Have you guys thought of developing an Unity Certified Training program? Pros and Cons?
A certification that will let potential employers know if someone has a basic knowledge of Unity.
Is it too early to be thinking like that?
I wouldn’t say it’s too early to think about that sort of thing at all. Obviously such a program will become increasingly important as the product grows in popularity, but for now I think we first need to focus on getting formal training materials in place, then introduce certification some time after that.
For dingo or anyone else reading this thread: Have you sought out or obtained certification with other tools yet? If so, what are your thoughts on the process involved in those cases? How much do you feel it’s helped you obtain work so far (have any clients found that a key element in deciding to hire you)?
I’m interested in the experience folks have had elsewhere so I can draw comparisons as to what we might want to do and/or include if we pursue such a program. My only experience was with folks becoming Macromedia Certified (for Flash, Dreamweaver, etc.) and I’d like to have a broader understanding that includes other tools.
Edited for typos.
A first step, before an all-out certification system, could be a simple test that employers could give to potential employees.
Sorry, I love the Unity guys alot, and am willing to provide alot of sweat equity to their success … but even I’m not peeing in a cup for them.
Oh, uhh, wait … you mean some other test probably. 
Nevermind. 
Ugh, we don’t want you to do that either!
But back to StarManta’s point, that is something that we could consider, good thought and thanks for bringing it up.
i recently read in the PS3 mag Next3 that they suggest Game Schools. I think this is a great idea. I mean, you go to school to get a qualification to get a job.
Let there be a game school where people can learn how to make jobs and enter that field.
This Unity certification would then also be worth it’s weight 10 times over in gold bullion. What I wouldn’t give fir a Unity certification… Wow!
Actually, I am at college right now doing a Gaming Design and Application course and I ahve convinced my dean to get me Unity instead of me doing C++. I am just waiting for him to actually purchase that license so I can get started. I will then have a gaming qualification focusing on Unity.
Be jealous. Be very jealous 
I’ve been spending a good amount of time promoting Unity for just that sort of purpose (especially during GDC earlier this month). I’ve been talking to a lot of organizations about how they might utilize Unity as a game development design tool in their curriculum with good results so far. I have a series of meetings and emails queued up so that hopefully this fall folks might be able to take proper courses on using Unity.
That effort of course meshes nicely with a separate certification program for those not attending such a school so this is all very good conversation…
Resurrecting this subject. I was talking to my wife(just got back from my honeymoon was married 4/28 ) about Unity, and how it would be fun to make a game creation class using Unity. I had a couple of questions…
How much would someone pay for a 3-4 day Unity 101 class?
What type of curriculum should it include?
Should classes be broken down into Unity:Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced? (with own completion certificate).
What type of training could a potential trainer get?
My wife and I were thinking about visiting Europe so I suggested trying to visit OTEE and get some training, to be a trainer. (Note to you single guys out there, if you can find a wife that likes video games and comic books, it is a great feeling!)
Anyways, just wanted to start some more dialogue on this subject again.
Congratulations Dingo!
Now you just need to cutout all the wedding pics in photoshop, load them into unity as 2d sprites, and we can all travel back in time to celebrate your happiness!
Good on ya man.
AC
P.S. Students probably couldnt afford 3-4 days training, but perhaps the educational institute where they learn could? You could do a days training for each step in the dev pipeline, and bring it all together on the last day?
Well when I was teaching Adobe Creative Suite and Dreamweaver the company I worked for was charging about $500AUD a day. Most courses were between 1-3 days.
Cheers.
if there are enough people in the in the UK who are interrested in doing this, from what my dean ad I have discussed, I am certain he would be willing to enter into talks with OTEE with regards to training standards and courses and open the course we are speaking of here as a full time or part time class.
If you are in the UK (Boston area in Lincolnshire) and interrested in doing such a course for around the £2000 mark (This is what most courses cost per year. So I assume one year, then would be enough?) please raise your hand and say 'Eye, eye! Ov’r ear"
This way we can gauge interrest both for me to show my dean and for OTEE to see wether it would be worth them speaking to him about it.
What I would love is a comprehensive set of training videos like what placed like digital-tutors etc have for Myay or XSI training. Introduction and intermediate level video based training would be ideal.
There are plenty of resources around for learning JavaScript and the like, but learning how it all integrates with Unity is the area that I think needs training focus.
Training on importing assets, 3D, IMages, Audio and code snipets. The right way to manage them, with folders etc. Hints on best formats to use, and implications on using different types of file formats.
You could have specialised training for physics and for things like mono development.
This training could be flash based from capture sessions, with VO, or they could be DVD based.
I am not sure of teh size of the Unity userbase, so I am not sure if something oike this would be cost effective, or financially viable, but it would allow people to get up to speed rapidly.
I know that I learn best with visual training, rather than reading. reading is fine sometimes, but watching someone do what they are talking about generally is the best learning method.
I send this.
