TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE: Fear of certification? From:"Mark Baker" <mbaker -at- ca -dot- stilo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 31 Oct 2003 14:48:20 -0500
Geoff Hart wrote
> Editors and translators have been certified for years, and I've yet to see
> any major payoff from the certification process: employers
> generally aren't
> aware of the certificates and don't use them for screening purposes, and
> people who have earned the certificates don't enjoy better job security or
> higher earnings.
Certification exists to protect consumers, not to protect practitioners.
Practitioners in many fields have invented certifications for themselves in
the hopes of bettering their status. As both Geoff and Connie have pointed
out, consumers take no notice. Until and unless consumers feel the need to
be protected against poor practice by a certification process, it won't
matter a fig whether you have one or not.
> Let's spend our efforts where they have a chance for some payback:
> demonstrating that we have a profession, that our efforts add value, and
> that it pays to hire a professional. Once we've accomplished
> that, _then_ it makes sense to develop a certification program.
Not unless consumers start to demand the protection.
But even if they do, you are still stuck with the same basic problem that we
have had all along: Define the criteria for certification. Every time this
debate returns, I ask the same question: What measurable skills or knowledge
are required by all technical writers, and are not required by educated
people in general? Until someone can provide a convincing list, the question
of certification is moot.
---
Mark Baker
Stilo Corporation
1900 City Park Drive, Suite 504 , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1J 1A3
Phone: 613-745-4242, Fax: 613-745-5560
Email mbaker -at- ca -dot- stilo -dot- com
Web: http://www.stilo.com
This message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the
intended recipient and may contain confidential and privileged
information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, copying, or
distribution is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended
recipient please contact the sender by reply email and destroy
all copies of the original message and any attachments.
RoboHelp for FrameMaker is a NEW online publishing tool for FrameMaker that
lets you easily single-source content to online Help, intranet, and Web.
The interface is designed for FrameMaker users, so there is little or no
learning curve and no macro language required! Call 800-718-4407 for
competitive pricing or download a trial at: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l4
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
