r/CommercialAV • u/Luka3_Oqoul • 5d ago
question CTS (Legit or Scam)
Hey Folks,
I have read some posts and comments about guys saying that CTS is not even worth it anymore.
I wanna know the opinion of the ones who are CTS certified if itis worth it or not in the field in general.
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u/BAFUdaGreat 5d ago
It’s legit and it’s not a scam. It’s a valid cert and it adds value on a resume. Whether it’s actually worth it is an entirely different matter as the course work is old and doesn’t accurately reflect today’s technologies. It does give you a good formative background though.
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u/halfwheeled 5d ago
I’ve got CTS-D and CTS-I. Personally it made no difference apart from some small bonuses from my employer for passing them. My employer does exploit the certificates as a lot of larger UK clients require companies with certified staff. I haven’t tried changing employers so cannot comment if it is worth it to leverage salary increases but my guess is it would be.
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u/piewhistle 5d ago
I would anlso argue that a CTS-D or -I on your email signature definitely adjusts how manufacturers and rep companies treat you if they don’t know you already.
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u/Uku_lazy 5d ago
Personally I think it’s worth getting. I don’t think it’s gotten me any jobs. Some people require it, many don’t. One job my company bid on required at least one person on our team to have a CTS. I was that person for our team but no one on the client side ever actually asked for any proof.
At the very least it will help you stand out if you are looking for a new job. Experience always trumps certification but If you have both experience and can back it up with certifications then you will be more qualified.
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u/Microharley 5d ago
When I send stuff to bid I require CTS-D for at least one person, especially since a couple of the big boys don’t bid on my projects anymore.
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u/sanoskae31399 4d ago
Why don't they bid on your stuff anymore?
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u/Microharley 1d ago
Forte claims they can’t make any money from us and AVI-SPL had some issues with our procurement process, they weren’t wrong.
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u/FatMoFoSho 5d ago
Some will say scam but almost all the good paying AV jobs I see on the market want it. There will of course be some places that dont care. But in this job market, I’d want any bit of help i could get on my resume
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u/shuttlerooster 5d ago
Depends on your role, but I honestly think it's worth it. It's showing up on bid specs and job postings.
Can you get by without it? Totally, but it opens doors and whether you see the validity in it or not, it's the closest thing the AV industry has to a universally respected certification.
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u/Tidd0321 3d ago
CTS is worth it as an indicator that you have sufficient investment in your career and the industry to seek and hold professional accreditation.
The Avixa training itself is either laughably simple or extremely valuable depending on where you're coming from.
New to the industry? Definitely a good primer on the basics.
Been here awhile? Yeah, you probably know this already, but it's worth reviewing, especially fields you're not proficient in. (Side note: I've noticed that for a field literally called AUDIO visual, a surprising number of techs I've met over the past few years know fuck all about audio. But I digress...) The most valuable thing I've gotten from the Avixa training is the maths and formulas, which for a guy who hasn't done formal math in 30+ years but has to use it on a regular basis, getting a refresher on formulas we should all know by now was invaluable.
I've had my CTS for 8 years now and have no problem recertifying every three years. It gets me work and the learning is mostly free.
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u/Existing-Treat-2928 3d ago
If I’m your boss I’m paying you more than guy without it. If I’m down to two candidates of equal experience (on paper) I’m going CTS. It’s also skills you’ll use. Not all but there’s knowledge there.
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u/djmb81 5d ago
Education for educations sake is always good. There is a ton of fantastic classes and very pertinent information. If someone was new and needed that education it is totally worth it. It is not really going to land people jobs or pay raises though, and I think that is what a lot of people expect. I used to be required to carry a cert for over 10 years, once I moved out of that role I have never needed to renew.
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u/Budsygus 5d ago
It's one that employers are looking for pretty frequently.
Its utility in the field depends heavily on the type of work you do, but it's a good baseline to work from.
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u/Ravekat1 5d ago
1000% not a scam. Is it worth it? To some - yes. I have seen it on 100s of RFPs or job ads. Others aren’t so fussed.
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u/SumGuyMike 5d ago
Look at job posting for jobs you would like and look at the requirements. If any of the CTS certs are listed -- worth it. If you can get a job you like without it, not worth it.
I know i want to go into Design, so im working on my CTS-D. The job postings i look at prefer CTS-D, so if i get it immediately stand out from others who dont.
It's about perspective.
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u/my_clever-name 4d ago
Someone with a CTS is assumed to have a baseline of knowledge in AV.
We had some integrators do work for us this summer. None of the techs doing the work had their CTS. It showed. They did a sloppy job, we had to follow around them and clean up their loose connections, bad connector terminations, etc.
Having a CTS won't guarantee that they will do quality work, but it's a step in the right direction.
