Re: certification is absurd?

Subject: Re: certification is absurd?
From: DGoldstein -at- DeusTech -dot- com
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 12:51:34 -0600


> Edwin brightened 4/18/03 with:
<snip>
> What makes an "experienced" TW more valuable? His or her knowledge, gained
> on the job, in the skills I need applied to my project. If that skill set
> cannot be "proven," via testing or objective evaluation, it is questionable
> whether or not it really exists. Back to square one--those most opposed to
> certification are the very same ones who fear their own ability to
> demonstrate their "expertise" in a controlled setting.
</snip>

That's not my experience from interviews with prospective employers. They judged my technical writing skills from the samples that I showed them, cross-checking these with phone calls or e-mails to previous employers and clients. The same subjective reference checks served to verify my organizational and interpersonal skills, which are no less crucial than Word, Visio, Dreamweaver, etc.

(Of course, one of them did ask for my SAT scores from 1978. But he's kind of competitive that way.)

I think that the word "fear" is a little out of place here. My impression of this _endless_ thread is that the opposition doesn't *fear* the threat of certification, but rather derides its alleged relevance.

Dan Goldstein


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Purchase RoboHelp X3 in April and receive a $100 mail-in
rebate, plus FREE RoboScreenCapture and WebHelp Merge Module.
Order here: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l/


Help celebrate TECHWR-L's 10th Anniversary starting this month!
Check out the contests at http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/special/contests/
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday TECHWR-L....

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.



Previous by Author: RE: Tech writer/ Documentation Specialist
Next by Author: Re: Writing Requirements Documents/Functional Specifications, etc.
Previous by Thread: certification is absurd?
Next by Thread: Re: certification is absurd?


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads