Why be Certified?

In today’s business world, competency of an individual’s performance has value to organizations in general.  ASQ annually publishes a salary survey in the Quality Progress magazine.  Those that possess certifications generally are paid higher salaries than those without certification in the very same job description.  There are many types of certifications provided by ASQ - so how much value is provided by certification depends upon the industry. 
 
What is certification?

Certification by ASQ is peer recognition of competency in a particular area of expertise (Body of Knowledge associated with a specific certification).  The recognition is a result of having a certain amount of education and experience in an area of expertise and passing an examination addressing that same Body of Knowledge.  Certification is not registration or licensure by ASQ.

Recertification - how do I maintain certification?

Most certifications require recertification at set intervals.  An example is the Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) certification requires recertification every 3 years.  Recertification is done on-line on the ASQ Headquarters website (www.asq.org).  Recertification requires specific 'points' in varying areas and assures that you are keeping up with quality information through your workplace, training or some other quality input.