Certification: My Personal Survey

[Bill DuBay <bill_dubay -at- PHOENIX -dot- COM>]

Thank you very much, everybody, for your contributions on the certification
issues. They are all very helpful for the articles I am writing on the
subject. I am also reading through the hundreds of comments on the archives.

Briefly, this is what I have learned so far:

Those opposed to certification use the following arguments:

   1. Technical writers have no certifiable skills.
   2. There is no way to identify those skills.
   3. There is no way to test those skills.
   5.  No certification process would be meaningful.
   6. The STC is not capable of conducting a meaningful certification
program.
   7. No organization is capable of  conducting a meaningful certification
program.
   8. Any employer should be able to evaluate a writer's skills from the
resume, the portfolio, and an interview.
   9. The free market will sort out the good and bad technical communicators.


Those in favor of certification use the following arguments:

  1. Certification is what defines a profession, not only who has the skills
but what the skills are and what contribution they make to industry and
society.
  2. Certification not only encourages preparation before entering a field
but also a continual development of professional skills.
  3. Certification provides job applicants an external point of validation
based on the satisfaction of requirements established by one's professional
peers, not the by academe, former employers, nor the claim of experience.
  2. TC certification may not be helpful to many established communicators,
but it is required by the profession, by industry, and by society. For this
reason, certification serves to qualify not only professions and trades, but
also companies and products. Out of the thousands of trade and professional
organizations in our society, very few lack some sort of certification
process. (Do a search for "certification" on the net and you will get tens of
thousands of opportunities to investigate different modalities of
certification programs that may be applicable to TC.)
  3. Certification demands the identification of core skills, (i.e., rhetoric,
 composition, organization, informational design, document management,
development procedures, network skills, etc.), specialty skills (i.e.,
manuals, procedures, online help, etc.), and tool skills (i.e., Frame,
Robohelp, etc.)
  4. The meaningfulness of certification is directly proportional to the
level of skills required and the rigor of the certification process. The
American Institute of Appraisers, for example, conducts classes, administers
exams, and requires a 5-year apprenticeship during which time a series of
reviews are made of the applicant's work. That program is the central driver
of the appraisal industry.
  5. The STC currently contributes to industry by focusing on the development
of skills. Industry, however, has no way of identifying who has those skills
or what skills are required. Many employers, especially those starting a tech
pubs effort, are ignorant of standards  have no certified profession on which
they can rely for experience. Certification directly addresses that problem.
  6. Some suggest that the STC is not the organization to conduct the
certification process. Perhaps it could cooperate in setting up another
organization for the purpose of certifcation.
  7. The international character of TC requires consideration. Other
countries such as Canada are lacking TC programs in colleges and are more
interested in an STC certification program.
  8. Among othher issues to be addressed are the cost to the society and to
the individual. Most trade certification programs cost $400-$1000 each.

Be sure to read my articles!

For background on the certification issue, be sure to read,




Bill DuBay
Technical Writer
Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
email: bill_dubay -at- phoenix -dot- com
(714)790-2049 FAX: (714)790-2001
http://www.phoenix.com

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