Is Certificate and Certification the Same?

[Wayne White <jewe -at- MINDSPRING -dot- COM>]

Dear Techwriters,
Wantabe again, *hit delete at this point* if you don't want to be bored by
this dumb question.

Eric Ray wrote:
<snip>       I can't imagine a certification process that would satisfy me,
as an employER, that a candidate had any particular skills or abilities.
Thus, it'd worthless to me as an employer. </snip>

Since this is Eric Ray's list and I admire and respect his knowledge and
opinions, I wonder how many employ*ers* on the list feel the same way.

I have just completed an e-mail course called, "So you want to be a
techwriter." (I have a degree in journalism so I'm not concerned with that
mile post). But, Kennesaw State College Continuing Education, Marietta, GA,
USA has three other e-mail courses which are five weeks each in duration;
cost only $184 each; and give a CERTIFICATE IN TECHNICAL WRITING  upon
completion. I was planing to take the courses because I actually self
learned a lot in the course I just completed.

I attended graduate school and completed all the course work. I didn't
complete an internship because I was hired *for pay* doing the exact same
thing I was going to do *for free* in the internship. Consequently, I didn't
receive the master's degree. I didn't care because I was interested in
knowledge, not a piece of paper. (I didn't attend the undergraduate ceremony
because I hate pomp and ceremony, got enough of that in parades in USAF).

Now that I want to change careers, I wonder if a HR person would give equal
weight to the 15 week certificate from KSU as the 18 month certificate from
Southern Polytech? It is a *certificate* from a *certified* university.
Trust me, I know the knowledge difference. ;o)

BTW Anyone interested in online courses through KSU can check out their URL:
http://www.kennesaw.edu/coned/index.shtml They also offer online courses in
HTML, Photoshop, PowerPoint, etc.

Respectfully,
Wayne White
jewe -at- mindspring -dot- com


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