AC certification

[Petros Ioannou]

Does Graphisoft has an official standard for qualifying users with Archicad knowledge? And if so is there a sort of test or anything else to prove that a student has attended AC lessons or seminars?
I am asking this because a lot of students and professionals who came to the drafting/drawing school where I am teaching usually ask for some sort of verification for their training.
IMHO the best way to verify this is your everyday performance in a practice but people usually need some sort of papers to prove this.
....or sometimes because they just like to collect diplomas!

Petros

[Erika Epstein]

I've heard of such a certification in the U.S., but I am not sure what the test/procedure is and what the certification realistically means. Didn't Link take and pass it?
Where is Link these days anyway?

I agree with Karl's comments; the charts posted don't really evaluate how well someone has mastered the essence of ArchiCAD. There is much more to mastering the program, or even part of it, than knowing what a tool does. It is knowing how to apply the various tools at one's disposal, evaluating the pros and cons of the many techniques available at our disposal to create the final product. Ultimately, how well is one utilizing the program to communicate one's ideas.

Teaching is the flip side. Just because one knows something, doesn't always make one a good teacher.

Think about the manuals we currently have available, and not just from Graphisoft, to learn the program, well..believe it or not, they have improved over the years.

Not that this is a poll, and we/I have digressed a bit from the original question, but my vote is for Karl to start helping Graphisoft out with this on-going problem.
Karl happens to be that rare individual who is both knowledgeable about Archicad(its related programs), is a programmer, uses ArchiCAD, as well as being an excellent teacher.

[Erika Epstein]

Djordje wrote:

Erika wrote:

More into gentle sunsets

Thanks

Here's a california sunset for you.

[Petros Ioannou]

I am still waiting for a GS comment regarding this subject!

Can someone by his own give AC Accreditation? Does he have an Accreditation from GS to certify users? If yes, how does someone gets it?

Petros

[Karl Ottenstein]

Erika wrote:
I've heard of such a certification in the U.S., but I am not sure what the test/procedure is and what the certification realistically means. Didn't Link take and pass it?

Ah, you've hit on a major source of irritation to me. Graphisoft never announced that they would provide any kind of certification, yet GS US (Boston) did certify Link. I congratulate my friend and think it's great that he has this deserved status!

But, I should note that while Link's business card says "Graphisoft's first Authorized Consultant" ...
http://www.archilink.net/
...Link is in fact the ONLY 'authorized consultant' , because Graphisoft never formalized their certification mechanism. A year after I was told that details would be worked out "in two weeks", the mechanism still has not been announced.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Erika wrote:
Karl happens to be that rare individual who is both knowledgeable about Archicad(its related programs), is a programmer, uses ArchiCAD, as well as being an excellent teacher.

Wow, thanks, Erika.

(I was so wired up about the certification thing that I forgot to read the rest of your message!)

Karl

[Anonymous]

Karl wrote:
Ah, you've hit on a major source of irritation to me. Graphisoft never announced that they would provide any kind of certification, yet GS US (Boston) did certify Link. I congratulate my friend and think it's great that he has this deserved status!

I know what you mean Karl. Link is a good guy, and a skilled and talented ArchiCAD expert. But it is a bit annoying to have a certification on record that no one else can get. It seems that it would be good for Graphisoft to establish some official form of acknowledgment for those who have mastered the use of the program.

[Anonymous]

Yep - sure would be nice if there were a _possibility_ to gain formal (GS) accreditation?

... but maybe GS are worried that users might start to expect Resellers to have access to an Archicad-expert for problem solvers. Resellers (generally) in the West may be very strong on program skills but in 'less developed' markets many resellers (although there are several positive exceptions) know more about Autocad than Archicad ....

- Stuart

[Djordje]

StuartJames wrote:
Yep - sure would be nice if there were a _possibility_ to gain formal (GS) accreditation?

It used to be possible earlier, and was (if I remember those days correctly) organized through the Graphisoft Center scheme, that is defunct for some time now. All that I have left of it is a once black polo shirt with embroidered logo ...

[Akos Pfemeter]

Dear Archi-Talkers,

Let me inform you that Graphisoft is evaluating possible options for launching a certification program for ArchiCAD experts. With your input you can help us specify the requirements for this program.

An important issue is the form of exam you need to take to qualify for being a certified expert. Multiple choice tests seem to be industry standard (see Microsoft).

Another issue is the organization in which the exams would be taken. A very simple option is that we set up a website for the tests and you take the exam upon registration from home. Danger of cheating is an issue that has to be considered in this case.

It is also a question that how many levels of expertise we could/should test. To a certain level it is easy to test, but that level may not be sufficient to call a certified expert.

We would like to encourage you to comment on these issues and help us making a system that best fits your needs.

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Once Graphisoft's Certification Policy is established, I can see a future where news stories liek this will be commonplace:

SAN FRANCISCO - About 700 of the world's best ArchiCADers began battling it out Wednesday, as the fourth annual World Archi Games got underway in San Francisco.

The five-day annual event is a culmination of national competitions held around the world and pits the best players against each other using the widely popular ArchiCAD 10.


Divided up into eight championship tournaments, the event is more than a quest for high scores or a button-mashing fest: to win, participants must demonstrate a range of skills – such as advanced strategizing, adaptation, quick reflexes and hand-eye co-ordination – which they've likely been honing for years. Most spend upwards of 20 hours per week modeling.

"It's basically a lot like chess in the sense that's there's a lot of strategy involved and you have to stay concentrated, focused on the game," Alexandre Hulak told CBC News.

After two years of training and winning online competitions, the 19-year-old qualified for this year's 20-strong Canadian team and will play architect at the CAD world's version of the Olympics.

"It's going to be 67 of the best players from [62] countries," he said of his particular tournament.

"I'm expecting [it] to be the highest competition ever this year. I want to do the best I can and not hold back".

The incentive to win is high: in addition to total cash prizes of about $400,000 US, winners get global bragging rights and could go on to professional careers, like Canadian Guillaume Patry.

Five years ago, the Quebec-born Patry became the ArchiCAD world champion and was offered a job as a professional modeler in South Korea, initially making about $100,000 a year. His annual salary is now estimated at about $500,000 and, as the star of a Korean ArchiCAD TV program, needs body guards to protect him from his fans.

The 2004 edition is the first time the competition is being held outside of the 5D CAD Mecca of South Korea. Organizers will take subsequent events to other cities worldwide, including Singapore in 2005.

The World Archi Games wind down Sunday, when the 2004 winners will be crowned.