CWI - 9yr Recertification Course Completed Last Week

Date 07-16-2012 17:47

In my previous post on this subject back in March, I asked for opinions regarding this recertification option, and received many excellent comments. In addition, PM and e-mail correspondence from another 10 or 12 CWI's gave me some insight and helped with my decision to take this course. Here is the link to my previous post.

http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=30054

Content of the course was exactly as described on the AWS website. Delivery and organization of something like this is steered by the instructor, and somewhat driven by the CWI's because there is a high level of participation and interaction. Part of the course also involves a presentation by each CWI, which is followed by a question & answer period. My instructor was Jim Greer, and the group of two dozen CWI's came from a wide variety of industries and backgrounds, and many held other certifications.... a lot of certifications. The one question I forgot to ask of the class was the combined number of years of experience that there was in that room. Using a minimum of 9 years each would put that number at 225 years... however, I suspect the total to be closer to 500 years considering CWI certification came later in the careers of many (I had 25 years or so of NDT under my belt before becoming a CWI, many in the class had been welding for at least that long). It is likely many of us have clients, customers, or employers that have similar resources and groups of professionals with thousands upon thousands of combined years of experience ...... but you don't get the chance to associate with them in a learning environment, on neutral ground, for 6 days.... which is the atmosphere in this type of course. The pool of knowledge was incredible, and the exchange of information was unrestricted (with the exception of proprietary data of course).

The third telephone call I made when I returned to work this morning was to schedule a half-day sit down with the two gentlemen I am currently helping prepare for their CWI examination. You know,... strike while the iron is still hot.

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 07-16-2012 19:26

Well, we know which route you took. It also appears safe to assume you totally enjoyed the time and learned a lot from the experience.

Would you whole-heartedly recommend this route for a majority of those drawing near their 9 year re-cert and not having enough PDH's or other credits to renew?

It seems to from the positive comments but you didn't say so.

Have a Great Day, Brent

By thirdeye (***)

Date 07-17-2012 01:46

Brent,

Wholeheartedly is a strong term considering the fact that all professionals weigh their skills and their time away from work differently. I definitely think this particular option should be considered, and it was a good choice for me.......however there are some attractive alternatives. For example, successfully completing some of the endorsement programs will result in an automatic 9 year renewal.

I did make the mistake of not documenting the educational and training hours I had accrued, but most of these were charged hours.... so those balance out in the end. The bottom line is..... being a CWI is a valuable (and often mandatory) credential, and in my case accounts for 15% or 20% of my income. There are several options available for renewal of that certification, and in my opinion some went deeper than just passing an examination.

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 07-17-2012 02:33

Oh I definitely agree with everything you just said. Everyone must weigh their own needs, available time, available money, and the end results. Documenting the continued education units (PDH's) so one gradually gets additional education that benefits their work and meets the renewal requirements is a good plan for all of us. Taking another code endorsement exam to expand our knowledge and prove our knowledge and skills to other codes can be of great benefit for the enhancement of the resume. And, for those short on time and money and only desiring to get it out of the way quick, the Part B exam will always have it's place.

But, I guess what I am asking is rather you thought it was a waste of time, or if you could "wholeheartedly" say that it is a very viable option for those looking to renew, learn, network, and just expand their horizons?

Did it let you down in your expectations from what others had said about it? Or, did it live up to those expectations?

Does that make my question more clear?

Have a Great Day, Brent

By thirdeye (***)

Date 07-17-2012 14:33 Edited 07-17-2012 14:35

No, I did not think the course was a waste of time, and overall the course was pretty close to the descriptions I received from others. It is a viable option and "learning", "networking" and "expanding of horizons" you mentioned are part of the experience. There is a lot of participation. We did not sit around drinking coffee and listening to a talking head,... and although the course had several mandatory objectives, there was not an hour-by-hour outline which was followed. There were homework assignments in the form of reading or maybe a sample examination, and I do recall seeing some folks staying in the meeting room after the daily session was over working in pairs.

Your question about the course "living up to expectations" is a tough one because we are right back to an individual perspective. To some degree it's up to each CWI to decide what he or she will get out of it. The pre-class assignments are a good example....I'm sure there were many like myself that completed more than the minimum reading and workbook assignment, (I also reviewed terms and definitions as well as a couple of my other weak areas). Another pre-class assignment involved a discussion topic or presentation about one or two real world problems encountered on the job.... some of these were elaborate with hands-on displays, some used pictures or Powerpoints, and other folks were comfortable enough in front of a group to do an oral presentation. Another part of the course, which by the way we did not expect, were exercises in small groups, which consisted of problems we discussed and solved,... then one group member presented the reasoning behind the solution to the class. These were designed not only to use our technical levels of expertise, but to see how well we worked with others as a team. Tying all these things together was the Instructor and the CWI's.

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 07-17-2012 15:11

I think that pretty well covered it for me.

As our sections Certification Committee Chairman I like to know as much as I can about all the different certifications available and the methods employed to maintain them. Then i like to know that I can recommend them with a good amount of confidence in the final outcome.

I tend to be a bit of a detail person and like things in specific terms. Language and how we express ourselves is very critical to making sure we are not misunderstood. Thus, my extended questioning of how YOU felt the time spent had accomplished it's stated purpose.

Thanks for your input and taking time to update all of us on the direction you chose to go.

Have a Great Day, Brent