>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 |