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Unity Certification

Discussion in 'Community Learning & Teaching' started by blackwind, Jan 20, 2010.

  1. blackwind

    blackwind

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    Hi,

    Is there any official type of unity certification? where? how much?

    greetings,
     
  2. Dreamora

    Dreamora

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    no, at least not as far as I'm aware
     
  3. HiggyB

    HiggyB

    Unity Product Evangelist

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    As of today there is no such thing as becoming a "Certified Unity Developer" although it is something we've discussed. But alas, there's nothing out there as of today.
     
  4. Dreamora

    Dreamora

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    Would likely be the first cert I would really be interesting to get ... will keep an eye on the changes in that direction :)
     
  5. blackwind

    blackwind

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    oohh :(

    i would be really nice if you have any cert. Especially for the academy
     
  6. mortalhuman

    mortalhuman

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    In case the Unity folks are polling through this thread: Certifications are lame. I like unity because you're real. Certifications will be a step away from that. There is no Unity in "I got paper so I'm better than you and won't teach you so that I remain that way"

    Certifications = kill what makes you different.
     
  7. Dreamora

    Dreamora

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    possible but Cert = shows that you are at least fullfilling a given base level.
     
  8. HiggyB

    HiggyB

    Unity Product Evangelist

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    Umm, I did post above didn't I? I am "Unity folks"... :)

    And I disagree wholeheartedly with what you said above. Do I think certifications are some golden ticket to success for us or you as developers? No. But do I think they take us away from "being real"? No, in fact I think that's a bit out of touch altogether (no offense, it just strikes me as extremely odd to believe that). I feel quite confident that our community won't suddenly devolve into your "I got paper" scenario, and if y'all do then you're not half as good a community as I'd like to believe you are (and frankly, I think you're twice the community I think you are! :D ).
     
  9. rouhee

    rouhee

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    as a producer point of view, i like the certificate idea. Even if it is a small one.

    For example in the situation when hiring freelancers. With some sort of certificate i could trust that they get the job done. It doesn't tell me how good they are, but it tells me that they can actually do something.

    I'm not saying that people without certification would be less skilled or something, it just proves that some instance has given them some reliability.
     
  10. Dreamora

    Dreamora

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    Exactly my point (and I'm sitting on the other side of the fence as being a freelancer ). At the time I'm basically in the situation that I need to expand the amount of projects I worked on, create own showcase projects etc to show that I'm capable.
     
  11. helioxfilm

    helioxfilm

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    As an Apple Certified Pro in Final Cut Pro, I like the idea to have a similar certification is Unity, possible have levels here as well.

    It would "force" people to write textbooks, manual like the Apple Pro Training books, and so there would be a kind of well structured basis for learning and taking exams. Will Goldstone's book is a good example for that, however, such a traning book should cover more, eg. not only JS but C-sharp as well.

    However, I see a significant problem here as well.

    In order to create a certification system for Unity, the authors should be very careful. For example, what kind of certification could be created for such an application, where the knownig of the interface, the commands are really only the smallest part of the knowledge? In case of Final Cut Pro it consists the big part of the knowledge base, since it assumes in a way, that the FCP user is the editor, who works with the director, or a client. So he/she may get requests, and exercise them. The problem arise here: these requests are based on a "higher" knowledge, for example the grammar of edit, and these requests are executed by the editor, as an operator, just using the user interface, commands etc.

    With Unity, I can have nice ideas, excellent game design capabilities, but if I get a partner who claims that he/she knows Unity well, there is absolutely no guarantee, that he/she can write for me good scripts, so he/she knows the "grammar of scripting".

    My point is, that if there will be a certification, it should go much further than a simple gui level knowledge, because it is not enough. I start to be familiar with the Unity interface, understand the logic, how it works, but for example I had absolutely no clues, that for a 2D line drawing game I should use arrays in the script... I know what is an array, theory, but that is not enough...

    So, it should consits at the same time a complete Unity oriented scripting education as well. And I think for newcomers (like myself) that would be the hard part...
     
  12. andeeeee

    andeeeee

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    Very good point.

    I'm not sure if this has ever been done before, but... perhaps some kind of peer review scheme would work better than certification for Unity? I'm thinking it would start with a panel of developers approved by UT as "experts", perhaps with specialities in particular areas. Instead of taking an exam to get a certificate, a new user would submit a portfolio of work to the panel for approval. Then, if the user gets a certain number of positive votes from the panel, they get accepted as an "approved developer" or something.

    I think this would carry more weight than a certificate, because it would demonstrate that the community of users think you are good with Unity, whereas an exam pass just means you have basic technical competence.

    (This is purely an idea - no suggestion of UT actually doing anything like this for the time being!)
     
  13. WinningGuy

    WinningGuy

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    Perhaps a certification should focus on the proven ability to use the Unity API.

    In a creative industry such as ours, a certification is never going to tell you how good someone is going to be. What it will tell you is if they are competent with the tool.

