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                               The Interview: Article #2

The interview was conducted in January immediately following our National Board
meetings in Toronto and just prior to my departure to Ottawa to meet with
executives of Canadian companies and representatives of various federal
government departments to discuss CIPS and our role in developing the IT
profession.

The interview, conducted by Martin Slofstra of Computing Canada, lasted
approximately 70 minutes and concentrated primarily on the subject of professional
certification and CIPS role in advancing professionalism amongst industry
practitioners.  The interview was at my request as I felt while I was meeting in
Toronto, I should meet with the media to communicate the growing need for
professional certification.

"Romancing the Profession"
Early in the meeting I talked about the majority of IT practitioners "romancing the
profession."  I proceeded to state that in my opinion you will rarely find an
individual working in the IT industry that doesn't want to be recognized and valued
as a professional.  Yet, when it comes to investing the time, energy, and resources
to gain and maintain professional level experience and knowledge, many if not most
of those individuals are reluctant to make that commitment.  I continue to stand
behind this statement, and I think the readers of this article will not be hard pressed
to identify practitioners that expect their employer to take responsibility for their
professional development.

Clearly the employer should share in the responsibility to help keep an individual's
skills current.  But the prime responsibility must rest with the individual practitioner
Why?  Well my analogy I shared with Martin was that of a person entering a
pedestrian crosswalk.  The individual can either take responsibility for their own
safety and check both directions; or with the knowledge that they have the right of
way, they simply enter the crosswalk knowing that if they get hit, the driver of an
automobile will be held responsible.  Of course, they will be DEAD right, but this
will provide little comfort  to the individual's family.

Taking personal responsibility for your own safety applies equally to your
professional development.  If you loose your job and left responsibility for your
education and professional development solely  up to your employer then you may
be caught in a difficult position..... that of looking for a job with skills that are not
current.

In the interview, I did not state nor imply that taking personal
responsibility meant funding all your education yourself.  In my opinion, it does
mean ensuring than an education plan exists, is shared with your employer, and
demonstrates your commitment to your professional development.  Hopefully, the
employer will recognize the value to the organization in investing in your ongoing
education, especially those areas that are aligned to the organization's business
objectives.
***************
Kevin Brown, I.S.P.
President,
Canadian Information Processing Society