How did you become a Standards Professional?

I was one of the mentor’s at ANSI’s Standards Simulation contest at San Jose State University last week.  And one of the questions students asked me was “How did you become a Standards Professional?”  In fact, ever since I have become involved in the standards community at large, this is a frequent question.  People want to know what career path leads to participation in standards activities.

Now the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation group APEC is going to find out!  Their Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) is conducting a survey on this very question.  And best of all, if you take the survey, you’ll get a free copy of the results.

What is APEC’s Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance?  The SCSC was established in 1994 to promote understanding and usage of standards in the Asia-Pacific region.  It was developed for a number of reasons.  First, this region has been very interested in using standards to facilitate international trade.  Second, Asia has been increasing participation in International Standards activities (ISO, IEC, and ITU).   Why?  For the sake of harmonization of standards in this area with international norms.  So a focal point for educational activities is warranted.  And lastly, greater reliance on standards promotes improved production integration with global partners.  All these activities have helped improve the economies of the APEC member countries.

What is the SCSC survey about?  The survey (located at https://ko.surveymonkey.com/r/WDKW3K8) is a questionnaire for standards professionals in both industry and in Standards Developing Organizations.  It aims to identify both the career path of standards professionals and map the reults.  It also asks about skills and the knowledge base required for those in the standards community.  In the end, the survey will be used to create recommendations for SCSC projects to inspire folks in the region to enter this field.

Who should take this survey?  Anyone who is a standards professional!  But you’ll need to act prior to December 15, 2017.  When the survey is complete you’ll get a copy of the survey summary results.  Since the company and individual information will not be publicly available, this is one of your few chances to gain access to this critical information.  It should be completed around March of 2018.

Hats off to APEC’s SCSC for undertaking this survey.  And also to Donggeun Choi from KSA (the Korean Standards Association) for taking the lead on the project.  We’re very interested in seeing the results of this work on “Inspiring the Next Generation of Standards Professional Development – Phase 2: Developing Career Path and Career Map.”  It is a great adjunct to other educational efforts like the ANSI Standards Simulation Competition that I participated in last week!