Forum Home » Sound Reinforcement » Pro AV » Value of a CTS (or other certification)
| Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #318245] |
Wed, 30 April 2008 23:11  |
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 Clayton Luckie
Messages: 856
Registered: April 2005
Location: Austin, TX |
Has No Life |
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I'm thinking about getting my CTS certification, but I'm curious as to what that could do for my future.
If you are the boss, do you require a CTS, or does it make a potential hire more attractive, or does it not mean much to you? Would regional sound companies care about CTS certification?
I guess its probably a good thing to have no matter what, but I just wanted to know if there is much return on the investment.
cl
Technical Ministries Associate
First Evangelical Free Church
Austin, TX
www.fefc.org
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| Re: Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #318327 is a reply to message #318245 ] |
Thu, 01 May 2008 09:15  |
Brad Weber
Messages: 1253
Registered: December 2005
Location: Marietta, GA |
Has No Life |
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I can only speak for myself, but I think it could have value to potential employers, it shows that you have been willing to invest the time and effort on your own and have at least a certain level of exposure to the industry.
I actually have not yet seen the new CTS exam, but one thing to keep in mind is that the CTS is a general test, it is not an installer or designer test and does not test specific skills, so it is no replacement for task specific knowledge or experience.
As far as hiring someone with a CTS, it depends. I wouldn't hire someone simply because they were CTS certified but if two people were otherwise very close in qualifications it could be a factor. It may also depend on the position, it might mean more for someone coming in at an entry level position, it can definitely be a sort of 'comfort factor' for someone who doesn't know anything about you, than it does for a more senior position where specific knowledge and experience would likely be more important. It may also depend on the company and what they do, if they do bid work then having certified staff may be required. I will say that a CTS is probably of much more value to a company that does AV than to one that works only in sound.
Brad Weber
muse Audio Video
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| Re: Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #318331 is a reply to message #318245 ] |
Thu, 01 May 2008 09:28 |
Jay Sykes
Messages: 4
Registered: December 2006
Location: South Bend |
Newbie |
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I got mine a few yrs ago, and felt it was worth it. 1) Just reviewing everything in preparation helped solidify some areas 2) I saw/have seen many jobs preferring industry certification, such as the CTS, and felt it would give me a leg up. I do think it does make an applicant look more attractive...
I work for a university as a head a/v tech doing events, and installs, so for me, it is well worth the time/money. Luckily, my department covers professional development (up to a point). I have actually begun the next step towards the CTS-D... As dept/personal budget allow, I will take the rest of the classes, test.
At very least, it's a good personal knowledge tool. Can show you what areas you might was to read up on more.
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| Re: Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #318339 is a reply to message #318331 ] |
Thu, 01 May 2008 09:49 |
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John Birchman, CTS
Messages: 268
Registered: March 2005
Location: Lake Buena Vista, FL USA |
Has No Life |
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I am still not sure of the value of CTS. I have my CTS, and got it because I thought it would be of value. However, I have had a major US A/V company call me for a phone interview a while back, and when I mentioned that I had my CTS, the person performing the interview did not even have a clue as to what I was referring to, and I had to explain it to them.
All in all, I think it is a good idea, especially now with ANSI/ISO accreditation, however I think there still is a lot of education needed to companies and the A/V community as to what CTS is and means.
John
The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
Seuss-isms
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| Re: Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #318412 is a reply to message #318339 ] |
Thu, 01 May 2008 12:27 |
Don Boone
Messages: 419
Registered: April 2004
Location: SE USA |
Has No Life |
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I first got my CTS in the 80's, at least I'm pretty sure it was called CTS back then. But the renewal process was hit or miss and it eventually expired. I got the new general CTS three years ago when it was still an online test, took about 20 minutes. It expires at the end of this month. I had been checking into various manufacturer's training to pick up the 30 renewal units required to renew when I found I can get all 30 RUs I need taking Infocomm's Design Online course which is the first part of the CTS-D course. One of the guys here said that course would take about 40-50 hours so I guess I will lapse for a couple of weeks. Hard to squeeze in 50 hours this month.
