[Sigia-l] So, how did you become a [Information Architect|UsabilityEngineer|Interface Designer|etc.]?

[Listera]

Peter Boersma:

> That could be interpreted as "if I want to be a surgeon, I'll just pick up a
> knife and call it surgery".

Except, at least in the U.S, surgeons are licensed/certified. You could go
to jail for playing a surgeon. You think IAs should be licensed? What do you
propose the penalty of impersonating an IA ought to be in jail time?

> That's dangerous.

May or may not be as dangerous as licensed surgeons screwing up every single
day, in every hospital, in every city around the nation, not just to the
tune of billions of dollars but also in real lives. Some of those liability
cases must have some merit, no? :-)

> Now, most IA isn't really about life-or-death situations, but if your bad IA
> decision makes a lot of people pay too much tax (or too little for that
> matter), or worse, deliver the wrong amount of medicine, a lot of people can
> get into trouble.

Sure. But you know as well as I do that not every receiver of a degree or a
license will be immune to making bad decisions. Licensing is a red herring.
Unfortunately, whether you area plumber or an IA, incompetence and
mediocrity cannot be cured by licenses or diplomas.
 
> In that case I strongly suggest you stick with your title first, then expand
> your knowledge, then *slowly* expand your responsibilities and only then
> consider changing your jobtitle into "IA or whatever".

It's also entirely possible to deliver the *work* of an IA, without
obsessing about the *title.*

Ziya
Nullius in Verba