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| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
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| Subject: | RE: [gislist] GIS Certification? |
| Date: |
06/10/2004 01:35:01 PM |
| From: |
Miller, Harold |
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Like many things in life, we all have an opinion. Short of making one feel
good about their accomplishments, a Certification will only mean as much as
the industry will allow. I think legislating it for the sake of it has no
positive value. As a GIS Professional working in an Engineering firm, I see
the value of professional certification. Its borne out of liability and
accountability. That is to say that if an engineer designs something that
fails and harm is caused, then as a certified professional, and the only one
who could authorize its design, liability for the failure has a source.
As a GIS professional for the better part of 20 years, I have worked on
numerous projects, in numerous situations. Some have involved authorizing /
signing off on design aspects for GIS systems. Some have done better than
others, but I have never as a GIS professional been in a legal liability
situation similar to a doctor, lawyer, engineer or even licensed surveyor.
That is not to say that it can't happen or hasn't happened.
I am supportive of a Certification process that has real purpose and
engenders real forwarding of the science or practice. But, as GIS as a
supporting discipline or business becomes a commodity, it becomes less
justifiable. GIS is more about intelligent data management in support of
other businesses and practices - i.e. Engineering, Environment, Land
Management, etc..
There will always need to be a core of pure GIS specialists to continue to
move the science and related technology forward and maybe that is where a
certification discussion or option can be focused - Just my 2 cents (sorry
2.7 Canadian)
Harold
Harold S. Miller
Conestoga-Rovers & Associates
eSolutions Group
228 Matheson Blvd. E.,
Mississauga, Ont., L4Z 1X1
Phone: (905) 712-0510
Fax: (905) 712-0515
Cell: (519) 835-7366
email to: hmiller@craworld.com
web: http://www.CRAworld.com
It is the foolish hiring manager that relies on what is printed on the CV as
a basis to hire someone. The smart hiring manager will do a lot of due
diligence, going well beyond the ad-hoc call to a "professional" or personal
reference. After all, who puts a person down as a reference that will not
say glowing positive things about the candidate in question ? We need a
certification to "guarantee" someone has the experience they claim, come on,
that's a lazy way to make a decision about someone. And to boot, even if
everyone started requiring certifications, and everyone got them, what would
the real net be for the industry and profession? So much for any uniqueness
eh ? It's a novelty folks, like WAP and checking stock quotes on your
mobile phone, it will pass away and find the round file in the sky too.....
Anthony
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gislist-bounces@lists.geocomm.com
> [mailto:gislist-bounces@lists.geocomm.com] On Behalf Of Marc Allred
> Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 12:45 PM
> To: gislist@lists.geocomm.com
> Subject: RE: [gislist] GIS Certification?
>
> Chris,
> You hit it right on the noggin. If the public and
> private sector take the GISP certified individual over the
> one without the certificate than you will see more
> individuals getting certified.
> Otherwise, it want work. The certificate has nothing to do
> with an exam.
>
> To be certified you must have a minimum amount of
> experience (I believe its 4 years), and a combination of
> education, type of work (managerial, programming, data
> maintenance, etc..., and contributions to the field.
>
> Now if you're an employer (and many of them have little GIS
> experience) and you have two applications that look similar,
> but one is certified and a certification guarantees that have
> this minimum amount of experience. Which one do you choose?
> For an employer to verify you are certified they only need to
> check the website.
>
> Marc Allred
> Northwest Piedmont COG
> GIS Analyst
> Phone: 336-761-2111
> Fax: 336-761-2112
> E-mail: mallred@nwpcog.org
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gislist-bounces@lists.geocomm.com
> [mailto:gislist-bounces@lists.geocomm.com] On Behalf Of Chris Barber
> Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 11:05 AM
> To: J Bee: gislist@lists.thinkburst.com
> Subject: RE: [gislist] GIS Certification?
>
>
> If you had two candidates for the same GIS job, one with a GISCI (or
> other) certificate and the other without (and all other
> factors equal), which would you hire?
>
> This is a question for anyone who cares to answer, not just
> Bob. And it's not intended to challenge anyone's point of
> view, it's just a question. I've always assumed having a
> certificate of whatever kind is better that not having
> one....even a PPC.
>
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