Re: New TECHWR-L Poll Question - Why discuss certification?

[Mitchell Maltenfort <mmalten -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Some anonymous cynic once said "Being a writer is like being a hooker.
 You'd better find out if you're good at it before you begin charging
for it."

The joke is on-topic because in the ideal case, certification is
evidence of ability.  I repeat, the _ideal_ case: there are inept
drivers, doctors, lawyers, etc.  But a driver can point to a clean
driving record, doctors can point to survival rates, lawyers to cases
won or settled, teachers to students graduating or scoring well on
SAT's, and so on.  An engineer or a programmer can point to how well
their solution works, how long it took to create, and whether it came
in under budget.

So what criteria can a tech writer use to convince a potential employer?

Writing samples?  I could be passing someone else's samples off as my
own.  Work done professionally for other people may not be mine to use
for samples.

A writing test from the employer?  I've previously had to work on an
outdated problem (i.e., no money at stake) or an artificial problem to
show my skills.  I think it's a fair way to go, but it forces the
employer to provide the test.

Are there other ideas out there?
-- 
I can answer any question.
"I don't know" is an answer.
"I don't know yet" is a better answer.

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