Promoting Ethics through Continuing Education

First I want to make it plain and clear that I never want to see continuing education a requirement. It can however be an incentative for bring people together and working from guidlines.

Here are some reasons I do not want them to be mandantory. Where does the authority come from. If everyone has to take classes from someone who does the someone take classes from? In fact mandantory CEU tend not to work because they become a political form of welfare employing selective individuals while robbing the rest. Where money is involved corruption will follow. Contractors licenses are nothing more than a license to steal and some of them will admit that. It is just another form of Union Socialism with a few at the top dictating to the rest. It does not neccessarily make the individual or their skills better. I was certified in several areas including California Water and Waste Water which requires a great deal of CEU and small plants do not cover the cost. A person laid -off or injured and out is not covered by the big plants and here is the deal.... Each plant has its own licensed process. When you work for the plant you learn the process. What more can you be taught? You will be taught about other plants doing things differently but not how to do your job any better.The CEU program actually becomes a distraction to doing your job well. The effort should be refocused to in plant training programs that cost the employee nothing but some time.

Likewise I see the lone practioner doing his or her skill set well repeatedly year after year with a satisfied clientele. I encourge continuing education and independant learning, I don't approve of a society turning itself into a politcal foundation mandating education for turning profits. I don't care if they claim to be Non-profit, if one person is paid then it is for someone's profit at the expense of others. This always leads to entrenched cronyism.

I propose a society that has no books to keep except certification records. The price of membership being participation, cost kept at a minimum so there can be no accusations of buying influence and to encourage as many as possible to accept and keep guidlines and professional standards.

Maybe there is not enough altruism to go around but I believe in keeping close to these principles it would be possible to have an independent certifying society, respectible, free of politics and desired for its high standards. Not actually competing with other societies but being the standard they want to teach to.

I have more to say about testing and certification but for the moment I will leave this to your thoughts.

Best to You,

Rick C. - Bentized by the best.