Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I

Senior AV Solutions Engineer at an AV Integrator. Opinions posted here are my own, and not representative of my employer, or other employees.

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Be treated in IT world as a specialized subset, just like how doctors have different specialties, IT has different specialties as well. AV should be taught in schools as a specialized skillset these days #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Creating a positive environment for everyone. I've heard terrible stories of people's interactions with others in the industry, and it tears me apart. No one should feel like they don't belong. That's how you loose good people #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Listen to their employees and and find their strengths to be used in a role that empowers them. If you take the experienced ones, and force them into doing something they don't like, they will find somewhere that will allow them to grow #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto The people, the community, the feeling of making a difference in the industry. I know that the AV industry is relatively small. It's easy to get involved in different organizations and meet new people #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto I would say that now that AV is IT, we have to compete with "general IT" positions. We have to give talent the same pay, benefits, training, and overall experience that other IT professionals expect if we need to retain talent in the AV industry #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@AVNationTV I don't want manufacturers thinking they know what's best for my clients' use-cases. I would prefer devices that use generic standards that I can mix and match myself to make the best system for the client.

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Soft skills. People skills. How you interact with others. How you TREAT others. As @JosiahWay says: Everything is Sales. You are always selling yourself, your company, the AV industry as a whole etc. #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto I assume they are probably doing more "sales" roles, so How much revenue are you bringing in? How much margin? Are you bringing in enough to prove your value? Or are you just "existing" in the org but not bringing in any value? #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto How long have they kept their CTS/CTS-I/CTS-D? This shows that they continue to look for RU's and see value in that process. Are their certifications in current product lines? or in obsolete lines? #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto I would like to think numbers: How much did you complete? How much value do you bring to an organization? What % of your projects were on-budget? I feel these are tangible things that an org can utilize when evaluating you #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Not only is the knowledge of the tech important, but also seeing trends in what clients are expecting the tech to do. The tech is just the tool to solve the client's problems. If you don't know about the tech, you won't know what "tools" to use #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

I have loved watching the @MTV #VMA awards since I was little, but this year, it seems very ironic that they are awarding music videos even though they don't play videos anymore

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@_DearOldState This is what happens when an architect cares more about wanting to "hide" the display from sticking out too far below the concrete than actually caring about proper display size for the viewing distance.

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto My commute. If there was a way to move the office closer to home, that would help a lot. I love being in the office. I love being able to work with our newer teammates and help out, and I need to physically be in the there, but 45 min on the road impacts other things #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Unfortunately, sometimes always being busy isn't the answer. Is what they are "busy" with actually bring in extra $$ in the end? Even if someone is busy doing tasks, if they are doing it wrong, it doesn't benefit anybody #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Depends on who is requesting it? Is my involvement necessary in moving this thing forward? Is this task preventing something else from happening "right now"? Which task on my plate will impact more money coming in? #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Depends. I have seen some people's individual workflows create unnecessary steps making tasks take longer than others with the same processes. Sometimes doing more things at once means you can't dedicate your entire mind into a single thing to dig deeper #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto Many place's Procurement Processes. I know they were often put in place to "save money", but if the end-user put in the diligent work in figuring what they want and who to buy it from, and have the money, this often becomes an annoying hurtle. #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto We have a couple clients who are clearly invested in that their project goes well, and they go the extra mile. I have had a couple end-users who didn't want to use us, and made working with them very difficult, and it just makes those projects painful. #AVintheAM

[Aaron 'AP' Peterson, CTS-D, CTS-I @_AVAP]

@chris_neto I value when people reach out directly with an actual call or personally-written email. Some lately have relied on marketing email blasts to convey news that should be delivered in a conversation. Remember, Teams calls are free #AVintheAM