Professionalism in Computing: A Goal to Reach or a Way of Life?

What did one former CIO, AITP Chapter President and current Department Head of an academic computing department say to John Whitehouse, Jr., CCP (the ICCP Director of Certification) after attending a weekend examination review session of the ICCP Certification Council? Dr. Jim Woolen, CDP, CCP, of Ferris State University, shares his impressions.

I really enjoyed working on the test items this weekend! It was a great learning experience with expert colleagues in the IT field. It was a time for reflection on my profession of 34 years and again to reinforce the value of certification in my mind. While the long and intense days did contribute to a level of fatigue, the exhilaration of satisfaction from being totally immersed in a venture of this importance lifted me to an even higher level of energy.

It was:
a. An outstanding experience
b. Great professional company
c. Feeling like I contributed to my professional community
d. Learning more depth in my area of specialty knowledge
e. Learning that I could contribute in a significant manner
f. Finding that my contribution was valuable
g. Seeing that even the highest standards can be improved
h. Having a lot of fun
i. A couple of great days with two fabulous dinners in the company of my peers, where we continued discussions on the day's accomplishments!

The ICCP examinations that I worked on were the Microcomputers and Networking examination, the NEW Integrated Project Management (IPM) examination, where I learned a lot about the new model-based approach to Information Systems Development and the old favorite Information Technology Management examination which was based on the original Certified Data Processor (CDP) examination for IT Managers.

There were a number of examinations that needed to be updated, in fact we updated the IT Management subject outline as well and recommended improvements for some of the test items. I now have even a greater respect for the ICCP. The quality of examination, the quality of the test item development processes, the test management software application that has captured the knowledge from testing for over 35 years, all were a great reinforcement to me of the value of my certification.

I really recommend that CIOs out there get their employees assessed using the ICCP examinations. It is a great way to distinguish your star players.

We used to consider it a real honor to hold the CDP, and you really knew that you were equal to the best in our industry when you achieved your CDP. Well, I want to say to you that today I feel really proud to hold the CCP and of the fact that the ICCP continues to maintain that tradition of excellence. I am really glad to be calling myself a Certified Computing Professional.

Less than 1% of the IT industry has achieved this professional designation, and I am proud to state clearly that I am a member.

* CCP (Certified Computing Professional) is a professional designation awarded by the Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals. It is a vendor and product independent certification that represents the highest standards of achievement and adherence to a professional code of ethics. Less than 1% of all IT professionals have achieved this distinction.

See www.iccp.org to learn how you can earn this distinguished professional certification.