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Beth Agnew makes excellent points.
Everytime certification comes up, I find myself wishing that
all non-certified workers and students spend a few enjoyable
minutes reading a few lines from Molière's _Bourgeois Gentilhomme_
(1670, aka The Would-be Gentleman, Act 2, scenes 2 & 3.)
The instructors---dance, music, fencing and philosophy---all claim
that their art is the most needed by a gentleman. Their ridiculous
braggadacio about their own importance ends in a brawl. :-)
There's nothing wrong with a desire for competency and
to obtain credentials; what is unfortunate is the character-flaw (?)
that leads so many youngsters (and a few elders, who should know better :-)
to believe that credentials and competency automatically build character
and their importance to an employer. Lack of character or of "knowing one's
place" are what make us laugh at those would-be gentleman and instructors
in Molière. Any writer claiming to be as important as a true, certified pro
---lawyer, engineer, accountant, MD---also gets a laugh from CEOs.
The path to character and to true professionalism needs many other
elements than just a diploma. A diploma is often essential but always
insufficient. John Posada hints at this too, when saying that many other
skills are needed to head a group.
Harvey Mackay has a good joke about lack of character among pros:
"What do you call the [MD] who graduated last in his class? Why "doctor",
like all of the others." When we hire pros, we don't just look at their diplomas.
Same goes for our bosses.
Cheers,
YJ
Beth Agnew <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca> a écrit :
So do we, but I wouldn't claim it as providing Certification in Technical
Writing. We give excellent training, and a certificate in Technical
Communication. Perhaps people don't understand the distinction between
having a certificate and being certified. As writers, nuances of language
are our stock in trade. If you can get a government contract based on your
"certification" being that you hold a TW certificate, great, but that's
generally not what we're talking about. "Accreditation" isn't even a good
synonym. What we'd like is something on a par with professional engineers
being able to put P. Eng. after their names.
What is NJIT's sanctioning body?
--Beth
Beth Agnew
Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
416-491-5050 x3133
_____
From: Jeanette Phillips [mailto:jzphillips -at- hotmail -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 12:13 AM
To: Beth Agnew; 'TECHWR-L'
Subject: RE: Technical Writing Certifications
Excuse me! NJIT has an excellent program.
> Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:22:20 -0400
> From: Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca
> Subject: RE: Technical Writing Certifications
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
>
> AFAIK, there are no officially-sanctioned TW Certifications available,
> anywhere. You can get a certificate, which is not at all the same as
> certification. If you do happen to come across a good certification
program,
> approved by a national and professionally-respected body, I'm sure we'd
love
> to know about it.
> --Beth
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