Expert: Scott Valentine - 2/6/2009

Question
Hi there,

Would you recommend doing the ACE Exams?  What are the pros
of being an ACE?

Al the best,
Danny

Answer
Hi Danny - sorry for the delay!

ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) exams cover some great material, and are a good way to keep current on Adobe products. The major advantage, however, is to folks looking for jobs which specifically list Adobe expertise as a requirement, or for educators.

If you are a professional who uses Adobe products regularly, then your skills are likely far better represented by your portfolio, so ACE certification is a bonus and shows you have gone the extra step in demonstrating your breadth of knowledge. However, certification tells a savvy employer nothing of your creative expertise. Having a good portfolio should come first, with ACE certification as a solid backup - you are covered both ways.

For education, being an ACE is pretty much a requirement if you are teaching the tools, but not so much for teaching technique where the tools are ancillary. For example, if you are teaching a class on photo retouching or digital painting, you might primarily use Adobe tools, but the focus is on the artistry and skill. In that case, being and ACE carries less weight. But for teaching Photoshop or Illustrator explicitly, an ACE is almost always required.

My recommendation is this; if you are looking for a job or promotion, or don't have a lot of experience, go get certified. It's a good investment and certainly can't hurt. If you are currently comfortably employed or have a large portfolio with many years of experience, or don't see yourself teaching, don't worry about it - your work will speak for itself.

Also note that Adobe will be changing their testing policies soon. Since CS4 is the current product as of this writing, check with the Pearson/Vue testing centers for online or in-person options and effective dates. Be sure to get the Classroom-In-A-Book series for the products you want to certify with, since they are built on the ACE format.

I hope this helps! If you have further questions, please feel free to ask. (and good luck if you take the tests!)

-Scott