Broadcast engineers — mark these dates on your calendar: Oct. 6, and Nov. 7–17.
Oct. 6, is the application deadline for SBE Certification exams at local chapters. Nov. 7–17, is the window for those local chapter certification exams.
So why bother to be certified?
The main reason is that SBE certification is the emblem of professionalism in broadcast engineering.
If we want to command top dollar and professional recognition so that we can advance into the really meaningful work, our career arc should include acquiring not only extensive SBE certification.
On many occasions I have said that our profession, broadcast engineering, is changing dynamically because of many factors. A primary one is the reliability of equipment and a very close second is the use of computers to handle repetitive tasks especially those related to operational supervision.
The net result of this changing paradigm is the compaction of our field … the count of practitioners is dropping while at the same time creating a need for a more competent and broad based technocrat.
Issues are compounded by the simple fact that broadcast engineering is a practiced art.
From a foundation of good basic knowledge, we learn by doing every day and, in a unique circumstance in our field, SBE members mainly learn their craft from each other.
This learning is a critical need as the half-life of broadcast engineering is about five years in my estimation. Half of what we learn today will be worthless in five years.
One purpose of our local SBE Chapter 14 is to help the members grow professionally in knowledge and prestige and a major barometer of that growth is SBE certification.
So, since we have been sort of lagging in this area let this fall see a SURGE OF CERTIFICATION.
Let’s each of us pick out at least one level or a specialty certification to either obtain for the first time being certified or, if already certified, then to move up one level either by exam or application.
Michael Graziano and myself, co-chairs of the SBE Chapter 14 certification committee, are ready to help in any way.
Things get done by doing, so please go directly to the SBE website for details to get your certification application started and finished.
Remember that certification is not limited to just your chapter SBE members but to the engineering community in general. So, spread the word to all possible candidates to help build the base and increase the recognition of certification.
Our goal, for SBE 14, for that November SBE Certification exam window, is to have the exams available on the same day as a regular Hartford area meeting so as to combine travel for those coming some distance as well as to minimize the time off needed for the exam. If there is enough interest, we can also schedule convenient special sessions for taking the FCC exams as well.
We’re hoping that all of the members will take one or more of the certification tests and if there is sufficient need, we can add down state (N.Y.C. or Fairfield county) or upstate (Springfield and north) test locations as dictated.
No excuses … Let’s get going on this project now, today.
Your future awaits you.
