Apple’s New Training & Exams (and, Announcing the Mac Admins Foundation)
Today, Apple announced a new pair of certification exams for Mac Admins. This is a new version of the standard Apple Certified Support Professional exam, that comes with a self-paced training course, as well as the completely new Apple Certified IT Professional exam, which also comes with a self-paced training course.
I can also say that I’ve taken and passed both exams. They’re serious efforts, and they show a broad range of knowledge that’s required by our professions as Mac Admins. Knowing how deployment works — not just how rote practices work but the theory behind it — is the hallmark of a solid Mac Admin, and there’s more required of Mac Admins every year. I’m excited to see Apple putting effort into this program.
In addition to the new exams, Apple’s announced a program working with the Mac Admins Foundation to make sure that those who can’t afford to take this exam, or whose employers won’t pay, can still get certified. The Mac Admins Foundation is a brand new 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to support the people who manage Apple products, starting with the Mac Admins Slack, and moving onward to making conferences more approachable for people just starting out in this industry.
We’ll have more to say in the next few weeks, but it is the honor of a lifetime to be Co-Chair of this incredible organization.