MECP. Yay or Nay?

[quest51210 10+ year member]

you must have missed my post on my career path with CC and BBY. went from $9/hr to $22/hr in just 3 years...i only paid $3800 for Installer Institute

If you want to make a career out of it, it's worth it. It will make finding a decent paying job or starting your own business much easier.
However, if you just plan on doing it as a hobby or as casual employment (say at Best Buy), I don't think it's worth going to school for. Perhaps studying and taking the test to get your basic cert, but not beyond that as the cost:benefit ratio climbs steeply.

Personally, I'm not MECP certified, but I have several friends that are (including a couple that spent well in excess of $10,000 to go to an MECP certified school) and they don't know more than I do (in fact, they don't know anywhere near as much as I know). The ones who went to school really improved their fabrication skills, especially in regards to fiberglass and woodworking. They kick my *** in this area.

 

[x1le 10+ year member]

you must have missed my post on my career path with CC and BBY. went from $9/hr to $22/hr in just 3 years...i only paid $3800 for Installer Institute

When did you attend II? I had plans to go way back in january and was at about 6 grand for school and housing including plane tickets. And that was just for the graduate course.

 

[quest51210 10+ year member]

2000

 

[nismboy6986 10+ year member]

How does my game plan sound. I already got the basic study guide but i need to finish studying and take the test. buy tools and equipment and start building enclosures and selling them and creating build logs of me making them. either try for bb, cc ect or a local shop. ( i actually could have gotten a job building enclosures for a shop last year when i showed the owner the process of my fiberglass enclosure for the ava 15 in my old celica but i was in a financial squeeze and couldn't afford to buy all the tools and equipment to build enclosure efficiently) i have a daughter and cannot afford to go to school or work for free so it seems my best bet is to hone my skills by creating my own side-project enclosure buisness so i can learn and actually make money while i learn. taking the basic course so i would also i have the paperwork backing me up then continuing on with the advanced and masters certification after i work for a shop and buying the "fishman" or equivalent videos to help me learn fabrication. I have worked for a retail cabinet business for 2 years (i probally built the cabinet your local wal-mart has there mp3 players and nav units in) so that should look good on my resume. I know i could easily get put on at a shop called Stereo Town (that the shop that offered me one last year) but i rather start at shop around me calle Mobile Millenia since they actually do custom fab work, show cars ect. Stereo Town mainly just sells audiobahn to teenagers but i guess you got to start somewhere and if they pay is too bad i could always do "Work-at-home" to supplement my income (my sister-in-law has a friend doing one of the few legitmate work at home gigs and i'm already in the process of trying to get started)

 

[JRock10 10+ year member]

personally, i thought about getting certified when I was an installer, then i read the basic study guide. too much of the book dealt with things i had not faced as an installer in the 2.5 yrs that I had already been working. CBs, car-mounted cell phones, and the like. a lot of the material was outdated. along with all those things, the shop i worked at had access to things like Mitchell, Directechs, DEI Gold Dealer Line, Term-Pro, and a couple of other resources. With all of these resources, and no raise or reimbursement coming, I decided it wasn't worth my time or money. Along with the fact, is MECP going to teach you how to take apart a customer's car? Where to best route the wires? Probably not. That's where experience comes in.

My .02 worth of advice is make your install look the best that it possibly can, then go meet some install/car audio managers at BB,CC or even a busy shop in your area. Let them know who you are, and what you want to do. Work on friend's cars and take pictures, even if it's just a HU. make sure your wiring is always clean. You'll work on 15x more cars at a Big Box store than at a car audio shop, and you'll learn how things come apart and where to put things. This is probably the biggest advantage of the box stores. The CC I worked at when I left the car audio biz had a reputation as good as the pro shop that was a block away. Find that store in your area and try to get on with them.

 

[Innovative:Cory 10+ year member]

Study guides should all be the same. There's basic, advanced, and master. You get the one appropriate for your level.

I dont agree with that, in my opinion the advanced is good reading for the guy who is going to take the basic....

