Why Should I Be Certified

SHOULD I BE CERTIFIED? –NO QUESTION ABOUT IT Environmental Certification - What’s the big deal about having a whole bunch of letters after your name? Does it mean someone can do the job better than you? Actually, the letters can be quite significant. They easily identify someone as being knowledgeable and experienced. MD, DDS, DVM, PhD, and CPA readily distinguish people as having specialized education and training. So do some of the letters of the environmental field. The reality of the situation today is that the environmental field has changed in the last 30 years. The laws, methodologies and technologies are far more sophisticated. Determining who is qualified should be a matter of extreme importance. A proven method of identifying qualified people is through the process of issuing professional credentials. It is a movement in the environmental field that is skyrocketing. Hundreds of people each month in the United States and overseas are making a personal commitment to professionalism by seeking and obtaining environmental credentials through their state or private organizations. Why should you seek environmental certifications? Because the programs were created to people like you. You deserve recognition by your peers and your employer. Equally important, the public and government need to be able to identify people capable of protecting their health and environment. If you have ever attended a public hearing dealing with environmental issues, then you have heard the public outcry strongly expressing doubts that environmental professionalism exists among industry, consultants and government. Once you become certified, you become a true asset to your employer by Helping to meet environmental regulation Helping to lower of insurance rates for the company Having the knowledge to take charge during inspections of sites/facilities Having the knowledge to alert management to what is needed for compliance Having the knowledge to alert management of how to save on the costs of compliance Fact: There are 400 instances in federal environmental law that says you must be qualified to do your job. If you are not, both you and your employer are liable and subject to civil and criminal penalties. Paraphrasing John F. Kennedy, ask not “What’s in it for me,” ask yourself “What am I doing to upgrade the stature and recognition of the environmental profession?” For more information please visit to http://www.nrep.org