Certification

[David Dubin <David_Dubin -at- NOTES -dot- PW -dot- COM>]

I think certification is an excellent idea as long as each and every element of
the process is OBJECTIVE, not subjective. As an example; why must a candidate
for certification have a degree in Journalism, Technical Writing, or English?
Taken even further, why must a candidate for certification even need a degree?
If we agree that a candidate does not need a degree, can we agree on how many
years experience are required to offset a degree? Is five enough or is ten
better? Who is to say?

What type of questions will be asked? Will there be questions about grammar and
punctuation? Will there be questions about technical communications theory?
What about questions dealing with adult learning theories and methodologies?
Perhaps more importantly, who will be the arbiter of what questions are asked
and what are considered correct responses?

Yes, I think certification is an excellent idea in theory. The problem with
certification is that the transition from theory to practice is similar to the
transition from being a candidate to being an incumbent; you knew what you had
to promise before you were elected, but, once elected, cannot figure out how to
keep all of those promises.

David Dubin -at- notes -dot- pw -dot- com
This has been one man's opinion, yours may vary with mileage.