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Count me in the camp of those opposed to certification. The
arguments are not convincing to warrant a "standardized"
certification. For example, Penny suggests the following as
areas on which TW could be certified:
>> - good working knowlege of grammar and usage
>> - the ability to take a set of badly written and
>> disorganized notes and organize them into a
>> readable, well-organized manual (or other document).
>> - audience analysis skills
These seem to me to be only vaguely specific to the skills
required of a tech writer, but rather are applicable to
professionals working in a variety of fields.
Also, I am concerned about the whole process of dealing
with a faceless bureaucracy, being required to complete
paperwork, the implementation of a process to collect
monies for taking an exam, the institution of an annual *fee*
to maintain certification, etc. Unlike other professions that
have such licensing and examination boards (state bar
exams for lawyers and annual licensing fees, social worker
licensing boards, medical boards, teaching certifications) in
order to protect the mental, financial, and physical well being
of those for whom they perform a variety of services, we are
writers. Our work is important, but hardly a life or death
vocation that warrants a standardized competency (not that it
ensures competency!).
I've survived several years thus far without any official contact
with the STC, nor do I have any immediate plans to change
that. I have innumerable resources at my disposal that allow
me to grow and learn within my profession, both in terms of
the tools I use and the strategies used to communicate
technical information.
I'll refrain from pursuing any conspiracy angle to this
argument -- at least for now.
Blake Ricks
bricks -at- pmigroup -dot- com
>>> Penny Staples <pstaples -at- AIRWIRE -dot- COM> 06/11/97
12:21pm >>>
I think certification could be a good thing for our profession,
but it depends what we're testing for. I agree that it would be
silly to test for knowlege of a specific computer tool
(FrameMaker, Word, SGML, etc.).
However, as things stand now, anyone who can type can call
him or herself a Technical Writer. Regardless of whether or
not that person can write a grammatically correct sentence,
tell active from passive voice, or organize and write a
document.
When a person like this manages to get hired (perhaps by a
company that has never employed a Tech Writer before), it
makes us ALL look bad.
I think that there is a core group of testable skills that all
good technical writers have. For example:
- good working knowlege of grammar and usage
- the ability to take a set of badly written and disorganized
notes and organize them into a readable, well-organized
manual (or other document).
- audience analysis skills
Of course we all develop sub-specialties and areas of
expertise. But without solid writing skills, you can't be a good
Technical Writer, no matter what your other abilities are.
I think there's a bit of fear associated with setting up
"certification" tests. What if I took the test and failed?
Would I have to stop being a Tech Writer? Or take a cut in
pay? On the other hand, they could also be a good thing --
personally, if I have weaknesses in any basic skills, I
damned well want to know about it, so that I can do
something about it.
Mu .02 worth,
Penny Staples pstaples -at- airwire -dot- com
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