> Nope. RESULTS are the only thing that count. A guy with RPT status and > tunes only by ear is still human, and thus subject to inconsistency > and miscalculations like anybody else. Does it guarantee that he/she > will be a 100% perfection at all times? The only "credential" that > matters to me or my clients, is the quality of my work; not just > tuning, but everything else, from simple repairs to complete > restorations. It's like being a certified black belt in karate. Does > than mean you can kick anyone's ass in a street fight who is not a > karate expert? In some cases maybe, but there would be plenty of > guys-who never had formal training in fighting-who could wipe the > floor with them. Results, results, results. Location, location, > location. > > I let my work speak for itself. So far my loyal customers very much > like what they've been hearing! > > Terry Peterson > Accurate Piano Service > UniGeezer.com <http://unigeezer.com/> > "Going to the /extreme/...on just ONE wheel!" Well, Terry, then you have no need of a credential in your personal business. But you see, that is not the point of professional credentials. The point of professional credentials is to establish industry-wide standards that can be publicly accepted. And professional credentials may not have a visible effect on the individual practice of a given practitioner as much as they do on the public image of the profession as a whole - and eventually on everyone's income level. And if you study the history of professions such as medicine, nursing, law, engineering, the construction trades, realty sales - just to give you samples from various walks of life - you will see that they went through that development of credentials or licensing with a resulting rise in status and overall income. Back in the early days that same "free-for-all" attitudes prevailed "I am judged by my results" - with the result that there was a handful of competent, trusted individual practitioners, and the profession as a whole was held in ill repute. And if you don't believe me, just read some of the things Mark Twain had to say about doctors and engineers - reflecting the reality of his day. Doctors as mountebanks and nostrum peddlers, engineers as glorified mechanics who sometimes managed to design things that worked and stood up... Or how nurses in World War I are treated - bedpan emptiers and bandage changers, glorified servants who did the dirty work - not medical professionals. And I remember myself from my childhood how "house salesmen:" were viewed when I was a kid - losers who failed at everything else. Sound familiar? And each one of these professions elevated its status through the same process: 1.They developed a body of knowledge that goes above and beyond merely that which is necessary to achieve satisfactory results for most applications but encompasses an in-depth understanding of how and why what they do works and the ability to justify and explain it all. Way beyond the mere mechanics of the trade. 2. Developed a process of training and examinations whereby this knowledge and competence can be demonstrated and a publicly accepted credential awarded. This is what - in the eyes of the public - constitutes a "professional" with all the respect and a presumption of trust that entails. And we in the piano trades are just starting on this journey of elevating our trade from the pits in which it has been forever to perhaps some day to be considered a - profession? Rather than something that someone just falls into, like a waiter or a cabdriver? And if anybody thinks that we are treated like professionals, think again. When was the last time your opinion about pianos was discounted in favor of that of a trombonist or a singer? Because they are "music professionals" with a degree - and you are just a "tradesman", a "retread" a :"failed musician", etc. etc? Building up the RPT credential has the potential of elevating the status of our profession, eventually, if we do it right and put sufficient resources into it. It's been done before and it works. At this point the main benefits will accrue not to me personally but to those just entering the profession now (I do get occasional calls inquiring about RPT status - the recently inaugurated web-based promotion campaign is working. But then I personally don't really need it - my practice is pretty full...). But then, any of this sort of "looking to the future" for the sake of the "common good" involves a certain amount of altruism and looking beyond oneself. A trait that's, apparently, missing in some people... Israel Stein
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