Did everyone get the email about the new certifications that will be available on 1/7/2010? All for the low introductory price of $199. I don't know about that one. I mainly keep the ProAdvisor certification for the discounts I get and listing on the website. Anyone here going to go for this? I'm just trying to figure out what the point is besides giving another $200 of my hard earned money to Intuit.
And the point of these certifications is...?
That's what I'm trying to figure out. I guess the email says other users are more likely to contract excess work out to you if you have this certification? Sounds like another excuse for them to solicit more money from us. I would consider it if someone from Intuit would provide more details or more compelling reasons why this is worth it. I was just wondering if anyone knew something about this I don't know, because I really don't get it.
I may or may not Phoebe has details
I'll just set my standards low and just stick with my CPA certification.
hi there!
I am the person behind these new 1040 certifications for Lacerte and ProSeries and I can tell you that "proving" knowledge and capabilities for seasonal tax help was the number one request from accountants posting openings on our Accountant Work Exchange site.
We did have to charge for it, but this is because it is not connected to any other revenue-based program (like the ProAdvisor Program is) and also because most of the people taking these exams are not people who own ProSeries or Lacerte already... so we just had to cover our costs in programming and hosting the exams themselves. (we have to use outside vendors to do that, so there are actual hard costs associated with these kinds of hosted exams).
I think you will find that anyone who passes the exam will be able to differentiate themselves from others who are seeking to work at an established tax firm, and is likely to be hired over someone who does not have the certification under their belt - this is based on information gathered from many different firms who hire extra people around tax time. All of them said they would prefer to hire someone with proven skills, versus someone they would have to train, since it took so long to get a new person up to speed.
the exam itself is scenario-based (you will move through four randomized 1040 tax prep scenarios) and time-bound. So if you pass it (you get three attempts) you will prove that you not only know the product in question (ie: Lacerte or ProSeries - there is a different exam for each product) but also that you can prepare a 1040 accurately and within a "normal amount of time".
Additionally, the training is FREE, so at the very least, take the training! You haven't got anything to lose there!
Hope this additional context helps!
Alison
I got it by roundabout path - the link, for anyone who didn't get the email, is http://learn.intuit.com/learnc...
I see the certification as being valuable in at least the following situations:
- Newbie degreed accountant looking for seasonal work in hopes of it turning into a permanent job. If you've never done tax more than the couple of returns for class, and you don't know the firm's software, that's a lot of training and a lot of risk. If you've taken the initiative to teach yourself the software, and have some independently-verified baseline competency, you look a lot better to the prospective employer.
- Person with tax background, but no prior Lacerte / Proseries experience is looking for a job with a firm that uses one of those softwares. Someone who has taken the initiative to learn the new software, and has gotten good enough at it to pass the test, is probably a better risk than someone who hasn't taken those steps. It puts you on par with those who have actual work experience with the software. (If I were moving to another town, where I didn't have contacts, I'd see the certification as a good job-hunting investment. )
- If I wanted to sub out work to someone, and the someones I was choosing between were all unknowns (as opposed to "referred by someone whose judgment I trust"), certification would mean that I could assume some baseline understanding of the software without having to rely on self-serving representations.
- Bear in mind that the training course is completely free, and includes some sort of software download that lets you use a (potentially limited - I haven't tried it) version of Lacerte or ProSeries without buying a license. So that aspect has value to anyone who wants trained employees - they can teach themselves the tax software from home, using real software and a self-paced tutorial, without having access to your account or your prep file.
This is not something I see as being a selling point in dealing with clients. I don't see it as having value (other than as a novelty) for an experienced preparer who isn't looking for a job or looking for (better-trained) employees. This is for people who need either to demonstrate competency to potential employers, or to find demonstrably competent employees, or to get current employees basic training in the tax software.
I'm hopeful that in the coming years, there will be advanced certifications, and certifications in non-1040 modules.
Sounds interesting from the employer point of view. Thanks for the info.
Alison,
I completely understand your points. Now hear mine. I'm proud of my "AllStar" status, and I worked my tush off to get it. Casual users of the board won't know the difference between that and some new "certification." It seems to me that those of us who have put in literally hundreds of free consulting hours, worth thousands of dollars, and thus gained "AllStar" Status, shouldn't have to deal with come new designation that can basically be purchased by any Johnny-come-lately for $200. In other words, I deeply resent the idea of coming up with $200 to maintain some degree of special status in the Community, and if you insist on offering it, it should be free to those who are already AllStars. Anything less is a direct slap in the face, IMO.
Arch
Archie - I knew there was a reason why I was going to vote for you for union president. Do we need to get the picket signs back out of the basement :)
Oh, and speaking of people with specialties, can't we get someone with some special certifications to get the point system back online?
This is not a special designation for this community! it is designed to help people "hiring" people, via Accountant Work Exchange. http://workexchange.intuit.com
your all star status will remain intact for this community, along with all the benefits that come with that.
In fact, the ProSeries and Lacerte Certifications will not even show up on any Community that Intuit maintains.
Does that help?
I thought the QB badge kerfuffle was over the descriptions of the various levels being potentially misleading, not over the various levels not being correctly matched to the poster's competency.
Also, you can't have two badges (which is why many of the QB-certified AllStars use their QB badges instead) - are you saying you'd rather have a "ProSeries certified" badge?
I hadn't really thought that those badges would be used here. It gets you benes over on the Accountants Work Exchange. (I'm not sure why someone would care about having it as a logo, since it's got no client-value.)
whoops - one clarification... the ProSeries and Lacerte Certifications WILL SHOW on Accountant Work Exchange site so that people wanting to hire extra help at tax time will have confidence that the certified people can ramp up more quickly (because they have proven their knowledge and capabilities via passing the Certification.)
Sorry, this whole alphabet-soup thing just rubs me the wrong way.
Arch
Remind you too much of XYZ?
So, Alison, if my friend wants to join a firm, but is heretofore untested in PS, he could sign onto the Intuit website and take the tests, which are free, and then go join a firm? And he does not have to pay for certification since he really does not need it?
me no comprende english can be certification spanish ??
Accountant Man.. I am not sure I understand your question.
The Certification Exam is $199, but you are correct that our training is free and anyone can (and should) take the training. We do provide some tests on our website for free, but they are not time bound and they do not deliver a certification at the end. However I do agree that they are good training materials and that people can take them if they wish.
The firms that we polled told us that given the choice between someone who was certified versus someone who says they have taken the training, they would hire the former person because the Certified candidate had the proof they were competent, all other things being equal.
Alison, it's not a difficult question. How can someone get good reliable training in PS and Lacerte and avoid paying for it?
Answer: go online, take the training, and don't pay for the certificate.
It's kind of like the free tax advice Intuit offers in these forums. Nobody pays for that, either.
Sure! The nice thing here is that people can choose what is right for them.
