Re: Certification is absurd

Subject: Re: Certification is absurd
From: "Kevin Cheek" <CHEEK1 -at- sbcglobal -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 21:41:31 -0500


<good point about learning skills being more important
than individual technologies snipped--it's completely
true--no need to belabor the point.>

>Hmm, maybe we need certification on learning <G>.

I believe there is one. It's called a Teaching
Credential. Once you have that, you're guaranteed to
earn 50% or even 25% of your market value in the
workplace.

In all truth, I have always sold my ability to learn
new technologies, new processes, new styles, etc. very
quickly as my chief skill as a Tech Writer. My best
jobs (including this current one) have been the ones
where the interviewers responded most strongly to that
point.

That is what keeps me in Technical Writing (OK, that
and a mortgage and kids to feed...): In order to do my
job, I have to learn something completely new. As soon
as I understand it, it's time for the next project,
and I have to start learning all over again.

How do you certify that skill? Perhaps a test on a non-
existent technology that the writer has no prior
knowledge of? I think the best indicator is a set of
writing samples that shows successful documentation of
a wide range of technologies in a wide range of
styles.

Best regards to everyone,

Kevin Cheek

(Now should we change that subject line
to "Certification of the absurd?")



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