When you are handed a business card from a professional with letters after their name, what thought comes to mind? That of the infamous billionaire Thurston Howell III, the famous TV comedy character Gilligan’s islandWho was tactless, guilty, pretentious and lazy? However, does the educated customer service professional have a professional mind and want to get the job done right the first time to earn their praise and smile? The letters after the names mean things. They should be a prerequisite when choosing your next professional.
The difference is in the details
The letters after names are officially called “postnominal letters.” They can be obtained for a series of achievements. Letters may be obtained for academic education, accreditation, certification, designation and / or recognition. Although the result is the same (the professional can place a few letters after his name), the prestige of the achievements is not the same. There are clear levels of achievement that are higher than others. Put plainly, some letters mean much more than others.
Academic Education: Although a student should be very proud when they earn their certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree, these degrees do not award the student nominal letters. Obtaining a graduate degree, be it a master’s degree or a doctorate, is considered the highest and most prestigious level of professional achievement; So it doesn’t just come with lyrics, they are the most prestigious of all letters. As a general rule, if someone has a Master’s and a Ph.D. in the same discipline, they only show the highest level achieved. Therefore, when Mr. Makyo Feelgood earns his bachelor’s degree in finance, he will remain “Mr. Makyo Feelgood.” When he goes on to earn his Master of Business Administration (MBA), he becomes “Mr. Makyo Feelgood, MBA.” And, when you reach the top of the academy by earning your Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), you not only replace your post-nominal letters (replace MBA with DBA); but we refer to him as “Doctor”. Therefore, “Dr. Makyo Feelgood, DBA.” Interestingly, when the academic disciplines are different, both are listed. So if instead of getting a DBA you got a Ph.D. in economics, you would have become “Dr. Makyo Feelgood, PhD, MBA.”
Accreditation and certification: generally speaking, they mean the same thing. Typically, a training or education program is “accredited” by an outside government or accrediting agency and then those who complete the program are “certified.” Although not as prestigious as academic education, certificate programs require the professional to have several years of experience in the profession, pass a comprehensive test, and complete continuing education to maintain their certification.
Designation – Although training is part of earning a designation and sometimes even passing a full test, designation programs do not require a test or ongoing education or experience. Therefore, it is an achievement worthy of letters; but, at a lower level than accreditation or certification.
Recognition: Still worthy of post-nominal letters, recognition is the least prestigious of the four categories. It can be obtained through training or simply by reaching a career milestone that is often not achieved by others in the same profession. Testing, experience, and continuing education, then, are not involved.
Order means everything
When a professional has obtained more than one set of post-nominal letters, it is appropriate to display each set of letters after their name. This is done in descending order with the most prestigious letters first (closest to the name) followed by a comma, then the next set of letters, and so on. Therefore, when Snoopy earns his Ph.D. in engineering, he becomes “Joe Cool, PhD.” When you pass your first set of exams on the path to becoming an Engineer Professional (PE), you are known as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) and you become “Joe Cool, PhD, EIT.” Finally, when Snoopy returns to school to hone his design skills and finally earns his Master of Architecture (M Arch), he becomes “Joe Cool, PhD, M Arch, EIT”. It is important to note that subsequent nominal letters do NOT appear in the order in which they were obtained chronologically; but, in order of the importance of the achievement.
Once earned, a professional has every right to use all the letters for each achievement earned as long as they maintain their license, continuing education, or other achievement requirements. That said, in common practice, it is rare to display more than three sets of letters at a time. Typically, the professional discards the less prestigious achievements to show three or fewer. In certain cases, it is appropriate to show all the achievements (more than three) of the professional in the form of post-nominal letters; such as: receiving an award, instructing or teaching on a relevant topic, or other special circumstances (for example, writing an article about Letters after names as found in this document by the author). However, even if it is not used after the professional’s name, the achievements should always be shown in a summary.
The effect on you
Scammers and want to be it can bring down the reputation of any industry. The true professional who believes in his honorable career prides himself on his knowledge of the latest best practices and maintains a high level of continuing education represented by post-nominal letters.
Don’t become a victim. Choose a designer, contractor, real estate agent, banker, accountant and lawyer, or any other professional who is serious about their careers by staying at the top of their career field. A professional may cost a bit more to hire upfront or you may ask them to wait a little longer before they can get started on their project; but, in the end, it will serve you better.
The letters after the names mean things. Look for them. Learn about them. Only hire those who have earned them.
