So I'll say this to your point/purpose. I'm now a QA for a software company and I'm in a mentorship to eventually move onto development. I hadn't gone to school for it. Geek squad did prove useful in getting my foot in the door. Not because of my knowledge specifically an ARA for 6 years but because that it spoke to my thought process and skills and those benefit just as much as a QA. Those skills being good communication, 'note taking', willingness to learn, ability to juggle multiple things, and my general approach to troubleshooting. I had been in talks for GSM before I left but ultimately decided not to pursue it despite having a decent shot as I felt it would have been a dead end for me. I have little interest in Best Buy's current definition of what a leader is. My point is yeah..depending on your interests there is potentially value there. Just a matter of whether the value will outweigh the negatives.