Can anyone help me with these questions please...... What is the difference if someone knows a program well enough to do practically anything with that program (such as photoshop, illustrator, flash, etc.) or someone who has been certified in Photoshop, illustrator, etc. Do the ones who have been certified know more, know less, or are just certified to teach....How does it all work? -How can I or someone else get certified in using a software? -What are the advantages of being certified, or is it just a certification? -Will I have a better chance of getting the job if I am certified as apposed to someone who isn't? or is it mostly up to how good your portfolio is? Thanks for your time.

I am going to a school this summer called FMC. They have a Photoshop certification class ( Adobe reccomends this I believe ). http://www.fmctraining.com/fmc.asp?v=Adobe&g=Photoshop I'm going for 3D Studio MAX and am also considering this course later. They are not cheap, but what is? :o)> BubbaScuba

Hi i guess this: to have a certification is much better if you want to get a job as a trainer, but...if your portfolio is kind of awesome they might give you the job without certification (thats how they do it here in germany) just my 2 cents, Karsten

Thanks for both your imputs.

Certification vs. Experience: In the rest of the computer world, a company is more likely to hire a person with the proper certification than they are a person with job experience unless the experienced person is willing to work for a LOT less money; I suspect it's the same in the computer art world. For practical purposes, all the certificate means is either that you have had a specific curriculum of study, endorsed by the publisher of the software, OR that you've taken and passed a test created by an independent organization and approved by the software publisher (or both).

I have a certificate in Photoshop 5.5. I knew more than the instructor when I signed up for this 5 day, 40 hour "push-course". But as I quickly found out, recruiters and employers seem to want that "all important" piece of paper. I thought it was important to show a client and employer what you could do rather then what you could "learn" by sitting in a stuffy lab and do during a seminar-type course. And mostly fooling around with the software instead of diving into it. I left the class with the piece of paper and as a result had more offers then before. Silly Huh? Yeah, I thought so too. But it is a reality check.

It all depends on the final goal.If your looking to work in some form of computer art,say for an advertising agency or a web site design company then the qualification can often be nessissary just to get the interview.Once your in the door though I think it is the portfolio that gets the actual job.If your doing illustration in any form then nothing matters exept the quality of your work & the time it takes you to produce it. I,m afraid though that like a lot of things in life sometimes its just being in the right place at the right time,Often just attending a course can put you in touch with the right people.I took a year lomg course in Computer art & design,covering Photoshop,Quark Xpress,Freehand & some 3d.I met a guy on the course who ran a video company and ended up working for him where I use Premier & After Effects both of which I,m self taught in,so go figure!