I agree...we are all professionals, and we should act as such. There are other places where one can spout heated rhetoric, if your heart needs a pressure boost!
I am not in California. Nor am I associated in any way with any union. Nor did the non-union apprentice programs see fit to allow me into their hallowed halls. Nor would anyone recognise my very real work experience.
Thankfully, most of those hurdles are behind me now.
My point is- it is too easy to find a job, get valuable, in-depth training.....and find out when you leave that you have no way to quantify that training to future employers. You leave the job with only your hat in your hand!
Certain trade unions -IBEW being in the forefront- got the ball rolling in the right direction, with the development of a formal apprentice program, standard training- and a journeyman card at the end. Now the working stiff had something to back up his claims!
I see the California certification as a step in the right direction as well. While I am sure that it will not be perfect, it will provide a way to document your qualifications.
After all, we've all known charming BS artists who claimed to have built the space shuttle, with duct tape and a Swiss knife! I even seem to recall hearing of a senior government official who had a fancier resume than life!
California has no hold over me- but I just might pony up the $$$ for the benefit of a credential like that; Nevada has no state regulation of electricians.
We put as much effort into out training as any doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Unfortunatly, too many of us have nothing to hang on the wall for it. There are even "degreed professional only" clubs that consider us as little more than gutter scum. There is a place for a piece of paper we can all point to and say "I earned it- and you wouldn't make the grade!"