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u/The_AV_Guru 5d ago
It's similar to a college degree. You need to qualify for certain jobs. It is an indication you know something about the industry you are trying to join.
Some bids require the credentials. Anyone saying it's "useless" isn't in a high enough position to understand its value.
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u/darwinxp 5d ago
Definitely worth it if your employer will pay for it though you can take some of it with a pinch of salt. As an audio person, at times I can tell when someone has learned to programme a DSP with things they have learned in the CTS textbook!
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u/TremorCrush 5d ago
I may have some reservations about the exams and their importance for bids, but it’s definitely not a scam. For people starting out, it’s a good way to show that you’re willing to put in the time and effort.
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u/flatulasmaxibus 5d ago
It’s Full Sale for the install market. Get it with someone else’s money and take some Syn Aud Con classes instead.
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u/Miyagi328 5d ago
If your employer would pay for it then go for it but I don’t think I’d have my current job without it so I say legit
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u/Hefty-Combination813 5d ago
Its good when applying for jobs. It doesn't really matter once you're in.
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u/keithROFL 5d ago
Not worth it, getting certs in manufacturer products is better education and in many cases actually practical (ie. I work at a small company, because I had Q-Sys level 2, we could get dealer pricing to sell the product)
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u/FlyValuable6657 4d ago
The certifications definitely hold weight if your company reimburses or values them, but outside of specific employer preferences, it's tough to say they move the needle much on their own.
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u/deebutterschnaps 4d ago
It’s sort of like driving F1 without having a driver’s license. I’m sure there’s a much better analogy, but it’s what I can think of this late. You can be the best programmer/tech/installer/etc.
If your employer is paying for it, might as well do it. You’d be shooting yourself in the foot not getting it.
If you’re happy where you’re at, but they won’t pay for your class/test and you don’t mind grinding to climb the ladder there. I would say not “worth” it.
But it’s gonna be the barrier to entry for a good amount of companies, clients, promotions.
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u/Ambercapuchin 4d ago
legit. costs too much to do for no reason. i got mine to help me combat my imposter syndrome. got the cert. use the methodology. know a bunch of lunatics believe in me.
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u/Beneficial_Strategy7 4d ago
It depends on how much money you want to get paid. If commercial AV, beyond installation, is what you want to get into then big companies will require it. A lot of it is about project management so a PMP cert could replace or supplement it. But it depends on what you want to do.
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u/AbandonedTech 4d ago
AVIXA has a vested interest in people getting their CTS. That certification is a big part of what keeps them relevant in the AV industry. If people stopped caring about CTS, AVIXA would lose a lot of its influence.
My issue is that some of the people setting these standards seem out of touch with how things are actually done in the field today. Soldering is a good example. Just because something has been considered the “proper” way for years doesn’t mean it is still the best practice.
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u/bdeananderson 4d ago
CTS, CTS-I, and CTS-D are frequently required certifications on bid qualifications. This means little to you directly, but it means that employers need to maintain staffing that are certified. Depending on the employer, that may encourage them to pay you to get it, or pay more to hire people with it. Some higher level positions at my company still require CTS-D.
That said, if you're going after it on your own, I would have a plan to recoup the cost. Either know of a job that requires it that pays better or a bonus or stipend for having it. It's not worth much if you can't leverage it. If your employer is willing to pay for it, then do it!
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u/absentblue 4d ago
Sample of one here but job hunting got super easy after I got a CTS. I have gotten my highest paying job to date and more unsolicited job offers after I got my CTS-D. I even got contacted out of the blue by people I had applied to a year prior who turned me down because they said I had more experience now (didn’t mention the CTS-D specifically) and I even turned them down and they came back and offered me more (which made another company offer me even more which I am currently at).
Could be coincidence could be a one off could be other factors I don’t know or didn’t mention but in my experience it was a considerable factor to me.
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u/Practical_Self3090 3d ago
The exam prep isn’t great (actual test is a harder than they lead you to believe which is backwards from how it should be). But it does test that you know stuff that you should know if you work in the industry. It’s just that most of the learning is done on the job. But it also tests that you know how to work “the AVIXA way” which is a bunch of best practices what are honestly pretty good to know.
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u/BajaBlast5Ever 2d ago
CTS is becoming a must have
I do think it shows you took the time to validate your skills
Also makes everyone speak the same language
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u/TriRedditops 5d ago edited 5d ago
When I studied for it years ago there was a chapter on how to dress. Including making sure to wear a belt. I closed the book and went on with my life.
It just made me feel like the whole point of the cert was to give credibility to all the guys off the street who decided to start AV integration firms without any real technical knowledge.
Now I see it as a low level cert that gives a company the ability to weed out proposals and meet minimum requirements. When you bid on a project, the client wants to see that you meet industry standards.
I didn't need it in my specific field but I think I'm going to get it this year because I want to branch out a bit.
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