apple pie
I continue to cut off slices of Apple pie. Mmmmm... pie. Drool.
Uuuuuummmmmmmmggghhhhh--
Uh, sorry. I was channeling Homer there. Of course, I mean, slices of
Apple Computer pie...
Since late may, I have been a member of the Apple Consultants Network. By
paying my $499 annual fee, I get listed in the
href="http://consultants.apple.com/">ACN directory, discounts on
Not-For-Resale software, discounts on Apple-led training, and more.
On Friday, Aug. 15, I completed a week-long training session (with that
discount) "Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server Essentials" at Apple's Reston, Va.
office. They even gave me a certificate that said I had "successfully
attended" the course. Good thing I showed up everyday or else I
might not have reached that distinction.
Then, last Thursday, I surpassed 9,000 points on Apple's sales training
web site making me an "Apple Product Professional." On this site, you take
online courses -- which are really just a bunch of pages and QuickTime
movies that teach you about Apple and related products and services --
then there are quizzes worth between 100 and 400 points at the end. This
title is mostly fluff since anyone with a membership in the Apple
Consultants Network or who works for an Apple reseller can use this site
and earn enough points for the title.
And, finally, on Friday I passed the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server
Essentials Exam. This is th most important and distinguished of all of
these accomplishments since I am now an Apple Certified Technical
Coordinator (ACTC). Only the Apple Certified Systems Administrator (ACSA)
is high and mightier in Apple's eye (though getting to that level would
require two more courses and two more exams -- something I can't exactly
afford right now, so ACTC is good enough).
Being an ACTC also elevates me to the level of Certified Member of the
Apple Consultants Network. That gets me greater discounts on Apple NFR
software and the opportunity to get referrals from the Genius Bar at the
local Apple retail stores, among a few other good things.
So, while I have no idea if any of this will actually get me any clients,
or a job, I do know that I've proven I'm a capable and qualified Apple
professional. Yaaaaay.
Now, where's that pie?
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