TW Certification

[Barry Lockard <barry -at- BGS -dot- COM>]

>>
>>   Ooh--something I hadn't though of:  who certifies the certifiers?
>>
>>

A very telling point.  In ancient Rome the saying was "Who guards the
guardians (of the Emporor)?"  The point is really the same.  In order to
establish certification, some persons must stand in judgement, first, over
what the standards ought to be and, second, over those to whom the
standards are to be applied.  This is inherently unequal (and I would add
immoral) because...

1. Those drafting the certification standards assume they possess the necessary
   knowledge and wisdom to make sound choices.

2. To make the certification standards apply, someone must impose them on
   others -- with or without their consent.

3. Since consent of all members of a very large group would be impossible to
   obtain, coercion is the modus operandi of certification -- by definition (or
   at least by default).

4. Coercion is possible only through...

   a. the support of government, through licensing, to exclude the uncertified.

   b. overt or covert agreements within the industry, which constitute illegal
      restraint of trade.

This is certainly not a very pretty situation for a professional, voluntary
association such as STC.  If certification is made purely voluntary,
participation provides no substantial benefits to the participant.  One
could just as well present one's qualifications effectively by one's own
devices.  And one should be fully prepared to do so.  Is that not properly
one of the hallmarks of professionalism?

The argument has been proffered that certification is necessary to define
the profession.  I think definition of the profession is irrelevant to the
practioners.  What do Michelangelo, Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, Vermeer,
and Remington all have in common?  They all used paint.  Would anyone care
to dispute their stature as professionals?  Was certification necessary to
establish either their merits as artists or the standing of their
profession?  If it were, which one of them would have done the certifying?
Would Rembrandt have thought that Titian's colors were too bright?  Would
Michelangelo have objected that the human anatomy in El Greco's paintings
was distorted?  Would artists who painted on canvas rather than wood have
been considered sub-standard?  None of these artists was certified, yet
they found patrons and customers for their work.

Personally, I do not believe that the profession needs definition to
flourish and grow.  The ruckus over certification is a sign to me that
perhaps the STC is declining into bureaucratic pettifogging rather than
concentrating on programs and services that are really useful to the
membership.

**********************************************************************
 Barry L. Lockard,
 Principal Technical Writer,
 BGS Systems, Inc.,
 1 First Avenue,
 Waltham, MA 02254-9111
 617-663-4611
 barry -at- bgs -dot- com
 barry -at- worldpath -dot- net

  The abdomen is the reason why man does not easily take himself
  for a god. - Friedrich Nietzsche

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