RE: certification

[MList -at- chrysalis-its -dot- com]

John Posada [mailto:JPosada -at- book -dot- com] opined:

> Most seasoned buyers of any product or service (and we are a 
> product and
> service) know that when someone spends so much time cutting down their
> competition, the competition must indeed be formidable and 
> especially worthy
> of consideration. In this case, the competition is those who 
> have the accred
> and are scaring the ...out of you.
> 
> Also, if they bring the subject up, they already know if they 
> value it or
> not. What you say about it isn't going to change their mind 
> and only make
> the person think "what are they afraid of?

That's certainly one possible scenario.

Another is that ... well... if you've ever eaten a McD 
burger and then eaten a real one (insert your definition here), 
you know the power of marketing.  The old nostrum about building 
"a better mousetrap" kinda left out the part where a well-oiled 
marketing machine is the component (of the mousetrap) that gets 
the world to your door.
I'm sure we all know of plenty of products that have succeeded 
brilliantly in the marketplace, almost entirely independently 
of the quality.

Your point would be moot, if the certifying agency had achieved 
the kind of status and clout and recognized maturity that you 
wish for it.  

Before that time, it'll be surviving (and growing in popularity, 
if appropriate?) as much on the strength of the proponents' 
lung power (and favors owed by trade rag editors) as on its intrinsic
merits.

>From the ethical standpoint, of course I would not say any 
of those things (from my earlier post) to a potential employer 
if I didn't believe them to be true. (I might suggest that 
I'd be willing to seek certification if the employer desired, 
and even make it a condition of my six-month review, but if 
I didn't see value in it, I'd let my work speak for itself 
at the three-month review, and inquire about dropping the 
certification goal thereafter.)

If I did recognize real value beyond the hype, then I'd be 
getting myself certified... or accredited... or whatever we're 
calling it this afternoon, with or without employer support.

But back to the earlier point, if having been an interested 
bystander when it was being concocted, I *did* gather the 
impression that it was being built around the resumés of its 
founders, with only incidental general applicability, why then 
I'd feel perfectly justified in promoting an opposing point of 
view, a critical squint under its skirts.  After all, it would 
amount to somebody trying to rope me into his system, get my 
money, and include me in his head-count, on the strength of his 
marketing savvy, applied to third parties.  Indeed, it would be 
a self-promotion tool for some people. If it is that for some 
people, but looks to reward me only for political reasons -- or 
to punish me for not being on-side, then it deserves the same 
kind of respect one gives to a predator. Wariness, and some 
countermeasures... least-cost/best-efficiency countermeasures.

In the early years, such a certification program is likely 
to be known to prospective employers by name, and not by 
much else.  It takes  quite a while to develop and propagate 
a stellar reputation, to the point that anybody hearing the 
name would automatically assume in its favor.

Do I still need to respond to your off-list message?

/kevin

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