Certified or Expert?

It would be great to be a certified expert in that which you love to do. And looking at it from the consumer’s point of view, with all things being equal, an accredited expert would be the best deal. Sometimes, though, the best people are not always certified. And sometimes those who are certified are not the best at what they do.

I know this sounds strange, yet I have seen this so many times in so many ways. People who have the money to pay for certifications and merely scrape by on the academics. They are too busy in other areas of their lives or don’t see the need for extensive training. Therefore, they end up buying expensive certificates while putting in only minimum work.

On the other hand, I have seen people who have put in a lot of work with a genuine passion for the subject they are studying. They become totally immersed in the subject matter. They learn everything they can about it. And they come out of the experience with vast knowledge. They are the go-to people, yet finances or other concerns put them in a position not to have the expensive certificate.

My question is an easy one. To whom do you want to turn when you need the help? Do you want to go to the person with the certificate? Or, do you turn to the person with knowledge?

Please weigh in on this question. Please send in your comments, and unless you asked me not to, I’ll share them on the blog. If there is interest, I will find a way that we could have a good discussion on this subject.

Thanks for reading and I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof