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> > I wasn't invited, therefore any certifications created are
> invalid. My opinion is
> > just as important as anyone else's.
>
> Or just as unimportant. Validity is in the eye of the
> beholder, too. Any
> certification becomes meaningful, whether any particular
> opinion is included or not,
> if enough people think it is meaningful. Your opinion, or
> mine, individually are
> immaterial.
You are correct, it's all relative.
> > Anything ad hoc can't be good, its generally disorganized
> lacks fairness.
>
> Life isn't fair. Nobody ever said it was, and nothing says it
> has to be. Fairness is
> immaterial.
The "life isn't fair" line means nothing to me. Whether fairness is immaterial is relative. It definitely material for me when I am competing with someone who has an identical skill set, but I haven't taken the time to pay my $1000 to get "Certified Technical Writer" behind my name.
> Yup. So? This opinion starts from a false premise: that life,
> and therefore
> certification have to be fair. Who says? Why?
I don't know how to respond to this.
> Baloney. Certification of a skill set is hardly impossible.
> Technical writing is NOT
> ART. Technical Writers are not artists, though I can see that
> if your knowledge of
> TWs is limited to this list how you might be misled into
> thinking so. A greater
> collection of prima donnas and egos is hard to imagine
> outside of the United
> Nations, I suppose. Craftspersons, to be inclusive, are
> certified all the time. If
> anyone in this profession thinks they're an artist, they had
> better rethink their
> career choice.
Not baloney...maybe salami. While I will agree that the ability to write steps in the correct order is not an art, much less a skill. Writing all of the fluff in between so that a layman can understand requires a fair amount of creativity and as such qualifies as an art. Which craft persons hold certifications? I am zee arteeest.
> It wouldn't take but a few minutes to come up with
> certification criteria.
> Acceptable? It only has to be acceptable to those who use it.
> If it is a successful
> set of criteria, people who possess the certification will
> prosper, and those who
> don't won't.
That's right, but by whose definition of successful?
> As for proving oneself in a job or work environment, that
> happens everyday. One
> either passes the test and continues in one's employment or
> one fails and is let go.
> Ain't nobody got it made, my friend. If you're looking for
> loyalty, buy a dog. If
> you're looking for lifetime employment, find a country that
> guarantees that (or a
> company, though I think those have all changed with the
> times). If I need another
> writer, I have a set of criteria I'm looking for. Those who
> meet that criteria are
> considered. Those who don't, aren't. If someone won't "jump
> through my hoops" I
> won't hire them.
Also correct, but I am not so insecure that I need alphabet soup behind my name to prove my worth. I prove myself with my appearance, portfolio, skills, accomplishments, and resume. I jump through hoops once if the pay an level of respect are adequate, but not fiery ones, I chaff.
> So, in my opinion, arguing against having criteria for the
> reasons given is both
> pointless and meaningless. You can rail against the
> unfairness of it all, but that
> won't make life any more fair. If you want my job, you'll
> meet my criteria, and
> you'll be someone I'm willing to take a chance that I can
> work with. Objective
> criteria might actually be a benefit, for those who meet them
> might have a leg up.
> Yep, it's unfair, but that's the way it is whether you want
> it to be or not.
I suspect the objectivity of a certification created by tech writers for tech writers. I would be more will to support such a venture if it were administered and created by an independent party, using tech writers as advisors.
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