Certifications and the Repair Business

jasonkozdra · 12-24-2005, 03:37 PM

After briefly reviewing the posts in this forum, I have determined that most of you guys and girls for the most part operate small computer repair businesses or plan on beginning one in the future.

I agree with Morris Rosenthal's assessment of certifications for those who want to get in the computer business--they are for the human resources departments of large corporations, and your customers won't care about them if you do a good job and show up on time. I have operated two successful sole proprietorships in two states within the last five years (I moved recently) and have NEVER been asked by my smiling repair and support customers what kind of certifications I have.

Have any of you been asked? Has it been an issue in your business, and how have you dealt with it?

Thanks for your reply.

**crazijoe** · 12-24-2005, 05:50 PM

I have noticed that CompTia certifications are coming into play with serveral local shops. They have a sticker on their door that states CompaTia Authorized Service Center. I had talked to one of the owners and he had stated that all his techs are at least A+ certified and he could only hire people that had a least a Comptia certification (other certs may help) to keep his business "CompTia Authorized".

Since there is a large number of Comptia certs and they cover a broad base of specialties, a Comptia cert to a computer tech could be compared to a mechanic with ASE certifications.

I would think this would be a great asset to the computer industry if the general public would acknowledge a certified facility much like if they would take their car and get it repaired by only an ASE certified mechanic.

jasonkozdra · 12-24-2005, 06:11 PM

Sure, but if one were to ask the regular "Joe Business Owner" on the street what a CompTIA certification was, would he really know or care? That's what I am asking.

There is a certain amount of prestige that one with a certification enjoys. This is especially true in the world you and I inhabit, the world of computer aficionados, where these certificates can be a matter of pride and sense of self-importance. But outside of this, I don't think it's necessarily so. I don't ask my mechanic if he is ASE certified or if I could see his certificate. I don't care about how he feels about himself. I'm not going to pay him to fix my car AND give him an ego boost. All I care about is that the work is done efficiently and properly.

In the real world, an A+ certification only means that the one certified can retain a great deal of facts memorized from a prep guide, not that he can fix a failed PC. I have very little respect for certificates and certifications. Alot of this is due to the fact that my stepfather had a high school diploma which he proudly displayed, although he could not read a word when he graduated.

Thanks, crazijoe, for your response.

Chevy · 12-24-2005, 06:26 PM

CompTIA A+ and Network+, MSCE, etc are usefull (you have to learn something to get them).

Also, they do look really good on a biz card or advert.

However, those in the know never confure certs with experience.

My take: If it makes a prospective customer feel better, then it's worth it.

jasonkozdra · 12-24-2005, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chevy

However, those in the know never confure certs with experience.

My take: If it makes a prospective customer feel better, then it's worth it.

So true.

Deja-vue · 01-07-2006, 03:15 PM

I was asked for my Certs once in 4 years in Business...go figure.
I think Certs are good for Business-cards and Résumé’s only, but useless in the real world.
Businesses will find out quickly, how good you are, with or without Cert.
my 2 cents.

NWPhotog · 01-08-2006, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deja-vue

I was asked for my Certs once in 4 years in Business...go figure.
I think Certs are good for Business-cards and Résumé’s only, but useless in the real world.
Businesses will find out quickly, how good you are, with or without Cert.
my 2 cents.

Well,

The interesting thing is without certs you often don't get the chance to show what you know. I have a Client who has paid me $40k+ in the last 12 months. They love me because of what I do for them but the only reason it got that far was because of the certs I had. Yeah I would say the fees and time put in are the BEST investment I have ever made!

12-24-2005, 03:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
jasonkozdra Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Vero Beach, Florida Posts: 23 OS: OS X 10.4.8 & XP (Parallels)	Certifications and the Repair Business After briefly reviewing the posts in this forum, I have determined that most of you guys and girls for the most part operate small computer repair businesses or plan on beginning one in the future. I agree with Morris Rosenthal's assessment of certifications for those who want to get in the computer business--they are for the human resources departments of large corporations, and your customers won't care about them if you do a good job and show up on time. I have operated two successful sole proprietorships in two states within the last five years (I moved recently) and have NEVER been asked by my smiling repair and support customers what kind of certifications I have. Have any of you been asked? Has it been an issue in your business, and how have you dealt with it? Thanks for your reply. __________________ Jason Kozdra Vero Beach PC, Inc. Computer Repair & Tech Support Last edited by jasonkozdra : 12-24-2005 at 03:38 PM.

12-24-2005, 05:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
crazijoe Moderator, Hardware Forums Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Omaha, The Center of the Universe Posts: 7,632 OS: WinXP, Win2K3 My System	I have noticed that CompTia certifications are coming into play with serveral local shops. They have a sticker on their door that states CompaTia Authorized Service Center. I had talked to one of the owners and he had stated that all his techs are at least A+ certified and he could only hire people that had a least a Comptia certification (other certs may help) to keep his business "CompTia Authorized". Since there is a large number of Comptia certs and they cover a broad base of specialties, a Comptia cert to a computer tech could be compared to a mechanic with ASE certifications. I would think this would be a great asset to the computer industry if the general public would acknowledge a certified facility much like if they would take their car and get it repaired by only an ASE certified mechanic. __________________ Microsoft MCSA + Messaging, MVP, A+, Network+ Do you want a real Republican? HDD diagnostic tools / HDD data recovery software

12-24-2005, 06:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
jasonkozdra Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Vero Beach, Florida Posts: 23 OS: OS X 10.4.8 & XP (Parallels)	Sure, but if one were to ask the regular "Joe Business Owner" on the street what a CompTIA certification was, would he really know or care? That's what I am asking. There is a certain amount of prestige that one with a certification enjoys. This is especially true in the world you and I inhabit, the world of computer aficionados, where these certificates can be a matter of pride and sense of self-importance. But outside of this, I don't think it's necessarily so. I don't ask my mechanic if he is ASE certified or if I could see his certificate. I don't care about how he feels about himself. I'm not going to pay him to fix my car AND give him an ego boost. All I care about is that the work is done efficiently and properly. In the real world, an A+ certification only means that the one certified can retain a great deal of facts memorized from a prep guide, not that he can fix a failed PC. I have very little respect for certificates and certifications. Alot of this is due to the fact that my stepfather had a high school diploma which he proudly displayed, although he could not read a word when he graduated. Thanks, crazijoe, for your response. __________________ Jason Kozdra Vero Beach PC, Inc. Computer Repair & Tech Support Last edited by jasonkozdra : 12-24-2005 at 06:33 PM.

12-24-2005, 06:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
Chevy Semi-Retired Manager, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Notlob Posts: 5,158 OS: Vista Ultimate My System	CompTIA A+ and Network+, MSCE, etc are usefull (you have to learn something to get them). Also, they do look really good on a biz card or advert. However, those in the know never confure certs with experience. My take: If it makes a prospective customer feel better, then it's worth it. __________________ “My philosophy, like color television, is all there in black and white” -M. Python

01-07-2006, 03:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
Deja-vue Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Long Beach, California Posts: 59 OS: Server2003/2008/XP/VISTA/Linux	I was asked for my Certs once in 4 years in Business...go figure. I think Certs are good for Business-cards and Résumé’s only, but useless in the real world. Businesses will find out quickly, how good you are, with or without Cert. my 2 cents. __________________ Microsoft Certified System Administrator