above all.