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>Subject: RE: Certification: Ernest and Scribbler
>
>I've been on both sides of this discussion for years. I think the way STC is
>doing certification is probably the best way, if you want certification in
>our field. As a potential employer (fictively), I think there is value -
>someone else has vetted this person as knowing their stuff. That may help
>with the pile of resumes in front of me.
>
>
This would only be of value to a hiring manager who understood the
limitations of the certification. How manay of our hiring managers even
understand what we do? The very existence of a certification would cause
problems because hiring managers and HR types would start demanding it
without having any understanding of what it is. This has already
happened with the Society for Quality certifications, so this is not
just speculation. Certification creates a way too tempting shortcut for
people who don't understand a field and have no interest learning about
it, even when it impacts them directly.
>>From what I have seen of the STC plan, I think it's a good one that's not
>going to be driven by academics. It's a specific body of work plan, reviewed
>by people with experience in our field and most important, specific
>experience in the area being reviewed.
>
>
Sharon, who is even qualified to review the work of folks like Gene
Kim-Eng, Bill Swallow, or even you. The fact is that unless you have
some huge peer review committee, there is no way certain people can be
evaluated for certification. And given the Climategate email scandal and
a few other academic dustups iver the last decade, peer-review has
gotten something of a dirty name.
>No one is forcing anyone to get certified. It's voluntary
>
This is the same lie that has been used with every license or
certification to come along. Even those that are "voluntary" (like the
Society for Quality certs) become a mandate based on the demands of
those from outside the field.
Jason A. Czekalski
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