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> 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
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