Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss.

Subject: Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss.
From: John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:43:19 -0700 (PDT)


> Ackk! You're trying to turn salt-of-the-earth tech writers into
> middle managers!

No...but I am trying to describe the type of technical writer who
manages their project, which is, in my view, the only people who
would care about being certified for whom there would be benefit. In
my current position, I don't do all of the things I described.
However, between this and two prior gigs, I did almost everything I
described.

Salt-of-the-earth technical writers were never my target of
certification. They're doing just fine with their networks,
references, and proof that they can write very well. However, if I'm
a CIO and I want a writer who can create from scratch the environment
and deliverable that is going to represent my 5,000 page document set
for my 20 million dollar portal project, I want more than a
salt-of-the-earth writer.

> There's already a perfectly good PMI certificate for
> that.

But the PMI doesn't know technical writing and may not know the
skills involved in that...how many PMs can design a documentation
project that will be in XML, who know the advantages/disadvantahes of
InfoMapping, can sit down with her tech writing team and work with
them to develop the documentation framework?

> Although I must admit, that does sound like a lovely day of
> chatting and hanging out. :-)

If meetings from 10am to 7pm, with work between is a lovely day of
chatting, my compliments

> So many man-hours spent in meetings! Only the largest corporations
> who are publicly subsidized in hundreds of devious ways would be
> able to afford this. My smaller clients would consider that a lost
> day of work.

And this is exactly the environment that would be interested in the
certification qualifications...those with big bucks at stake. NOW
you're starting to get into the swing of things.
>
> I'd rather get up early, check my email from home, send out a few
> emails planning and coordinating the day's activities, then go to
> my desk all day and get some work done.

An certification would have both zero attraction and zero benefit for you.

John Posada
Senior Technical Writer

"What do we want? More than
anybody else has."
Steve Ballmer

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References:
Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss.: From: Mike O.

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