Apple, Other Certification for General Network?

gmark

I'm looking to get Apple certified and have some very general questions.

Would the knowledge I gain from studying for this be generally applicable to other systems? IOW, how product-specific is the information?

I'm looking into this not necessarily to land any particular job, but to flesh out my knowledge, particularly of networking.

I suppose it might be better to focus on, say, Cisco networking, but I'd have the same question -- how much of the information is generally applicable to the field, and not specific to that particular company?

GMS

msteinhilber

While Apple does have the ACSP and ACTC that would touch on some networking (client configuration), and the ACSA that would touch a bit more on it. I do not see any of these as being taken at all seriously if you are planning on a career in networking. Regardless of any vendor (Apple) specifics, those certifications are not going to get you any skill with configuring a switch, router, or firewall. They will test your ability to configure networking on Apple products and possibly go a bit further to give you a high level overview of how networks work.

You would be much better off going for the CCNA if you are looking to round out your networking knowledge, even the Network+ would be a better choice than any of the Apple certs.

Take a look through Apples certification page, they have PDF guides for each exam that highlight the areas in which you should be knowledgeable for their exams.

Apple - Certification Programs

dynamik

What are your goals? Why are you pursuing Apple certifications? You're locking yourself into a very small amount of specialized roles. That's cool if that's what you want to do, but I don't look at those as an ideal way to break into the wider world of networking.

jibbajabba

If it is "just" networking which interests you the Apple certs are certainly the wrong choice. Like msteinhilber, I would suggest to start with Network+

mamono

Apple certs are only strong if you're working within an Apple centric company or domain. Everywhere else, they are neglected and don't carry much weight. If you really want to get Apple certified, best to work for an Apple warranty service provider. They will have Apple partner access to resources and study material that the general public does not have access to. This will make studying for Apple centric certs much easier. Apple certs will help if you plan to work for Arts/Architecture/Graphic targeted companies like Pixar or Pasadena Art Center.

crap I forgot my old pwd

Yeah, don't waste your time. Apple tests will certify you on Apple products. Nowear near as much "vendor-neutral" stuff as other certifications. If you need to know Apple networking, then its better to just learn about it on a website and not spend the $150 for it. Oh and some Apple certs require recertification annually. And you are correct about Cisco, that is nuch better for networking. Cisco products somehow impact nearly every major company everywhere either directly or indirectly.