The masters is good reading for the guy taking the advanced....

I am currently brushing up to take my Masters (this thread more or less got me motivated off my @$$, since there are also NO masters in my state, it would be cool to be the only one) and in my "studying" as I will call it. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on, from all 3 study guides, to the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook #7 by Vance Dickason. There is no such thing as too many resources!!!!!

Good information is good information!!

No One will ever know all about this industry! So it is good to have some references to fall back on when you hit a snag. Its more fun to be the guy who solves all the problems //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

Im moving to okc in september to attend classes. I hope the $7800 pays off.

 

[Fiercetimbo17 10+ year member]

Im moving to okc in september to attend classes. I hope the $7800 pays off.

i hope your not going to acoustic edge...

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, why?

 

[Fiercetimbo17 10+ year member]

ive worked with 2 people that went there and both were complete idiots still, could not even use a multimeter, did not understand the basics on installation or anything. Also they sold them insanley priced stuff that they bought into, like $50 protective glasses a $350 multimeter we found online for under $100 just little stuff like that.

Keep in mind they could both just be idiots but it didnt look good for the school you know?

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

yeah i got ya, but i already know that stuff.

 

[Leykisminion]

A little into my background:

I have about 5 years of legitimate experience and I am currently Advanced Certified (taking the Master test in 3 days). I also know first hand the world of Best Buy and Circuit City, along with the independent realm. I have done a lot in my short career; from 4.8 min deck installs and 1 hour overheads (clean work is #1. Don't mistake my speed for sloppiness) to custom fiberglass of most kinds. Cars from the simple 98 Ranger to the late 50's classics and the new German vehicles we all love so much.

My Thoughts about MECP:

Until a few months ago I felt that MECP of any level was a joke. Before I was basic certified, there were guys I ran circles around who were Certified. I basically got it for the money and didn't feel any better of an installer after. The test was so **** easy. I got an over all 96% on the test scoring 100% in on of the areas and I scored the lowest in safety Ha Ha. On top of all that I finished it in about 30 min.

As of about the end of 07' I really focused on opening up my own business in the industry. Even then I didn't hold MECP in the highest regard. Finally I realized having Master Installation Technician on my business card may be a good selling point. Especially given that there were only 86 in the country as of 7/3/8.

 

So far as spending your own money to do it. It might be worth it to make Best Buy pay for it. (Oh there was a post some guy put about BB reimbursing him. There is a practice test on BB's Toolkit and when to pass with an 80% or better they give you a voucher code. No need to front money) Given that you said it's hard to find an install job, here's why; MOST of the shops you go to(BB/CC/Independent) are going have the head guy/guys that think they know everything. This person just sees you as some smoe off the street who did a few mediocre installs in a cousin's or girlfriends car and now you think you know something. Most of the time this is the case, ironically enough, but we'll ignore how retarded some of these guys are for now. You have to realize that in any shop, even if they are reputable installers, they are looking for (on top of experience, etc.) someone they can get along with. After all, you are working together in a confined area. Most installers need to take a gay joke here and there to survive, but that's also something they look for in a prospect. There has been maybe 1 person out of the dozens who has asked me "Uh, you guys hyrin?" where I thought I could work with this guy. And I'm a very good judge of character.

 

My suggestion to you is, if you have a month or two to waste, get hired as a car audio sales rep. Take the MECP test the first chance you get and then await acceptance to the bay. If you can handle simple tasks a salesman should handle, like which GM vehicles need a battery terminal replacement for an amp install, then they will see you know your stuff and it should be downhill from there.

 

As a final note on MECP:

 

The installer is the real definition of the work they can deliver. No test on paper or in the computer is going to give an installer insight on how to customize a bracket in a vehicle they have never worked on. Some people just have brains that put it all together in the way it should work. I definitely think it's worth taking though. I have learned a lot from it but I don't think it is everything.

MECP, to me, is similar to the layers of the earth (or an onion for you Shrek nerds). It can take you pretty deep, but it's not the core of the mobile A/V industry.

