# MECP Certification...



## Qicker306

I'm wondering if anyone on here is MECP certified and if it was worthwhile. The 2 week course is in town and it has grabbed my interest. Just wondering if the $2000 price tag for 2 weeks of knowledge and the certification would be worth it. I'm currently an Electronics Technologist student but that side of the electronics industry has immensely lost my interest since starting the year program 7 months ago. I'm just looking to work doing something I like for the time being and perhaps something a little more serious will interest me in the years to come. Any info or opinions on the MECP course would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.


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## Greg S

2K for a 2 week certification course? Not worth it in my opinion. The basic installer certification isn't that hard. Just order a study guide from MECP and read through it. If you've got a good basic understanding of electronics it'll be pretty easy to understand.


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## Qicker306

I guarantee I would have no issues passing a basic installer exam. I just can't see a book being as informative as actually being able to work and train hands on. The course is said to be 20% written and 80% hands-on (represents the price tag), obviously a study at home exam can't be of the same caliber. Price is pretty steep I agree, being hands on there is a fair amount of consumables in a shop. The price is $1850 CAD and is all inclusive; books, printing costs, tool set... etc. I assume it would be a very busy 2 weeks. No where near making up my mind yet.


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## TREETOP

I had first class MECP certification back when it was new, it must have been in the early '90s. All the installers at my work were required to get at least basic certification at the time and we all pretty much studied together. I remember there being some extremely ass-backwards questions that had answers I didn't agree with, but we all did well.

Since then I've had 10+ jobs in the mobile electronics installation field- many in high-end shops and maybe shops some of you have heard of. I've NEVER been required to have/get MECP certification at any of them.


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## deesz

i have taken the ice installer test and basic mecp for my job and both were so easy its unbelievable. only issue with mecp unless they updated it is that there are things we no longer use anymore we rely on other things in place. no big deal do not pay 2k for a class


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## deesz

oh and true installers tend to crack up when people come in and say ohhh im mecp so i know what im doing.. mecp means nothing to the install world just to the corporate world. 
save the money and just buy the mecp book for 50 bucks.


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## SomeGuy748

deesz said:


> oh and true installers tend to crack up when people come in and say ohhh im mecp so i know what im doing.. mecp means nothing to the install world just to the corporate world.
> save the money and just buy the mecp book for 50 bucks.


+1. Totally agree.


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## JayinMI

I condensed the whole MECP guide to like 17 hand written pages for a study guide. It was a joke. When I applied for jobs (in 93) no one even knew what it was...it's a waste of money. Don't waste your time.

Jay


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## Qicker306

Ya taking the class is out of the question now. I'm still gonna buy the book and go that route though, even if the MECP certification isn't required much in the work force I guarantee I'll learn at least one valuable thing in the process. Thanks for the input.


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## ds06max

I am advanced certified and it is harder than the basic, for sure. It is not mandatory at a lot of shops, but getting it says to your employer and the customer that you care enough about your career to study and to better yourself by studying and pasing the test. buy the book and study vs. taking the class.


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## Hextall 27

Put it this way in 95 when I got my first basic installer cert, my "study guides" were about a year or two of CSR and Car Audio & Electronics. The First Class test I did buy the book for and I needed it, That was back in 97. My ASE electrical test was just as hard if I remember but if your in school for some kind of electronics you should pass the basic test easily.


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## tinctorus

DUDE while it is nice to have and a definite bonus when trying to find work it is NOT worth paying 2000 for some "class" If you order the study guide you will do plenty fine, the basic test is NOT that hard at all, It is when you start doing the advanced and master certifications that you really need to buckle down and get a firm grasp of electronics


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## tinctorus

deesz said:


> oh and true installers tend to crack up when people come in and say ohhh im mecp so i know what im doing.. mecp means nothing to the install world just to the corporate world.
> save the money and just buy the mecp book for 50 bucks.


Ehh it does help with a basic grasp


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## GlassWolf

Qicker306 said:


> I'm wondering if anyone on here is MECP certified and if it was worthwhile. The 2 week course is in town and it has grabbed my interest. Just wondering if the $2000 price tag for 2 weeks of knowledge and the certification would be worth it. I'm currently an Electronics Technologist student but that side of the electronics industry has immensely lost my interest since starting the year program 7 months ago. I'm just looking to work doing something I like for the time being and perhaps something a little more serious will interest me in the years to come. Any info or opinions on the MECP course would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.


I'm MECP master certified (got mine when it was still called "gold" years ago) and it's been worth it on a resume, but so was "electrical engineer" which cost a lot more, and took 4 years of classes. I guess it's a matter of what you expect to get from the certification. It's pretty much a requirement if you want to work in a shop these days. That wasn't so much the case 20 years ago when I started.


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## 1LOUDRT

Also to take the test you can have your local library proctor the exam for you. Total cost for basic cert should run less than a Bill!!!!!


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## oldturd

When I started out at Best Buy in '99, we were required to get the basic certification. Don't know if this was company wide or just the install manager's requirement. When I worked at Tweeter, they required me to get Silver certification to become install manager. Evidently my BSME wasn't good enough. Not bitter, just found it amusing. 

As for whether it's worthwhile to get one's MECP certification or not, that really depends on your situation. I was required to get the certification to progress up the food chain, which I suspect was a function of the large corporation. The small shop I worked for didn't care either way. The information in the study book may be good for you to know. I learned a few things when I took the basic. I didn't study for the Silver, just showed up one morning and took it cold.


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## TEARfromRED

bby doesn't require an MECP cert for installers anymore, they have their own "bby certification" that you have to pass. the incentive they give is that the company pays for the test if you take it and there's usually a little raise when you get the cert


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## VP Electricity

JayinMI said:


> I condensed the whole MECP guide to like 17 hand written pages for a study guide. It was a joke. When I applied for jobs (in 93) no one even knew what it was...it's a waste of money. Don't waste your time.
> 
> Jay


Incorrect, in that it's like anything else - you wanna pass the test, know what's in the book. 

The first version of the Study Guide had a great section on how digital audio works


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## tinctorus

TEARfromRED said:


> bby doesn't require an MECP cert for installers anymore, they have their own "bby certification" that you have to pass. the incentive they give is that the company pays for the test if you take it and there's usually a little raise when you get the cert


That is a completely FALSE statement, YOU have 90 days form the day you are hired to get the mecp cert OR you will no linger have a job with the company


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