Certified to Do the Job

In the DTP Classroom Tom writes, "There are far too many jobs now that require some sort of permission to do. Ask any economist, the real reason for certification is to keep people out of the field and thus (the practitioners hope) raise wages for those who have jumped through the hoops. ...the beauty and wonder of our field is that if we do our job well, it will be self evident. If we have done it poorly, it will be more than self-evident." Do You Need Certification for Desktop Publishing?

Related from the About Graphic Design site:
We get no respect "...how does one certify design?"
We get no respect: a designer's perspective "Today, the word "Designer" has very little meaning."