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Subject:Certification/Degrees From:Michael Andrew Uhl <uhl -at- VISLAB -dot- EPA -dot- GOV> Date:Wed, 11 Dec 1996 13:13:34 -0800
Fellow TECHWR-Lers:
I used to be a strong advocate for certification of
technical communicators. Degrees don't mean much to me.
A person's ability to the required job is what counts.
And I thought some kind of formalized qualifying system
might be helpful.
Now that I've reached a decade in the business, I've
done a one-eighty on the certification issue. I have
worked hard to build a good reputation, technical skills,
and professional contacts. In other words, I've got mine.
Certification now looks to me like a crutch or shortcut
for people to avoid the kind of effort I've made.
Funny how experience sheds a new perspective. ;-)
Happy Holidays.
-Mike
--
Michael Andrew Uhl, Lead Technical Writer (uhl -at- vislab -dot- epa -dot- gov)
Lockheed Martin, Primary Support Contractor to US EPA
Scientific Visualization Center
National Environmental Supercomputing Center (NESC)
U.S. EPA Environmental Research Center
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