(write that down)

 

Oh and if this was too long of a post then you need to read more. Your attention span is that of a 5 year old

 

[qkassidyw 10+ year member]

I am Advanced Certified, was Basic for about a month before I took the advanced. I have a degree in EE which helped. The Basic cert. is a joke and anyone with basic car audio knowledge and can do basic math will be able to pass it. The advanced test is harder and should be the entry level certification.

I am now working on my master and this is the real test for an installer. It has troubleshooting questions which can only come from real world experiencem as well as more advanced Ohms law questions.

I have worked with installers that came from the schools and they cannot figure out how to take cars apart, they are generally slow, but they know a ton about custom woodworking and fiberglass.

Having MECP does help when trying to get a job especially at a big box but (like someone said earlier) if I had to choose I would take the installer with experience.

I will quote a website here (http://www.caraudiobook.com):

Key Traits of a Successful Installer

1. Work Ethic - Show up early for work and stay late. Don't come in tired or hung over. Go the extra mile without being asked. Do a check-in and check-out of every car, every time.

2. Abilities - Installing isn't just about turning screws and crimping wires. You're a craftsman, an upholstery expert, fiberglass expert, Plexiglas expert and an expert troubleshooter. You need to keep current with trends and make sure you have the skills to handle them. And you need to be able to work quickly. Anyone can do the job in an eight hour day but you have to do it in two hours because you've got two more right behind it.

3. Team Player - Do you play well with others? If not you'd better learn. You're part of a team and it's not a team of one. Help out even if it's not your job. You're going to need help too.

4. Attitude - No one likes a whiner, especially your boss. No one cares if it's tough or if you can't figure out how to do it. You have to have the attitude that you can do it. If you can't figure it out by yourself then ask someone else. You aren't getting paid extra if you do it without asking. You get bonuses if you finish it quickly.

5. Motivation - When things are slow in the bay you'd better not be goofing off. There's always something to do. Sweep up. Stock shelves. Help the sales people. Make speaker rings for the next custom install. Your boss is paying you to make money for the shop. Do something productive.

6. Creative - Don't get stuck in the same routine. If you've mastered fiberglass then move on to working in Plexiglas or metal. Combine different materials into the same piece. Use your imagination. That's what makes being an installer fun.

Those traits are exactly what it is all about, if you are lucky enough to get hired on somewhere, DO ALL OF THAT! I would like to think I am successful because I hold myself and others to a higher standard; certification is nice but you don't always need it.

Also, someone mentioned being able to take a gay joke every once in awhile....the install bay is probably the gayest place on earth and I love it!

 

[macq32 10+ year member]

Good thread, I'm currently in school for completely unrelated reasons (economics). But since I bought a car I love I have been looking into and learning much more about car audio than I ever knew before, even though it is the most basic of knowledge.

I've been thinking it would be cool to work in a shop but I am a true noob. The best and most pertinent qualities I have are a very good work ethic, I would dare say I have better general knowledge/common sense than 95% of all people walking this sad earth, and I am very quick to pick things up.

Again I have next to no technical knowledge in sound/electric. As cool as it would be to work in a shop I have zero experience and next to zero knowledge.

I'm now considering taking the MECP (start with basic and continue through) for now in hopes to at least keep me from being disregarded immediately at a shop. I realize once I do this I'll have minimal experience but I'm hoping its enough to get my foot through the door, get a chance to see what techniques the pros use and step right in.

I just contacted best buy, I'm hoping they'll be willing to fund the test (if not, I can swallow the $80 or whatever it is). I'm under the impression they don't require a whole lot of experience beforehand. Also basic benefits would be available and at least I could get a good part of the learning process out of the way there, then in a year or so I can take my experiences to something local. (At which time I'd expect to have my advanced anyways)

I was also thinking about getting the Mobile Products Specialist Study Guide and trying to get into a local shop that way. Generally speaking should I earn the Basic Certificate first, or would it not matter which came first, products specialist vs basic