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Subject:Are We Certifiable? :) From:"George F. Hayhoe" <george -at- GHAYHOE -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 17 Jun 1997 09:50:52 -0400
STC began a serious examination of certification about 3 years
ago in response to member interest in the subject; that
examination is still under way. The lack of a common definition
of the term is just the beginning of its complexity. In
addition, people have such strong opinions on the subject (as so
many of the recent postings on this list have illustrated) that
we seldom debate its merits very rationally.
I maintain that technical writers/editors *do* have a number of
skills that can be measured and that do not change quickly over
time. These include the ability to analyze audiences, tasks, and
purposes for writing; the ability to write appropriately for
audience, task, and purpose; the ability to edit for subject
matter, syntactic, and orthographic correctness, as well as
audience literacy level; the ability to distinguish between
effective and ineffective graphics; the ability to design the
presentation of information in a manner appropriate for the
audience and subject; and the ability to manage project
resources.
Some of these skills have been recognized since the time of
Aristotle; others have been more recently identified. All of
them are independent of specific tools or subject matter.
Is it possible to certify for competency in these skill areas?
Probably yes.
Is it desirable? Maybe; maybe not.
How much will it cost? Don't know yet.
Will such a program make a difference to writers/editors, their
employers, and the general public? Don't know that yet either.
Could we try to generate a larger light-to-heat ratio in our
discussion of this topic?
--George Hayhoe (george -at- ghayhoe -dot- com)
George Hayhoe Associates
Voice: +1 803-642-2156
Fax: +1 803-642-9325
Award-winning Web site: http://www.ghayhoe.com
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