Help with working for apple?

If you want to work for Apple as a professional employee you are going to need exceptional grades, exceptional programming skills, and shouldn't worry about Apple certifications.

 

Apple retail doesn't really have any feed into Apple professional. To get hired as a programmer you need to either have exceptional (double underlined) real-world, professional programming experience, or at least a Bachelor's (and more likely Master's or PhD) degree in computer science from a good university.

 

Retail store and Apple corporate are different career paths.

 

If you want to be a developer with Apple (or any company really) the most traditional path would be to get a degree in Computer Sience, get an internship with Apple before graduating and while you're there prove you belong and get hired full time.

There are other paths as well like make a great product yourself that gets noticed and bought out by Apple or at least get you hired (i.e. like the kids that kept jail breaking the iPhone, some now intern or work at Apple).

Don't expect any software class teach you how to be an apple developer or even use apple tools. However, everything you learn there you'll be able to apply to teach yourself how to do development with Apple tools and languages. The concepts are generally the same and it's really something you'll do several times over a career because of the nature of the technology industry.

That said there are some places that are have classes on mobile development since it is relevant nowadays. You'll likely get exposure to apple tools there.

 

I'm guessing the Apple retail is a part time thing why you study? If so, I'd actually look for a part time job in the area you want to work, rather than just anything with the company you eventually want to work with.

Maybe look for a junior office position with some tech/computing company? So you can earn the money you need, plus get a foot through the right kind of door early.

 

If you want to get into Apple corporate, the best thing to do would be to live near Cupertino where you'd see other Apple employees. Networking is the best way to get into any company, and Apple is no different. Of course, you will have to be a top notch programmer / designer / whatever and know your skill extremely well.

Say that you worked retail near San Francisco and met a few apple employees occasionally through the stores, or other customers that might have contacts. You can let them know that you're looking for a job and its your dream to work for apple. Things may connect, and who knows, you might get a lead.

The other paths would be to be very direct and show passion for what you want to do. If you really want to get into Apple, then you have to do something that 99% of the other people trying to get into Apple are not doing. Maybe you'll start a blog about how Apple should hire you, and every day / week you make a post about what you would do or how you can add value to the company.

Just throwing out some ideas

 

Not necessarily. A good buddy of mine was an Apple Genius at the store I worked at for years, then got the attention of HQ through some in-house contacts and moved to work as an engineer on the first iPad in Cupertino (wouldn't tell me what he was working on until it was announced...bastard)...so depending on how you stand out, it's possible...though unlikely.

 

Now that Steve Jobs is gone, I would imagine the environment at Apple would be significantly more relaxed.

Anyone who's seen Pirates of Silicon Valley will know why.

 

Well....considering that Steve Jobs had a high school education and no college degree....you take it from there!