Don
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| Re: Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #318790 is a reply to message #318412 ] |
Fri, 02 May 2008 12:24 |
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Mike Tomei, CTS
Messages: 29
Registered: March 2007
Location: Cambridge, MA |
Should Get Out More |
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I can't attest to the helpfulness of my CTS status during a job search, since I haven't changed jobs since I got it. From job descriptions that I've seen online, a solid number of employers mention CTS certification as a "plus", but not necessarily a requirement. I'm just glad that they're making mention of it in job descriptions, since that means that it holds a decent amount of weight in the industry. It doesn't seem to be regarded as some "fluff" certification.
Here at Harvard, we don't require new tech hires to be CTS certified, but we do require them to obtain it within 6 months of hire. We pay for it, so they don't mind.
I've really found my InfoComm membership and CTS certification to be very helpful on a personal growth level. It has been very motivating. Studying for the CTS exam was a great refresher on the basics behind the technology, and I've also enjoyed taking the InfoComm Rental & Staging Online and Installation Online courses. InfoComm membership has been a nice networking tool too.
Mike Tomei
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| Re: Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #318844 is a reply to message #318790 ] |
Fri, 02 May 2008 14:52 |
Brad Weber
Messages: 1253
Registered: December 2005
Location: Marietta, GA |
Has No Life |
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| Mike Tomei, CTS wrote on Fri, 02 May 2008 13:24 |
Here at Harvard, we don't require new tech hires to be CTS certified, but we do require them to obtain it within 6 months of hire. We pay for it, so they don't mind.
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That's a huge help. Perhaps it is not as much an issue in the academic world, but in the contracting world one problem when the CTS certifications, and especially the advanced certifications, started was that employers found that they would invest quite a bit in getting employees certified only to have the employees then use the certification to leverage raises or jobs with other employers. I worked at a contractor when the CTS-I certification was first introduced and they were an early supporter of the certification, however they had second thoughts after 3 of the first 4 techs they put through the process left to go work for competitors within 6 months of obtaining their certification.
I guess that shows that the certification can have value to the holder but it also reflects one of the problems encountered in gaining acceptance.
Brad Weber
muse Audio Video
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| Re: Value of a CTS (or other certification) [message #319647 is a reply to message #318844 ] |
Mon, 05 May 2008 12:28 |
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Brad,
Your point is a common one. But the much (some) of the onus should lie on the contractor and not the employee. If a contractor wants to hire an inexperianced or uncertified employee at a low rate and then get a bargan by training them and keeping them at that low rate they are going to have to expect some attrition. Many employeers will counter with the argument that they incured the cost to get them to that higher level so the employee should pay them back. Which is also a valid argument.
Everyone wants to advance their position and compensation. It's why we work. That's why I encourage dealers to place a value on training and set a time period, up front, for return on that investment. If it cost you $3000 in real and incurred cost to train someone to a CTS level then set 6 months that they have to continue working for you to pay back that investment. If they leave before that time then they will lose that amount (prorated) out of their last paycheck.
As an employee you should counter that at the end of that X amount of time you will be entitled to a X amount of a raise outside of your normal COL increase because you are no longer the same level of employee that they hired before the certification. The employer will often say that your compensation is the training, but what good is the training if you cannot use it to better your lot in life.
We used to do the same thing with trade shows, which can often become job fares. If you go to Infocomm and resign two weeks later I am going to dock you the cost of your hotel and airfare.
The important part is making sure that everyone knows the rules upfront and they are fair.
The employee getting trained makes himself more marketable and should make the employer more marketable and profitable. Determine what that return is and write it down. But be prepared to revue your employee at the end of that time frame and do what is necessary to keep him on or its shame on you for letting him fly away to another dealer.
Employees rarely leave because they are happy, trained and well compensated.
[Updated on: Mon, 05 May 2008 12:31]
You can't get enough, but enough ain't the test.
Brian Kent Tennyson, CTS-D
Visitec
www.visitec.com
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