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Re: Certification Discussion



>Why would I want to pay to take an exam that would prove I know the basics of a narrow chunk of an archivist's job, when it's really my ability to manage a wide range of materials and 
>to think creatively that's my strength?
 
I think we are missing the point about certification. Certification in the practical sense is to establish competency within a set of domains. Why pay to prove you know the basics? If you are suddenly downsized, fired, or get a supervisor you cannot live with, you may need a job. Are you more secure with certification or without it? The split here among the archivists seems to be among the academic archivists and the corporate archivists. Where do you find your job security? Do you find it in the organization employing you or in the wider job market? It is easy to oppose certification sitting in academia but if you are relying on the job market to employ you in the private sector, you may very well need it. I agree, I don't see many jobs that list the CA as desirable but if I am applying for an archivist position, I would feel better with a master's degree and the CA, than with a master's alone.
 
The CA is still in the earlier stages of becoming accepted. I have seen salary figures that show people with the CA earn LESS than those without it. I believe that is due to the newer people in the profession taking the exam and being earlier in their careers than those without the certification. It takes time for these things to have meaning. I still maintain that you are better off with it, than without it. Those of us in records management were suddenly faced with taking the CRM exam to remain competitive when the CRM became required as part of Federal jobs and contracts.
 
Consider a medium sized corporation needing an archivist. They will probably have no knowledge of the ACA and certification but I do know that employers are using certification as a yardstick and will favor certified candidates over those equally qualified who are not. In the technical jobs certification is a must. It is accepted there as a fact of life. It may be wrong (and I was opposed to the credentialist movement) but it is a fact.
 
If you intend to spend 35 years at your present employer, you probably don't need it. I have seen sudden changes in the field where a new director of libraries is hired and begins bouncing the old guard one at a time. Your resume should be ready EVERY day and your skills should not become moldy. Attending SAA is not enough. Show your prospective employer you are competent in document imaging. Show competency in XML. When I hire I want you to show me you are committed to the field, not just someone occupying space in among the Hollingers. The CA can be a part of that.
 
Archivists of the future will NOT be sitting among paper. If you have the skills in web based distribution, electronic records and long term preservation, you will be in demand. Get on the career track that will make you desired rather than taking the lottery approach to jobs. The CA is just a part of the overall professional development picture. If you do not take an interest in the future of the profession, you will be someday relegated to the lower tier of jobs within the profession.
 
Get active, take courses, and expand your technical and digital expertise. That is the path to security in any field.
 
Ray

Raymond K. Cunningham, Jr. CRM, CA
Manager of Records Services
University of Illinois Foundation
Harker Hall 114
1305 West Green Street
Urbana IL 61801