Re: Certification Redux

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

How can people know you are good? That is the question. Can you depend upon
the interviewing company to have a clear knowledge of how to recognize a good
writer?
 As Andy Malcolm stated in his 1983 proposal, "Employers are generally able
to judge technical competence of current or prospective emplyees, consultants,
 or contractors either directly through their own demands of demonstrated
technological skills, and/or by professional society certification. But it is
often difficult for an employer--especially those who are not skilled
technical communicators themselves--to judge the competency of current or
prospective employees, consultants, or contractors."
  I would like to apply for a job with all the armaments possible, my
portfolio, my resume, my good looks, my powers of persuasion. But especially
important would be a certificate from my professional peers testifying that I
have the skills they consider essential. That would be very satisfying to me.

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
-------------
Original Text
From: Chris Hamilton <chamilton -at- GR -dot- COM>, on 6/16/97 2:18 PM:
Bill DuBay wrote:
>
> Chris,
>   Is it true that you feel there are no core communication skills that are
> widely required in our field and certifiable?
>
No, not necessarily. It might be a pain in the neck, but processes can
be put in place that can handle rapid change. But it will drive up the
cost of certification, because the certification criteria will
constantly change and because certified people would likely have to be
recertified under the new criteria every x years. (And I can't imagine x
being greater than 3-5.) This constant recertification would also add to
the cost of certification. As I said before, technical communicators
would either have to swallow these costs or pass them on to their
customers (employers). If they swallow the costs, the quality will drop
because good people will only swallow so much cost before finding
something else to do. If they pass the cost on, the price of technical
documentation will rise, leading to fewer jobs (and more developers and
secretaries writing technical documentation). Your assumption that the
certification process will improve quality across the board is based on
the assumption that all companies (or at least most of them) will use
certified writers to produce documentation. I don't think that's a valid
assumption.

The point of my post, however, is that I don't think a certification
process or a specific degree is required for good people to prove that
they're good.

Chris

--
Chris Hamilton, Technical Writer
Greenbrier & Russel
847.330.4146
chamilton -at- gr -dot- com

"Please do not try to confuse the issues with facts!"
                          -- George Banks, "Mary Poppins"

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