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It's about what you know and what you show
Looking for a job or a promotion in this ultra tight job market? Competing for development contracts? Interested in taking your skills to the next level? Or, want to flaunt what you've got?

Getting certified differentiates you from everyone else. Before you get a chance to talk about your projects or show your portfolio, you'll stand out amongst other candidates by showing you have attained the highest level of professional competency. Macromedia certification will test your skills, knowledge, and experience with a challenging exam that is a recognized benchmark in your area of expertise. Open doors to new job opportunities or give your employer another reason to consider you for a promotion or pay raise.

Being certified also helps companies capture new clients. In today's business environment, more companies are competing for fewer projects. As a result, companies find themselves forced to negotiate price alone to win a contract. Having a team of Macromedia Certified Professionals allows a company to rely less on price and put more emphasis on the quality of the team and successful project results. For a small investment, companies can win important contracts, which may turn into long-term and profitable partnerships.

Whether you are looking for professional advancement or business growth, certification is one of the best ways to distinguish yourself from the competition.

"Becoming a Macromedia Certified Professional has helped our business in several ways. First, it provides to our clients an extra amount of insurance that we are skilled and capable of doing the work we have been hired for. In such a highly competitive market, every aspect of your company is under scrutiny during the proposal process. When a potential client sees that you have Certified Professionals on staff, the odds are much greater your company will be awarded the job."

Robert M. Hall, Senior Developer of mCom LLC and Principal of Feasible Impossibilities

In all the times you have surfed through the Macromedia website, you may have seen that Macromedia has a Certified Professional Program. Just in case you weren't aware of it, Macromedia offers the following certifications for both designers and developers:

You are guaranteed to see and hear more about the Macromedia Certified Professional Program with the upcoming Macromedia Certification Challenge.

Beginning October 27 at DevCon in Orlando, Florida, and continuing through the rest of the year, we're challenging all Macromedia developers and designers to show everyone what they've got by becoming a Macromedia Certified Professional. You know you've got the skills—the time has come to show it off by getting certified on the leading web technology products.

Certification: big benefit, small investment
Passing certification exams can be difficult, but getting ready to be certified is easy. We want you to stretch your brain, not your wallet—certification exams cost between $100 and $150 US dollars. There are no hidden costs for membership, books, or mandatory training. While it is not required, we recommend you prepare for the exam by taking Macromedia Authorized Training courses. Our instructor-led or online training courses are specially designed to help you build better sites, enhance ROI, embrace today's standards, and develop Rich Internet Applications faster.

We strive to make getting certified convenient. Exams take between 60 and 90 minutes and are delivered at over 3000 locations worldwide. So, wherever you are, there is bound to be a testing center nearby. As an added convenience, customers attending DevCon in Orlando, Florida on October 27-30 can take the certification exams at the show for a discounted fee.

How does Macromedia construct these exams?
The exams are based on critical job activities that a Macromedia designer or developer performs on a daily basis. The skills and knowledge tested in the exams represent a professional level of expertise. To ensure that the exams truly reflect the type of knowledge that is necessary in today's business environment, Macromedia works with both internal and external subject matter experts.

Each exam takes between three to four months to develop. Before Macromedia launches an exam publicly, it puts the exam through a worldwide beta test with designers and/or developers who use the tools daily.

Flaunt it when you've got it
Once you have taken the exam, you'll immediately know your score and whether or not you have passed. As a part of our Certification Challenge, you can decide to compete with other certified professionals with the highest scores. Every two weeks we will post the names with the top scores for each exam on the DevNet.

In addition, you'll receive a packet with a frameable certificate and a CD with logos to use on your website, business cards, and resume. Check out the list of Macromedia Certified Professionals.

What are you waiting for?
Macromedia offers authorized training—hands-on, instructor-led and interactive online courses—that maps to certification. There are also certified study guides produced by Macromedia Press. Combine one or all of these learning options with your professional experience, and you can certified tomorrow.

For more information about what is on each exam, check out:

In mid-October, look for Part 2 of this column, where we will test your knowledge!

Ready for the challenge?
Register at: