Did I overreact?

[Fetzner, Bill]

John Posada writes: <<We, the professional writers do nothing to prevent the
field from being watered down ("I need a Functional Spec...can someone send
me one?") and do nothing to make would-be-writers prove that they actually
know how to construct a document.>>

We've heard the same lament from people in all professions, and the worst
that has come of it is to lock down the field so tightly that the consumer
eventually pays through the nose and loses all ability to control the
services. Sterling examples are the doctors and lawyers -- there are plenty
of ne'er-do-wells and bottom scrapers in those and other professional
fields, but because of the certifications that they pushed, the buyer has no
practical way to find out until it's too late. You just pays your money and
takes your chances. Unionism is the same way to thwart close scrutiny and
market forces. Personally, I'd rather be the one to judge than some
certification board stocked with insiders, or some licensing agency that
doesn't care about me personally.    
~ Bill