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Here on TECHWR-L, people often confuse a "certificate" with
"certification." The former indicates that the bearer has successfully
completed a course of study; the latter indicates that the bearer is
qualified to practice.
Depending on where it was granted, a certificate can be useful for the
employer and the job candidate. But in the context of tech writing,
certification is, at best, a foolish mistake.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tony Chung
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 6:14 PM
> To: TECHWR-L Writing
> Subject: Re: Certification: Ernest and Scribbler
>
> Personally, I think anyone who can put up with the antics of
> STC without cringing should be certified. At least
> "certifiable". The pros of certification are that it's
> portfolio-based and, I hope, will provide a form of academic
> credential that could be accepted in workplaces that value
> paper over practice.
>
> The cons of certification are that the pioneers behind this
> movement appear to be of the camp that values paper over
> practice, so the initial categories for certification may be
> skewed in that direction.
>
> If we are to gain any value at all from certification, then
> the practical camp need to drive this process, rather than
> reject the idea outright as another money grab. Of course it
> may very well be that, but it doesn't have to be. What
> happens to projects that win STC awards, would those project
> qualify for certification?
>
> For the past two years I've been trying to come up with a
> project to complete my Tech Writing certificate, but it's
> been difficult to get a signed commitment from the department
> as to what I can do to fulfill the requirements of the few
> courses I refuse to take due to their lack of practical
> value. I don't want to just forego the certificate because I
> already applied a lot of work toward the courses that I don't
> want to lose it.
>
> The school seems to be in agreement to the idea, and I and am
> still discussing the idea with the department head. I haven't
> given up hope.
>
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