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Occasionally I’ll find myself in a discussion about FCP or Avid or Adobe certifications, typically on Twitter because where else do I ever talk to anyone? Usually a younger editor is asking about a specific certification, and a dozen industry vets jump in and go on and on about how certification is a complete waste of time and money, and no one should ever under any circumstances get a certification.

And I won’t be surprised if any comments I get on this post are more of the same because I’m going to be uncharacteristically blunt and tell you that your opinion of certification is probably wrong.

Oh no I di’n’t, girlfriend.

Yeah, I’ll say it! If you can find no worth in a software certification for anyone, you’re dead wrong. Boom. End of story. If you think I’m a moron, at least one of the following thoughts is probably yours. Here is why you are wrong.

“Certification just shows you can push some buttons.”

EXACTLY. That is true, to an extent. If you have a certification, it shows that to some degree of accuracy determine by the powers that be, you can effectively control an NLE. Or you understand it well enough to feel your way through it. You have to have a good foundation in it, or else you wouldn’t have passed the test. Does it mean you’re a great editor? Hell no! Is it an indicator that you know what you’re doing? Hell no! No one is saying that. They’re just saying “I know where to hit the buttons in Avid to make the things do stuff, and here’s proof.” This is really useful for a younger editor. The job market is beyond saturated. If you don’t have a lot of reputation or experience, you’ll get filtered out quickly for the smallest reasons. A certification could possibly keep you in the hiring process through a round of cut-offs, simply because you have some tiny amount of demonstrable technical skill.

“A certification won’t get you hired.”

Nobody in their right mind gets a certification thinking it alone will lead directly to a post job. A certification is supporting evidence in two ways: 1) you can push the previously mentioned buttons; and 2) you are motivated enough to accomplish something that does require a good degree of studying and effort, not to mention some travel and time away is sometimes involved. Have you ever looked at a certification exam? I would bet many busy editors would fail because they aren’t that deeply ingrained in the interface. They found their own path and have stuck with it. If you learn the software the way the manufacturer intended, you might be able to approach it a little differently. You might learn 3 ways to make something happen. You’ll undoubtedly evolve — and you should, because what the hell does a manufacturer know about real world editing? — but you’ll also be more open to taking different paths to the same end.

If you’re naturally a good editor, you might find yourself a little frustrated at your technical skills. Your left brain can’t keep up with your right brain. When I was in college finishing my degree, I was a little worried about my tech skills. I knew I had to be top notch when I entered the job market, and school just didn’t give me everything I wanted. My professor suggested certification (I’m simplifying the story here though), so I did it. It gave me a broader understanding of FCP on a technical level that opened the doors to digging deeper which made me more confident overall.

“A certification doesn’t help you tell your story.”

Being fluent in the technology absolutely helps you tell a story. If you aren’t distracted by the technical aspects of editing, you can work faster and spend more time on editorial decisions. A certification can serve as your foundation to being fluent in the tech.

“People who are certified always start off job interviews talking about it like it matters.”

Maybe some do, but these are probably the same people who don’t really understand their industry. Maybe they’re inexperienced, maybe they’re dense. You can’t avoid either case in ANY industry. A few people that think their certification is a passport to greatness doesn’t negate the entirety of certification.

And in many markets to many hiring dudes, certifications don’t matter at all. However, if you’re in a smaller city or you’re applying to corporate jobs, you might be interviewed by an HR person, at least for the first round. You have to get past them to get to the person you really want to talk to, and they don’t know anything about your industry. They speak in credentials. Lines on a resume matter to THEM.

“OK, take the class then, but why spend the money on the actual certification?”

Why NOT get the actual certification? You took the time to learn all the information in a specific way, drop the extra money for the piece of paper proving you did it. You can list it on your resume. You’ll be in the database, have the paper, and maybe even get some logo you can use somewhere officially if you follow the 20 page rulebook on usage.

“There is no reason to get certified.”

Let’s see:
Gets you past the threshold of “does this silly person even know ANYTHING?”
Can help your confidence as an editor.
Shows you’re committed.
Helps your storytelling skills indirectly.
A solid credential if it matters to your market.
A firm foundation of the NLE which might open you to things you missed in self-learning.
Motivation to keep learning, for the goal-oriented among us.
Newer editors can use it as leverage to show they give a damn. Older editors can use it to show their skills are still relevant.

AND: A FRAME-ABLE PIECE OF PAPER!

That’s my argument. Yeah, certification isn’t for everyone. But it’s not for no one.