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Subject:RE: Value of Certification From:"LeVie, Donald S" <donald -dot- s -dot- levie -at- intel -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 1 Mar 2001 05:24:44 -0800
This has been an ongoing debate in the tech comm world for quite some time,
and the universal answer applies: it depends. I can state that being
certified in Information Mapping, Information Mapping for ISO 9000, Workflow
Management, and Project Risk Management have all been factors in my
obtaining contracts when I was a contractor. I can't discount at all those
certifications as they appear on my resume. But do they mean more money? Not
necessarily. They are more like icing on the cake when a potential client or
potential employer considers my overall package.
What really counts is how well can you apply in real-world situations what
you've achieved in a controlled (i.e., classroom/seminar) environment.
Several of my friends have the ACE designation for FrameMaker and they agree
that the designation gives them an advantage in some situations, depending
on the requirements of the position.
There was (and still is) some controversy around a generic "Certified
Technical Writer" designation. I wrote a paper/presentation on the subject
of certification for technical communications professionals for the IEEE PCS
back in 1995. I conducted an unscientific survey of hiring managers for the
article and more than 90% of them stated that such a generic designation
would have no effect on their decision to hire or promote. However,
product-specific designations were deemed of much higher consideration <<as
a factor>> in their decision to hire or promote.
HTH...
Donn Le Vie
Information Engineering
Network Communications Group
Wireless Communications and Computing Group
Intel
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