When I did Maya for the first time, I simply coun’t figure out how to do texturing. This one guy sent me a 1.5 minute video and texturing was a breeze after that.
Video for speed or learning.
the drawback is of course that you can give a lot more detail in print. For example giving an example of how this syntax would cause an error and how this function should use this kind of bracket, not that kind etc. A printed example is much quicker to pick up rather than listening to someone say what they are typing and then waiting for their fingers to catch up / vice versa.
I learnt Maya using the help files and picked up some tricks via video tutorials.
I learnt a lot about Unity via the available pfds and reading the source code.
By knowing both, I believe half the battle is done. So video and text COULD get you a head start, however…
The point behind having a qualification is the fact that you can tell someone: “I know what I am doing”. While you are learning, you will inevetably pick up a few questions. Some of the questions I posted in this forum months ago still have not been answered. Some of my coding anomolies I had to contact OTEE directly about, wait for a reply, test and give furhter details, wait for a reply, try again. At least OTEE got back to me and it only slowed me down by a couple of days. The unanswered questions have slowed me down for months…
If you are going to become qualified in something, you really do need someone who IS qualified available for answering questions. I think the best person for that would be one of the OTEE staff members.
Imagine doing an online course with printed and video material to go through. For two one hour sessions per day one of the OTEE staff goes online for a video conference or even an IRC session to explain what went on in that session and to answer any questions… Now that would be something worth having.
The only drawback I think is that Unity is not that hard to figure out. Animation used to be a b*tch but with the new ones that too is now a lot easier. I think that getting Unity to work would take a 1 day session and then the rest of the year would be spent on teaching people scritping and helping them wit their errors… Not exactly what we have been asking for, is it?
Go ahead and list those unanswered forum threads here. You got my attention and probably others who are very helpful (and several seem to be in a helpful mood lately.)
A few nice video tutorials would go a LOOOONG way. Maybe converting some of the mini lessons in the manual to video tutorials would be cool. Maybe slap a bunch onto a DVD in high quality and sell it. 
How would people feel about an online class? Reading. Assignments. Mini projects. Due dates. Chat sessions. Class specific forum. It can all be very motivating and helpful when handled properly.
i think you nailed it right here ; )
also, unless you’re talking a real basic certification, which IMO would be useless then, to be able to “certify” anyone for unity i imagine you’d get a good understanding of how the engine works internally, what would the prerequisite list look like? (must be fluent in, C, Mono, CG, Game Modeling, Animation, Photoshop, Color Theory etc. etc. etc.)
EDIT: However i do think more in-depth video tut’s to supplement the written docs would be fantastic ; )
[quote="drJones what would the prerequisite list look like? (must be fluent in, C, Mono, CG, Game Modeling, Animation, Photoshop, Color Theory etc. etc. etc.)[/quote]
Really good point…Which makes me think that is more of a reason for training to be specific.
For example. One class may be “Coding in Unity” or “Texturing in Unity”, “Animating Characters in Unity”.
That way if you already have a specific strength or weakness it will be easier to determine which training you need, or which you would like to teach.
understood, but i still think a big problem of a any unity certification is the nebulous line between unity expertise other expertise. excel is a self contained program with straightforward specific content (data). certify yourself in excel and you’re good to go. with all the varied complex content required for games, you may know the unity classes backwards forwards be “scripting certified”, but you still need a decent understanding of the other facets to get any work done. weeding a proper curriculum out of that sounds like a nightmare IMO.
a big question to ask: is there demand for this to justify the effort required? of the unity users out there, who could afford it, who needs it, and most importantly who wants it? i can’t speak for everyone, but for me at least unity appeals to my inner “alpha-creator”. i didn’t buy unity to be hired as a peon in someone’s empire, i bought it because i want my own empire ; )
so that said, what would i want a certification for? sure i still have alot to learn, but i’m quite happy doing it on my own time my own terms (and for free ; )
Yeah, I’m not so sure certification is necessary.
If you make ONE good complete game with Unity (even if small) people will want you to train them.
I personally don’t have much respect for certification courses. I don’t think people get “certified” in C++, they get “certified” in supporting Windows. I think Unity development is closer in nature to C++ programming (i.e. it requires intelligence, creativity, problem solving, and a lot of knowledge) than it is to tech support (which is essentially navigating a decision tree).
I used to work at a large consulting firm that put about 40% of its new hires through 2-6 weeks of intensive training (most of it in Visual Basic programming). In general these people were all college grads with excellent GPAs and strong motivation, working in a completely simulated project environment (with team leads, customers, etc.) doing 12h per day 6 days per week at some unbelievable cost … and all this didn’t produce competent programmers, and VB programming is easier than Unity development.
I think your certification should just be your portfolio. The rest is just needless hoops.
-Jon
Jon Czeck
Software Development
Certification in If Statements, Binary operators and Level 4 Certification in Particle Effects
I think my opinion is clear