rofl

Thanks for sharing that, too funny!

Hi Crystal  There is training for that I think somewhere..so that a military wife/spouse can do something to bring in income that allows them freedom to move..?

I want to be a certified blog poster VA!!!! Sign me up, and send me the Paypal link, LOL!

Ok, so she's not a virtual assistant to miltary spouses. She's a military spouse who is also a virtual assistant? That makes more sense. LOL.

I did ask around and found out it's a real thing. The way it's written though, it's confusing.

Remember when certifiable meant something not so complimentary.  I'm glad when any spouse can find her opening and become an independent contractor and virtual professional.  But, as Crystal said, look deep for the ability to make practical application to that training certificate.  Sitting through some classes, and collecting a certificate, while wholly admirable, doesn't a  certified professional make.

Although your post was funny, it really is dead on the mark.  I've been saying this for a long time.  Who, exactly, came up with this certification?  I don't hold a lot of credence to certifications that came as a result of 3 or 4 Virtual Assistants coming together and deciding that they were going to create their own certification, which definitely has happened.  And, as has been pointed out, real world experience counts for so much as well!

~Renae

Thanks, Judy and Renae. We need to keep this real. We are a real industry helping real people. Fake certifications cheapen our client's view of our industry as a whole. We lose more than we gain.

There are way too many certifications in the real estate business as a whole.  A Realtor I assisted had a certification to help Seniors purchase homes!

In my mind, it is just a money game.  I don't believe the average buyer, seller or Realtor cares about how many designations a person has behind their name.

Not too long ago, we received an email from an agent in a huge DFW real estate office who said he has a Certified Open House designation and did we have any houses we wanted him to hold open.  When we responded to his email, strictly out of curiousity, he said he was in the process of buying his signs! 

If he is a new agent without clients, we applaud his tenacity - but to have a Certified Open House designation is absurd.

I am done!

Marilyn, that's funny. I have heard of the Senior certification but not the Open House one. I wonder what they teach.

Thank you so much for the clarification..although I think you said it fine!  Great article and should be posted in the VA forums!

As another VA, I too share your thoughts regarding the validity of skills and organizations.  With over 10,000 VA's all over the world, the wealth of information is as good as a degree in college or business school, it has that much support, and learning tools.

Thanks again for sharing!  And I would buy a blog certification from you anytime.  Your a great designer, you should design one for this article!

Mary Beth Marino 

Crystal,

As a military spouse I would like to clear up your misunderstanding about the MSVA program.  Military installations allow Christine Durst and Michael Haaren and their staff (ie Staffcentrix) to come on posts and bases worldwide and offer training to military spouses. This training gives spouses the information needed to start their virtual business.  To date Staffcentrix has trained over 2500 VAs.  Christine Durst is the founder of the VA industry and therefore gives great credibility to this program.  If you would like to learn more about Staffcentrix and their MSVA program visit http://www.msvas.com/ .

You are correct about many certifications being fly by night creations and simply something that someone creates for a profit.  These certification programs do not last long.  My advice to anyone wanting to invest in a certification program is to take a look at the history of the program.  Ask questions.  Find out when, how and who created the program. Also make sure that the person(s) creating the certification program has experience in the field they are offering a certification for!  Very important! 

Jeri Winkler
The Secret Assistant
Jeri@TheSecretAssistant.com

Crystal, valid points. You said it straight, thank you. Sign me up for your Blog Certification!!!!!lol

Here's a question about something that always bothers me.  Should people advertise certifications that no longer exist?  For example Realtor.com no longer offers or advertises "Realtor.com certified VAs."  Should the VAs that got that certification advertise it?  Afterall, it is no longer a valid certification.  It no longer means anything.  What is your opinion on that?

BTW....sign me up for the blog certification too!  I'm always flying by the seat of my pants...ha!  :-)

Jeri Winkler
The Secret Assistant
jeri@thesecretassistant.com

LOL, Jeri. I think that if a person has the certification, then why not advertise it. If someone asks, they should be truthful that it's no longer offered. If you went to college and got a degree but the college closed it's doors, you still have the degree. I wonder what the concensus is on that.

And good point about looking at the history of the program! That's a caveat for VAs that I didn't even think of.

I really didn't mean to offend anyone about the military spouse certification. It's the way it's worded that's confusing. You are a military spouse and a VA, but it sounded like you are a VA to a military spouse. It also doesn't explain if you are a certified military spouse or a certified VA. It's just not worded well. I'll just chalk that one up to an "industry term" and leave it alone.

Good Point!!  I like the parallel about the college degree. You are absolutely correct!!!  I hadn't thought about it like that.

Hey Crystal,

I do recall coming across this back in 2006 as I was researching the VA industry. It never occured to me the way that it did to you, however. I thought it was a good idea and a good way for a military spouse to earn a living and maintain a consistent business when they are so frequently uprooted. I will admit that I would probably have been a bit offended as a military spouse with this designation, but I guess after you explained yourself, all would have been forgiven.

ps. there are too many valueless designations in the industry though.

Thanks for stopping by, Gwendolyn. Of course this is a great way for a military spouse to earn a living.

I don't see why a military spouse would be offended by my post. I said in the very first paragraph, "Why do miliary spouses need a VA?". I am not picking on military spouses. I (still) am picking on VA certifications.

This post actually came out of a conversation that I had with someone who made a comment that if you don't have certain certifications, you are not a qualified VA. I didn't take offense, but I wanted to say how wrong that thought process was. There are many qualified VAs in the industry who have no VA certifications.

I don't know the percentages, but I bet it's very high that most VAs have at least 10 years experience in the business world before becoming a VA. What we need is a Life Experience certification. There's one VA organization that requires you show proof of that experience before you can join.

And congratulations on your REPA certification. When the budget loosens up a bit that's one that I want.

thanks Crystal!

the overall message of your post is dead on...there are just toooo many worthless designations that really don't mean anything other than a fee was paid...

Thanks for the post!

I think that holding a certification is only as valuable as the institution from which it is held. Many of the certifications out there are merely a way of making money unfortunately. However, there are certifications offered that are legitimate and therefore those VAs that hold them are viewed in higher esteem. And there are certain niches in this industry that you certainly should have some type of formal training for.

The one thing I will say about these certifications is they do make the industry cost prohibitive to many new VAs because they fall into a catch 22.....can't get the certification without making money and can't make money without the certification.....