    A user should be able to demonstrate:

    1. A thorough knowledge of the Unity interface all all the Editor Options
    2. An understanding of the code execution order
    3. Demonstrated ability to use the Unity API by solving common game related coding problems
    4. Whatever else

    There should be a set of challenges that a person should be able to solve that not only show that they know how to use Unity, but also can only be done if the user already has a solid foundation in scripting/programming.
     
  14. GiusCo

    GiusCo

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    I think the easiest way for UT is releasing some sort of "literacy check-list" (no more than 10-15 pages) for their products and environment, starting from the free version of Unity.

    It could help wannabe developers to build their knowledge by using your original idea of your product. After that, they can start making a portfolio and selling themselves.
     
  15. mikesgames

    mikesgames

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    a simple PDF would be fine.
     
  16. profcwalker

    profcwalker

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    Hi,

    I realize the post is a bit dated; however I thought I could provide a link to a possible working solution for this, until an official direction is made.

    Let me know if you have any questions on it.

    Thank you,
    Chad
     
  17. amunoz

    amunoz

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    I´m totally agree. The global industry needs a international framework job skills. like IGDA curriculum framework -this is a good example-. Autodesk, Adobe, etc. has an ATC (Authorized Training Centers) and well... yo can get a certified procedures for get an international job-skills for verify quality basic, intermediate and advanced job skill.
     
  18. dr.steam

    dr.steam

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    There should be a certificate in changing kids diapers too. :)
     
  19. Deleted User

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    If there's no certification for Unity then how do you know if someone is qualified to teach the engine to students? Potential developers deserve someone who knows what they're doing and a certification to me even if its a small one provides that kind of guarantee. I could be wrong though. The flip side of that is that Unreal and Torque don't have certificate problems and they've been around longer.

    I just need to know that when I show people what I've learned to do in Unity that I am not leading them off a cliff. Teaching someone a new skill is a huge responsibility, one that most people don't give enough credit to.
     
  20. justinlloyd

    justinlloyd

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    "What games have you shipped?"
     
  21. Deleted User

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    I haven't but the students where Iive haven't even heard of Unity and I feel I need to get the word out on how easy the engine is to learn. I have done some stuff with Unity and so have a few others in the state. I am just putting something together so we can collaborate.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 18, 2012
  22. Deleted User

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    You must think I am nuts for doing this.
     
  23. dreammakersgroupAdmin

    dreammakersgroupAdmin

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    I like Certification idea
    at least i can check my knowledge score in unity.
    and it will not take more than three hour if exam done by internet.
     
  24. FredericBautista

    FredericBautista

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    Let me catch my shovel...

    Dig, dig, dug!

    Here I go...

    Well, if this idea ever comes alive, I would like to put my two cents all in.

    1.) I don't think certification should go based on what a developer released.

    Why would you ask ?

    Because this goes well as long as you stay into the Indie developer realm.
    But as soon as you get into the studio and publisher thing, who will get the certification ?
    More often than not, someone who will never have written a line of script in the game.
    Also some project can also be aborted for other reasons than poor technical skills...

    2.) Who is it really useful to ?

    To people who need to bring some guaranties to a potential recruiter and obviously to the recruiter himself.

    Fact is that it is actually extremely easy to get something to show up with unity, without writing a line of code.
    Particularly with the heavy supply of free / cheap stuff available over the internet and the asset store.

    3.) IMO, there should be several level / maybe kind of certification.

    Scripting some UI based, not resource intensive application, doesn't require the same skill set as scripting some 3D mmorpg.
    In my opinion, certifications should target kind of application rather than specific area of development, it's more employer friendly ^^

    Now the issue is probably how to perform the certifications, if they do tests, they will end up on the net pretty quick...
    I don't think Unity3D are ready to spend several days of work creating new tests every time someone apply for certification ;)

    The idea of a panel of "expert" evaluating someone's work (released or not) to see how it fit in one of the certification could do I guess.
    I believe that applications should obviously incur a fee, even if just to avoid rotten applications flood.
    Also, application could probably be done through something like the bug report window in unity.

    Well, anyone calling my two cents ?
     
  25. ZFarago

    ZFarago

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    Quite old thread, but interesting subject.

    I think certification is a good thing, not just for producers, but also for the developers. A certification, and the preparing for it would complete someones knowledge, fill holes, fix bad usages etc.
     
  26. Adancin

    Adancin

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    Totally agree! :)
     
  27. jebo87

    jebo87

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    i totally support this idea....that would be great to have some kind of unity developer certification
     
  28. Cawas

    Cawas

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  29. Ayush_Shaw

    Ayush_Shaw

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    I wish If There Were Certifications For Becoming a Game Developer . My Dad Tell me That Game Has no Future . And always Tells me to do Microsoft Certification In Database Management, Networking, etc...

    I want to Be a Game Dev.
     
  30. T1Green

    T1Green

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    I think your father probably meant that "It's damn hard to get into a big company that makes games and become famous. You have no future in games if you think it's easy to do."

