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J-M,
What type of certification are you referring to, as there are multiple
certifications that one can earn, but not all apply.
With regard to 7 - 10 years experience in a specific area or discipline,
such as technical writing or website development, I can only speak for the
two companies who have employed me in the past 16 years and they value
verifiable work experience more than certification in the areas of technical
writing/editing and curriculum development. Their philosophy is/was that
skills that are supported by visible, practical experience have more merit
than skills that were ostensibly earned through certification, but not
proven in practice.
IN answer to your third question, CE is very important to my current
employer. Important enough that it is one of the criteria by which we are
evaluated. I keep a list of all the CBT, WBT, and seminars I attend each
year on my own and it is incorporated into my eval. Mind you, I only attend
courses that move me forward in my discipline or that are disciplinary
related, so that gives it more relevancy.
I hope this helps.
David B. Dubin
Senior Curriculum Developer
Sage Software
727-579-1111 x 3356
david -dot- dubin -at- sage -dot- com
Your business in mind.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+david -dot- dubin=sage -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+david -dot- dubin=sage -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of j-m -at- creativeoptions -dot- com
Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 2:52 PM
To: 'TECHWR-L'
Subject: Reality Check
Hi,
I'm looking for a reality check and hope that the members of this list can
help clarify my thinking.
The questions are:
How important is certification in securing a job or contract/subcontract in
IT/IS related positions, technical writing, website development and such?
Is it true that 7-10 years of experience in these areas is useless without a
certification?
Is it true that self education (I spend at least 3-4 hours and more a day
conducting my own training and education online) has no value? I'm talking
about the kinds of targeted training that's offered by Lynda.com, Adobe,
Microsoft, etc. etc.
If certification is a requirement, which from the alphabet soup choices and
the various companies offering CBT Training, are most important for a person
who wishes to continue working in this field?
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