MECP certification

im mecp certified also. i took the basic test a few years ago then moved to a custom shop that didnt care about certification so i didnt go for advanced (also started at best buy) if you already work there they will buy you the book and pay for your test you just have to ask them. and also you dont have to be certified right away they give you like 90 days. but honestly the test is super easy 100 question multiple choice but its not anything you would know off the top of your head. its just like any test in highschool you have to study the book really well but as long as you do that its super easy. you wont ever use the information on the test to work at best buy its good to have the knowledge but the only thing you need to know well at bby is ohms law. either way just get the study guide and read it good. you will take a practice test at best buy before taking the real test and the practice test is the exact same as the real test. anyways my advice would be work at bby until you get on your feet and start looking to move to a custom shop asap because best buy doesnt pay well at all. i have 5 years experience and can do anything mobile electronics/custom work and they tried to hire me back and offered me 10/hr. plus it might sound weird at first but once you get fast commission is alot better (which is how most car audio shops pay) i was making 250 a week at best buy and 1000 a week at the custom shop (and we werent very busy)

mxnate116 said:

holy **** your master certified? isnt there only like 100 in the nation that are master certified? i saw that there are 12 here in washington.

i looked up whats on the test and i will definitely have to brush up on my ohms law and basic electronics stuff(diodes capacitors ect)

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yeah ive been master for about 3 years now. Like LMP said, its really easy. Hell if you pass and need patches ive got some left over if you need them and if you want them ill send them to you.
As far as BBY is concerned. They just changed their policy. So now you do have to be certified. I left them back in December. They will pay for everythng that you need if you get hired there. Alot of the stuff now you arent going to be using as alot of manufacturers got smart and offer their cars with everything in it. Alot of things that you will be doing now is more so integration. You really have to know what you are doing with alot of the newer cars that are coming out as they are coming out more and more complicated each year. As far as pay goes it all depends on where you are at really, I started off at 12 then after i got advanced certified i got paid 18 then when i got master i got paid 26.84. The only thing about it as well is that when i got advanced I became the shop lead/supervisor so of course there was more money thrown my way. All in all thought is that you cant go wrong with them but, as mentioned, you will gain alot more experience with a custom audio shop then at BBY.

in all honesty car audio is a dying art. with manufacturers equipping cars with pretty much everything it is getting harder and harder to make money. Only true audiophiles still have a passion for it and most of them either have the knowledge on how to do it themselves or take it to a custom shop. Alot of the jobs now are consisting of integration with the factory components and that can also be a little difficult. another thing is alot of cars (Volvo, Saab, Etc...) are starting to incorporate a kind of data wire system where a bundle of wires are a thing of the past. They pretty much have a couple of wires or even one that will control multiple components and the only way to differentiate between each is a certain resistance. Also some manufacturers are, soon, going to be going from 12 volt systems to 24 volt systems which is a whole new realm along with electric cars and etc.

That being said you have to make sure that it is trully something that you want to do. If you were to try and land something at a retail store (best buy) you may not get paid alot. While if you are trying to go to a custom audio shop you may not get paid alot as well. What it all boils down to is how fast you can learn and comprehend and you experience. The real money right now is in custom work other then that it is pretty much dying out.

Im not trying to deter your way but I just want you to be informed on what you plan on getting into. Being familiar with electronics is one thing but when dealing with car electronics its another thing. I had a guy that used to work for me that was an ET (Electronics Technician) in the Navy for about 10 years and had the understanding but couldnt grasp the concepts that we were doing and could not keep up so he resigned.

If you have anything specific you can ask me and I can let you know with whatever you want to know.