    Which is how parents are...I mean it's the same if you want to draw pictur..ehem want to be an artist, become a comic artist, musican, model, actor etcetc. You will hear the same words from your parents. It's not a stable income and you have to try a lot harder without any gurantee that you will succeed. They fear for you and want you to have an education which gurantees your future life.

    If you ask me that yes, you will easier get a job if you got an education in database management, networked etcetc. Still that doesn't mean you can't try out for modeling, acting, artisting, gaming while you study or after you got your education and are working.

    Still, I wonder what a certification will do good for when it's an education you need. Now if you say that you wish there were educations to become game developers, then I will answer you that there are. We can just take the country I live in, while I am studying software technology (in a weird way) at university, we have another university which has this master: http://itu.dk/en/Uddannelser/Study-Programmes/MSc-in-Games

    You actually learn to make games depending on if you want to go into game development, design or analysis. So I bet there are more around the world where you can get a degree in game development.

    Remember your parents aren't against you but with you. They just know a little more about the world and want the best for you. ;)
     
  31. AssmeisTer

    AssmeisTer

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    If you are in India there are several institutes that get you a degree in game development and then you can get into good companies.
    http://aiga.in/unity_3D_video_course_bangalore.html

    http://www.aiga.in/

    http://www.htcampus.com/college/academy-animation-and-gaming-bangalore/
     
  32. lastcontract

    lastcontract

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    Actually, in the field I work in (computer programming specific to web & mobile app design) certifications are what set people apart. It's great to be a MCSD and it exemplifies my understanding of the languages and platforms I was tested on. The biggest motivator to become certified should be learning your language or library. Ultimately that's what the certification does (certify you have working knowledge of the technology) and studying for the certification is a motivating factor for you to explore every nook and cranny. It's not about mastery - it's about understanding.

    So if a reputable company was to come out with some Unity certification exam, I'd say go for it!
     
  33. Cawas

    Cawas

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    I now think, probably, the main reason there's no certification is that there's no market too.

    So, instead of applying for a piece of paper saying you can do something, just do it instead. It will be harder, but it will also be so much better.
     
  34. freezingwreck

    freezingwreck

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    Well in the Australia key note they did state they will be creating a certification system. Id love to become certified in unity.
     
  35. srmojuze

    srmojuze

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    Ah yes good point, I remember that. And my jeans and socks and shoes being completely soaked from the heavy Melbourne rain that morning. :)

    Fair enough, but I think for teaching and training others, particularly in Asia, a paper qualification will be worthwhile.
     
  36. fafase

    fafase

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    A certification would be just as valuable as a degree. Some will consider it for what it is worth, knowledge of the tool, the api, coding and so on.

    Others will say it is just a paper saying you are able to do the required tasks but is meaningless on the field.

    Most likely the second group will be composed of people without the certificate.
     
  37. TalhaDX

    TalhaDX

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    Unity is working for there "Certification program" in the middle quarter of 2016. Stay tuned.
     
  38. Realform

    Realform

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  39. fafase

    fafase

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    Unfortunately, I think this certification will have no real value, and here is the reason why: 250dollars registration.

    I guess someone will try and prove me wrong but this is just my thoughts.

    It is a commercial product, so Unity needs people to register to grab the cash. But if the certification has a 5% success rate, those in need of a certification will think twice as they may doubt their chances. Those who are sure to succeed (because 10 years coding) do not need the certification so they won't even bother.

    As a result, Unity needs to get a good number to make people feel safe in registering AND paying (though you get a 50% discount on the second round). But??!! If I am looking for a coder, and he comes in with the certification and I know there is a 98% rate of success, then I know it is worth nothing and more likely given away as you show up on the exam. So it is the snake biting its own tail. Also, it will be interesting to see the rate of success on second attempt, considering few will go for a third round.

    I think we clearly look at a commercial product more than the will to provide a certification.The content and grading will be constantly reshaped to fit the business plan so it gets a clean, attractive and legitimate-looking 75% success.

    Make it free and then it will be worse for what it is coz you can remorselessly fail a bad student without wondering about revenue.
     
    Deleted User likes this.
  40. Deleted User

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    true but i want it to look cool XD
     
  41. grigb

    grigb

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    I'm looking for more details on what the tests will be like. The exam objectives outline on Unity's site is not very helpful. It looks like the TOC for a manual. There's no way to understand the types of questions or depth of comprehension needed.

    Is it mostly written essays, coding challenges, multiple choice!?

    The next one in my area (SF) is April 29, 16. I have a month to prepare, but I'm "flying blind".
     
  42. everaldo

    everaldo

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    I've done the test and i believe if you often using unity everything will be fine for you.
    Sorry can't tell you the detail, it's confidential.
     
  43. ElBuho

    ElBuho

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  44. fafase

    fafase

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    Last edited: Aug 13, 2017
  45. musolo

    musolo

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    When certified Unity programmer course will be released?
    Thanks!