Vegas Certifications

DrLumen wrote on 9/30/2014, 6:57 PM

I was wondering if the Sony Vegas certifications are still achievable? A few years back the SCVU, SCVE, and similar labels were scattered across the boards. The only one I have noticed recently is Kimberly's.

For curiosity sake I looked under training and certs but it just leads to some training links.

I guess the real question is did the certifications seem to make any impact in the industry as a whole?

Comments

Kimberly wrote on 9/30/2014, 9:04 PM

Hey Doc!

You are right, the links for the certifications training are gone or buried very well.

The text for the SVCU is the Digital Video Production Workbook. This was authored by Gary Rebholz (our esteemed Webinar Guru). The text is currently on close out for $9.95, which is a steal, but I can't find anything about how you can sign-up and purchase the on-line exam. The exam was maybe $99 -- I don't rightly remember.

The gist of the SVCU is you read the book and take an on-line exam. As I recall, you must pass with a score like 90%. You get three tries and if you don't pass you must buy a new exam. It's a timed exam so it's best to read the book because a person won't have time to look up answers on the fly.

I skimmed the book and failed on my first try. I had no idea what to expect and I knew I had three tried, so I figured I would use my first try to see how it goes. I passed and got a good score on the second try.

I learned a lot from the experience, which was my goal. And of course I learn something every time I use Vegas and visit our Forum : )

Maybe drop a line to Gary Rebholz and see if he can get you set-up?

Regards,

Kimberly

ushere wrote on 9/30/2014, 9:09 PM

in all my years in the business / industry (40+), i have never known a 'certification' to be worth the paper it was written on. what ALWAYS counted was a showreel demonstrating ones abilities.

whilst working for any number of broadcasters and large corps in the past none ever asked for paper references, other than to good character, or in some instances, police checks / government clearances.

however, judging from some recent conversations with 'younger' executives, an mba is always an asset, even when it's got nothing at all to do with the position applied for - might account for the appalling state of some organizations ;-)

Rob Franks wrote on 10/1/2014, 7:38 AM

"A few years back the SCVU, SCVE, and similar labels were scattered across the boards. The only one I have noticed recently is Kimberly's"

That's both and interesting (and true) remark. I wonder if it's any kind of indication that Vegas has kind of lost its way on the "pro" front. Not that there aren't pros using the program at the moment mind you but it is not (and most likely will not ever be) in the same rank as fcp/avid. But the certifications at least meant someone was TRYING to place vegas more into the pro arena. Have they given up?

I know that a few certified Vegas users started getting into fcp. I wonder if they are still vegas users at all.

Kimberly wrote on 10/1/2014, 8:38 AM

Other users may have elected to suppress the display? When you do that , it is done at the user ID level so it all affects all posts.

dxdy wrote on 10/1/2014, 10:27 AM

As I read this thread, I do not see the logo next to Kimberly's name. Using IE.

DrLumen wrote on 10/1/2014, 11:51 AM

dxdy, I see that is missing now too. Did you suppress it Kimberly? IMHO, you should keep it displayed. Just my $.02.

I was kicking around the idea of getting certified but wasn't sure if it was really worth it. Like ushere was saying, and I'm guessing, is that a demo reel would typically be more telling of a person's skills. Thanks for the info Kimberly. I'll keep that name available in case I decide to go forward with it.

And no, I don't work in the 'industry' but have done a lot of stage work over the years and am currently in IT. A demo reel of me working load-ins or installing a router probably wouldn't do me much good. :) However, some certs still carry weight in IT.

Wasn't Spot/DSE doing their training? I haven't seen him around here in a while. Perhaps he was the primary impetus behind Sony's training and cert program? Regardless, I would have to think that Vegas is still being used in some pro environments and it would benefit Sony (at least a little) to keep the cert program running.

DavidMcKnight wrote on 10/1/2014, 12:59 PM

I went through the Editor's cert many years ago, when VASST taught it at NAB. No, it has never gotten me a job but it did teach me how to work quickly and efficiently in Vegas, to think in the "language" of Vegas if that makes sense.

50% of the test was made up of timed, graded exercises in class from written requirements as I recall. Overall it was three intense days well spent.

Kimberly wrote on 10/1/2014, 9:37 PM

@doc:

You should definitely pursue the credential of SCVU as well as SCVE, because you will learn neat stuff along the way! It may never get you a job, and a polished demo reel will certainly speak volumes in that area. I'm sure you can agree that you will get there faster if you learn new stuff, and the credential is but one of many ways.

The user can turn off/on the credential display, so I did turn it off for illustration.

Regards,

Kimberly

astar wrote on 10/1/2014, 11:54 PM

I do not see links to buy the certs anymore, the cert link seem to link to just some video tutorials.

[r]Evolution wrote on 10/4/2014, 7:10 PM

I think the course(s) you take for getting the Certifications will teach you a lot about Vegas & its workflow. I can only see the Certifications getting you employment if they are specifically seeking a Vegas editor. I think the Certification links have been 'buried' because Sony realizes their is little to no value to having them.

ritsmer wrote on 10/8/2014, 4:18 AM

Took the course many years ago hoping that it might guide me into some corners of Vegas that I did not normally use - or even knew.

And yes - with Garys book and what I could find elsewhere - I spent about 3 interesting weeks exploring Vegas and preparing for the exam.

That exam, btw. was quite tough and intense as it made sure that one knew the stuff by heart rather than just checked the questions while doing the exam :- )

Especially I remember learning one thing: that many tasks in Vegas can be initiated in several different ways - i.e. by easy drop-down menus + mouse clicks and also much faster by a score of keystrokes.