January 12, 2019
Details of the Adobe Captivate (2019) Specialist Certification experience: Getting started – Part 1 of 3 in a series
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January 12, 2019
Details of the Adobe Captivate (2019) Specialist Certification experience: Getting started – Part 1 of 3 in a series
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Details of the Adobe Captivate (2019) Specialist Certification experience: Getting started – Part 1 of 3 in a series

I completed the Adobe Captivate (2019) Specialist certification in Las Vegas this past fall. But, before I even got to Nevada, the learning experience had begun.

Registration

The registration process for the Adobe Captivate Specialist certification course in Las Vegas, Nevada was relatively straight forward. I went online, paid the $499 USD fee and was registered to both the course and the one day co-located Adobe Learning Summit. Even when paying with Canadian dollars, the price seemed very reasonable. Meanwhile, I had never been to Las Vegas and thought it would be a great opportunity to combine business with pleasure.

Opening up the online course

Two weeks prior to the face-to-face training in Las Vegas I received an email giving me access to Adobe Prime and the Adobe Captivate Specialist Certification course. When I got into the course, what I found was a series of videos – 20 in total. There were also a set of Captivate 2019 projects that I downloaded using the trial 30-day Adobe Captivate subscription that I had set up in advance. The videos and the Captivate projects were mostly the “Enfin8y – Ergonomics” project (pictured). The whole of it seemed intense. But with some planning, I knew I could get in done in time for the face-to-face training in Las Vegas. Or, so I hoped.

Getting started

Once I started playing the videos I grasped the volume of work ahead of me. Although it was a total of seven hours of video, each video included a practice activity. Essentially, you re-create the “Enfin8y – Ergonomics” project step-by-step. While learning by doing is excellent pedagogy, the reality of it translated into about 30 hours of work. I would watch the video and with my free trail subscription, would complete the associated activity. Back and forth between playing the video, doing the activity and replaying the video it went. Meanwhile, the time to board my flight to Vegas loomed.

Completing the pre-training

Near the end of the allotted two weeks I played the very last video of the pre-training. It was a total of 3 minutes. Short and sweet. The online instructor, who’s voice had become synonymous for me with the certification process, wished us good luck with the exam. I thought with a little dismay, “Would I be ready?” I could feel the test anxiety tightening in my chest. After 30 hours of training I believed I was probably prepared but that I’d only just scratched the surface of this incredibly comprehensive software. Meanwhile, the pre-training was done and dusted. I was ready as I would (n)ever be. I could only hope that the work I’d done had been enough.

Tips from the road

  • Get started with the online training right away and plan your time. 
  • Download a free trial version of Adobe Captivate 2019 or get a full subscription.
  • Build in time to reflect on what you are learning. Rushing and cramming will make it challenging to retain what you have learned.
  • Have fun!
8 Comments
2019-04-30 21:04:19
2019-04-30 21:04:19

I have been so curious about this certification. Thanks for your candid posts, they got me really interested in completing the certificate.

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2019-01-15 16:48:04
2019-01-15 16:48:04

Looking forward to the other 2 parts, and expect you will post suggestions to improve both assets and the course itself.   Have some ideas myself (you know I popped in all classrooms during the live session), but you had the real experience.

Recommendation for newbies, is also my feeling. Was that the case for you? The entry level seemed to be very diverse. Some attendees didn’t succeed the assessment, what would you suggest?

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Lieve Weymeis
's comment
2019-01-15 19:04:59
2019-01-15 19:04:59
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Lieve Weymeis
's comment

I suspect that failure to complete the prework would be a common contributing factor to not successfully completing the assessment. I know that some people in my class didn’t complete the prework. I saw the disappointed looks on their faces after the exam. I strongly encourage any future attendees put as much time as they need to into the prework. Don’t just watch the videos, but follow along and recreate the steps taught using the exercise files yourself. We learn by doing.

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Lieve Weymeis
's comment
2019-01-16 18:27:00
2019-01-16 18:27:00
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Lieve Weymeis
's comment

Lieve – I’ll post my recommendations to Adobe in the third blog post of this series. I’ll be interested in your perspective!

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Jeela Jones
's comment
2019-01-16 18:27:55
2019-01-16 18:27:55
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Jeela Jones
's comment

Sure, will be around!

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2019-01-15 04:21:45
2019-01-15 04:21:45

Jeela, I’d love to know how you feel about your Captivate knowledge now that you’ve been back in the real world for a few months now. Would you recommend this course to new Adobe Captivate users or do you feel some prior knowledge is required before enrolling?

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Paul Wilson
's comment
2019-01-15 16:22:13
2019-01-15 16:22:13
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Paul Wilson
's comment

I would definitely recommend the course to new Captivate users . It provides an excellent global view of the product and sets you up to take it from there. Prior knowledge is not required. Probably helpful, but not required.Instead I think that there’s work to be done on the course itself that would make it a better experience for everyone.

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2019-01-15 01:07:24
2019-01-15 01:07:24

Thank you so much for posting this. I love to hear everyone’s personal experience.

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